51:8 But suddenly Babylonia will fall and be destroyed. 1
Cry out in mourning over it!
Get medicine for her wounds!
Perhaps she can be healed!
51:49 “Babylon must fall 2
because of the Israelites she has killed, 3
just as the earth’s mortally wounded fell
because of Babylon. 4
1 tn The verbs in this verse and the following are all in the Hebrew perfect tense, a tense that often refers to a past action or a past action with present results. However, as the translator’s notes have indicated, the prophets use this tense to view the actions as if they were as good as done (the Hebrew prophetic perfect). The stance here is ideal, viewed as already accomplished.
2 tn The infinitive construct is used here to indicate what is about to take place. See IBHS 610 §36.2.3g.
3 tn Heb “the slain of Israel.” The words “because of” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The preceding context makes it clear that Babylon would be judged for its atrocities against Israel (see especially 50:33-34; 51:10, 24, 35).
4 tn The juxtaposition of גַם…גַם (gam...gam), often “both…and,” here indicates correspondence. See BDB 169 s.v. גַּם 4. Appropriately Babylon will fall slain just as her victims, including God’s covenant people, did.