50:9 For I will rouse into action and bring against Babylon
a host of mighty nations 1 from the land of the north.
They will set up their battle lines against her.
They will come from the north and capture her. 2
Their arrows will be like a skilled soldier 3
who does not return from the battle empty-handed. 4
50:41 “Look! An army is about to come from the north.
A mighty nation and many kings 5 are stirring into action
in faraway parts of the earth.
1 sn Some of these are named in Jer 51:27-28.
2 tn Heb “She will be captured from there (i.e., from the north).”
3 tc Read Heb ַָמשְׂכִּיל (moskil) with a number of Hebrew
4 tn Or more freely, “Their arrows will be as successful at hitting their mark // as a skilled soldier always returns from battle with plunder.”
sn I.e., none of the arrows misses its mark.
5 sn A mighty nation and many kings is an allusion to the Medo-Persian empire and the vassal kings who provided forces for the Medo-Persian armies.