Yirmeyah 51:7

7 Bavel hath been a Kos Zahav in the yad Hashem, that made kol ha’aretz drunken; the Goyim drank of her yayin; therefore the Goyim go mad.

Yirmeyah 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 ) .

Yirmeyah 51:7 In-Context

5 For Yisroel hath not been forsaken nor Yehudah by Elohav, by Hashem Tzva’os; though their land be filled with asham (guilt) against Kadosh Yisroel.

6 Flee out of the midst of Bavel, and deliver every ish his nefesh; be not slain because of her avon; for this is the time of Hashem’s vengeance; He will render unto her a full recompence.

7 Bavel hath been a Kos Zahav in the yad Hashem, that made kol ha’aretz drunken; the Goyim drank of her yayin; therefore the Goyim go mad.

8 Bavel is suddenly fallen and broken; wail for her; take balm for her pain, perhaps she may be healed.

9 We would have healed Bavel, but she cannot be healed; forsake her, and let us go every ish into his own country; for her mishpat reacheth unto Shomayim, and is lifted up even to the skies.