Jeremia 51:46

46 En opdat ulieder hart misschien niet week worde, en gij vreest van het gerucht, dat gehoord zal worden in het land; want er zal een gerucht komen in het ene jaar, en daarna een gerucht in het andere jaar; en er zal geweld zijn in het land, heer over heer.

Jeremia 51:46 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 51:46

And lest your heart faint, and ye fear for the rumour that
shall be heard in the land
The rumour of war in the land of Chaldea; the report of the Medes and Persians preparing to invade it, and besiege Babylon, in the peace of which city the Jews had peace; and therefore might fear they should suffer in the calamities of it; but, lest they should, they are ordered to go cut of it, and accept the liberty that should be granted by the conqueror, who would do them no hurt, but good; and had therefore nothing to fear from him; and, as a token, assuring them of this, the following things are declared; which, when they should observe, they need not be troubled, being forewarned; yea, might take encouragement from it, and believe that their redemption drew nigh: a rumour shall both come [one] year and after that in [another] year
[shall come] a rumour;
in one year there was a rumour of the great preparation Cyrus was making to invade Chaldea, and besiege Babylon; in another year, that is, the following, as the Targum rightly renders it, there was a second rumour of his coming; and who actually did come into Assyria, but was stopped at the river Gyndes, not being able to pass it for want of boats; and, being enraged at the loss of a favourite horse in it, resolved upon the draining it; which he accomplished, by cutting many sluices and rivulets; in doing which he spent the whole summer; and the spring following came to Babylon, as Herodotus ^F12 relates; when what is after predicted followed: and violence in the land, ruler against ruler;
the king of Babylon came out with his forces to meet Cyrus, as the same historian says; when a battle ensue, in which the former was beat, and obliged to retire into the city, which then Cyrus besieged; and thus violence and devastations were made in the land by the army of the Medes and Persians; and ruler was against ruler; Cyrus against Belshazzar, and Belshazzar against him. Some read it, "ruler upon ruler" ^F13; that is, one after another, in a very short time; so Jarchi, Kimchi, and Abarbinel; thus two before Belshazzar, then Darius, and, after Darius, Cyrus.

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FOOTNOTES:

F12 L. 1. sive Clio, c. 189, 190.
F13 (lvm le lvm) "dominator super dominatorem", Pagninus, Montanus, Calvin, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Schmidt.

Jeremia 51:46 In-Context

44 En Ik zal bezoeking doen over Bel te Babel, en Ik zal uit zijn muil uithalen, wat hij verslonden heeft; en de heidenen zullen niet meer tot hem toevloeien, want ook Babels muur is gevallen.

45 Gaat uit, Mijn volk, uit het midden van haar, en redt een iegelijk zijn ziel, vanwege de hittigheid van den toorn des HEEREN.

46 En opdat ulieder hart misschien niet week worde, en gij vreest van het gerucht, dat gehoord zal worden in het land; want er zal een gerucht komen in het ene jaar, en daarna een gerucht in het andere jaar; en er zal geweld zijn in het land, heer over heer.

47 Daarom ziet, de dagen komen, dat Ik bezoeking zal doen over de gesneden beelden van Babel; en haar ganse land zal beschaamd worden, en al haar verslagenen zullen in het midden van haar liggen.

48 En de hemel en de aarde, mitsgaders al wat daarin is, zullen juichen over Babel; want van het noorden zullen haar de verstoorders aankomen, spreekt de HEERE.