Jeremiah 51:34

“Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon hath devoured me, etc.] Or “us”f1054; everyone of us: these are the words of Zion and Jerusalem, as appears from (<245135>Jeremiah 51:35); complaining of the injuries done them by the king of Babylon, who had eaten them up; spoiled their substance, as the Targum; took their cities, plundered them of their riches, and carried them away captive: he hath crushed me; to the earth; or “bruised” or “broken”, even all her bones; (see <245017>Jeremiah 50:17); he hath made me an empty vessel; emptied the land of its inhabitants and riches, and left nothing valuable in it: he hath swallowed me up like a dragon; or “whale”, or any large fish, which swallow the lesser…”

“me--Zion speaks. Her groans are what bring down retribution in kind on Babylon (Jer 50:17; Psa 102:13, Psa 102:17, Psa 102:20). empty vessel--He has drained me out. dragon--The serpent often "swallows" its prey whole; or a sea monster [GROTIUS]. filled his belly . . . cast me out--like a beast, which, having "filled" himself to satiety, "casts out" the rest [CALVIN]. After filling all his storehouses with my goods, he has cast me out of this land [GROTIUS].”

“Literally, “Nebuchadrezzar ... hath devoured us, hath crushed us, he hath set as aside as an empty vessel, he hath swallowed as like a crocodile, he hath filled his maw with my delicacies Genesis 49:20, he hath cast us out. My wrong and my flesh be upon Babylon, shall the inhabitress of Zion say: and my blood be etc.” Nebuchadnezzar had devoured Jerusalem, had treated her as ruthlessly as a crocodile does its prey, and for this cruelty he and Babylon are justly to be punished. return to 'Top of Page'”

“Me - The prophet speaks this in the name of the Jews. Cast me out - As beasts of prey eat what they please of other beasts they have preyed upon, and leave the rest in the field. Jeremiah 51:36”

“the king: Jer 51:49, Jer 39:1-8, Jer 50:7, Jer 50:17; Lam 1:1, Lam 1:14, Lam 1:15 he hath made: Jer 48:11, Jer 48:12; Isa 24:1-3, Isa 34:11; Nah 2:2, Nah 2:9, Nah 2:10 swallowed: Jer 51:44; Job 20:15; Pro 1:12; Lam 2:16; Eze 36:3; Amo 8:4; Mat 23:14 Jeremiah 51:35”

“This judgment comes on Babylon for its offences against Israel. The king of Babylon has devoured Israel, etc. Those who complain, in Jer 51:34, are the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem, in whose name the prophet enumerates the crimes of Babylon. "Nebuchadnezzar has devoured us," i.e., oppressed us. The plural suffixes to the verbs have been needlessly changed in the Qeri into singulars, for the simple reason, perhaps, that with מעדני and in Jer 51:35 the address makes a transition into the singular. המם signifies to throw enemies into confusion by causing a panic, for the purpose of destroying them; hence to destroy, see on Deu 2:15; here to destroy, crush. "He set us down like an empty…”