41 "Behold , a people is coming from the north , And a great nation and many kings Will be aroused from the remote parts of the earth . 42 "They seize their bow and javelin ; They are cruel and have no mercy . Their voice roars like the sea ; And they ride on horses , Marshalled like a man for the battle Against you, O daughter of Babylon . 43 "The king of Babylon has heard the report about them, And his hands hang limp ; Distress has gripped him, Agony like a woman in childbirth .
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Jeremiah 50:41-43
Commentary on Jeremiah 50:33-46
(Read Jeremiah 50:33-46)
It is Israel's comfort in distress, that, though they are weak, their Redeemer is strong. This may be applied to believers, who complain of the dominion of sin and corruption, and of their own weakness and manifold infirmities. Their Redeemer is able to keep what they commit to him; and sin shall not have dominion over them. He will give them that rest which remains for the people of God. Also here is Babylon's sin, and their punishment. The sins are, idolatry and persecution. He that will not save his people in their sins, never will countenance the wickedness of his open enemies. The judgments of God for these sins will lay them waste. In the judgments denounced against prosperous Babylon, and the mercies promised to afflicted Israel, we learn to choose to suffer affliction with the people of God, rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.