14:22 “I will rise up against them,”
says the Lord who commands armies.
“I will blot out all remembrance of Babylon and destroy all her people, 1
including the offspring she produces,” 2
says the Lord.
21:9 Look what’s coming!
A charioteer,
a team of horses.” 3
When questioned, he replies, 4
“Babylon has fallen, fallen!
All the idols of her gods lie shattered on the ground!”
39:1 At that time Merodach-Baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he heard that Hezekiah had been ill and had recovered.
43:14 This is what the Lord says,
your protector, 6 the Holy One of Israel: 7
“For your sake I send to Babylon
and make them all fugitives, 8
turning the Babylonians’ joyful shouts into mourning songs. 9
47:1 “Fall down! Sit in the dirt,
O virgin 10 daughter Babylon!
Sit on the ground, not on a throne,
O daughter of the Babylonians!
Indeed, 11 you will no longer be called delicate and pampered.
48:14 All of you, gather together and listen!
Who among them 12 announced these things?
The Lord’s ally 13 will carry out his desire against Babylon;
he will exert his power against the Babylonians. 14
1 tn Heb “I will cut off from Babylon name and remnant” (ASV, NAB, and NRSV all similar).
2 tn Heb “descendant and child.”
3 tn Or “[with] teams of horses,” or perhaps, “with a pair of horsemen.”
4 tn Heb “and he answered and said” (so KJV, ASV).
5 tn Heb “fathers” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV).
6 tn Or “kinsman redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
7 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
8 tn Heb “and I bring down [as] fugitives all of them.”
9 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “as for the Babylonians, in ships their joyful shout.” This might be paraphrased, “even the Babylonians in the ships [over which] they joyfully shouted.” The point would be that the Lord caused the Babylonians to flee for safety in the ships in which they took such great pride. A slight change in vocalization yields the reading “into mourning songs,” which provides a good contrast with “joyful shout.” The prefixed bet (בְּ) would indicate identity.
10 tn בְּתוּלַה (bÿtulah) often refers to a virgin, but the phrase “virgin daughter” is apparently stylized (see also 23:12; 37:22). In the extended metaphor of this chapter, where Babylon is personified as a queen (vv. 5, 7), she is depicted as being both a wife and mother (vv. 8-9).
11 tn Or “For” (NASB, NRSV).
12 sn This probably refers to the idol gods (see v. 5).
13 tn Or “friend,” or “covenant partner.”
sn The
14 tn Heb “and his arm [against] the Babylonians.”