Yeremia 51:32

51:32 They will report that the fords have been captured,

the reed marshes have been burned,

the soldiers are terrified. ¹ 

Yeremia 51:57

51:57 “I will make her officials and wise men drunk,

along with her governors, leaders, ²  and warriors.

They will fall asleep forever and never wake up,” ³ 

says the King whose name is the Lord who rules over all. ⁴ 

[51:32]  ¹ tn The words “They will report that” have been supplied in the translation to show the linkage between this verse and the previous one. This is still a part of the report of the messengers. The meaning of the word translated “reed marshes” has seemed inappropriate to some commentators because it elsewhere refers to “pools.” However, all the commentaries consulted agree that the word here refers to the reedy marshes that surrounded Babylon. (For a fuller discussion regarding the meaning of this word and attempts to connect it with a word meaning “fortress” see W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah [Hermeneia], 2:427.)

[51:32]  sn Babylon was a city covering over a thousand acres. The city itself was surrounded by two walls, the inner one 21 feet (6.3 m) thick and the outer 11 feet (3.3 m) thick. To provide further security, walls were built to the south and east of the city and irrigation ditches and canals north and east of the city were flooded to prevent direct access to the city. The reference to “fords” here is to the river crossings of the Euphrates River which ran right through the city and the crossings at the ditches and canals. The reference to the “reed marshes” refers to the low lying areas around the city where reeds grew. The burning of the reed marshes would deprive any fugitives of places to hide and flush out any who had already escaped.

[51:57]  ² sn For discussion of the terms “governors” and “leaders” see the note at Jer 51:23.

[51:57]  ³ sn See the note at Jer 51:39.

[51:57]  ⁴ tn For the title “Yahweh of armies” see the study note on Jer 2:19.