Jeremiah 50:26
Come against her from the utmost border, open her storehouses: cast her up as heaps, and destroy her utterly: let nothing of her be left.
Original Language Analysis
Cross References
Historical Context
Though Cyrus conquered Babylon in 539 BC, the city remained inhabited for centuries, gradually declining. Complete desolation came later through Persian Xerxes's destruction (484 BC) after Babylonian revolts, Alexander the Great's plans to rebuild it (331 BC) that never materialized, and final abandonment by the Parthian period. By the medieval era, Babylon was buried ruins. Today, the site lies in Iraq—heaps of rubble testifying to fulfilled prophecy. Saddam Hussein's attempted reconstruction in the 1980s never succeeded. The 'heaps' remain.
Questions for Reflection
- What does Babylon's complete destruction teach about the certainty and thoroughness of God's judgment?
- How does the fate of Babylon's storehouses—plundered by others—illustrate the principle that unjust wealth eventually changes hands?
- What warning does Babylon's desolation offer to modern nations or institutions that accumulate power and wealth through oppression?
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Analysis & Commentary
Come against her from the utmost border—invaders are summoned from distant lands, fulfilling Isaiah 13:5's prophecy of God bringing forces 'from a far country.' Open her storehouses—Babylon's famed granaries and treasuries that held wealth from conquered nations would be plundered. The irony: what Babylon stored from others' labor enriches her conquerors.
Cast her up as heaps—the Hebrew arem (עֲרֵמָה, heap, pile) suggests grain heaps. Babylon stored grain in massive quantities; now Babylon itself becomes a heap of ruins. Destroy her utterly: let nothing of her be left—herem (חֶרֶם, devoted to destruction, under the ban) is the same term used for Canaanite cities God commanded Israel to destroy completely (Joshua 6:17). Babylon receives the judgment she inflicted on others, including Jerusalem.