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Jeremiahs longest oracle against Babylon names her by her southern marshland district Merathaim — "double rebellion" — and the eastern tribal land of Pekod — "visitation" — encoding her doom in wordplay before naming the Medes and Persians who will execute the divine sentence.
Jeremiah 50-51 forms the longest oracle against any nation in the prophetic books — a sustained vision of Babylon's judgment for destroying Jerusalem. At Jeremiah 50:21 the prophet names Babylon by her southern marshland district Merathaim ("double rebellion") and her eastern tribal frontier Pekod ("visitation"): "Go up against the land of Merathaim, even against it, and against the inhabitants of Pekod: waste and utterly destroy after them, saith the Lord, and do according to all that I have commanded thee." The wordplay encodes Babylon's doom — her rebellion will return on her own head as the Medes and Persians sweep through from the east.
God finally turns His attention to the empire He used to discipline Israel — and the verdict is devastating. Babylon, the hammer of the whole earth, is about to shatter. But woven into every oracle of judgment is a promise that changes everything: God is bringing His people home.
JeremiahEvery Empire Has an Expiration DateGod's longest sustained prophecy against a single nation reaches its climax. Babylon — the golden cup that drove the world mad — is about to discover that no empire outlasts the God it offended. And Jeremiah seals the whole thing with one unforgettable act at the river's edge.
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