Jeremia 51:7

7 Babel was een gouden beker in de hand des HEEREN, die de ganse aarde dronken maakte; de volken hebben van haar wijn gedronken, daarom zijn de volken dol geworden.

Jeremia 51:7 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 51:7

Babylon [hath been] a golden cup in the hand of the Lord
Either so called from the liquor in it, being of a yellow colour, or pure as gold, as the Jewish commentators generally; or from the matter of it, being made of gold, denoting the grandeur, splendour, and riches of the Babylonian empire; which, for the same reason, is called the head of gold, ( Daniel 2:38 ) ; this was in the hand of the Lord, under his direction, and at his dispose; an instrument he make use of to dispense the cup of his wrath and vengeance to other nations, or to inflict punishment on them for their sins; see ( Jeremiah 25:15-26 ) ; or else the sense is, that, by the permission of God, Babylon had by various specious pretences drawn the nations of the earth into idolatry, and other sins, which were as poison in a golden cup, by which they had been deceived; and this suits best with the use of the phrase in ( Revelation 17:4 ) ; that made all the earth drunken;
either disturbed them with wars, so that they were like a drunken man that reels to and fro, and falls, as they did, into ruin and destruction; or made them drunk with the wine of her fornication, with idolatry, so that they were intoxicated with it, as the whore of Rome, mystical Babylon, is said to do, ( Revelation 17:2 ) ; the nations have drunken of her wine, therefore the nations are mad:
they drank of the wine of God's wrath by her means, being engaged in wars, which proved their ruin, and deprived theft of their riches, strength, and substance, as mad men are of their reason; or they drank in her errors, and partook of her idolatry, and ran mad upon her idols, as she did, ( Jeremiah 50:38 ) ; see ( Revelation 18:3 ) .

Jeremia 51:7 In-Context

5 Want Israel of Juda zal niet in weduwschap gelaten worden van zijn God, van den HEERE der heirscharen (hoewel hunlieder land vol van schuld is), van den Heilige Israels.

6 Vliedt uit het midden van Babel, en redt, een iegelijk zijn ziel; wordt niet uitgeroeid in haar ongerechtigheid; want dit is de tijd der wraak des HEEREN, Die haar de verdienste betaalt.

7 Babel was een gouden beker in de hand des HEEREN, die de ganse aarde dronken maakte; de volken hebben van haar wijn gedronken, daarom zijn de volken dol geworden.

8 Schielijk is Babel gevallen en verbroken; huilt over haar, neemt balsem tot haar pijn, misschien zal zij genezen worden.

9 Wij hebben Babel gemeesterd, maar zij is niet genezen; verlaat haar dan, en laat ons een iegelijk in zijn land trekken; want haar oordeel reikt tot aan den hemel, en is verheven tot aan de bovenste wolken.