Introduction: A Unique Prophecy Concerning Babylon
Chapter 50 in Yirmiyahu continues the series of prophecies concerning the nations, and now Babylon's turn has arrived. Babylon receives, so to speak, a special portion. Our relationship toward it is unique because it afflicted us exceedingly: "O daughter of Babylon, who are destined to be devastated, happy is he who repays you... Happy is he who shall seize and dash your little ones against the rock." It was Babylon that destroyed our Beit HaMikdash, and therefore it receives special treatment and an entire dedicated prophecy.
הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר יְהֹוָה אֶל־בָּבֶל אֶל־אֶרֶץ כַּשְׂדִּים בְּיַד יִרְמְיָהוּ הַנָּבִיא׃ - The word that the Lord spoke concerning Babylon, concerning the land of the Chaldeans, by the hand of Yirmiyahu the prophet.
"Concerning Babylon, concerning the land of the Chaldeans" - the land of the Chaldeans is the place, and Babylon is the nation: the Babylonian nation dwelling in the land of the Chaldeans.
Bel and Merodach: The God of Honor and the God of Might
הַגִּידוּ בַגּוֹיִם וְהַשְׁמִיעוּ וּשְׂאוּ־נֵס הַשְׁמִיעוּ אַל־תְּכַחֵדוּ אִמְרוּ נִלְכְּדָה בָבֶל הֹבִישׁ בֵּל חַת מְרֹדָךְ הֹבִישׁוּ עֲצַבֶּיהָ חַתּוּ גִּלּוּלֶיהָ׃ - Declare among the nations and proclaim, and raise a banner; proclaim, do not conceal; say: Babylon is captured, Bel is shamed, Merodach is shattered; her idols are shamed, her fetishes are shattered.
Here there are three ascending stages of publicizing. "Declare among the nations" - the basic telling. Beyond this is "and proclaim" - announce it publicly. And even further, "and raise a banner" - a nes is a large pole from which a banner or flag is suspended, symbolizing widespread publicity. "Proclaim, do not conceal" - convey the message in its entirety, without omitting a single detail.
And what is to be proclaimed? "Say: Babylon is captured, Bel is shamed, Merodach is shattered." Bel and Merodach were both Babylonian idols. The Malbim asks: What is the distinction between them, and why did they need both? The mere plurality of idols is not the question, for they had many deities; rather, there is a division of roles here. Bel was their god of honor, and for him they crafted atzabbim - a specific form of idol. Merodach was the idol of might, and for him they crafted gillulim. Kings and dignitaries were also named after these deities: Evil-merodach was named after Merodach, just as Nevuchadnezzar renamed Daniel "Belteshazzar" after his god.
Hence the precision of the language: regarding Bel, the god of honor, it says hōvīsh ("is shamed") - in place of honor, shame and disgrace. Regarding Merodach, the god of might, it says ḥat ("is shattered") - an expression of breaking, the opposite of valor. The root ḥ-t-t consistently relates to warfare, as in "fear not and be not dismayed [al teḥat]," meaning stand courageously before the enemy and do not break. The verse continues accordingly: "her idols [atzabbeha] are shamed" corresponding to Bel, and "her fetishes [gilluleha] are shattered" corresponding to Merodach.
A Nation from the North - Measure for Measure
כִּי עָלָה עָלֶיהָ גּוֹי מִצָּפוֹן הוּא־יָשִׁית אֶת־אַרְצָהּ לְשַׁמָּה וְלֹא־יִהְיֶה יוֹשֵׁב בָּהּ מֵאָדָם וְעַד־בְּהֵמָה נָדוּ הָלָכוּ׃ - For a nation has come up against her from the north; it shall make her land a desolation, and none shall dwell in it; from man to beast, they have wandered, they have gone.
"A nation from the north" - these are Media and Persia, situated to the north. It will make the land of Babylon desolate, until no inhabitant remains in it, neither man nor beast. And why specifically from the north? The Malbim explains: measure for measure. They invaded Israel from the north, as it is written, "Out of the north the evil shall break forth" - referring to Babylon; correspondingly, the Holy One, blessed be He, brings against them a nation from the north.
The Return to Zion: "They Shall Go Weeping as They Go"
בַּיָּמִים הָהֵמָּה וּבָעֵת הַהִיא נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה יָבֹאוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל הֵמָּה וּבְנֵי־יְהוּדָה יַחְדָּו הָלוֹךְ וּבָכוֹ יֵלֵכוּ וְאֶת־יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיהֶם יְבַקֵּשׁוּ׃ - "In those days and at that time," declares the Lord, "the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together; they shall go weeping as they go, and seek the Lord their God."
"In those days" - at the time when Babylon is destroyed, Israel will emerge from exile. For when Cyrus king of Persia arrives, he will authorize the aliyah to the Land, and Ezra, Nehemiah, and the returnees from the exile will build the Second Temple here.
"The children of Israel, they and the children of Judah together" - when the Ten Tribes were exiled, remnants of the children of Israel remained scattered here, as explained in the accounts of Chizkiyahu and Yoshiyahu. Those Israelites who remained were ultimately exiled along with Judah and Benjamin to Babylon, and they too departed together with them by Cyrus's permission. Therefore, both those who remained here and were exiled at the end, and the children of Judah who were exiled earlier, will all return together.
"They shall go weeping as they go" - what is this weeping? The Radak explains that this is a weeping of joy, for they are returning to their land, and they weep out of intense joy at their return. We find weeping of joy in several places: "They shall come with weeping," "And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept," and "and he wept on his neck a good while."
Granted, in all these places there are other interpretations as well. Regarding "and he wept on his neck a good while," there is an opinion that Esau wanted to bite him, but Jacob's neck turned to marble and Esau's teeth became blunt - so according to this, Esau wept over his teeth, and Jacob wept over his neck that turned to marble and pained him, as related in the Midrash. Similarly, as a witty insight, people explain "And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept": he realized that all the locals around were watching, and now they would have a "precedent" to say, look, even Yaakov Avinu kisses a Jewish maiden - so what would the reckless among our people deduce from this? Therefore, he immediately lifted up his voice and wept. Chazal offer another explanation: he foresaw that she was not destined to be buried with him, which is also a weeping of grief. Yet the Radak maintains that this is not obligatory, and there is indeed weeping of joy; just as here they walk in joy, so too there.
The Malbim, on the other hand, explains: "They shall go weeping as they go" - like one who has lost his father who was guiding him along the way, so too they will seek to find Hashem and return to Him. The weeping here expresses longing and yearning to find the Master of the World, Who in the reality of exile seemed lost to us and distant. That is why the verse continues: "and seek the Lord their God" - a weeping that embodies a quest to find Hashem.
The Malbim also notes precision in the double expression: "In those days and at that time." "Time" (eit) always denotes a specific point in time, like someone telling his friend, "Tomorrow at nine o'clock." By contrast, "days" denotes something that extends over a prolonged period. Therefore, at that exact point in time the process will begin, and afterward it will continue over many days.
"They Shall Inquire the Way to Zion"
צִיּוֹן יִשְׁאָלוּ דֶּרֶךְ הֵנָּה פְנֵיהֶם בֹּאוּ וְנִלְווּ אֶל־יְהֹוָה בְּרִית עוֹלָם לֹא תִשָּׁכֵחַ׃ - "They shall inquire the way to Zion, with their faces turned hither: 'Come, and let us join ourselves to the Lord in an everlasting covenant that shall not be forgotten.'"
Rashi explains: toward this place, Jerusalem, they will set their faces when Babylon is destroyed - for they will depart from there by permission of Cyrus king of Persia, and seek to go to Jerusalem.
The Malbim connects the word "way" (derech) to "inquire" (yish'alu): they will ask what is the way leading to Zion. In doing so, he does not follow the cantillation marks (teamim). As noted several times, while the cantillation marks point in a certain direction, one is not obligated to interpret the verse strictly according to them. Thus we find in the Gemara the concept of "verses whose meaning is unresolved" (mikra'ot she'ein lahem hechre'a) - a word that can be connected either to what precedes it or to what follows it. One might wonder: do not the cantillation marks clearly show which clause the word belongs to? The answer is that since the biblical text itself is unresolved, the master of the cantillation marks adopted one possibility and punctuated accordingly - for he necessarily had to write the marks in some form. But this does not mean it is the only valid interpretation, and Chazal reveal to us that another possibility exists as well.
And according to the Malbim: "They shall ask the way to Zion" - they will ask the direction of one traveling toward Zion, "with their faces hitherward" - for throughout all the days of their exile, their faces and yearnings were turned toward Zion, and when they prayed, they prayed that Hashem restore His Shechinah to Zion. And as we find regarding Daniel: "And he had windows open in his upper chamber toward Jerusalem" - he had windows in the attic facing Jerusalem, and from this, halachah derives that a synagogue must have windows facing Jerusalem.
"Come, and let us join ourselves to Hashem" - Zion replies to them: Come and join yourselves to Hashem, for He has an everlasting covenant with you that will not be forgotten. On the contrary, Zion seeks and awaits the return of the Jewish people, that they come and settle the Holy Land.
Lost Sheep and Misleading Shepherds
צֹאן אֹבְדוֹת הָיוּ עַמִּי רֹעֵיהֶם הִתְעוּם הָרִים שׁוֹבְבוּם מֵהַר אֶל־גִּבְעָה הָלָכוּ שָׁכְחוּ רִבְצָם׃ - My people have been lost sheep; their shepherds have caused them to go astray, turning them away upon the mountains; they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their resting place.
Until now the returnees spoke and questioned Zion; now the Holy One, Blessed be He, speaks Himself. My people were like sheep lost and abandoned in the wilderness. And what caused this? "Their shepherds have caused them to go astray" - their leaders led them astray. In the first stage, "turning them away upon the mountains" - they brought them up to the mountains in the Land, and there they worshiped idols. In the second stage, "they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their resting place" - until they were exiled and forgot their place of rest. "Their resting place" refers to the permanent pasture where the sheep lie down, and in the metaphor: they forgot their God, in Whom they always trusted. They eventually reached a state where even in the lands of their exile they continued worshiping idols.
Radak cites Rabbeinu Yonah that "shovevum" is an expression of expulsion and banishment: they drove them out and banished them to the mountains. He also offers another explanation, that "shovevum" denotes breaking and crushing, meaning they broke and maimed them, as in "And I will turn you back and lead you on" (veshovavticha) said regarding Gog. According to the Malbim: they took them up to the mountains to become wayward (shovev) - and "shovev" is an expression for one who deviates from the proper path, much like the term used today for a mischievous or unruly child. They led them up to the mountains and there led them astray from the path of serving Hashem.
"All Who Found Them Have Devoured Them" - Destruction for Pleasure
כׇּל־מוֹצְאֵיהֶם אֲכָלוּם וְצָרֵיהֶם אָמְרוּ לֹא נֶאְשָׁם תַּחַת אֲשֶׁר חָטְאוּ לַיהֹוָה נְוֵה־צֶדֶק וּמִקְוֵה אֲבוֹתֵיהֶם יְהֹוָה׃ - All who found them have devoured them, and their adversaries said, "We are not guilty, because they have sinned against Hashem, the habitation of justice, and the hope of their fathers, Hashem."
Once they became like lost sheep, whoever found them devoured them - they were treated as fair game. The Malbim notes: Why does the verse say "devoured them" (achalum)? Because eating brings pleasure. Pure destruction brings no pleasure, unless a person is sadistic; but eating is a form of consumption and destruction from which a person derives enjoyment.
Rabbi Yaakov Galinsky related that he endured very harsh times and was interrogated more than once by the KGB (NKVD), and entering their facilities was no gentle experience - it meant beatings and torture. There was one particularly sadistic interrogator who beat him mercilessly. At one point, Rabbi Galinsky asked him: "Tell me, what percentage of your beating is to extract an answer, and what percentage is simply to derive satisfaction?" Rabbi Galinsky related that this was the last time that interrogator ever laid a hand on him. The interrogator realized how piercing the question was, and he still possessed a shred of conscience; with someone else, it might have provoked rage and redoubled the beatings sevenfold. The gentile who struck the Jew did so out of sheer enjoyment and pleasure. And this is "all who found them have devoured them."
"And their adversaries" - these enemies, says the Malbim, destroyed them out of hatred rather than pleasure. Heaven forbid, they take no personal pleasure; they strike purely "for the sake of Heaven," because Israel deserves to be beaten. Do they not fear being punished for this? Regarding this it is said: "they said, 'We are not guilty'" - they reasoned: Hashem will not hold us accountable for this, "because they have sinned against Hashem," for they sinned and deserve annihilation. Moreover, they magnify the gravity of the sin: Against Whom did they sin? Against Hashem, Who is the "habitation of justice" - the special habitation (naveh) for the flock is the Land of Israel, and the seat of justice is the Beis HaMikdash; "and the hope of their fathers, Hashem" - where Hashem dwells, Who is the hope and gathering of their fathers. In simple terms: they abandoned justice, which governs interpersonal matters, and Hashem, the God of their fathers, which governs man's relationship with God. And if so - do not worry, you can do whatever you please to them.
This very rationale fueled Christianity as an active participant in all that transpired during the Holocaust. Christians, may their name and memory be blotted out, were active partners in Israel's suffering: informing on Jews and handing them over to the Gestapo and SS forces, or taking the children of those sent to the crematoria and attempting to baptize them. Their reasoning was precisely this: "We are not guilty, because they have sinned against Hashem." For they claim that Christianity was chosen after Israel deviated from the path, and to reinforce this notion, they constantly require proof that Israel has been rejected in the eyes of Hashem and doomed to eternal suffering and affliction. And if that does not happen on its own - one must "help" it happen, thereby demonstrating that Hashem erased the Old Covenant and inscribed a new one.
For this reason, the entire matter of the Jewish people returning to their land, the rebuilding of Jerusalem, and the fulfillment of the prophecies was extraordinarily difficult for them. For many years, the Pope was unwilling to come here; he traveled as far as the Allenby Bridge and stopped there. Even after he finally arrived in the land, he adamantly refused to enter Jerusalem. For if Israel returns and the prophecies are fulfilled - "And you, O mountains of Israel, shall yield your produce and bear your fruit for My people Israel, for their return is near" (Yechezkel 36:8), and there is no clearer sign of the End of Days than this - their entire theological edifice collapses. Perhaps everything they sold us was nonsense, and perhaps the religion of "compassion" is in fact the greatest religion of falsehood and horrific cruelty, from the Crusades and the Inquisition throughout all generations. Suddenly, "How is Esav searched out! How are his hidden treasures laid bare!" (Ovadiah 1:6) - Esav's true face and the monstrous hypocrisy of the European nations are fully exposed. In any case, we see that the claim "We incur no guilt, because they have sinned against Hashem" is what fueled many among the nations to persecute and oppress Israel.
"Flee from the midst of Babylon" - Go Forth at the Head of the People
נֻדוּ מִתּוֹךְ בָּבֶל וּמֵאֶרֶץ כַּשְׂדִּים צֵאוּ וִהְיוּ כְּעַתּוּדִים לִפְנֵי־צֹאן׃ - Flee from the midst of Babylon, and go forth from the land of the Chaldeans, and be like he-goats before the flock.
The Holy One, blessed be He, says to the flock of His people: Flee and depart from Babylon, for Babylon is about to be overturned. And not only from the city itself, but "and go forth from the land of the Chaldeans" - from the entire country. And even though you have no shepherds to lead you, "and be like he-goats before the flock" - the he-goats are the strong, healthy ones that march at the front while the flock follows behind them. This refers to Ezra, Nechemiah, and Zerubbabel, who marched ahead of the people: you shall lead the way, and the people will follow after you.
The Malbim notes a precision: What is the distinction between nudu ("wander" or "flee") and tze'u ("go forth")? Wandering (nedidah) is moving from one place to another, whereas going forth (yetzi'ah) is a complete departure. Initially, merely wander away from your settled dwellings, and subsequently depart entirely from the land.
"His Arrows Are Like an Intelligent Warrior"
כִּי הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי מֵעִיר וּמַעֲלֶה עַל־בָּבֶל קְהַל־גּוֹיִם גְּדֹלִים מֵאֶרֶץ צָפוֹן וְעָרְכוּ לָהּ מִשָּׁם תִּלָּכֵד חִצָּיו כְּגִבּוֹר מַשְׁכִּיל לֹא יָשׁוּב רֵיקָם׃ - For behold, I am arousing and bringing up against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the north country, and they will deploy against her; from there she will be taken; his arrows are like an intelligent warrior, none shall return empty.
Here the prophet describes in detail how Babylon will fall. First, "Behold, I am arousing and bringing up" - this is orchestrated entirely by Divine providence from Hashem. Second, "an assembly of great nations from the north country." Third, "and they will deploy against her; from there she will be taken" - they will breach the wall on the northern side, and from there the city will be captured.
"His arrows are like an intelligent warrior, none shall return empty" - in the words of the Malbim: the arrows will behave as though they possess intelligence, reaching their target on their own without returning empty, like a warrior endowed with intellect. This is truly astonishing, as it is a prophecy that can only be properly understood in our time. In the days of Yirmiyahu, one could not conceive how an arrow could possess prowess or how it could be "intelligent." Yet today, when we speak of smart missiles - a projectile fired toward a designated target that maneuvers between buildings like an aircraft, veering right and left, and penetrating precisely through the designated window - this is the literal reality of "his arrows are like an intelligent warrior."
Moreover, the parallel becomes even more striking: these were the very missiles used in the war against Iraq, when the United States fought there during the Gulf War - and Iraq is ancient Babylon. "An assembly of great nations" - an international coalition assembled, with armies arriving from multiple countries; "from the north country... and from there she will be taken," and ultimately it fell.
Some read the word as mashkil with a right-dotted shin, meaning related to sh'chol (bereavement): like a ruthless warrior who, if he finds no adult fighters to kill, slays the children and leaves the parents bereaved. The reading before us is maskil with a left-dotted sin, and most commentators explain it in terms of sechel (intellect or skill), following the Malbim. In truth, these are two textual traditions, and it is difficult to determine which is more precise.
"And Chaldea Shall Be for Spoil"
וְהָיְתָה כַשְׂדִּים לְשָׁלָל כׇּל־שֹׁלְלֶיהָ יִשְׂבָּעוּ נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה׃ - And Chaldea shall be for spoil; all who plunder her shall be satisfied, says Hashem.
Here Scripture informs us that after Babylon is defeated, the citizens of the land - the Chaldeans - will fight no longer, but will instead become like spoil left behind after a war. This corresponds remarkably well to recent events: Saddam Hussein was the linchpin of the resistance, and the moment he was overthrown, Babylon fell like ripe fruit, and there was no longer any need to wage an ongoing war against the state. Although to this day there are still wars, factions, militias, ISIS, and the like in that region, all of this is part of Babylon's retribution: "O daughter of Babylon, who is destined to be devastated... Praiseworthy is he who seizes and dashes your infants against the rock," after all that she did to us.
Furthermore, we learn here: typically, when a conqueror captures a country, the defeated nation makes every effort to conceal its treasures and precious valuables so the plunderer cannot seize everything. The verse states that here it will not be so: "And Chaldea shall be for spoil; all who plunder her shall be satisfied" - everything in their possession will fall directly as booty into the hands of the conquering enemy.
The Time of the Fall: Belshazzar's Feast
כִּי תִשְׂמְחוּ כִּי תַעַלְזוּ שֹׁסֵי נַחֲלָתִי כִּי תָפוּשׁוּ כְּעֶגְלָה דָשָׁה וְתִצְהֲלוּ כָּאַבִּרִים׃ - Though you rejoice, though you exult, O plunderers of My heritage; though you grow fat like a threshing heifer and neigh like stallions.
Now, the Malbim explains, the prophet announces the precise timing of this event: when you, the plunderers of My heritage, rejoice and exult. The difference between joy (*simchah*) and exultation (*alizut*) is that joy remains inside a person's heart, whereas exultation is when joy bursts all boundaries and manifests openly.
And when did this take place? Although we find in this prophecy an expression of what transpired in our own times, prophecy was primarily directed toward its own era - while simultaneously carrying a message for subsequent generations. Here the prophet speaks to Babylon regarding that very period: the hour when Belshazzar threw a feast, brought out the sacred vessels of the Beis HaMikdash, and drank from them. One can find this discussed at length in the shiurim on Sefer Daniel - the hand that appeared from heaven and wrote on the palace wall, "Mene, Mene, Tekel u-Farsin," Belshazzar's desperate search for an interpretation, and ultimately, "In that very night Belshazzar was slain": on that very night when he celebrated his kingship with grand festivities and defiled the Temple vessels, that very night he was killed.
"Though you grow fat like a threshing heifer" - *tafushu* denotes abundance and increase, akin to the Aramaic *nefishei*, meaning "much" or "many," referring here to an abundance of flesh and fattening. You will fatten yourselves like stall-fed calves, like a heifer trained to thresh grain, which eats continuously from the grain it threshes. Others explain the word in connection with *deshe* (grass), as in *bin'ot deshe* ("in green pastures") - since some manuscripts spell it with an *aleph* (דָּשָׁא) and others with a *heh* (דָּשָׁה); with an *aleph* it means grass, and with a *heh* it means threshing. In either case, the meaning is: in the midst of your revelry, precisely when you grow fat from boundless luxury - at that very moment your downfall will arrive.
"Your Mother Shall Be Greatly Ashamed" - The Stages of Shame
בּוֹשָׁה אִמְּכֶם מְאֹד חָפְרָה יוֹלַדְתְּכֶם הִנֵּה אַחֲרִית גּוֹיִם מִדְבָּר צִיָּה וַעֲרָבָה׃ - Your mother shall be greatly ashamed; she who bore you shall be disgraced. Behold, the end of nations shall be a wilderness, a parched land, and a desert.
Radak explains: What good was all the joy you experienced when you plundered My heritage? Now your mother will be put to shame when others arrive and plunder you. You took pleasure in tormenting Israel, and now your mother will suffer disgrace when she watches others joyfully torment you. And who is "your mother"? Radak explains that this refers to your assembly or community - meaning the nation as a whole. This is the meaning of the term *knesiah* found frequently in the early sages, which does not carry the modern connotation (of a church) but rather stems from *kinus*, a gathering of the people. It is similar to the verse, "Contend with your mother, contend," where the intention is not a biological mother, but the community. "Behold, the end of nations" - this refers to the Babylonian Empire: its people will be slain, and its land will be left a wilderness, a parched land, and a desert.
The Malbim explains that "your mother" refers to the land itself, which, in a figurative sense, gave birth to you. This aligns with the teaching of Chazal that certain lands produce warriors while others produce the frail - that is, the natural environment and climate of a land shape the disposition of the people born there. The land itself is, so to speak, humiliated for having produced such people, whose ultimate end is desolation and wasteland, and who ultimately fell in battle.
Let us note the duplication: "Your mother is greatly ashamed, she who bore you is utterly disgraced [chafrah]." The Malbim explains that chafrah denotes a far greater shame than boshah: chafirah means that out of overwhelming humiliation, one digs a hole and buries one's face there, seeking a trench to hide one's face from utter disgrace. Likewise, there is a distinction between "your mother" (imchem) and "she who bore you" (yoladtechem): "mother" can also include the nursemaid who raised someone like a mother, as in "Shall I and your mother and your brothers come to bow down to you to the earth?" - where Yaakov did not realize that "your mother" referred to Bilhah, the nursemaid who raised Yosef. By contrast, "she who bore you" necessarily refers to the biological mother who actually gave birth. Therefore, regarding "your mother" it says only "is ashamed", while regarding "she who bore you" it says "she is utterly disgraced" [me'od chafrah], since having actually brought you into the world, her disgrace is far greater. Thus, we see a humiliation that mounts by stages, as they see that "the end of nations shall be a wilderness, a parched land, and a desert."
The Eternal Desolation of Babylon
מִקֶּצֶף יְהֹוָה לֹא תֵשֵׁב וְהָיְתָה שְׁמָמָה כֻּלָּהּ כֹּל עֹבֵר עַל־בָּבֶל יִשֹּׁם וְיִשְׁרֹק עַל־כׇּל־מַכּוֹתֶיהָ׃ - Because of the wrath of Hashem it shall not be inhabited, and it shall be entirely desolate; everyone who passes by Babylon shall be astonished and hiss at all her plagues.
"Because of the wrath of Hashem it shall not be inhabited" - because of the fury that Hashem will direct against it, human beings will not dwell in this place, and it will be a wasteland. The Malbim explains that a desert possesses three negative traits, and this place will be worse than all three. First: a natural desert is desolate by nature, whereas here it is not natural, but rather "because of the wrath of Hashem" - a divinely ordained desolation, which is far more severe. Second: a desert has inhabited areas, oases, whereas here "it shall be entirely desolate." Third: no one is astonished by the desolation of a desert, for it is only natural that one arriving at a desert finds wasteland; but here, "everyone who passes by Babylon shall be astonished and hiss at all her plagues" - one will be appalled and whistle in dismay. As we have already explained, whistling expresses utter shock: a person passes by, is stunned by the magnitude of the blow, and whistles.
This posed a slight difficulty for the Radak, for we see that Babylon is inhabited. The Radak resolves this: the settlement called Babylon spoken of in the days of Darius and Cyrus, which exists to this day, is not the same Babylon that existed originally. That ancient Babylon was destroyed, and they built another city in that same valley and named it Babylon as well. These words are remarkably precise, for this prophecy speaks of an eternal desolation, just as we have seen in another explicit prophecy that Babylon "shall never be inhabited" and "no Arab shall pitch tent there."
Photographs from encyclopedias show ancient Babylon lying in ruins to this very day. They may claim to preserve the site simply because they consider it an archaeological antiquity site, but we know the true reason the place has never been rebuilt: there is a divine prophecy that this place will remain desolate forever. What did they do? They relocated the city to another site and built it there, but the original site remains ruined and desolate to this day. Saddam Hussein famously had a plan to rebuild the ruins of Babylon; he envisioned himself a modern Nebuchadnezzar reviving the Arab nation, imagining himself a new Saladin along with all sorts of delusions typical of such a megalomaniac. Yet ultimately HaKadosh Baruch Hu showed him that his plans did not align with what is written in our prophecies, and he was removed from the world stage. In reality, the prophecy remains fulfilled: original Babylon lies in ruins to this day.
And for those who wish to apply these words to our own times: even today, "everyone who passes by Babylon shall be astonished and hiss at all her plagues." Ever since Babylon (Iraq) was conquered and taken from Saddam Hussein, it has been a terrible place to live: car bombs detonate there every few days, dozens are killed each time, endless fighting rages, and to this day they have failed to establish an orderly government there. There was once a madman there who shed rivers of blood during eight years of senseless war against Iran and in protracted conflicts before that, but it was still a developed land and a functioning state. Today, however, that region has absorbed staggering quantities of explosives, and it continues to bleed with no clear direction in sight.
In summary:
In this chapter, Yirmiyahu opens the dedicated prophecy of retribution against Babylon: a call to declare, publish, and lift up a banner concerning her capture, the shaming of Bel the god of honor, and the shattering of Merodach the god of might. A nation from the north will come up against her measure for measure, and at that very same time, Yisrael and Yehudah will return together to Tzion, weeping as they go, seeking Hashem and joining themselves to Him in an everlasting covenant. The prophet portrays their past as lost sheep whose shepherds led them astray, and the oppressors who destroyed them with pleasure and hatred under the pretext that "we are not guilty" - an excuse that has accompanied the enemies of Yisrael throughout all generations - followed by Hashem's call, "Flee from the midst of Babylon," leading the way as he-goats before the flock. From there onward, the downfall is detailed: arrows like a skillful warrior, the Chaldeans plundered, a collapse at the very hour of feasting and joy, ever-deepening shame, and ultimately an eternal desolation at which everyone who passes by will be astonished and hiss - a prophecy whose fulfillment we witness with our own eyes to this very day.