Jeremiah 50:44

44 "¹Behold, one will come up like a lion from the thicket of the Jordan to a perennially watered pasture; for in an instant I will make them run away from it, and whoever is ²chosen I will appoint over it. For who is ³like Me, and who will summon Me into court? And who then is the shepherd who can ⁴stand before Me?"

Jeremiah 50:44 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 50:44

Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of
Jordan
What is said of Nebuchadnezzar coming up against Edom is here said of Cyrus coming up against Babylon; for of a king it is to be understood; as the Targum,

``behold, a king with his army shall come up against them, as a lion from the height of Jordan;''

see ( Jeremiah 49:19 ) ; unto the habitation of the strong;
to Babylon; where dwelt the king, his nobles, and his mighty men: but I will make them suddenly run away from her;
as they did from her king Belshazzar, when Gobrias and Gadates entered the royal palace, and seized upon him ^F1; and who [is] a chosen [man, that] I may appoint over her?
or, "a young man" ^F2? such an one Cyrus was, who, by divine appointment, became master and governor of Babylon: and who will appoint me the time?
to enter the lists with me, and litigate the point with me in a court of judicature, or contend with me in battle: and who [is] that shepherd that will stand before me?
or king? not Belshazzar, he could not stand before the Lord: so the Targum,

``there is no king that hath strength before me;''

that is, to withstand him, or hinder what he has appointed and ordered to be done; (See Gill on Jeremiah 49:19).

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FOOTNOTES:

F1 lbid.
F2 (rwxb ym) "quis juvenis?" Cocceius, Schmidt.

Jeremiah 50:44 In-Context

42 "They seize their bow and javelin; They are cruel and have no mercy. Their voice roars like the sea; And they ride on horses, Marshalled like a man for the battle Against you, O daughter of Babylon.

43 "The king of Babylon has heard the report about them, And his hands hang limp; Distress has gripped him, Agony like a woman in childbirth.

44 "Behold, one will come up like a lion from the thicket of the Jordan to a perennially watered pasture; for in an instant I will make them run away from it, and whoever is chosen I will appoint over it. For who is like Me, and who will summon Me into court? And who then is the shepherd who can stand before Me?"

45 Therefore hear the plan of the LORD which He has planned against Babylon, and His purposes which He has purposed against the land of the Chaldeans: surely they will drag them off, even the little ones of the flock; surely He will make their pasture desolate because of them.

46 At the shout, "Babylon has been seized!" the earth is shaken, and an outcry is heard among the nations.

Cross References

• 1. Jeremiah 49:19-21
• 2. Numbers 16:5
• 3. Isaiah 46:9
• 4. Job 41:10; Jeremiah 30:21

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "pride"
• [b]. Or "an enduring habitation"