Discovery BoxJeremiah 51:20-24
Context51:20 “Babylon, 1 you are my war club, 2
my weapon for battle.
I used you to smash nations. 3
I used you to destroy kingdoms.
51:21 I used you to smash horses and their riders. 4
I used you to smash chariots and their drivers.
51:22 I used you to smash men and women.
I used you to smash old men and young men.
I used you to smash young men and young women.
51:23 I used you to smash shepherds and their flocks.
I used you to smash farmers and their teams of oxen.
I used you to smash governors and leaders.” 5
51:24 “But I will repay Babylon
and all who live in Babylonia
for all the wicked things they did in Zion
right before the eyes of you Judeans,” 6
says the Lord. 7
Joel 3:11
Context3:11 Lend your aid 8 and come,
all you surrounding nations,
and gather yourselves 9 to that place.”
Bring down, O Lord, your warriors! 10
Revelation 17:12-18
Context17:12 The 11 ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but will receive ruling authority 12 as kings with the beast for one hour. 17:13 These kings 13 have a single intent, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. 17:14 They will make war with the Lamb, but the Lamb will conquer them, because he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those accompanying 14 the Lamb are the called, chosen, and faithful.”
17:15 Then 15 the angel 16 said to me, “The waters you saw (where the prostitute is seated) are peoples, multitudes, 17 nations, and languages. 17:16 The 18 ten horns that you saw, and the beast – these will hate the prostitute and make her desolate and naked. They 19 will consume her flesh and burn her up with fire. 20 17:17 For God has put into their minds 21 to carry out his purpose 22 by making 23 a decision 24 to give their royal power 25 to the beast until the words of God are fulfilled. 26 17:18 As for 27 the woman you saw, she is the great city that has sovereignty over the kings of the earth.”
[51:20] 1 tn Or “Media.” The referent is not identified in the text; the text merely says “you are my war club.” Commentators in general identify the referent as Babylon because Babylon has been referred to as a hammer in 50:23 and Babylon is referred to in v. 25 as a “destroying mountain” (compare v. 20d). However, S. R. Driver, Jeremiah, 317, n. c maintains that v. 24 speaks against this. It does seem a little inconsistent to render the vav consecutive perfect at the beginning of v. 24 as future while rendering those in vv. 20b-23 as customary past. However, change in person from second masculine singular (vv. 20b-23) to the second masculine plural in “before your very eyes” and its position at the end of the verse after “which they did in Zion” argue that a change in address occurs there. Driver has to ignore the change in person and take “before your eyes” with the verb “repay” at the beginning to maintain the kind of consistency he seeks. The vav (ו) consecutive imperfect can be used for either the customary past (GKC 335-36 §112.dd with cross reference back to GKC 331-32 §112.e) or the future (GKC 334 §112.x). Hence the present translation has followed the majority of commentaries (and English versions like TEV, NCV, CEV, NIrV) in understanding the referent as Babylon and v. 24 being a transition to vv. 25-26 (cf., e.g., J. Bright, Jeremiah [AB], 356-57, and J. A. Thompson, Jeremiah [NICOT], 756-57). If the referent is understood as Media then the verbs in vv. 20-23 should all be translated as futures. See also the translator’s note on v. 24.
[51:20] 2 tn This Hebrew word (מַפֵּץ, mappets) only occurs here in the Hebrew Bible, but its meaning is assured from the use of the verbs that follow which are from the same root (נָפַץ, nafats) and there is a cognate noun מַפָּץ (mappats) that occurs in Ezek 9:2 in the sense of weapon of “smashing.”
[51:20] 3 tn Heb “I smash nations with you.” This same structure is repeated throughout the series in vv. 20c-23.
[51:21] 4 tn Heb “horse and its rider.” However, the terms are meant as generic or collective singulars (cf. GKC 395 §123.b) and are thus translated by the plural. The same thing is true of all the terms in vv. 21-23b. The terms in vv. 20c-d, 23c are plural.
[51:23] 5 tn These two words are Akkadian loan words into Hebrew which often occur in this pairing (cf. Ezek 23:6, 12, 23; Jer 51:23, 28, 57). BDB 688 s.v. סָגָן (sagan) gives “prefect, ruler” as the basic definition for the second term but neither works very well in a modern translation because “prefect” would be unknown to most readers and “ruler” would suggest someone along the lines of a king, which these officials were not. The present translation has chosen “leaders” by default, assuming there is no other term that would be any more appropriate in light of the defects noted in “prefect” and “ruler.”
[51:24] 6 tn Or “Media, you are my war club…I will use you to smash…leaders. So before your very eyes I will repay…for all the wicked things they did in Zion.” For explanation see the translator’s note on v. 20. The position of the phrase “before your eyes” at the end of the verse after “which they did in Zion” and the change in person from second masculine singular in vv. 20b-23 (“I used you to smite”) to second masculine plural in “before your eyes” argue that a change in referent/addressee occurs in this verse. To maintain that the referent in vv. 20-23 is Media/Cyrus requires that this position and change in person be ignored; “before your eyes” then is attached to “I will repay.” The present translation follows J. A. Thompson (Jeremiah [NICOT], 757) and F. B. Huey (Jeremiah, Lamentations [NAC], 423) in seeing the referent as the Judeans who had witnessed the destruction of Zion/Jerusalem. The word “Judean” has been supplied for the sake of identifying the referent for the modern reader.
[51:24] 7 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[3:11] 8 tn This Hebrew verb is found only here in the OT; its meaning is uncertain. Some scholars prefer to read here עוּרוּ (’uru, “arouse”) or חוּשׁוּ (khushu, “hasten”).
[3:11] 9 tc The present translation follows the reading of the imperative הִקָּבְצוּ (hiqqavÿtsu) rather than the perfect with vav (ו) consecutive וְנִקְבָּצוּ (vÿniqbbatsu) of the MT.
[3:11] 10 tc Some commentators prefer to delete the line “Bring down, O
[17:12] 11 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[17:12] 12 tn For the translation “ruling authority” for ἐξουσία (exousia) see L&N 37.35.
[17:13] 13 tn The word “kings” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to clarify the referent.
[17:14] 14 tn See BDAG 636 s.v. μετά A.2.a.α.
[17:15] 15 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[17:15] 16 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[17:15] 17 tn Grk “and multitudes,” but καί (kai) has not been translated here and before the following term since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
[17:16] 18 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[17:16] 19 tn A new sentence was started here in the translation. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[17:16] 20 tn The final clause could also be turned into an adverbial clause of means: “They will consume her flesh by burning her with fire.”
[17:17] 22 tn Or “his intent.”
[17:17] 23 tn The infinitive ποιῆσαι (poihsai) was translated here as giving the logical means by which God’s purpose was carried out.
[17:17] 24 tn On this term BDAG 203 s.v. γνώμη 4 states, “declaration, decision, resolution…of God Rv 17:17.”
[17:17] 25 tn For this translation see BDAG 168 s.v. βασιλεία 1.a, “kingship, royal power, royal rule.”
[17:18] 27 tn Grk “And.” Because this remark is somewhat resumptive in nature, “as for” is used in the translation.
