Chapter Five Literary Commentary on Jeremiah 51 Verse by verse commentary Formally, there appears to be no good reason to begin a new chapter. If the rela­ tively long corpus of 104 verses were to be divided into two parts, the blank space, which printed editions filled with 0 would be as good a place as any to have a new chapter, so that two divisions of roughly equallength might result. This section shows remarkable coherence, moving as it does from YHWH stir­ ring up the warriors, recruiting them, encouraging them to do their job, to a description of countless casualties, but then quickly making an exception for Israel, who is urged to flee for Zion. The land will be laid waste by winnowing which is a metaphor of destruction. Military activity receives ample encouragement, resulting in many casualties. A division is described between Israel who is "not widowed" and the guilt-laden land of Babylon, which Israelites are urged to flee. 9. 51:1-6 Baby/on Indicted Translation 51: 1 Thus says YHWH: i11iT' 1~tI; iT:l Look, I am arousing against Babylon, '?JY'?II l'll~ 'lliT against the inhabitants of Lev Qamay, '~P :1" ':1C!i'-"~1 [Heart of those rising up against me1 - a destructive wind, 51:2 and I will send to Babylon [manyl winnowers, CI'1! '?JJ'? 'nn'?ibl that they may winnow her, iTnn and lay waste her land iT:'1t1;-ntl; lppJ'l when they come against her from all around J'JO~ iT''?ll i'iT-':l on the day of evil. iTll1 I:l1'J 51:3 Let not the archer slacken his bow, lnibp 11'iT 1 1 " 11,'-'?tI; and let hirn not unbuckle his armor. il'10J '?lln'-'?tI;i 00 not spare her young men, iT'1nJ '?tI; i'?~nn-,?tI;i put her whole army to the ban. iTtI;J:'-'?:l i~'1niT 103 51:4 There shall fall the wounded in the land of the Chaldeans, C1'1tD:1 ri~J C1''?'?n 1'?Ell1 pierced in their streets. ii'rW~mJ C1'iP1rJ1 51:5 But not widowed are Israel and Judah, ii11ii'1 '?~itD' lrJ'?~-~'? ':1 from their God, from YHWH of hosts. m~J~ ii1ii'rJ 1'ii'?~rJ But that land is full of guilt C1tzi~ ii~'?rJ C1~i~ ':1 against the Holy One of Israel. '?~itD' tzi11PrJ 51:6 Flee from the midst of Babyion! '?JJ l1i1rJ 10l escape, everyone with his life! 1tziEll tzi'~ 1~'?rJ1 00 not perish for her guilt! iil1l'J 1rJ1i1-'?~ For this is a time of vengeance for YHWH ii1ii''? ~'ii iirJPl i1l' ':1 a requital he pays to her! ii'? C1'?tzirJ ~1ii '?1m Commentary 51:1. The judgment oracle which the messenger formula introduces casts YHWH in the role of an instigator of war, arousing (i1l' ["stir up"]) a i1'ntzirJ mi ["destruc­ tive wind"] against Babyion. i1l' ["stir up"] occurs also in 50:9 where YHWH was said to be about to arouse a company of nations against Babyion; cf. also Isa 13: 17, Jer 6:22; 25:32. The i1'ntzirJ mi, here indefinite, is identified in 51: 11 as the Median king. In that verse, the phrase i1'ntzirJ mi ["destructive wind"] is "broken up" into two parallel clauses to indicate the purpose and ultimate object of the action: iii1'ntziii'? [ ... ] '1rJ ':1'?rJ mi [the spirit of the kings of the Medes [... ] to destroy itj.1 'rJP J'? ["heart of those rising up against me"], a clever atbash for Babyion (cf. ltzitzi, "Sheshak," 25:26), expresses fierce enmity toward Babyion. The development in chap. 50 by which YHWH becomes ever more active in opposing Babyion, con­ tinues unabated. Cf. Revelation 17:5. 51 :2. 'i1n'?tzi1 is piel; it probably should be understood as pluralizing (involving mul­ tiple objects; Joüon § 52d). For MT C1'i] [strangers: Rashi, Kimchi, BartheJemy] some read C1'ii [winnowers] with Aq, Sym and V, and many commentators and also in view of the Jeremian preference for the ptc. + pf. sequence of the same root. ppJ, is often rendered "to empty" [NRSV] but the meaning "to lay waste, destroy" appears weil established (HAL). ppJ is rendered "to empty" by NRSV in connec­ tion with the use ofiiil ["scatter," "winnow"j,2 though the meaning ppJ = "to lay waste, destroy," is attested [HAL]; in Nah 2:3 as weil as here it occurs as roughly I CE Melamed, "Break-up of Stereotype Phrases;" S. Talmon, "Synonymous Readings;" Braulik, ''Aufbrechen von geprägten Wortverbindungen. " 2 Van Selms suggests that "winnowing" really refers to plundering. 104 .