The Meaning of Jeremiah 50:2 Explained

Jeremiah 50:2

KJV: Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces.

YLT: 'Declare ye among nations, and sound, And lift up an ensign, sound, do not hide, Say ye: Captured hath been Babylon, Put to shame hath been Bel, Broken hath been Merodach, Put to shame have been her grievous things, Broken have been her idols.

Darby: Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and lift up a banner; publish, conceal not! Say, Babylon is taken, Bel is put to shame, Merodach is dismayed: her images are put to shame, her idols are dismayed.

ASV: Declare ye among the nations and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is put to shame, Merodach is dismayed; her images are put to shame, her idols are dismayed.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Declare  ye among the nations,  and publish,  and set up  a standard;  publish,  [and] conceal  not: say,  Babylon  is taken,  Bel  is confounded,  Merodach  is broken in pieces;  her idols  are confounded,  her images  are broken in pieces. 

What does Jeremiah 50:2 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Lord commanded a proclamation among the nations that Babylon would be captured. Her chief idols, Bel and Marduk, as well as all her gods, would be humiliated, since it was their job to protect Babylon. [1] Bel was the title of the storm god Enlil, the chief god of Nippur. He was the equivalent of Baal in Canaan and Hadad in Aram. The Babylonians also called Marduk "Bel." [2] Marduk (Merodach) was the creator god who emerged as Babylon"s chief deity and the head of the pantheon of Babylonian idols. Jeremiah used Bel and Marduk in this verse to represent all the Babylonian gods. He referred to their images as pieces of human excrement (Heb. gilluleyha, "her idols"; cf. Leviticus 26:30; Deuteronomy 29:17; 1 Kings 15:12; 1 Kings 21:26; et al.). Ezekiel used this Hebrew word to describe idols no less than38 times.
"In the spirit Jeremiah sees the fall of Babylon, together with its idols, as if it had actually taken place, and gives the command to proclaim among the nations this event, which brings deliverance for Israel and Judah." [3]

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 50

1  The judgment of Babylon and the redemption of Israel

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 50:2 mean?

Declare among the nations and Proclaim and set up a standard Proclaim not do conceal [it] Say ] is taken Babylon is shamed Bel is broken in pieces Merodach are humiliated Her idols are broken in pieces Her images
הַגִּ֨ידוּ בַגּוֹיִ֤ם וְהַשְׁמִ֙יעוּ֙ וּֽשְׂאוּ־ נֵ֔ס הַשְׁמִ֖יעוּ אַל־ תְּכַחֵ֑דוּ אִמְרוּ֩ נִלְכְּדָ֨ה בָבֶ֜ל הֹבִ֥ישׁ בֵּל֙ חַ֣ת מְרֹדָ֔ךְ הֹבִ֣ישׁוּ עֲצַבֶּ֔יהָ חַ֖תּוּ גִּלּוּלֶֽיהָ

הַגִּ֨ידוּ  Declare 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: נָגַד  
Sense: to be conspicuous, tell, make known.
בַגּוֹיִ֤ם  among  the  nations 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: גֹּוי 
Sense: nation, people.
וְהַשְׁמִ֙יעוּ֙  and  Proclaim 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.
וּֽשְׂאוּ־  and  set  up 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: נָשָׂא  
Sense: to lift, bear up, carry, take.
נֵ֔ס  a  standard 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: נֵס  
Sense: something lifted up, standard, signal, signal pole, ensign, banner, sign, sail.
הַשְׁמִ֖יעוּ  Proclaim 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.
תְּכַחֵ֑דוּ  do  conceal  [it] 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: כָּחַד  
Sense: to hide, conceal, cut off, cut down, make desolate, kick.
אִמְרוּ֩  Say  ] 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
נִלְכְּדָ֨ה  is  taken 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: לָכַד  
Sense: to capture, take, seize.
בָבֶ֜ל  Babylon 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: בָּבֶל  
Sense: Babel or Babylon, the ancient site and/or capital of Babylonia (modern Hillah) situated on the Euphrates.
הֹבִ֥ישׁ  is  shamed 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָבֵשׁ  
Sense: to make dry, wither, be dry, become dry, be dried up, be withered.
בֵּל֙  Bel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: בֵּל  
Sense: a chief Babylonian deity.
חַ֣ת  is  broken  in  pieces 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: חָתַת  
Sense: to be shattered, be dismayed, be broken, be abolished, be afraid.
מְרֹדָ֔ךְ  Merodach 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: מְרֹדָךְ  
Sense: the chief deity of the Babylonians in the time of Nebuchadnezzar.
הֹבִ֣ישׁוּ  are  humiliated 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: יָבֵשׁ  
Sense: to make dry, wither, be dry, become dry, be dried up, be withered.
עֲצַבֶּ֔יהָ  Her  idols 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person feminine singular
Root: עָצָב  
Sense: idol, image.
חַ֖תּוּ  are  broken  in  pieces 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: חָתַת  
Sense: to be shattered, be dismayed, be broken, be abolished, be afraid.
גִּלּוּלֶֽיהָ  Her  images 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person feminine singular
Root: גִּלּוּלִים  
Sense: idols.