Jeremiah 51:14

14 The Lord of hosts swore by his soul, that I shall fill thee with men, as with bruchuses, and a merry song shall be sung on thee. (The Lord of hosts swore by his soul, saying, I shall fill thee with men, like a swarm of locusts, and then a happy song shall be sung over thee.)

Jeremiah 51:14 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 51:14

The Lord hath sworn by himself, [saying]
Or, "by his soul" or "life" ^F17; which is himself, than which he cannot swear by a greater, ( Hebrews 6:13 ) ; and the certain performance of what he swears unto need not be doubted of; and indeed the design of the oath is to assure of the truth of the thing, about which, after this, there ought to be no hesitation: surely I fill thee with men as with caterpillars;
or "locusts" ^F18; march in vast numbers, and make sad desolation where they come; and to which a numerous army may fitly be compared; and which are here meant, even the army of Cyrus, that should enter Babylon, and fill it, as it did. So the Targum,

``the Lord of hosts hath sworn by his word, if I fill them with armies of many people as locusts:''

and they shall lift up a shout against thee;
as soldiers, when they make the onset in battle; or as besiegers, when they make their attack on a city; or as when grape gatherers bring in their vintage, or tread out their wine, to which the allusion is: it signifies that her enemies should get an entire victory, and triumph over her.

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FOOTNOTES:

F17 (wvpnb) "per animam suam", Pagninus, Cocceius, Schmidt.
F18 (qlyk) "ut, [vel] quasi brucho", V. L. Cocceius, Montanus, Grotius, Schmidt.

Jeremiah 51:14 In-Context

12 Raise ye a sign on the walls of Babylon, increase ye [the] keeping, raise ye keepers, make ye ready ambushments; for the Lord thought, and did, whatever thing he spake against the dwellers of Babylon. (Raise ye up a sign on the walls of Babylon, increase ye the watch, raise ye up the watchmen, prepare ye ambushes; for the Lord thought, and did, whatever he spoke against the inhabitants of Babylon.)

13 A! thou Babylon, that dwellest on many waters, rich in thy treasures, thine end cometh, the foot measure of thy cutting down. (O! thou Babylon, that dwellest by many waters, rich in thy treasures, thy end cometh, and the full measure of thy cutting down.)

14 The Lord of hosts swore by his soul, that I shall fill thee with men, as with bruchuses, and a merry song shall be sung on thee. (The Lord of hosts swore by his soul, saying, I shall fill thee with men, like a swarm of locusts, and then a happy song shall be sung over thee.)

15 The Lord swore, which made [the] earth by his strength, (which) made ready the world by his wisdom, and stretched forth (the) heavens by his prudence.

16 When he giveth voice, waters be multiplied in heaven; which Lord raiseth clouds from [the] last of the earth, he made lightnings into rain, and brought forth wind of his treasures/of his treasuries. (When he giveth his voice, the waters be multiplied in the heavens; he raiseth up clouds from the ends of the earth, and maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his storehouses.)