Yeremia 50:26

50:26 Come from far away and attack Babylonia! ¹ 

Open up the places where she stores her grain!

Pile her up in ruins! ²  Destroy her completely! ³ 

Do not leave anyone alive! ⁴ 

Yesaya 41:25

41:25 I have stirred up one out of the north ⁵  and he advances,

one from the eastern horizon who prays in my name. ⁶ 

He steps on ⁷  rulers as if they were clay,

like a potter treading the clay.

[50:26]  ¹ tn Heb “Come against her from the end.” There is a great deal of debate about the meaning of “from the end” (מִקֵּץ, miqqets). Some follow the suggestion of F. Giesebrecht in BDB 892 s.v. קָצֶה 3 and emend the text to מִקָּצֶה (miqqatseh) on the basis of the presumed parallel in Jer 51:31 which is interpreted as “on all sides,” i.e., “from every quarter/side.” However, the phrase does not mean that in Jer 51:31 but is used as it is elsewhere of “from one end to another,” i.e., in its entirety (so Gen 19:4). The only real parallel here is the use of the noun קֵץ (qets) with a suffix in Isa 37:24 referring to the remotest part, hence something like from the end (of the earth), i.e., from a far away place. The referent “her” has been clarified here to refer to Babylonia in case someone might not see the connection between v. 25d and v. 26.

[50:26]  ² tn Heb “Pile her up like heaps.” Many commentators understand the comparison to be to heaps of grain (compare usage of עֲרֵמָה (’aremah) in Hag 2:16; Neh 13:15; Ruth 3:7). However, BDB 790 s.v. עֲרֵמָה is more likely correct that this refers to heaps of ruins (compare the usage in Neh 4:2 [3:34 HT]).

[50:26]  ³ sn Compare Jer 50:21 and see the study note on 25:9.

[50:26]  ⁴ tn Heb “Do not let there be to her a remnant.” According to BDB 984 s.v. שְׁאֵרִית this refers to the last remnant of people, i.e., there won’t be any survivors. Compare the usage in Jer 11:23.

[41:25]  ⁵ sn That is, Cyrus the Persian. See the note at v. 2.

[41:25]  ⁶ tn Heb “[one] from the rising of the sun [who] calls in my name.”

[41:25]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew text has וְיָבֹא (vÿyavo’, “and he comes”), but this is likely a corruption of an original וַיָּבָס (vayyavas), from בּוּס (bus, “step on”).