Jeremiah 51:40
I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams with he goats.
Original Language Analysis
Historical Context
This prophecy accurately described Babylon's fall. Despite roaring like lions in confident celebration (v. 38-39), they were conquered with relatively little resistance. Historical sources indicate that Cyrus's conquest of Babylon in 539 BC was remarkably bloodless for such a major city—organized military resistance was minimal. The drunken feast left leadership incapacitated, troops demoralized, and the city essentially helpless. Like lambs to slaughter, Babylon fell without the fierce battle that might have been expected. The imagery also captures the systematic dismantling of Babylonian leadership following conquest—officials were executed or demoted, the royal line ended, and the empire's administrative structure was absorbed into Persian bureaucracy. The transformation from roaring lions to slaughtered lambs fulfilled within hours—from feast to fall, from pride to powerlessness. This remains God's pattern: proud empires and individuals who imagine themselves invincible are brought low when divine judgment comes (Daniel 4:28-37, Acts 12:21-23).
Questions for Reflection
- How does the reversal from 'roaring lions' (v. 38) to 'lambs to slaughter' illustrate the sudden and total nature of divine judgment?
- What does this imagery teach about the futility of human pride and power when confronting God's appointed judgment?
- How does this verse anticipate New Testament teachings about the reversal of the proud and exaltation of the humble (Luke 1:52, James 4:6)?
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Analysis & Commentary
I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams with he goats. This stunning reversal contrasts Babylon's lion-like roaring (v. 38) with their actual fate—helpless as sacrificial animals. Bring them down translates oridēm (אוֹרִידֵם), meaning to cause to descend, bring low, humble—spatial and metaphorical descent from power to powerlessness. The imagery of lambs to the slaughter (kə-karim la-ṭevakh, כְּכָרִים לַטֶּבַח) depicts complete defenselessness—lambs don't resist, don't fight, are wholly at the mercy of the one leading them to death.
Like rams with he goats adds ke-elim im-'attudim (כְּאֵלִים עִם־עַתּוּדִים)—rams (elim) were mature sheep often used in sacrifice; 'attudim (he-goats) were also sacrificial animals. The accumulation of three animal types (lambs, rams, goats) emphasizes totality of judgment affecting all classes in Babylon—young and old, leaders and followers, all classes of society. This reverses Babylon's identity: they were predator lions (v. 38), but God reduces them to prey animals. The phrase echoes Isaiah 34:6-7, where Edom's judgment is depicted as divine sacrifice, and anticipates Revelation 19:17-18, where birds feast on the flesh of kings and mighty men.
The theology is profound: those who exalt themselves in lion-like pride are brought low; those who devour others are themselves consumed. This fulfills Jesus's principle: 'whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased' (Luke 14:11).