Yeremia 51:25

51:25 The Lord says, ¹  “Beware! I am opposed to you, Babylon! ² 

You are like a destructive mountain that destroys all the earth.

I will unleash my power against you; ³ 

I will roll you off the cliffs and make you like a burned-out mountain. ⁴ 

Yeremia 51:58

51:58 This is what the Lord who rules over all ⁵  says,

“Babylon’s thick wall ⁶  will be completely demolished. ⁷ 

Her high gates will be set on fire.

The peoples strive for what does not satisfy. ⁸ 

The nations grow weary trying to get what will be destroyed.” ⁹ 

Yeremia 49:16

49:16 The terror you inspire in others ¹⁰ 

and the arrogance of your heart have deceived you.

You may make your home in the clefts of the rocks;

you may occupy the highest places in the hills. ¹¹ 

But even if you made your home where the eagles nest,

I would bring you down from there,”

says the Lord.

Kejadian 11:4

11:4 Then they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens ¹²  so that ¹³  we may make a name for ourselves. Otherwise ¹⁴  we will be scattered ¹⁵  across the face of the entire earth.”

Mazmur 139:8-10

139:8 If I were to ascend ¹⁶  to heaven, you would be there.

If I were to sprawl out in Sheol, there you would be. ¹⁷ 

139:9 If I were to fly away ¹⁸  on the wings of the dawn, ¹⁹ 

and settle down on the other side ²⁰  of the sea,

139:10 even there your hand would guide me,

your right hand would grab hold of me.

Yesaya 14:12-15

14:12 Look how you have fallen from the sky,

O shining one, son of the dawn! ²¹ 

You have been cut down to the ground,

O conqueror ²²  of the nations! ²³ 

14:13 You said to yourself, ²⁴ 

“I will climb up to the sky.

Above the stars of El ²⁵ 

I will set up my throne.

I will rule on the mountain of assembly

on the remote slopes of Zaphon. ²⁶ 

14:14 I will climb up to the tops ²⁷  of the clouds;

I will make myself like the Most High!” ²⁸ 

14:15 But you were brought down ²⁹  to Sheol,

to the remote slopes of the pit. ³⁰ 

Yesaya 47:5

47:5 “Sit silently! Go to a hiding place, ³¹ 

O daughter of the Babylonians!

Indeed, ³²  you will no longer be called ‘Queen of kingdoms.’

Yesaya 47:7

47:7 You said,

‘I will rule forever as permanent queen!’ ³³ 

You did not think about these things; ³⁴ 

you did not consider how it would turn out. ³⁵ 

Yehezkiel 31:9-11

31:9 I made it beautiful with its many branches;

all the trees of Eden, in the garden of God, envied it.

31:10 “‘Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: Because it was tall in stature, and its top reached into the clouds, and it was proud of its height, 31:11 I gave it over to the leader of the nations. He has judged it thoroughly, ³⁶  as its sinfulness deserves. I have thrown it out.

Daniel 4:30

4:30 The king uttered these words: “Is this not the great Babylon that I have built for a royal residence ³⁷  by my own mighty strength ³⁸  and for my majestic honor?”

Amos 9:4

9:4 Even when their enemies drive them into captivity, ³⁹ 

from there ⁴⁰  I will command the sword to kill them.

I will not let them out of my sight;

they will experience disaster, not prosperity.” ⁴¹ 

Obaja 1:3-4

1:3 Your presumptuous heart ⁴²  has deceived you –

you who reside in the safety of the rocky cliffs, ⁴³ 

whose home is high in the mountains. ⁴⁴ 

You think to yourself, ⁴⁵ 

‘No one can ⁴⁶  bring me down to the ground!’ ⁴⁷ 

1:4 Even if you were to soar high like an eagle, ⁴⁸ 

even if you ⁴⁹  were to make your nest among the stars,

I can bring you down even from there!” says the Lord.

[51:25]  ¹ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[51:25]  ² tn The word “Babylon” is not in the text but is universally understood as the referent. It is supplied in the translation here to clarify the referent for the sake of the average reader.

[51:25]  ³ tn Heb “I will reach out my hand against you.” See the translator’s note on 6:12 for explanation.

[51:25]  ⁴ tn Heb “I am against you, oh destroying mountain that destroys all the earth. I will reach out my hand against you and roll you down from the cliffs and make you a mountain of burning.” The interpretation adopted here follows the lines suggested by S. R. Driver, Jeremiah, 318, n. c and reflected also in BDB 977 s.v. שְׂרֵפָה. Babylon is addressed as a destructive mountain because it is being compared to a volcano. The Lord, however, will make it a “burned-out mountain,” i.e., an extinct volcano which is barren and desolate. This interpretation seems to this translator to fit the details of the text more consistently than alternative ones which separate the concept of “destroying/destructive” from “mountain” and explain the figure of the mountain to refer to the dominating political position of Babylon and the reference to a “mountain of burning” to be a “burned [or burned over] mountain.” The use of similes in place of metaphors makes it easier for the modern reader to understand the figures and also more easily incorporates the dissonant figure of “rolling you down from the cliffs” which involves the figure of personification.

[51:25]  sn The figure here involves comparing Babylon to a destructive volcano which the Lord makes burned-out, i.e., he will destroy her power to destroy. The figure of personification is also involved because the Lord is said to roll her off the cliffs; that would not be applicable to a mountain.

[51:58]  ⁵ sn See the note at Jer 2:19.

[51:58]  ⁶ tn The text has the plural “walls,” but many Hebrew mss read the singular “wall,” which is also supported by the ancient Greek version. The modifying adjective “thick” is singular as well.

[51:58]  ⁷ tn The infinitive absolute emphasizes the following finite verb. Another option is to translate, “will certainly be demolished.”

[51:58]  ⁸ tn Heb “for what is empty.”

[51:58]  ⁹ tn Heb “and the nations for fire, and they grow weary.”

[49:16]  ¹⁰ tn The meaning of this Hebrew word (תִּפְלֶצֶת, tifletset) is uncertain because it occurs only here. However, it is related to a verb root that refers to the shaking of the pillars (of the earth) in Job 9:6 and a noun (מִפְלֶצֶת, mifletset) that refers to “horror” or “shuddering” used in Job 21:6; Isa 21:4; Ezek 7:18; Ps 55:6. This is the nuance that is accepted by BDB, KBL, HAL and a majority of the modern English versions. The suffix is an objective genitive. The fact that the following verb is masculine singular suggests that the text here (הִשִּׁיא אֹתָךְ, hishi’ ’otakh) is in error for הִשִּׁיאָתָךְ (hishi’atakh; so G. L. Keown, P. J. Scalise, T. G. Smothers, Jeremiah 26-52 [WBC], 327, n. 16.a).

[49:16]  ¹¹ tn The Hebrew text of the first four lines reads: “Your terror [= the terror you inspire] has deceived you, [and] the arrogance of your heart, you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, who occupy the heights of the hill.” The sentence is broken up and restructured to better conform with English style.

[11:4]  ¹² tn A translation of “heavens” for שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) fits this context because the Babylonian ziggurats had temples at the top, suggesting they reached to the heavens, the dwelling place of the gods.

[11:4]  ¹³ tn The form וְנַעֲשֶׂה (vÿna’aseh, from the verb עשׂה, “do, make”) could be either the imperfect or the cohortative with a vav (ו) conjunction (“and let us make…”). Coming after the previous cohortative, this form expresses purpose.

[11:4]  ¹⁴ tn The Hebrew particle פֶּן (pen) expresses a negative purpose; it means “that we be not scattered.”

[11:4]  ¹⁵ sn The Hebrew verb פָּוָץ (pavats, translated “scatter”) is a key term in this passage. The focal point of the account is the dispersion (“scattering”) of the nations rather than the Tower of Babel. But the passage also forms a polemic against Babylon, the pride of the east and a cosmopolitan center with a huge ziggurat. To the Hebrews it was a monument to the judgment of God on pride.

[139:8]  ¹⁶ tn The Hebrew verb סָלַק (salaq, “to ascend”) occurs only here in the OT, but the word is well-attested in Aramaic literature from different time periods and displays a wide semantic range (see DNWSI 2:788-90).

[139:8]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “look, you.”

[139:9]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “rise up.”

[139:9]  ¹⁹ sn On the wings of the dawn. This personification of the “dawn” may find its roots in mythological traditions about the god Shachar, whose birth is described in an Ugaritic myth (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 126) and who is mentioned in Isa 14:12 as the father of Helel.

[139:9]  ²⁰ tn Heb “at the end.”

[14:12]  ²¹ tn The Hebrew text has הֵילֵל בֶּן־שָׁחַר (helel ben-shakhar, “Helel son of Shachar”), which is probably a name for the morning star (Venus) or the crescent moon. See HALOT 245 s.v. הֵילֵל.

[14:12]  sn What is the background for the imagery in vv. 12-15? This whole section (vv. 4b-21) is directed to the king of Babylon, who is clearly depicted as a human ruler. Other kings of the earth address him in vv. 9ff., he is called “the man” in v. 16, and, according to vv. 19-20, he possesses a physical body. Nevertheless the language of vv. 12-15 has led some to see a dual referent in the taunt song. These verses, which appear to be spoken by other pagan kings to a pagan king (cf. vv. 9-11), contain several titles and motifs that resemble those of Canaanite mythology, including references to Helel son of Shachar, the stars of El, the mountain of assembly, the recesses of Zaphon, and the divine title Most High. Apparently these verses allude to a mythological story about a minor god (Helel son of Shachar) who tried to take over Zaphon, the mountain of the gods. His attempted coup failed and he was hurled down to the underworld. The king of Babylon is taunted for having similar unrealized delusions of grandeur. Some Christians have seen an allusion to the fall of Satan here, but this seems contextually unwarranted (see J. Martin, “Isaiah,” BKCOT, 1061).

[14:12]  ²² tn Some understand the verb to from חָלַשׁ (khalash, “to weaken”), but HALOT 324 s.v. II חלשׁ proposes a homonym here, meaning “to defeat.”

[14:12]  ²³ sn In this line the taunting kings hint at the literal identity of the king, after likening him to the god Helel and a tree. The verb גָדַע (gada’, “cut down”) is used of chopping down trees in 9:10 and 10:33.

[14:13]  ²⁴ tn Heb “you, you said in your heart.”

[14:13]  ²⁵ sn In Canaanite mythology the stars of El were astral deities under the authority of the high god El.

[14:13]  ²⁶ sn Zaphon, the Canaanite version of Olympus, was the “mountain of assembly” where the gods met.

[14:14]  ²⁷ tn Heb “the high places.” This word often refers to the high places where pagan worship was conducted, but here it probably refers to the “backs” or tops of the clouds. See HALOT 136 s.v. בָּמָה.

[14:14]  ²⁸ sn Normally in the OT the title “Most High” belongs to the God of Israel, but in this context, where the mythological overtones are so strong, it probably refers to the Canaanite high god El.

[14:15]  ²⁹ tn The prefixed verb form is taken as a preterite. Note the use of perfects in v. 12 to describe the king’s downfall.

[14:15]  ³⁰ tn The Hebrew term בּוּר (bor, “cistern”) is sometimes used metaphorically to refer to the place of the dead or the entrance to the underworld.

[47:5]  ³¹ tn Heb “darkness,” which may indicate a place of hiding where a fugitive would seek shelter and protection.

[47:5]  ³² tn Or “For” (NASB, NRSV).

[47:7]  ³³ tn Heb “Forever I [will be] permanent queen”; NIV “the eternal queen”; CEV “queen forever.”

[47:7]  ³⁴ tn Heb “you did not set these things upon your heart [or “mind”].”

[47:7]  ³⁵ tn Heb “you did not remember its outcome”; NAB “you disregarded their outcome.”

[31:11]  ³⁶ tn Heb “acting he has acted with regard to it.” The infinitive absolute precedes the main verb to emphasize the certainty and decisiveness of the action depicted.

[4:30]  ³⁷ tn Aram “house.”

[4:30]  ³⁸ tn Aram “by the might of my strength.”

[9:4]  ³⁹ tn Heb “Even if they go into captivity before their enemies.”

[9:4]  ⁴⁰ tn Or perhaps simply, “there,” if the מ (mem) prefixed to the adverb is dittographic (note the preceding word ends in mem).

[9:4]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “I will set my eye on them for disaster, not good.”

[1:3]  ⁴² tn Heb “the presumption of your heart”; NAB, NIV “the pride of your heart”; NASB “arrogance of your heart.”

[1:3]  ⁴³ tn Heb “in the concealed places of the rock”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “in the clefts of the rock”; NCV “the hollow places of the cliff”; CEV “a mountain fortress.”

[1:3]  sn The word rock in Hebrew (סֶלַע, sela’) is a wordplay on Sela, the name of a prominent Edomite city. Its impregnability was a cause for arrogance on the part of its ancient inhabitants.

[1:3]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “on high (is) his dwelling”; NASB “in the loftiness of your dwelling place”; NRSV “whose dwelling (abode NAB) is in the heights.”

[1:3]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “the one who says in his heart.”

[1:3]  ⁴⁶ tn The Hebrew imperfect verb used here is best understood in a modal sense (“Who can bring me down?”) rather than in the sense of a simple future (“Who will bring me down?”). So also in v. 4 (“I can bring you down”). The question is not so much whether this will happen at some time in the future, but whether it even lies in the realm of possible events. In their hubris the Edomites were boasting that no one had the capability of breaching their impregnable defenses. However, their pride caused them to fail to consider the vast capabilities of Yahweh as warrior.

[1:3]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “Who can bring me down?” This rhetorical question implies a negative answer: “No one!”

[1:4]  ⁴⁸ sn The eagle was often used in the ancient Near East as a symbol of strength and swiftness.

[1:4]  ⁴⁹ tc The present translation follows the reading תָּשִׂים (tasim; active) rather than שִׁים (sim; passive) of the MT (“and your nest be set among the stars,” NAB). Cf. LXX, Syriac, Vg.