in Zion the vengeance of the LORD our God, the vengeance of his temple.
JEREMIAH AND LAMENTATIONS that was to perish when the day of vengeance came. 429 He afterwards says, let them descend to the slaughter We must ever bear in mind what I have said, that the Prophet gave orders as though he had the Medes and the Persians under his own hand and authority, because the whole world is subject to God's word. He says,
Woe to them! for their day is come, and the time of their visitation This was added, because the faithful might have disputed with themselves and said, ``How can it be that Babylon should perish so quickly?'' For God seemed to have favored that monarchy for a long time, as though he intended to protect it perpetually. Hence the Prophet speaks here of the time of visitation, so that the faithful might not doubt respecting this prophecy, because God had not as yet put forth his band. He then reminded them that God has his fixed times, and that he does not every day visit nations, that is, that he does not execute his judgments every moment, but at the time which he has appointed. Whenever, then, the ungodly securely exult and triumph, let us ever remember this truth, that the time is not yet come for God to execute his judgment; how so? because there is a fixed time of visitation, and that is dependent on God's will. Let us then learn to bear patiently all our trials until it shall please God to show that he is the judge of the world. It follows,---
Jeremiah 50:28
28. The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the LORD our God, the vengeance of his temple.
28. Vox fugientium et qui evaserint e terra Babylonis ad annuntiandum in Sion vindictam Jehovae Dei nostri, vindictam templi ejus.
The Prophet again shows, that God in punishing Babylon, would give a sure proof of his favor towards his Church. For this prophecy would have been uninteresting to the faithful, did they not know that God would be an enemy to that great monarchy, because he had undertaken the care of their safety. Then the Prophet often calls the attention of the faithful to this fact, that God's vengeance on the Babylonians would be to them a sure proof of God's favor, through which he had once embraced them, and which he would continue to show to them to the end.
This, then, was the design of the Prophet, when he said, The voice officers and of those who escape from the land of Babylon, etc.; as though he had said, ``Babylon is on many accounts worthy of destruction, but God in destroying it will have a regard to his own people, and will effectually show that he is the Father of the people whom he has adopted.'' Jeremiah afterwards exhorts the faithful to show their gratitude.
There are here, then, two things; the first is, that when God destroyed Babylon, the people would hence with certainty perceive how dear they were to God; and secondly, from this truth flows an exhortation, that the faithful were not to be mute at such a singular benefit of God, but were to proclaim their deliverance. Hence he says, The voice of fleers and of those who escape from the land of Babylon, to
429The Sept. and Syr. take {{פריhere as signifying fruit, i.e., of the womb --- children, offspring; and what is said in Isaiah 13:16-18, favours this meaning, as well as what is said in Jeremiah 50:21, if we render ,{`` }אחריהםtheir posterity.'' The
Vulg. and the Targ. render the word here ``valiants,'' expressing the meaning of ``bullocks.'' The first version is the most suitable,
--- Slay ye all her fruit (or offspring;) Let them descend to the slaughter. It is descending to the slaughter that led critics to render
but we find this expression unconnected with bullocks in Jeremiah 48:15; where ``chosen young men'' are said to
to the slaughter.'' To descend denotes degradation, and to ascend dignity. The Targ. has, ``Let them be delivered to the slaughter.'' --- Ed.