37:36 But then one passes by, and suddenly they have disappeared! 2
I looked for them, but they could not be found.
The prophecies of Jeremiah end here. 4
18:21 Then 5 one powerful angel picked up a stone like a huge millstone, threw it into the sea, and said,
“With this kind of sudden violent force 6
Babylon the great city will be thrown down 7
and it will never be found again!
1 sn This prophecy was fulfilled by Alexander the Great in 332
2 tn Heb “and he passes by and, look, he is not [there].” The subject of the verb “passes by” is probably indefinite, referring to any passerby. Some prefer to change the form to first person, “and I passed by” (cf. NEB; note the first person verbal forms in preceding verse and in the following line).
3 tn Or “disaster”; or “calamity.”
4 sn The final chapter of the book of Jeremiah does not mention Jeremiah or record any of his prophecies.
5 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
6 tn On ὅρμημα ({ormhma) BDAG 724 s.v. states, “violent rush, onset ὁρμήματι βληθήσεται Βαβυλών Babylon will be thrown down with violence Rv 18:21.” L&N 68.82 refers to the suddenness of the force or violence.
7 sn Thrown down is a play on both the words and the action. The angel’s action with the stone illustrates the kind of sudden violent force with which the city will be overthrown.