DRAFT: A Chiastic Reconfiguration Of Jeremiah 50-51

Kuruvilla Thomas
Bangalore
Published on 16 July 2024 *

Fig. 1

Introduction

This study treats Jeremiah 50:2-51:58 as a cryptochiasmus in order to arrive at a coherent reconfiguration of the text ( see definition of cryptochiasmus in [1] ). If you wish to skip the technicalities of a chiastic parse, you may read starting from Section 4 of the Discussion section, which has the reconfigured text.

This final prophecy from Jeremiah predicts the defeat and destruction of ancient Babylon by the Medo-Persians and Greeks, and the destruction of modern 'Babylon', Satan's empire at the start of the Millennial Reign, through a worldwide uprising. The epilogue to the prophecy, Jeremiah 51:59-64, dates the prophecy to the 4th year of Zedekiah (c 594BC).

Discussion

1. Presuppositions

We base our parse of Jeremiah 50:2-51:58 on the assumption that it refers to 3 periods:

1. Ancient Babylon is defeated and destroyed (539BC-275BC). From the Medo-Persian invasion Babylon (539BC) to the destruction and abandonment of the city by the Greeks (275BC).
2. Judah is Destroyed in The First Jewish–Roman War (66AD–73AD). The Roman army destroys Judea and Jerusalem.
3. Modern 'Babylon' is destroyed by a Global Army (circa 2027AD). The worldwide organization of Satan worshippers that rules the world is eternally destroyed.

2. Parsing the chiasmus

We will use the NIV Bible for this parse.

Parsing this chiasmus involves dividing portions of the text into three categories as above. We will call the period of the Defeat of Babylon by the Medo-Persians Period 1, the Roman destruction of Judea Period 2 and the Defeat of 'Babylon' at the start of Christ's Millennial Reign Period 3.

In this prophecy, the name 'Babylon' represents 3 different entities in the 3 Periods: ancient Babylon in Period 1, unfaithful Jerusalem in Period 2, and modern 'Babylon' in Period 3.

Categorizing Jeremiah 50:2-51:58

Ch 50 Vs 2-3 belong to Period 2. Jerusalem, in this passage, is called 'Babylon' because its people worship other gods. God sends the Romans ("from the North") to destroy Jerusalem. We expect to see this Period in all cryptochiasmi. ( Note that ancient Babylon was not immediately emptied of people and animals through the Medo-Persian attack.)

Ch 50 Vs 4-7 belong to Period 3. The Northern Tribes turn back to their God at the start of the Millennial Reign, and they join the Judahites in earnestly seeking God's will.

Ch 50 Vs 8-18 belong to Period 1. Ancient Babylon is plundered by Medo-Persians from the North. The Judahites, who are enslaved in Babylon, are freed, so they can return to Jerusalem.

Ch 50 Vs 19-35 belong to Period 3. The Israelites gather into their own land, the New Israel. 'Babylon' is crushed forever for opposing the Lord. ( Verse 35 could also be categorized under Period 2 in the subunit below, but we place it here so that we get a proper regular chiasmus here in Period 3.)

Ch 50 Vs 36-41 belong to Period 2. Jerusalem is destroyed by the Romans, partly for its idol worship. ( Note that the people of ancient Babylon in Period 1 cannot be punished, as in vs 38, for worshipping the only gods they knew.) It is difficult to determine the closing boundary to this subunit, but we believe it should end at vs 41, partly so we get proper regular chiasmi in Periods 2&3.

Ch 50 Vs 42 - Ch 51 Vs 4 belong to Period 3. 'Babylon' is attacked by an uprising from around the world and destroyed. The coming Messiah takes over as ruler of the world. We will treat all passages with alternative names for Babylon (like "Leb Kamai") as belonging to Period 3. ( Verse 50:42-43 could be categorized as Period 2 as well, but Judea did not have a king in Period 2.)

Ch 51 Vs 5 belongs to Period 1. Though Israel and Judah are punished for their sins, God has not forsaken His people. (This passage could be categorized as Period 3 as well, but we place it under Period 1 so that we get a coherent regular chiasmus in Period 3.)

51 Vs 6-10 belong to Period 3. People are exhorted to flee 'Babylon', as it will be destroyed forever (as in Rev 18:4). Note that the "Babylon" of this passage affects the whole world.

Ch 51 Vs 11 belongs to Period 1. Babylon suffers defeat by the Medes, because Babylon has destroyed God's temple in Jerusalem.

Ch 51 Vs 12-26 belong to Period 3. The 'Babylon' that controls the whole world ("lives on many waters") is defeated. The Lord will control the world through the New Israel during the Millennial Reign. (Verse 12 could be placed under Period 1 as well, but we categorize it as Period 3 so that we get proper regular chiasmi within the Periods.)

Ch 51 Vs 27-40 belong to Period 1. The Medes and their allies attack Babylon during Belshazzar's feast. Nebuchadnezzar's destruction of Jerusalem is avenged.

Ch 51 Vs 41-46 belong to Period 3. "Babylon", controller of the whole world, will be destroyed forever, and Satan ("Bel") will be punished. God's people are to come out of her (see Rev 18:4).

Ch 51 Vs 47-58 belong to Period 1. Babylon's idols are punished. Babylon is attacked from the north during Belshazzar's feast.

Original text

We color-code the chiastic units of the original text (NIV) below for easy visual identification using: red for Period 1, blue for Period 2 , green for Period 3, and purple for text outside the chiasmus. We have retranslated parts of the text.

Jeremiah 50 This is the word the Lord spoke through Jeremiah the prophet concerning Babylon and the land of the Chaldeans [a]:
2 “Announce and proclaim among the nations, lift up a banner and proclaim it; keep nothing back, but say, ‘Babylon is captured; Bel is put to shame; Marduk is shattered, her images are disgraced, her idols are broken in pieces.’ [b] 3 A nation from the north will attack her and lay waste her land. No one will live in it; both people and animals will flee away.
4 “In those days, at that time,” declares the Lord, “the people of Israel and the people of Judah together will go in tears to seek the Lord their God. 5 They will ask the way to Zion and turn their faces toward it. They will come and bind themselves to the Lord in an everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten.
6 “My people have been lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray and caused them to roam on the mountains. They wandered over mountain and hill and forgot their own resting place. 7 Whoever found them devoured them; their enemies said, ‘We are not guilty, for they sinned against the Lord, their habitation of justice [c], the Lord, the hope of their ancestors.’
8 “Move from the midst of Babylon, Go out of the land of the Chaldeans; And be like the rams before the flocks. [d] 9 Surely [e] I will stir up and bring against Babylon an alliance of great nations from the land of the north. They will take up their positions against her, and from the north she will be captured. Their arrows, as those of skilled warriors, will not go in vain [f]. 10 So Babylonia will be plundered; all who plunder her will have their fill,” declares the Lord.
11 “Because you rejoice and are glad, you who pillage my inheritance, because you frolic like a heifer threshing grain and neigh like stallions, 12 your mother will be greatly ashamed; she who gave you birth will be disgraced. She will be the least of the nations— a wilderness, a dry land, a desert. 13 Because of the Lord’s anger she will not be inhabited but will be completely desolate. All who pass Babylon will be appalled; they will scoff because of all her wounds.
14 “Take up your positions around Babylon, all you who draw the bow. Shoot at her! Spare no arrows, for she has sinned against the Lord. 15 Shout against her on every side! She surrenders, her towers fall, her walls are torn down. Since this is the vengeance of the Lord, take vengeance on her; do to her as she has done to others. 16 Cut off from Babylon the sower, and the reaper with his sickle at harvest. From [g] the sword of the oppressor let everyone return to their own people, let everyone flee to their own land.
17 “Israel is a scattered flock that lions have chased away. First the king of Assyria devoured it, and this last king, Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, gnawed its bones.” [h]
18 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “I will punish the king of Babylon and his land as I punished the king of Assyria.
19 I [i] will bring Israel back to their own pasture, and they will graze on Carmel and Bashan; their appetite will be satisfied on the hills of Ephraim and Gilead. 20 In those days, at that time,” declares the Lord, “search will be made for Israel’s guilt, but there will be none, and for the sins of Judah, but none will be found, for I will forgive the remnant I spare.
21 “Attack the land of Merathaim and those who live in Pekod. Pursue, kill and completely destroy them,” declares the Lord. “Do everything I have commanded you. 22 The noise of battle is in the land, the noise of great destruction! 23 How broken and shattered is the hammer of the whole earth! How desolate is Babylon among the nations! 24 I set a trap for you, Babylon, and you were caught before you knew it; you were found and captured because you opposed the Lord. 25 The Lord has opened his arsenal and brought out the weapons of his wrath, for the Sovereign Lord Almighty has work to do in the land of the Babylonians. 26 Come against her from every quarter [j]. Break open her granaries; pile her up like heaps of grain. Completely destroy her and leave her no remnant. 27 Kill all her young bulls; let them go down to the slaughter! Woe to them! For their day has come, the time for them to be punished. 28 Listen to the fugitives and refugees from Babylon declaring in Zion the vengeance of the LORD our God, the vengeance of His court [k].
29 “Summon archers against Babylon, all those who draw the bow. Encamp all around her; let no one escape. Repay her for her deeds; do to her as she has done. For she has defied the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. 30 Therefore, her young men will fall in the streets; all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,” declares the Lord. 31 “See, I am against you, Zadon [l],” declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty, “for your day has come, the time for you to be punished. 32 Zadon will stumble and fall and no one will help her up. [m] I will kindle a fire in her towns that will consume all who are around her.”
33 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“The people of Israel are oppressed, and the people of Judah as well. All their captors hold them fast, refusing to let them go. 34 Yet their Redeemer is strong; the Lord Almighty is his name. He will vigorously defend their cause so that he may bring rest to their land, but unrest to those who live in Babylon. 35 “A sword against the Babylonians!” declares the Lord— “against those who live in Babylon and against her officials and wise men!
36 A sword against her false prophets, that they may become fools! A sword against her warriors, that they may be destroyed! [n] 37 A sword against her horses and against her chariots, and against all the foreign troops in her midst, that they may become women! A sword against all her treasures, that they may be plundered! [o] 38 A drought against her waters, that they may be dried up! For it is a land of images, and they are mad over idols. [p]
39 “So desert creatures and hyenas will live there, and there the owl will dwell. It will never again be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation. 40 As I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah along with their neighboring towns,” declares the Lord, “so no one will live there; no people will dwell in it.
41 “Look! An army is coming from the north; a great nation and many kings are being stirred up from the borders of the land [q].
42 They are armed with bows and spears; they are cruel and without mercy. They sound like the roaring sea as they ride on their horses; they come like men in battle formation to attack you, Daughter Babylon. 43 The king of Babylon has heard reports about them, and his hands hang limp. Anguish has gripped him, pain like that of a woman in labor. 44 Behold, he will come up, like a lion from the thickets of the Jordan, to the seat of world power when I abruptly chase the wicked away from it. Who is the chosen one I will appoint over it? Who is like me? Who will appoint me the time? And who is that shepherd that will stand before me? [r]
45 Therefore, hear what the Lord has planned against Babylon, what he has purposed against the land of the Babylonians: Surely they will be dragged away, even the least of the flock; their pasture will be emptied of them. [s] 46 At the sound of Babylon’s capture the earth will tremble; its cry will resound among the nations.

Retranslation notes for Jeremiah 50
[a] vs 1 "Chaldeans" instead of "Babylonians".
[b] vs 2 "Babylon is captured; Bel is put to shame; Marduk is shattered, her images are disgraced, her idols are broken in pieces" instead of "Babylon will be captured; Bel will be put to shame, Marduk filled with terror. Her images will be put to shame and her idols filled with terror".
[c] vs 7 "habitation of justice" instead of "verdant pasture".
[d] vs 8 The NKJV translation has been used for this verse.
[e] vs 9 "Surely" instead of "For".
[f] vs 9 "Their arrows, as those of skilled warriors, will not go in vain" instead of "Their arrows will be like skilled warriors who do not return empty-handed".
[g] vs 16 "From" instead of "Because of". From the NASB.
[h] vs 17 "First the king of Assyria devoured it, and this last king, Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, gnawed its bones" instead of "The first to devour them was the king of Assyria; the last to crush their bones was Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon". Based on the ESV.
[i] vs 19 "I" instead of "But I".
[j] vs 26 "every quarter" instead of "afar".
[k] vs 28 "the vengeance of the LORD our God, the vengeance of His court" instead of "how the LORD our God has taken vengeance, vengeance for his temple".
[l] vs 31 "Zadon" instead of "you arrogant one".
[m] vs 32 "Zadon will stumble and fall and no one will help her up." instead of "The arrogant one will stumble and fall and no one will help her up;".
[n] vs 36 "A sword against her false prophets, that they may become fools! A sword against her warriors, that they may be destroyed!" instead of "A sword against her false prophets! They will become fools. A sword against her warriors! They will be filled with terror.". Based on the ESV. Changed for the tense.
[o] vs 37 From the ESV. Changed for the tense.
[p] vs 38 From the ESV. Changed for the tense.
[q] vs 41 "borders of the land“ instead of "ends of the earth".
[r] vs 44 "Behold, he will come up, like a lion from the thickets of the Jordan, to the seat of world power when I abruptly chase the wicked away from it. Who is the chosen one I will appoint over it? Who is like me? Who will appoint me the time? And who is that shepherd that will stand before me?" instead of "Like a lion coming up from Jordan’s thickets to a rich pastureland, I will chase Babylon from its land in an instant. Who is the chosen one I will appoint for this? Who is like me and who can challenge me? And what shepherd can stand against me?”.
[s] vs 45 "Surely they will be dragged away, even the least of the flock; their pasture will be emptied of them" instead of "The young of the flock will be dragged away; their pasture will be appalled at their fate”. Based on the NASB and Septuagint.


Jeremiah 51 This is what the Lord says:
“See, I will stir up the spirit of a destroyer against Babylon and the people of Leb Kamai. 2 I will send winnowers [a] to Babylon to winnow her and to devastate her land; they will oppose her on every side in the day of her disaster. 3 Let not the archer string his bow, nor let him put on his armor. Do not spare her young men; completely destroy her people [b]. 4 They will fall down slain in Babylon, fatally wounded in her streets.
5 For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken by their God, the Lord Almighty, though their land is full of guilt before the Holy One of Israel.
6 “Flee from Babylon! Run for your lives! Do not be destroyed because of her sins. It is time for the Lord’s vengeance; he will repay her what she deserves. 7 Babylon was a gold cup in the Lord’s hand; she made the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore they have now gone mad. 8 Babylon will suddenly fall and be broken. Wail over her! Get balm for her pain; perhaps she can be healed.
9 “‘We have tried to heal [c] Babylon, but she cannot be healed; let us leave her and each go to our own land, for her judgment reaches to the skies, it rises as high as the heavens.’
10 “‘The Lord has vindicated us; come, let us tell in Zion what the Lord our God has done.’
11 “Sharpen the arrows, take up the shields! The Lord has stirred up the kings of the Medes, because his purpose is to destroy Babylon. The Lord will take vengeance, vengeance for his temple.
12 Lift up a banner on [d] the walls of Babylon! Reinforce the guard, station the watchmen, prepare an ambush! The Lord will carry out his purpose, his decree against the people of Babylon. 13 You who live by many waters and are rich in treasures, your end has come, the time for you to be destroyed. 14 The Lord Almighty has sworn by himself: I will surely fill you with troops, as with a swarm of locusts, and they will shout in triumph over you.
15 “He made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding. 16 When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.
17 “Everyone feels foolish, for they are given discernment. Every goldsmith is shamed by his idols, for the images he makes are a fraud; [e] they have no breath in them. 18 They are worthless, the objects of mockery; when their judgment comes, they will perish. 19 He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these, for he is the Maker of all things. Israel is the tribe of his inheritance; the [f] Lord Almighty is his name.
20 “You are my war club, my weapon for battle— with you I shatter nations, with you I destroy kingdoms, 21 with you I shatter horse and rider, with you I shatter chariot and driver, 22 with you I shatter man and woman, with you I shatter old man and youth, with you I shatter young man and young woman, 23 with you I shatter shepherd and flock, with you I shatter farmer and oxen, with you I shatter governors and officials.
24 “Before your eyes I will repay Babylon and all who live in Babylonia for all the wrong they have done in Zion,” declares the Lord.
25 “I am against you, you destroying mountain, you who destroy the whole earth,” declares the Lord. “I will stretch out my hand against you, roll you off the cliffs, and make you a burned-out mountain. 26 No rock will be taken from you for a cornerstone, nor any stone for a foundation, for you will be desolate forever,” declares the Lord.
27 “Lift up a banner in the land! Blow the trumpet among the nations! Prepare the nations for battle against her; summon against her these kingdoms: Ararat, Minni and Ashkenaz. Appoint a commander against her; send up horses like a swarm of locusts. 28 Prepare the peoples [g] for battle against her— the kings of the Medes, their governors and all their officials, and all the countries they rule. 29 The land trembles and writhes, for the Lord’s purposes against Babylon stand— to lay waste the land of Babylon so that no one will live there. 30 Babylon’s warriors have stopped fighting; they remain in their strongholds. Their strength is exhausted; they have become weaklings. Their dwelling-places are set on fire; the bars of their gates are broken [h]. 31 One courier follows another and messenger follows messenger to announce to the king of Babylon that his entire city is captured, 32 the river crossings seized, the marshes set on fire, and the soldiers terrified.”
33 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:
“Daughter Babylon is like a threshing floor at the time it is trampled, when harvest time is near [i].”
34 “Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has devoured us, he has thrown us into confusion, he has made us an empty jar. Like a serpent he has swallowed us and filled his stomach with our delicacies, and then has spewed us out. 35 May the violence done to our flesh be on Babylon,” say the inhabitants of Zion. “May our blood be on those who live in Babylonia,” says Jerusalem.
36 Surely [j] this is what the Lord says:
“See, I will defend your cause and avenge you; I will dry up her sea and make her springs dry. 37 Babylon will be a heap of ruins, a haunt of jackals, an object of horror and scorn, a place where no one lives. 38 Her people all roar like young lions, they growl like lion cubs. 39 But while they are flushed [k], I will set out a feast for them and make them drunk, so that they shout with laughter— then sleep forever and not awake,” declares the Lord. 40 “I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams and goats.
41 “How Sheshak will be captured, the boast of the whole earth seized! How desolate Babylon will be among the nations! 42 The sea will rise over Babylon; its roaring waves will cover her. 43 Her towns will be desolate, a dry and desert land, a land where no one lives, through which no one travels. 44 I will punish Bel in Babylon and make him spew out what he has swallowed. The nations will no longer stream to him. And the wall of Babylon will fall.
45 “Come out of her, my people! Run for your lives! Run from the fierce anger of the Lord. 46 Otherwise your heart will grow faint and you will [l] be afraid when rumors are heard in the land; one rumor comes this year, another the next, and violence is in the land, and ruler is against ruler [m].
47 Assuredly the time will [n] come when I will punish the idols of Babylon; her whole land will be disgraced and her slain will all lie fallen within her. 48 Then heaven and earth and all that is in them will shout for joy over Babylon, for out of the north destroyers will attack her,” declares the Lord.
49 “As Babylon has caused the slain of Israel to fall, so at Babylon shall fall the slain in all the land. [o] 50 You who have escaped the sword, leave and do not linger! Remember the Lord in a distant land, and call to mind Jerusalem.”
51 “We are disgraced, for we have been insulted and shame covers our faces, because foreigners have entered the holy places of the Lord’s house.”
52 “Therefore [p] days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will punish her idols, and throughout her land the wounded will groan. 53 Even if Babylon ascends to the heavens and fortifies her lofty stronghold, I will send destroyers against her,” declares the Lord.
54 “The sound of a cry comes from Babylon, the sound of great destruction from the land of the Babylonians. 55 The Lord will destroy Babylon; he will silence her noisy din. Waves of soldiers [q] will rage like great waters; the roar of their voices will resound. 56 A destroyer will come against Babylon; her warriors will be captured, and their bows will be broken. For the Lord is a God of retribution; he will repay in full. 57 I will make her officials and wise men drunk, her governors, officers and warriors as well; they will sleep forever and not awake,” declares the King, whose name is the Lord Almighty.
58 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Babylon’s thick wall will be leveled and her high gates set on fire; the peoples' labor is in vain, the nations' work is only fuel for the flames. They will be weary [r].”
59 This is the message Jeremiah the prophet gave to the staff officer Seraiah son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, when he went to Babylon with Zedekiah king of Judah in the fourth year of his reign. 60 Jeremiah had written on a scroll about all the disasters that would come upon Babylon—all that had been recorded concerning Babylon. 61 He said to Seraiah, “When you get to Babylon, see that you read all these words aloud. 62 Then say, ‘Lord, you have said you will destroy this place, so that neither people nor animals will live in it; it will be desolate forever.’ 63 When you finish reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and throw it into the Euphrates. 64 Then say, ‘So will Babylon sink to rise no more because of the disaster I will bring on her. They will be weary [s].’” The words of Jeremiah end here.

Retranslation notes for Jeremiah 51
[a] vs 2 "winnowers" instead of "foreigners".
[b] vs 3 "people" instead of "army".
[c] vs 9 "have tried to heal" instead of "would have healed".
[d] vs 12 "on" instead of "against".
[e] vs 17 "Everyone feels foolish, for they are given discernment. Every goldsmith is shamed by his idols, for the images he makes are a fraud" instead of "Everyone is senseless and without knowledge; every goldsmith is shamed by his idols. The images he makes are a fraud".
[f] vs 19 "things. Israel is the tribe of his inheritance; the" instead of "things, including the people of his inheritance— the".
[g] vs 28 "peoples" instead of "nations".
[h] vs 30 "Their dwelling-places are set on fire; the bars of their gates are broken" instead of "Her dwellings are set on fire; the bars of her gates are broken".
[i] vs 33 "trampled, when harvest time is near" instead of "trampled; the time to harvest her will soon come".
[j] vs 36 "Surely" instead of "Therefore". For the regular chiasmus.
[k] vs 39 "flushed" instead of "aroused".
[l] vs 46 "Otherwise your heart will grow faint and you will" instead of "Do not lose heart or".
[m] vs 46 "and violence is in the land, and ruler is against ruler" instead of " rumors of violence in the land and of ruler against ruler".
[n] vs 47 "Assuredly the time will" instead of "For the time will surely".
[o] vs 49 "As Babylon has caused the slain of Israel to fall, so at Babylon shall fall the slain in all the land" instead of "Babylon must fall because of Israel’s slain, just as the slain in all the earth have fallen because of Babylon". From the English Revised version.
[p] vs 52 "Therefore" instead of "But".
[q] vs 55 "soldiers" instead of "enemies".
[r] vs 58 "the peoples' labor is in vain, the nations' work is only fuel for the flames. They will be weary" instead of "the peoples exhaust themselves for nothing, the nations’ labor is only fuel for the flames".
[s] vs 64 "They will be weary" instead of "And her people will fall".

3. Building the reconfigured text

From this parse, it appears that Jeremiah 50:2-51:58 forms a cryptochiasmus as below:

A1   Ch 50 Vs 2-3 Period 2. The Romans destroy Jerusalem
  B1   Ch 50 Vs 4-7 Period 3. The Northern tribes return to their God
    X   Ch 50 Vs 8-18 Period 1. Ancient Babylon is plundered by Medo-Persians
  B2   Ch 50 Vs 19-35 Period 3. The 'Babylon' of the Millennial Reign is crushed forever
A2   Ch 50 Vs 36-41 Period 2. Jerusalem is destroyed for its idol worship

We now reconstruct the passages in the right order based on the chiastic structure above and based on the ordering rules of a cryptochiasmus [1].

We lead with central pivot point 'X'. The corresponding subunits (For example; subunit A1 corresponds to A2) are placed contiguously to form units (For example, A1,A2 is a unit ) so that we get a list of such units.

The sequence selected for rearrangement is:

X  [B1,B2]  [A1,A2]        (1)

We have the following sequence when we include the next two subunits:
X         - Period 1
[B1,B2] - Period 3
[A1,A2] - Period 2
Ch 50 Vs 42 - Ch 51 Vs 4 - Period 3. 'Babylon' is destroyed
Ch 51 Vs 5 - Period 1. God has not abandoned the Israelites

We still have text for the Periods in a non-contiguous form. We can treat this as a multiply-applied cryptochiasmus as below.

M1   X         - Period 1
  N1   [B1,B2] - Period 3
   XX   [A1,A2] - Period 2
  N2   Ch 50 Vs 42 - Ch 51 Vs 4 - Period 3
M2   Ch 51 Vs 5 - Period 1

The sequence selected for rearrangement is:
[M1,M2]  [N1,N2]  XX        (2)


Translating this sequence (2) into the subunits of the first chiasmus, we get:

[X, Ch 51 Vs 5]   [[B1,B2], Ch 50 Vs 42 - Ch 51 Vs 4]   [A1,A2]        (3)

Further translating (3) into verse numbers, we get:

[Ch 50 Vs 8-18, Ch 51 Vs 5]   [[Ch 50 Vs 4-7 , Ch 50 Vs 19-35], Ch 50 Vs 42 - Ch 51 Vs 4]   [Ch 50 Vs 2-3, Ch 50 Vs 36-41]        (4)

Below, we have another 6 subunits of the prophecy that remain to be integrated into the reconfiguration.

Ch 51 Vs 6-10 belong to Period 3. People are to flee "Babylon"
Ch 51 Vs 11 belong to Period 1. The Medes attack Babylon
Ch 51 Vs 12-26 belong to Period 3. The Lord is mightier than other gods
Ch 51 Vs 27-40 belong to Period 1. The Medes attack Babylon
Ch 51 Vs 41-46 belong to Period 3. Modern "Babylon" and its god are destroyed
Ch 51 Vs 47-58 belong to Period 1. Ancient Babylon is attacked during Belshazzar's feast

These subunits are in the sequence Period 3, Period 1, Period 3, Period 1, Period 3, Period 1. The units in (2) above can trivially rearranged to form a chiasmus with the first two of these subunits so that the Periods are in the sequence [1,3,2,3,1], which can be reconfigured. This process can be repeated to incorporate the remaining 4 subunits as well.

But we eschew the lengthy and complex formalism of a chiastic reconfiguration, and instead go by the expedient of appending the subunits to the Period to which they belong in (4), so that we get (5) below.

[Ch 50 Vs 8-18, Ch 51 Vs 5] [Ch 51 Vs 11, Ch 51 Vs 27-40, Ch 51 Vs 47-58]
[[Ch 50 Vs 4-7, Ch 50 Vs 19-35], Ch 50 Vs 42 - Ch 51 Vs 4] [Ch 51 Vs 6-10, Ch 51 Vs 12-26, Ch 51 Vs 41-46]
[Ch 50 Vs 2-3, Ch 50 Vs 36-41]        (5)

We arrive at the reconfigured passage in the next section by rearranging the verses so they are in sequence (5).

4. Jeremiah 50:2-51:58 Reconfigured

Ancient Babylon is defeated and destroyed (539BC-275BC) (Ch 50 Vs 8-18, Ch 51 Vs 5, Ch 51 Vs 11, Ch 51 Vs 27-40, Ch 51 Vs 47-58)

Chiasmus 1: Babylon is defeated and its foreigners leave


Chiasmus 2: Babylon is defeated by an alliance led by the Medo-Persians


Chiasmus 3: Babylon and its idol gods are punished for insulting Jerusalem



Modern 'Babylon' is Destroyed by a Global Army (circa 2027AD) (Ch 50 Vs 4-7, Ch 50 Vs 19-35, Ch 50 Vs 42 - Ch 51 Vs 4, Ch 51 Vs 6-10, Ch 51 Vs 12-26, Ch 51 Vs 41-46)

Chiasmus 1: The Israelites turn back to their own God and gather in their own land


Chiasmus 2: God destroys "Babylon"


Chiasmus 3: God punishes the "Babylonians" for oppressing His people


Chiasmus 4: "Babylon" is destroyed in a global uprising, The Messiah takes control of the world


Chiasmus 5: "Babylon" is destroyed, people are urged to flee this organization


Chiasmus 6: God rules the world through Israel after defeating Satan's empire "Babylon"


Chiasmus 7: "Babylon" and its god will be destroyed



Judah is Destroyed in The First Jewish–Roman War (66AD–73AD) (Ch 50 Vs 2-3, Ch 50 Vs 36-41)

5. A Commentary on the Reconfigured Text

5.0 Introductory Passage (Ch 50 Vs 1)

Chapter 50 1 This is the word the Lord spoke through Jeremiah the prophet concerning Babylon and the land of the Chaldeans:

This prophecy is regarding the ancient city of Babylon and the nation of the Chaldeans (Babylonia) in Period 1; and regarding modern "Babylon", an international organization of Satan worshippers, at the start of Christ's Millennial Reign in Period 3. Jeremiah wrote down this prophecy in the form of a letter and sent it to the Judahites in Babylon (see 51:59-64 in the epilogue to the prophecy below). This introductory passage lies outside the chiasmus.

5.1 Ancient Babylon is defeated and destroyed (539BC-275BC) (Ch 50 Vs 8-18, Ch 51 Vs 5, Ch 51 Vs 11, Ch 51 Vs 27-40, Ch 51 Vs 47-58)

The decline and fall of Babylon took place over centuries, but the passages of this Period focus on 3 significant events that took place during Babylon's fall:

• Babylon is conquered by the Medo-Persians (539BC). Cyrus took control of the city, but he did not destroy it as he considered the city sacred.
• Xerxes destroys religious Babylon (c 480BC). After putting down a revolt by the satrapy of Babylon, Xerxes destroyed the temples and exiled its priests of the Satanic bloodlines (see appendix in [3]), as he was wary of their spiritual powers.
• The Greeks move the capital from Babylon to Seleucia on the Tigris (275 BC). Alexander took control of Babylon in 331BC, but he died soon after and the city came under the control of the Seleucid Empire in 312BC. After the Seleucids moved the capital and its people to Seleucia, Babylon faded into obscurity.

This Period is structured as a series of 3 chiasmi.

Chiasmus 1: Babylon is defeated and its foreigners leave

The passage below in 50:8-16 is structured as a two-unit chiasmus:

A1 50:8 The foreigners in Babylon return to their lands (539BC)
  B1 50:9-10 Babylon is defeated by Medo-Persia (539BC)
    X 50:11-13 Babylon is abandoned (275BC)
  B2 50:14-15 Babylon is defeated by Medo-Persia (539BC)
A2 50:16 The foreigners in Babylon return to their lands (539BC)

Subunit A1: The foreigners in Babylon return to their lands (539BC) (50:8)

Chapter 50 8 “Move from the midst of Babylon, Go out of the land of the Chaldeans; And be like the rams before the flocks.

The Judahites in exile in Babylon and Babylonia ("the land of the Chaldeans") are exhorted to leave as soon as they can and return to Jerusalem, with the alacrity of the rams that lead a flock. Shortly after Babylon's defeat, Cyrus, in his first year (c 536BC), issued a proclamation that allowed the Judahites to return (Ezra 1:1).

Subunit B1: Babylon is defeated by Medo-Persia (539BC) (50:9-10)

Chapter 50 9 Surely I will stir up and bring against Babylon an alliance of great nations from the land of the north. They will take up their positions against her, and from the north she will be captured. Their arrows, as those of skilled warriors, will not go in vain. 10 So Babylonia will be plundered; all who plunder her will have their fill,” declares the Lord.

The city of Babylon and the nation of Babylonia, were defeated and plundered by the Medo-Persian alliance from the north (Dan 5:30,31). The "arrows" of vs 9 represent the entire Medo-Persian assault.

Pivot X: Babylon is abandoned (275BC) (50:11-13)

Chapter 50 11 “Because you rejoice and are glad, you who pillage my inheritance, because you frolic like a heifer threshing grain and neigh like stallions, 12 your mother will be greatly ashamed; she who gave you birth will be disgraced. She will be the least of the nations— a wilderness, a dry land, a desert. 13 Because of the Lord’s anger she will not be inhabited but will be completely desolate. All who pass Babylon will be appalled; they will scoff because of all her wounds.

God empowered the wicked Babylonians to plunder His own land in Judea (see Daniel 1:1,2), but He nevertheless will punish them for of the pleasure they have taken in ransacking Jerusalem and in defiling its temple. The city of Babylon ("the mother") will be destroyed and abandoned ("a wilderness") by the Greeks (275BC), and it will pass into obscurity ("disgraced", "ashamed").

Subunit B2: Babylon is defeated by Medo-Persia (539BC) (50:14-15)

Chapter 50 14 “Take up your positions around Babylon, all you who draw the bow. Shoot at her! Spare no arrows, for she has sinned against the Lord. 15 Shout against her on every side! She surrenders, her towers fall, her walls are torn down. Since this is the vengeance of the Lord, take vengeance on her; do to her as she has done to others.

After a short siege, Babylon's strong fortifications are breached by the Medo-Persians, and the city is forced into submission - divine retribution for what she had done to Jerusalem and many other nations (Dan 5:30,31).

Subunit A2: The foreigners in Babylon return to their lands (539BC) (50:16)

Chapter 50 16 Cut off from Babylon the sower, and the reaper with his sickle at harvest. From the sword of the oppressor let everyone return to their own people, let everyone flee to their own land.

Babylonia's flourishing agrarian economy is devastated, because the slaves from other nations return to their own lands after Cyrus frees them from the cruel oppression ("sword") of the Babylonians.

Chiasmus 2: Babylon is defeated by an alliance led by the Medo-Persians

The passage below in 50:17-18,51:5,11,27-35 is structured as a three-unit chiasmus:

A1 50:17-18, 51:5 The reason for Babylon's punishment
  B1 51:11 Religious Babylon is punished for desecrating God's temple (480BC)
    C1 51:27-28 Before and after the attack on Babylon: Preparation (539BC)
      X 51:29 During the attack on Babylon (539BC)
    C2 51:30-32 Before and after the attack on Babylon: The aftermath of the battle (539BC)
  B2 51:33 Religious Babylon is punished for desecrating God's temple (480BC)
A2 51:34-35 The reason for Babylon's punishment

Subunit A1: The reason for Babylon's punishment (50:17-18, 51:5)

Chapter 50 17 “Israel is a scattered flock that lions have chased away. First the king of Assyria devoured it, and this last king, Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, gnawed its bones.” 18 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “I will punish the king of Babylon and his land as I punished the king of Assyria.

By this Period, all of Israel had been enslaved and scattered by powerful empires ("lions"): the Northern Tribes had been taken into exile by the Assyrians (733-722BC) (2 Kings 17:1-6), and the Judahites had been enslaved by the Babylonians ("gnawed its bones") (605-587BC) (2 Kings 25:1-21). However, just as God had defeated the Assyrians, using the Babylonians (612-605BC) (Nahum 2:6-3:3), for their atrocities against the Northern Tribes, He will punish the Babylonians, using the Medo-Persians, for Nebuchadnezzar's assault on Judah.

Chapter 51 5 For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken by their God, the Lord Almighty, though their land is full of guilt before the Holy One of Israel.

The Israelites of the Northern and Southern Tribes had sinned against God and even worshipped other gods. But God has not abandoned His people, and so He punishes the Judahites' tormentors.

Subunit B1: Religious Babylon is punished for desecrating God's temple (480BC) (51:11)

Chapter 51 11 “Sharpen the arrows, take up the shields! The Lord has stirred up the kings of the Medes, because his purpose is to destroy Babylon. The Lord will take vengeance, vengeance for his temple.

God has decided to punish Babylon, because it had desecrated His temple in Jerusalem (see 2 Kings 25:1-21). So when the satrapy of Babylon rebelled against the Medo-Persians, king Xerxes put down the rebellion and destroyed Babylon and its temples. ( We believe this Unit B is regarding Xerxes' attack and not Cyrus' initial assault, because Babylon is destroyed in this subunit and in the corresponding subunit B2 below - Babylon was not destroyed in the initial attack by the Medo-Persians.)

Subunit C1: Before and after the attack on Babylon: Preparation (539BC) (51:27-28)

Chapter 51 27 “Lift up a banner in the land! Blow the trumpet among the nations! Prepare the nations for battle against her; summon against her these kingdoms: Ararat, Minni and Ashkenaz. Appoint a commander against her; send up horses like a swarm of locusts. 28 Prepare the peoples for battle against her— the kings of the Medes, their governors and all their officials, and all the countries they rule.

The Medo-Persians under Cyrus and their allies make preparations for the assault on Babylon. The prophet poetically creates a sense of heightened excitement by presenting the prediction in the form of imagined exhortations to the attackers. Ararat, Minni and Ashkenaz (vs 27) were nations in the region of Armenia that were allied to the Medo-Persians in this assault.

Pivot X: During the attack on Babylon (539BC) (51:29)

Chapter 51 29 The land trembles and writhes, for the Lord’s purposes against Babylon stand— to lay waste the land of Babylon so that no one will live there.

The Medo-Persian alliance under Cyrus attacks and conquers Babylon (Daniel 5:30-31). Although Babylon was not destroyed in this assault, this was the beginning of this region's decline into obscurity, by divine purpose.

Subunit C2: Before and after the attack on Babylon: The aftermath of the battle (539BC) (51:30-32)

Chapter 51 30 Babylon’s warriors have stopped fighting; they remain in their strongholds. Their strength is exhausted; they have become weaklings. Their dwelling-places are set on fire; the bars of their gates are broken.

Babylon's soldiers have given up; they do not try to stop the plunder, for they are weak and exhausted. The invaders break open the gates of the military bases and set the bases on fire.

Chapter 51 31 One courier follows another and messenger follows messenger to announce to the king of Babylon that his entire city is captured, 32 the river crossings seized, the marshes set on fire, and the soldiers terrified.”

A series of messengers convey the news regarding the fall of the city to King Belshazzar. The king, who had been enjoying a feast (Daniel 5), is given the bad news that his city has been invaded, that the strategic river crossings have been seized by the invaders, that the marshes that formed a natural defensive barrier around Babylon were set on fire, and that his soldiers are too terrified to fight.

Subunit B2: Religious Babylon is punished for desecrating God's temple (480BC) (51:33)

Chapter 51 33 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Daughter Babylon is like a threshing floor at the time it is trampled, when harvest time is near.”

In his fury at the rebellion by the satrapy of Babylon, Xerxes tramples all over Babylon as if it were a threshing floor - a threshing floor is thoroughly trampled down just before harvest time to make it hard and suitable for threshing grain. Xerxes destroys Babylon's temples and exiles its powerful priests. Note that Babylon is called "Daughter" according to the practice of the time of comparing great cities to beautiful young women (cf. Zech. 2:7).

Subunit A2: The reason for Babylon's punishment (50:34-35)

Chapter 51 34 “Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has devoured us, he has thrown us into confusion, he has made us an empty jar. Like a serpent he has swallowed us and filled his stomach with our delicacies, and then has spewed us out. 35 May the violence done to our flesh be on Babylon,” say the inhabitants of Zion. “May our blood be on those who live in Babylonia,” says Jerusalem.

God used the wicked, cruel Nebuchadnezzar to punish Jerusalem and other nations (Jer. 27:6-8). But the Babylonians themselves were deserving of punishment for their plunder of Jerusalem and its temple, and for the barbarism they exhibited against God's people ("may the violence done to our flesh be on Babylon").

Chiasmus 3: Babylon and its idol gods are punished for insulting Jerusalem

The passage below in 51:36-40,47-58 is structured as a three-unit chiasmus:

A1 51:36-37 Babylon is abandoned (275BC)
  B1 51:38-40 Babylon is invaded during Belshazzar's feast (539BC)
    C1 51:47-50 Religious Babylon and its "idols" are punished (480BC)
      X 51:51 The Babylonians are punished for desecrating God's temple
    C2 51:52-55 Religious Babylon and its "idols" are punished (480BC)
  B2 51:56-57 Babylon is invaded during Belshazzar's feast (539BC)
A2 51:58 Babylon is abandoned (275BC)

Subunit A1: Babylon is abandoned (275BC) (51:36-37)

Chapter 51 36 Surely this is what the Lord says:
“See, I will defend your cause and avenge you; I will dry up her sea and make her springs dry. 37 Babylon will be a heap of ruins, a haunt of jackals, an object of horror and scorn, a place where no one lives.

Because of Babylon's assault on Jerusalem, Babylon will be abandoned under the Greeks and its population will be reduced to nothing ("where no one lives"; "a haunt of jackals"; "dry up her sea and make her springs dry", where the "sea" and "springs" refer to the people of Babylon, because water bodies often represent masses of people in prophecy - see Rev 13:1).

Subunit B1: Babylon is invaded during Belshazzar's feast (539BC) (51:38-40)

Chapter 51 38 Her people all roar like young lions, they growl like lion cubs. 39 But while they are flushed, I will set out a feast for them and make them drunk, so that they shout with laughter— then sleep forever and not awake,” declares the Lord. 40 “I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams and goats.

The powerful Babylonians intimidated the nations around them ("roared like young lions"), but God will make them powerless to defend themselves so that they are like lambs/rams/goats to the slaughter.

For even as the Babylonians were flushed with success, God arranged a feast for them that ended in their downfall. They were noisy and inebriated at Belshazzar's feast, when the Medo-Persians, who had laid siege to the city, breached the thick city walls and slaughtered them ("sleep forever") (see Dan. 5).

Subunit C1: Religious Babylon and its "idols" are punished (480BC) (51:47-50)

Chapter 51 47 Assuredly the time will come when I will punish the idols of Babylon; her whole land will be disgraced and her slain will all lie fallen within her. 48 Then heaven and earth and all that is in them will shout for joy over Babylon, for out of the north destroyers will attack her,” declares the Lord.

Around 60 years after the Medo-Persians invasion, the satrapy of Babylon rebelled. The Persian ruler Xerxes (the "destroyer" from the "north") brutally put down the revolt, and many Babylonians were apparently killed in this assault.

Xerxes destroyed the temples and expelled the priests of the royal Satanic bloodlines to Pergamum, for he was wary of their machinations (c. 480BC) (for more on the Satanic bloodlines, see appendix in [3]). The fallen angels ("idols") that controlled Babylon from the spiritual realm were also punished at this time. This was the end of religious Babylon's reign over the world, because the expelled priests took their spiritual powers with them to the west. All of heaven and earth rejoiced at the devastation of this evil nation and its controllers in the spiritual realm, for it had used its spiritual powers to cruelly control the ancient world for Satan for millennia (see also Isaiah 21:9).

Chapter 51 49 “As Babylon has caused the slain of Israel to fall, so at Babylon shall fall the slain in all the land.

Religious Babylon, over the centuries, has instigated the killing of Israelites - both those of the Northern and Southern Tribes - and so, as punishment, many of the people of Babylon itself are killed.

Chapter 51 50 You who have escaped the sword, leave and do not linger! Remember the Lord in a distant land, and call to mind Jerusalem.”

Many of the Judahites remain in Babylon at this time, 60 years after Cyrus freed them, and they are preserved by God during this battle ("escaped the sword"). They are urged to remember their Lord and His land and return to Jerusalem.

Pivot X: The Babylonians are punished for desecrating God's temple (51:51)

Chapter 51 51 “We are disgraced, for we have been insulted and shame covers our faces, because foreigners have entered the holy places of the Lord’s house.”

This pivot, spoken by the Judahites, indicates that the primary cause of Babylon's humiliating punishment is that the pagan Babylonians had disgraced the Judahites and insulted their God by entering and desecrating His sacred temple in Jerusalem (see 2 Kings 25:1-21).

Subunit C2: Religious Babylon and its "idols" are punished (480BC) (51:52-55)

Chapter 51 52 “Therefore days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will punish her idols, and throughout her land the wounded will groan. 53 Even if Babylon ascends to the heavens and fortifies her lofty stronghold, I will send destroyers against her,” declares the Lord.

When Xerxes destroyed religious Babylon (see also Isaiah 21:9), the fallen angels ("idols") that they worshipped also fell (Babylon was the 2nd "king" of Rev 17:10). The prince-priests of Babylon must have used all the spiritual power at their disposal to retain their control over Babylon ("ascends to heaven", "fortifies her lofty strongholds"), but God had decided to end Babylon's reign.

Chapter 51 54 “The sound of a cry comes from Babylon, the sound of great destruction from the land of the Babylonians. 55 The Lord will destroy Babylon; he will silence her noisy din. Waves of soldiers will rage like great waters; the roar of their voices will resound.

Emperor Xerxes, in his anger, brings great devastation on Babylon as he quells this rebellion by the satrapy. The noise of the vibrant city is replaced by the roar of an army bent on ransacking the city.

Subunit B2: Babylon is invaded during Belshazzar's feast (539BC) (51:56-57)

Chapter 51 56 A destroyer will come against Babylon; her warriors will be captured, and their bows will be broken. For the Lord is a God of retribution; he will repay in full.

God sends the Medo-Persians under Cyrus to defeat Babylon as retribution for Babylon's sins against His people and against the rest of the world.

Chapter 51 57 I will make her officials and wise men drunk, her governors, officers and warriors as well; they will sleep forever and not awake,” declares the King, whose name is the Lord Almighty.

With God's help, the Medo-Persians breach the city walls and capture the city. They kill king Belshazzar and the rest of the leadership ("sleep forever"), who are drunk at Belshazzar's feast (see Dan. 5).

Subunit A2: Babylon is abandoned (275BC) (51:58)

Chapter 51 58 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Babylon’s thick wall will be leveled and her high gates set on fire; the peoples' labor is in vain, the nations' work is only fuel for the flames. They will be weary.”

The Greeks apparently destroyed Babylon's fortifications - its thick walls and gates - when they abandoned the city. All the work that the Babylonians and others from around the world had done to build up this magnificent city was in vain ("the nations’ work is only fuel for the flames"). In the end, the once proud Babylonians were a weary, demoralized people when they left their city and merged into the Greek empire.

5.2 Modern 'Babylon' is Destroyed by a Global Army (circa 2027AD) (Ch 50 Vs 4-7, Ch 50 Vs 19-35, Ch 50 Vs 42 - Ch 51 Vs 4, Ch 51 Vs 6-10, Ch 51 Vs 12-26, Ch 51 Vs 41-46)

This Period is structured as a series of 7 chiasmi.

Chiasmus 1: The Israelites turn back to their own God and gather in their own land

The passage below in 50:4-7, 50:19-20 is structured as a single-unit chiasmus:

A1 50:4-5 The Israelites return to their God and gather in the New Israel
    X 50:6-7 The Israelites had been exiled
A2 50:19-20 The Israelites return to their God and gather in the New Israel

Subunit A1: The Israelites return to their God and gather in the New Israel (50:4-5)

Chapter 50 4 “In those days, at that time,” declares the Lord, “the people of Israel and the people of Judah together will go in tears to seek the Lord their God. 5 They will ask the way to Zion and turn their faces toward it. They will come and bind themselves to the Lord in an everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten.

At the start of the Millennial Reign, the Israelites - both the Northern Tribes and the Christian Judahites - around the world will gather in the New Israel ("Zion") and seek the truth from God. The Northern Tribes will cast aside their idol worship and turn back to their God in tears of joy (see also Ezekiel 37:15-23); they will bind themselves to the New Covenant, Christianity, and they will remain faithful to their God forever (cf. Isaiah 59:21).

Pivot X: The Israelites had been exiled (50:6-7)

Chapter 50 6 “My people have been lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray and caused them to roam on the mountains. They wandered over mountain and hill and forgot their own resting place.

God sent the Northern Tribes into exile, because their leaders ("shepherds") had led them astray into idol-worship (2 Kings 17:7-23). The Israelites and their descendants ("lost sheep") wandered through pagan nations ("mountains" and "hills" represent nations - see for ex. Isaiah 2:2), and they forgot that Israel was their true home ("resting place").

Chapter 50 7 Whoever found them devoured them; their enemies said, ‘We are not guilty, for they sinned against the Lord, their habitation of justice, the Lord, the hope of their ancestors.’

Because of their waywardness, the Northern Tribes were punished with spiritual exile and they no longer came under the protection of the God of their ancestors (their "habitation of justice"). So the enemies of the Israelites could prey on them without fearing repercussion ("we are not guilty" - cf. Jeremiah 2:3) (see also Leviticus 26:33-39).

Subunit A2: The Israelites return to their God and gather in the New Israel (50:19-20)

Chapter 50 19 I will bring Israel back to their own pasture, and they will graze on Carmel and Bashan; their appetite will be satisfied on the hills of Ephraim and Gilead.

God will unite the Northern Tribes and Judah into one blessed, prosperous nation (Carmel, Bashan, Ephraim and Gilead were paragons of fertility and abundance - the pastoral metaphor in 50:6-7 is continued here).

20 In those days, at that time,” declares the Lord, “search will be made for Israel’s guilt, but there will be none, and for the sins of Judah, but none will be found, for I will forgive the remnant I spare.

God will purge Israel of its wicked, so that the righteous remnant will remain faithful to its God (see also Isaiah 10:21,22).

Chiasmus 2: God destroys "Babylon"

The passage below in 50:21-26 is structured as a single-unit chiasmus:

A1 50:21-22 God sends an army against "Babylon"
    X 50:23-24 "Babylon" is destroyed
A2 50:25-26 God sends an army against "Babylon"

Subunit A1: God sends an army against "Babylon" (50:21-22)

Chapter 50 21 “Attack the land of Merathaim and those who live in Pekod. Pursue, kill and completely destroy them,” declares the Lord. “Do everything I have commanded you. 22 The noise of battle is in the land, the noise of great destruction!

God calls for an army from around the world to rise up against 'Babylon', Satan's empire that rules the world at the start of the Millennial Reign (see also Isaiah 13:2-4). This 'Babylon' is a worldwide organization of Satan worshippers and not a nation, so passages that treat it as a country should be considered figurative.

Merathaim and Pekod were alternative names for ancient Babylon. Merathaim means "double rebellion" or "intense rebellion" and Pekod means "Visitation" or "Punishment". Throughout the passages of this Period, alternative names or cryptograms that were used for ancient Babylon are applied to modern 'Babylon', perhaps to parody and mock "Babylon's" practice of using secret codes to communicate and of using misleading names for its evil organizations.

Pivot X: "Babylon" is destroyed (50:23-24)

Chapter 50 23 How broken and shattered is the hammer of the whole earth! How desolate is Babylon among the nations! 24 I set a trap for you, Babylon, and you were caught before you knew it; you were found and captured because you opposed the Lord.

"Babylon", the cruel oppressor of the world ("hammer of the whole earth"), is destroyed forever. God had set up a trap to defeat 'Babylon', as it had come against God and His people; "Babylon's" allies tricked it and aided in its destruction (see also Obadiah 1:7).

Subunit A2: God sends an army against "Babylon" (50:25-26)

Chapter 50 25 The Lord has opened his arsenal and brought out the weapons of his wrath, for the Sovereign Lord Almighty has work to do in the land of the Babylonians. 26 Come against her from every quarter. Break open her granaries; pile her up like heaps of grain. Completely destroy her and leave her no remnant.

God brings to bear His weapons to execute His wrath against this evil empire (see also Isaiah 34:5). The people of this uprising will break open "Babylon's" enormous secret stores of wealth ("granaries") and pile it up in the open like grain (see also Rev 18:11-20); they are exhorted to completely destroy this evil empire.

Chiasmus 3: God punishes the "Babylonians" for oppressing His people

The passage below in 50:27-35 is structured as a single-unit chiasmus:

A1 50:27-30 God destroys the "Babylonians" for oppressing His people
    X 50:31-32a God destroys "Babylon" for its arrogance
A2 50:32b-35 God destroys the "Babylonians" for oppressing His people

Subunit A1: God destroys the "Babylonians" for oppressing His people (50:27-30)

Chapter 50 27 Kill all her young bulls; let them go down to the slaughter! Woe to them! For their day has come, the time for them to be punished. 28 Listen to the fugitives and refugees from Babylon declaring in Zion the vengeance of the LORD our God, the vengeance of His court. 29 “Summon archers against Babylon, all those who draw the bow. Encamp all around her; let no one escape. Repay her for her deeds; do to her as she has done. For she has defied the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. 30 Therefore, her young men will fall in the streets; all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,” declares the Lord.

During the reign of the Beast, powerful organizations that were a part of Satan's empire of 'Babylon' had taken some of the Israelites into slavery to spite God (see Joel 3:2-5). At the start of the Millennial Reign, God sends an army to defeat 'Babylon' and punish its people for their oppression of the Israelites (the "archers" and "bows" of vs 29 represent the modern weapons used by this army; the powerful Satan worshippers that are a part of 'Babylon' are called "young bulls" in vs 27 - cf. Isaiah 34:6,7; the defenders of 'Babylon' are called "soldiers" and "young men" in vs 30).

The Israelites who have escaped the clutches of this organization ("fugitives", "refugees" in vs 28) report that God is repaying the people of 'Babylon' for their transgressions against His people (see Rev 18:6,7; the "court" in vs 28 presumably refers to God's divine council - see Rev. 4).

Pivot X: God destroys "Babylon" for its arrogance (50:31-32a)

Chapter 50 31 “See, I am against you, Zadon,” declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty, “for your day has come, the time for you to be punished. 32a Zadon will stumble and fall and no one will help her up.

The Lord punishes "Babylon" and causes it to fall and never recover, partly for its arrogance (see Rev 18, esp vs 2,7,8). "Babylon" is called "Zadon", which means "arrogance"/"pride" in Hebrew - "Zadon" is another of the several alternative names used for "Babylon" in this Period.

Subunit A2: God destroys the "Babylonians" for oppressing His people (50:32b-35)

Chapter 50 32b I will kindle a fire in her towns that will consume all who are around her.” 33 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “The people of Israel are oppressed, and the people of Judah as well. All their captors hold them fast, refusing to let them go. 34 Yet their Redeemer is strong; the Lord Almighty is his name. He will vigorously defend their cause so that he may bring rest to their land, but unrest to those who live in Babylon. 35 “A sword against the Babylonians!” declares the Lord— “against those who live in Babylon and against her officials and wise men!

The Israelites were enslaved and oppressed by "Babylon" during the reign of the Beast, but the Almighty God will rescue His people and gather them in the New Israel to live in peace forever ("rest to their land"). However the people of Satan's empire of "Babylon", even its political and spiritual leaders ("officials and wise men"), will be punished. Since "Babylon" is an organization and not a nation, the "towns" of vs 32b refer to the subdivisions of the organization, and the "fire" of vs 32b indicates the destruction of the people of "Babylon" and those associated it.

Chiasmus 4: "Babylon" is destroyed in a global uprising, The Messiah takes control of the world

The passage below in 50:42-46 is structured as a single-unit chiasmus:

A1 50:42-43 A global uprising destroys "Babylon"
    X 50:44 The Messiah replaces "Babylon" as ruler of the world
A2 50:45-46 A global uprising destroys "Babylon"

Subunit A1: A global uprising destroys "Babylon" (50:42-43)

Chapter 50 42 They are armed with bows and spears; they are cruel and without mercy. They sound like the roaring sea as they ride on their horses; they come like men in battle formation to attack you, Daughter Babylon. 43 The king of Babylon has heard reports about them, and his hands hang limp. Anguish has gripped him, pain like that of a woman in labor.

God musters an army from around the world to attack 'Babylon' and to mercilessly destroy it forever (Rev. 18). This is not a formal army, but its people are focussed and relentless like soldiers ("like men in battle formation"). The "bows and spears" represent modern weapons and the "horses" represent motor vehicles. On hearing of this assault, the Antichrist (the "king of Babylon" - see Rev 13:22), the most powerful person on earth at the time, is frozen ("hands hang limp") in fear and distress.

Pivot X: The Messiah replaces "Babylon" as ruler of the world (50:44)

Chapter 50 44a Behold, he will come up, like a lion from the thickets of the Jordan, to the seat of world power when I abruptly chase the wicked away from it.

While God uses His army to rapidly remove the wicked "Babylonians" from the seat of power over the world, the coming Messiah, the Lion of Judah, will take over as ruler of the world with the strength and speed of a lion (a verse similar to 50:44 can be found in Jer. 49:19).

Chapter 50 44b Who is the chosen one I will appoint over it? Who is like me? Who will appoint me the time? And who is that shepherd that will stand before me?”

The four rhetorical questions of this passage indicate that the coming Messiah will reign over the world on behalf of God and Christ:

• Who is the chosen one I will appoint over it? God will appoint the Messiah as the ruler of the world, as the King of kings (see Revelation 19:16). The very word "messiah" or "anointed one" implies a selection by God, for only the chosen one is anointed.
• Who is like me? The Messiah will faithfully do as God orders him, and in this sense he will be like God. The coming Messiah will be the archangel Michael incarnate, and the name Micha-el means "Who is like God?"
• Who will appoint me the time? The Messiah will spend time with God to take leadership instructions from Him (see Isaiah 11:2).
• Who is that shepherd that will stand before me? Michael has been a shepherd or prince from the spiritual realm for millennia, especially to the Israelites (see Dan. 10:21). Now he will be a shepherd to Israel and the world on behalf of God from the physical realm.

Subunit A2: A global uprising destroys "Babylon" (50:45-46)

Chapter 50 45 Therefore, hear what the Lord has planned against Babylon, what he has purposed against the land of the Babylonians: Surely they will be dragged away, even the least of the flock; their pasture will be emptied of them.

The army that God raises against "Babylon" will drag away the "Babylonians" from their positions of power around the world (the seats of power are "pasture" in which the "flock" of 'Babylon' fed).

( This passage in Jer. 50:44-45, which is regarding 'Babylon' is similar to Jeremiah 49:19-20, regarding 'Edom', serving to support our position that, for prophecy regarding this Period, 'Edom' is another name for Satan's empires - see also our parse Obadiah [5].)

Chapter 50 46 At the sound of Babylon’s capture the earth will tremble; its cry will resound among the nations.

The fall of 'Babylon' results in great political and economic upheaval around the world, and those who have benefited from its wealth and power weep for it from afar (Rev 18:9-20). ( Note that a similar passage in Jer. 49:21 applies only to ancient Edom.)

Chiasmus 5: "Babylon" is destroyed, people are urged to flee this organization

The passage below in 51:1-4,6-10 is structured as a single-unit chiasmus:

A1 51:1-4 "Babylon" is destroyed
    X 51:6-7 People are urged to flee from the wicked "Babylon"
A2 51:8-10 "Babylon" is destroyed: The aftermath

Subunit A1: "Babylon" is destroyed (51:1-4)

Chapter 51 1 This is what the Lord says:
“See, I will stir up the spirit of a destroyer against Babylon and the people of Leb Kamai. 2 I will send winnowers to Babylon to winnow her and to devastate her land; they will oppose her on every side in the day of her disaster. 3 Let not the archer string his bow, nor let him put on his armor. Do not spare her young men; completely destroy her people. 4 They will fall down slain in Babylon, fatally wounded in her streets.

The organization of 'Babylon' is attacked from all sides, and all its people are destroyed (see also Rev 16:3). "Leb Kamai" is a cryptogram (a cryptogram, an atbash in Hebrew, is encrypted text) for Chaldea, another name for Babylon. The "winnowers" sent by God will separate out the wicked "Babylonians" in their midst and then destroy their organization suddenly - before they have a chance to defend themselves (before "Babylon's" "archer" can "string his bow"). All the people that are a part of Babylon will be killed and no one will be spared ("Do not spare her young men").

Pivot X: People are urged to flee from the wicked "Babylon" (51:6-7)

Chapter 51 6 “Flee from Babylon! Run for your lives! Do not be destroyed because of her sins. It is time for the Lord’s vengeance; he will repay her what she deserves.

Those who are a part of 'Babylon' are urged to exit this wicked organization, so that they will not be punished along with her (see also Rev. 18:4).

Chapter 51 7 Babylon was a gold cup in the Lord’s hand; she made the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore they have now gone mad.

God has tested the people of the world by allowing them to drink "Babylon's" intoxicating wine from her gold cup (see Rev, 17:4, 14:8). Many have been enticed into drinking the wine of Satan worship, going mad for the worldly success that comes with it.

Subunit A2: "Babylon" is destroyed: The aftermath (51:8-10)

This subunit is regarding the reactions of the wicked and the righteous of the world to "Babylon's" fall.

Chapter 51 8 Babylon will suddenly fall and be broken. Wail over her!
Get balm for her pain; perhaps she can be healed. 9 “‘We have tried to heal Babylon, but she cannot be healed; let us leave her and each go to our own land, for her judgment reaches to the skies, it rises as high as the heavens.’

The wicked who profited through "Babylon" mourn her fall (see also Rev 18:9-20). They form an an international coalition to try and revive "Babylon", but they are forced to give up and go home - God will not allow "Babylon" to recover, because its sins are too great ("reaches the heavens") (see also Rev. 18:5).

Chapter 51 10 “‘The Lord has vindicated us; come, let us tell in Zion what the Lord our God has done.’

The righteous of the world, who had been tormented during the reign of the Beast (see Rev. 13:9,10), feel vindicated at "Babylon's" fall (see Rev 18:20). They gather in God's nation, Israel ("Zion"), to testify of God's marvellous work against their tormentors.

Chiasmus 6: God rules the world through Israel after defeating Satan's empire "Babylon"

The passage below in 51:12-26 is structured as a two-unit chiasmus:

A1 51:12-14 "Babylon" is destroyed forever
  B1 51:15-16 The Almighty takes control over the world through Israel
    X 51:17-19 The Israelites stop their idol-worship and turn back to their God
  B2 51:20-23 The Almighty takes control over the world through Israel
A2 51:24-26 "Babylon" is destroyed forever

Subunit A1: "Babylon" is destroyed forever (51:12-14)

Chapter 51 12 Lift up a banner on the walls of Babylon! Reinforce the guard, station the watchmen, prepare an ambush! The Lord will carry out his purpose, his decree against the people of Babylon.

The "Babylonians" get ready to defend their organization, but their preparations are in vain, as the Lord has decided to destroy this evil organization. The parts of this passage that are in the imperative form are sarcastically stated predictions of the "Babylonians" actions.

Chapter 51 13 You who live by many waters and are rich in treasures, your end has come, the time for you to be destroyed. 14 The Lord Almighty has sworn by himself: I will surely fill you with troops, as with a swarm of locusts, and they will shout in triumph over you.

"Babylon" covertly controls many nations, effectively the whole world (the waters represent nations - see Revelation 17:1,15). She has secretly plundered all nations over centuries to amass a gargantuan store of wealth - she is the wealthiest organizations on earth by far (see Rev 18:16,17). But all of this will come to nothing (Rev 18:19) when a global uprising ("troops" as numerous as locusts) destroys "Babylon".

Subunit B1: The Almighty God takes control over the world through Israel (51:15-16)

Chapter 51 15 “He made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding. 16 When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.

Israel's God, the Almighty, created the heaven and earth, and sustains it with His power (the same text can be found in Jeremiah 10:12-16). God had given Satan power over the world for 6 millennia so that He may test the people, but in this final millennium He will retake control over the earth (see corresponding subunit B2 below).

Pivot X: The Israelites stop their idol-worship and turn back to their God (51:17-19)

Chapter 51 17 “Everyone feels foolish, for they are given discernment. Every goldsmith is shamed by his idols, for the images he makes are a fraud; they have no breath in them.

The Israelites of the Northern Tribes had been worshipping idol gods until this time of the Millennial Reign - they had been spiritually blinded as punishment for the sins of their ancestors (Isaiah 29:9,10). But in this Period, their spiritual eyes are once again opened; they suddenly feel foolish and ashamed of their idolatry, and they turn back to their own God (see also Isaiah 30:21-22). The prophet mocks the prescribed method of worshipping fallen angels - praying to man-made statues that are not alive (Psalm 115:4–8, Deut. 4:28). (The same text can be found in Jeremiah 10:14).

Chapter 51 18 They are worthless, the objects of mockery; when their judgment comes, they will perish.

The gods / fallen angels that the Israelites had worshipped through their idolatry are worthless in comparison to God - these gods are deserving of mockery. These gods will be punished and destroyed at the time of their judgement (Psalm 82, Jer. 10:11), while the God of Israel reigns forever.

Chapter 51 19 He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these, for he is the Maker of all things. Israel is the tribe of his inheritance; the Lord Almighty is his name.

The nations of the world had been divided up between God and the fallen angels, and the nation of Jacob/Israel is God's portion (Deut. 32:8,9). Unlike the relatively worthless fallen angels that control the rest of the world, the God of Jacob/Israel is all powerful and the maker of all things. ( Text similar to this pivot can be found in Jeremiah 10:15-16.)

Subunit B2: The Almighty God takes control over the world through Israel (51:20-23)

Chapter 51 20 “You are my war club, my weapon for battle— with you I shatter nations, with you I destroy kingdoms, 21 with you I shatter horse and rider, with you I shatter chariot and driver, 22 with you I shatter man and woman, with you I shatter old man and youth, with you I shatter young man and young woman, 23 with you I shatter shepherd and flock, with you I shatter farmer and oxen, with you I shatter governors and officials.

During the Millennial Reign, God will use His kingdom, the New Israel, to control all nations with a 'rod of iron', shattering all those that oppose or disobey Him (see Rev. 2:26-28).

Subunit A2: "Babylon" is destroyed forever (51:24-26)

Chapter 51 24 “Before your eyes I will repay Babylon and all who live in Babylonia for all the wrong they have done in Zion,” declares the Lord. 25 “I am against you, you destroying mountain, you who destroy the whole earth,” declares the Lord. “I will stretch out my hand against you, roll you off the cliffs, and make you a burned-out mountain. 26 No rock will be taken from you for a cornerstone, nor any stone for a foundation, for you will be desolate forever,” declares the Lord.

During the reign of the Beast, Satan's kingdom, 'Babylon', had tyrannically controlled the world and caused much harm to Israel ("Zion") and the rest of the world (it was "destroying mountain", where "mountain" represents a nation as in Isaiah 2:2). But now, after the reign of the Beast, "Babylon" and its people will be punished and destroyed (the "mountain" that is "Babylon" will suffer a violent eruption - its top will be blown off and roll down, and it will be "burned up" with lava) (see also Rev. 16,18). "Babylon" has done much that is evil around the world through its institutions, but every wicked thing it has created and built up will be discarded ("No rock will be taken from" the "mountain" that is "Babylon") (see also Rev 18:21-24).

Chiasmus 7: "Babylon" and its god will be destroyed

The passage below in 51:41-46 is structured as a single-unit chiasmus:

A1 51:41-43 "Babylon" will be destroyed
    X 51:44 "Babylon's" god will be defeated
A2 51:45-46 "Babylon" will be destroyed

Subunit A1: "Babylon" will be destroyed (51:41-43)

Chapter 51 41 “How Sheshak will be captured, the boast of the whole earth seized! How desolate Babylon will be among the nations! 42 The sea will rise over Babylon; its roaring waves will cover her. 43 Her towns will be desolate, a dry and desert land, a land where no one lives, through which no one travels.

The mighty 'Babylon' that ruled the world is destroyed forever ("towns" and "land" in vs 43 figuratively represent this abandoned organization). The army that overwhelms her is compared to a sea. Sheshak, in 51:41, is a cryptogram for Babylon (like "Leb Kamai" in 51:1).

Pivot X: "Babylon's" god will be defeated (51:44)

Chapter 51 44 I will punish Bel in Babylon and make him spew out what he has swallowed. The nations will no longer stream to him. And the wall of Babylon will fall.

With the fall of "Babylon", Satan (we take "Bel" to mean lord/god in this context) is also defeated and sent to the Abyss (Rev. 20:2-3). No longer will he rule the world ("he will spew out all he has swallowed"), and so the wicked of the earth will no longer worship him. So Satan, the controller and protector of "Babylon" (the "Wall of Babylon"), will fall.

Subunit A2: "Babylon" will be destroyed (51:45-46)

Chapter 51 45 “Come out of her, my people! Run for your lives! Run from the fierce anger of the Lord.

People are exhorted to defect from the Satanic organization of 'Babylon', for if they continue to be a part of this evil empire they will share in her punishment (see also Rev 18:4). This passage is especially addressed to God's people, because Israelite Satan worshippers will be punished by the Rider on the Pale Horse (Rev. 6:8) in the time of Jacob's trouble (Jeremiah 30:7).

Chapter 51 46 Otherwise your heart will grow faint and you will be afraid when rumors are heard in the land; one rumor comes this year, another the next, and violence is in the land, and ruler is against ruler.

The fall of "Babylon" will take place over an extended period during the reign of the Beast. There will be rumours of trouble well before the fall of the organization; there will be infighting among the leaders and violence in the organization (see also Rev 16). All of this will cause great consternation among the members of this organization, and so those who are a part of Babylon are urged to leave this doomed empire.

5.3 Judah is Destroyed in The First Jewish–Roman War (66AD–73AD) (Ch 50 Vs 2-3, Ch 50 Vs 36-41)

This Period is arranged in the form of a single-unit chiasmus:

A1 50:2-3 Before and after the Roman assault
    X 50:36-38 During the Roman attack on Judea
A2 50:39-41 Before and after the Roman assault

Subunit A1: Before and after the Roman assault (50:2-3)

Chapter 50 2 “Announce and proclaim among the nations, lift up a banner and proclaim it; keep nothing back, but say, ‘Babylon is captured; Bel is put to shame; Marduk is shattered, her images are disgraced, her idols are broken in pieces.’

Judah is called Babylon in this passage because many of its people have turned to other gods - gods like Bel and Marduk. God used the Romans to devastate the land of His own people, the Judahites, for their waywardness, and to show His people that the other gods they worship are impotent before Him ("put to shame", "disgraced"...) (see also Isaiah 28:18-19).

Chapter 50 3 A nation from the north will attack her and lay waste her land. No one will live in it; both people and animals will flee away.

God used the nation from the North, the Roman Empire, to devastate the land of His own people (see also Joel 1:8-16). By the end of the war the land was emptied of its inhabitants, both human and animal (see also Joel 1:18-19). (See our parse of the 70 weeks of Daniel for more on this Period [2].)

Pivot X: During the Roman attack on Judea (50:36-38)

Chapter 50 36a A sword against her false prophets, that they may become fools!

Almost all the people that remain in Judah and Jerusalem are killed. Judah's leaders and false prophets, such as the Pharisees and the Sadducees, led the people astray and against Jesus through their corrupted doctrines and idol worship (see also Isaiah 28:7). They now look foolish, as they were unable to give good advice regarding the Romans.

Chapter 50 36b A sword against her warriors, that they may be destroyed! 37a A sword against her horses and against her chariots, and against all the foreign troops in her midst, that they may become women!

Judea's warriors ("horses and chariots" seem to represent the armed forces - vs 36b is a summary on which vs 37a expands) and the foreigners in their ranks (such as the Idumeans), ignore Jesus' advice to flee on seeing the Romans (Matt. 24:15,16), and instead vainly stay to fight the Roman army. They are all weakened ("became women") and destroyed (see also Isaiah 3:1-2).

Chapter 50 37b A sword against all her treasures, that they may be plundered!

Judea, particularly Jerusalem and its temple, is plundered by the Romans.

Chapter 50 38a A drought against her waters, that they may be dried up!

At the time of the Roman attack, Judea also suffers a severe drought (see also Joel 1:10-12).

Chapter 50 38b For it is a land of images, and they are mad over idols.

One of the main reasons for this punishment from God is that the Judahites strayed to worship other gods (see also Zephaniah 1:5-7).

Subunit A2: Before and after the Roman assault (50:39-41)

Chapter 50 39 “So desert creatures and hyenas will live there, and there the owl will dwell. It will never again be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation. 40 As I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah along with their neighboring towns,” declares the Lord, “so no one will live there; no people will dwell in it.

In the aftermath of this war, God empties Israel of the Judahites ("desert creatures and hyenas will live there") because of the sins of His people, in the same way that He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for its wickedness (see also Matthew 11:23-24). Since Israel continued to be occupied by other peoples, we consider this passage to figuratively indicate the end of Israel as the land of God's people (see Zech. 11:14) - the new Israel of the Millennial Reign will be located elsewhere.

Chapter 50 41 “Look! An army is coming from the north; a great nation and many kings are being stirred up from the borders of the land.

God used the Romans ("from the north") and their allies in the region surrounding Judea ("from the borders of the land") to punish His people (see also Jer. 6:22).

5.4 Epilogue to the Prophecy (Ch 51 Vs 59-64)

This epilogue lies outside the cryptochiasmus.

Chapter 51 59 This is the message Jeremiah the prophet gave to the staff officer Seraiah son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, when he went to Babylon with Zedekiah king of Judah in the fourth year of his reign. 60 Jeremiah had written on a scroll about all the disasters that would come upon Babylon—all that had been recorded concerning Babylon.

Zedekiah, in the 4th year of his reign c. 594BC, was apparently summoned to Babylon for conspiring against Nebuchadnezzar. Jeremiah wrote the prophecy of this cryptochiasmus in the form of a letter to fellow Judahites enslaved in Babylon, and he sent it through Seraiah the quartermaster (Seraiah seems to be the brother of Baruch, Jeremiah's scribe and friend - see Jer. 32:13).

Chapter 51 61 He said to Seraiah, “When you get to Babylon, see that you read all these words aloud. 62 Then say, ‘Lord, you have said you will destroy this place, so that neither people nor animals will live in it; it will be desolate forever.’ 63 When you finish reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and throw it into the Euphrates. 64a Then say, ‘So will Babylon sink to rise no more because of the disaster I will bring on her. 64b They will be weary.”
64c The words of Jeremiah end here.

After Seraiah reads the prophecy aloud in Babylon, he is to make a few concluding statements that summarize the prophecy. It appears that these statements allude to each of the three Periods of the prophecy:

• Verse 62 refers to Period 2. The promise of utter destruction of Jerusalem in 50:3 and 50:39 (the phrase "this place" refers to Jeremiah's location in Jerusalem, and not Babylon).
• Verse 63,64a is about Period 3. The figure of the stone in the Euphrates and the associated explanation is similar to the stone of Rev. 18:21 that predicts the fall of modern "Babylon".
• Verse 64b alludes to Period 1. The sentence "They will grow weary" is the same as that of the closing of Period 1 in 51:58. It indicates the final state of the people of Babylon.

Jeremiah's prophecies ends with this passage - the next chapter, Jer. 52, is not from him.

Conclusion

With this chiastic reconstruction of the text, we show that the passage predicts the fall of ancient Babylon and modern "Babylon". Clearly, the fall of ancient Babylon is a type of the fall of Satan's kingdom at the start of the Millennial Reign. The prophecy has an unusually involved chiastic structure, similar to that of Isaiah 28-33.

References

[1] A Definition of Cryptochiasmus
[2] A Chiastic Reconfiguration Of "The 70 Weeks Of Daniel"
[3] A Chiastic Reconfiguration Of Daniel 8
[4] A Chiastic Reconfiguration Of Revelation 4-22 Part 2:
[5] A Chiastic Reconfiguration Of Obadiah





* First version published on 11 December 2021.