Isaiah 26:5

26:5 Indeed, ¹  the Lord knocks down those who live in a high place,

he brings down an elevated town;

he brings it down to the ground, ² 

he throws it down to the dust.

Jeremiah 51:58

51:58 This is what the Lord who rules over all ³  says,

“Babylon’s thick wall ⁴  will be completely demolished. ⁵ 

Her high gates will be set on fire.

The peoples strive for what does not satisfy. ⁶ 

The nations grow weary trying to get what will be destroyed.” ⁷ 

Jeremiah 51:64

51:64 Then say, ‘In the same way Babylon will sink and never rise again because of the judgments ⁸  I am ready to bring upon her; they will grow faint.’”

The prophecies of Jeremiah end here. ⁹ 

Jeremiah 51:2

51:2 I will send people to winnow Babylonia like a wind blowing away chaff. ¹⁰ 

They will winnow her and strip her land bare. ¹¹ 

This will happen when ¹²  they come against her from every direction,

when it is time to destroy her. ¹³ 

Colossians 1:4-5

1:4 since ¹⁴  we heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints. 1:5 Your faith and love have arisen ¹⁵  from the hope laid up ¹⁶  for you in heaven, which you have heard about in the message of truth, the gospel ¹⁷ 

Hebrews 11:30

11:30 By faith the walls of Jericho ¹⁸  fell after the people marched around them ¹⁹  for seven days.

Revelation 18:21

18:21 Then ²⁰  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 ²¹ 

Babylon the great city will be thrown down ²² 

and it will never be found again!

[26:5]  ¹ tn Or “For” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).

[26:5]  ² tn The translation assumes that יַשְׁפִּילֶנָּה (yashpilennah) goes with the preceding words “an elevated town,” and that יַשְׁפִּילָהּ (yashpilah) belongs with the following words, “to the ground.” See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:469, n. 7.

[51:58]  ³ sn See the note at Jer 2:19.

[51:58]  ⁴ tn The text has the plural “walls,” but many Hebrew mss read the singular “wall,” which is also supported by the ancient Greek version. The modifying adjective “thick” is singular as well.

[51:58]  ⁵ tn The infinitive absolute emphasizes the following finite verb. Another option is to translate, “will certainly be demolished.”

[51:58]  ⁶ tn Heb “for what is empty.”

[51:58]  ⁷ tn Heb “and the nations for fire, and they grow weary.”

[51:64]  ⁸ tn Or “disaster”; or “calamity.”

[51:64]  ⁹ sn The final chapter of the book of Jeremiah does not mention Jeremiah or record any of his prophecies.

[51:2]  ¹⁰ tn Or “I will send foreign people against Babylonia.” The translation follows the reading of the Greek recensions of Aquila and Symmachus and the Latin version (the Vulgate). That reading is accepted by the majority of modern commentaries and several of the modern versions (e.g., NRSV, REB, NAB, and God’s Word). It fits better with the verb that follows it than the reading of the Hebrew text and the rest of the versions. The difference in the two readings is again only the difference in vocalization, the Hebrew text reading זָרִים (zarim) and the versions cited reading זֹרִים (zorim). If the Hebrew text is followed, there is a wordplay between the two words, “foreigners” and “winnow.” The words “like a wind blowing away chaff” have been supplied in the translation to clarify for the reader what “winnow” means.

[51:2]  ¹¹ tn Or “They will strip her land bare like a wind blowing away chaff.” The alternate translation would be necessary if one were to adopt the alternate reading of the first line (the reading of the Hebrew text). The explanation of “winnow” would then be necessary in the second line. The verb translated “strip…bare” means literally “to empty out” (see BDB 132 s.v. בָּקַק Polel). It has been used in 19:7 in the Qal of “making void” Judah’s plans in a wordplay on the word for “bottle.” See the study note on 19:7 for further details.

[51:2]  ¹² tn This assumes that the particle כִּי (ki) is temporal (cf. BDB 473 s.v. כִּי 2.a). This is the interpretation adopted also by NRSV and G. L. Keown, P. J. Scalise, T. G. Smothers, Jeremiah 26-52 (WBC), 349. J. Bright (Jeremiah [AB], 345) and J. A. Thompson (Jeremiah [NICOT], 747, n. 3) interpret it as asseverative or emphatic, “Truly, indeed.” Many of the modern English versions merely ignore it. Reading it as temporal makes it unnecessary to emend the following verb as Bright and Thompson do (from הָיוּ [hayu] to יִהְיוּ [yihyu]).

[51:2]  ¹³ tn Heb “in the day of disaster.”

[1:4]  ¹⁴ tn The adverbial participle ἀκούσαντες (akousante") is understood to be temporal and translated with “since.” A causal idea may also be in the apostle’s mind, but the context emphasizes temporal ideas, e.g., “from the day” (v. 6).

[1:5]  ¹⁵ tn Col 1:3-8 form one long sentence in the Greek text and have been divided at the end of v. 4 and v. 6 and within v. 6 for clarity, in keeping with the tendency in contemporary English toward shorter sentences. Thus the phrase “Your faith and love have arisen from the hope” is literally “because of the hope.” The perfect tense “have arisen” was chosen in the English to reflect the fact that the recipients of the letter had acquired this hope at conversion in the past, but that it still remains and motivates them to trust in Christ and to love one another.

[1:5]  ¹⁶ tn BDAG 113 s.v. ἀπόκειμαι 2 renders ἀποκειμένην (apokeimenhn) with the expression “reserved” in this verse.

[1:5]  ¹⁷ tn The term “the gospel” (τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, tou euangeliou) is in apposition to “the word of truth” (τῷ λόγῳ τῆς ἀληθείας, tw logw th" alhqeia") as indicated in the translation.

[11:30]  ¹⁸ map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[11:30]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “after they had been encircled.”

[18:21]  ²⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[18:21]  ²¹ 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.

[18:21]  ²² 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.