In this section of the chapter, we continue the prophecy of Babylon's destruction, from the punishment that befell Belshazzar on the night of his feast to the conclusion of Yirmiyahu's words with the command to Serayah ben Neriyah to cast the scroll of prophecy into the Euphrates River. The prophecy moves from the description of drunkenness turning into perpetual sleep, through the fall of the idol Bel and Babylon's walls, to the call for the Jewish people to leave there and return to Jerusalem.
The Book of Daniel relates that on that very night, "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin" was inscribed upon the wall, by which it was understood that God had numbered his kingdom, weighed it, and found it wanting. The text concludes there: "In that very night, Belshazzar was killed" - that very night, the Medes arrived and conquered Babylon. On the very night Belshazzar brought out the vessels of the Beit HaMikdash to drink from them, confident that the Jewish people would never be redeemed - since according to his calculation the seventy years had already elapsed with no redemption - on that very night, Babylon was captured.
בְּחֻמָּם אָשִׁית אֶת מִשְׁתֵּיהֶם וְהִשְׁכַּרְתִּים לְמַעַן יַעֲלֹזוּ וְיָשְׁנוּ שְׁנַת עוֹלָם וְלֹא יָקִיצוּ נְאֻם ה'׃ (לט) - In their heat I will prepare their feasts, and I will make them drunk so that they may exult and sleep a perpetual sleep and not awaken, says Hashem. (39)
"In their heat" - when they are in the heat of the feast, for one who drinks grows warm from the wine. The Holy One, Blessed be He, says: I will turn their feast from joy into mourning. And so it was, as written in Daniel: "Then King Belshazzar was exceedingly terrified, his facial radiance changed" - Belshazzar was overcome with terror and his countenance altered, "and his nobles were perplexed" - his great men could offer no counsel and were completely bewildered.
"And I will make them drunk so that they may exult" - I will make them like drunkards. Here "lema'an" (so that) means "because": because they were merry and rejoiced drinking from the vessels of the Beit HaMikdash. Normally, a drunkard who goes to sleep eventually awakens from his slumber. Here, however, Hashem says: I will inflict upon them such drunkenness that "they will sleep a perpetual sleep and not awaken" - a slumber from which they will never awake.
Radak cites an additional explanation of "ya'alozu" in the name of Rabbeinu Yonah: from the Arabic, meaning to convulse and tremble. The idea is that sometimes a sick person appears to be laughing or grimacing just moments before death, as in the phrase "when your evil comes, then you rejoice" - calamity arrives, and one appears to laugh, and dies. Here too, calamity will overtake them such that for a single fleeting moment they will appear to laugh, and immediately thereafter meet their death.
Targum Yonatan renders: "Distress will come upon them and they will be like drunkards" - trouble will strike them and they will resemble the intoxicated; "so that they will not be strong" - so that they lack the strength to fight; "and they will die a second death and not live in the World to Come" - they will die a second death, having no life in the World to Come either.
Metzudat David explains that the verse depicts what befell Belshazzar, offering a different interpretation of "in their heat I will prepare their feasts": the Holy One, Blessed be He, orchestrated their banquet specifically during hot weather. When it is hot, a person drinks copiously; consequently, they drank and became intoxicated far beyond what is natural, and through this "they will sleep a perpetual sleep."
אוֹרִידֵם כְּכָרִים לִטְבוֹחַ כְּאֵילִים עִם עַתּוּדִים׃ (מ) - I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams with he-goats. (40)
I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter. "Karim" refers to sheep, as in the phrase "the pastures (karim) are clothed with flocks." Targum Yonatan translates it as "like young doves." "Like rams with he-goats" - all of them led to slaughter. The Malbim explains that this describes the scene where the Persians returned and killed the ministers and warriors.
אֵיךְ נִלְכְּדָה שֵׁשַׁךְ וַתִּתָּפֵשׂ תְּהִלַּת כָּל הָאָרֶץ אֵיךְ הָיְתָה לְשַׁמָּה בָּבֶל בַּגּוֹיִם׃ (מא) - "How has Sheshach been captured, and the praise of the entire earth seized! How has Babylon become an astonishment among the nations!" (41)
"Sheshach" is Babylon (Bavel) by the Atbash cipher. There are two questions here: First, how could Babylon be captured and conquered, which was something supernatural. And second, how could it be that after it was captured and seized, it became a desolation? After all, all the nations used to come to trade there and would submit to it, and now it was utterly annulled and made desolate.
עָלָה עַל בָּבֶל הַיָּם בַּהֲמוֹן גַּלָּיו נִכְסָתָה׃ (מב) - "The sea has come up over Babylon; she is covered with the multitude of its waves." (42)
"The sea" here is a metaphor: an army as vast as the sea came up against Babylon, "she is covered with the multitude of its waves." The Malbim explains that this expresses the three times Babylon suffered destruction and conquest.
הָיוּ עָרֶיהָ לְשַׁמָּה אֶרֶץ צִיָּה וַעֲרָבָה אֶרֶץ לֹא יֵשֵׁב בָּהֵן כָּל אִישׁ וְלֹא יַעֲבֹר בָּהֵן בֶּן אָדָם׃ (מג) - "Her cities have become a desolation, a dry land and a wilderness, a land where no man dwells, nor does any son of man pass through them." (43)
Her cities were desolate: "a dry land" - an arid place, "and a wilderness" - like a desert. And the Malbim already explained earlier that "ish" (man/being) is related to the word "yeish" (existence), encompassing all living creatures. "Nor does any son of man pass through them" - even merely passing through by chance, no human being will traverse it.
וּפָקַדְתִּי עַל בֵּל בְּבָבֶל וְהֹצֵאתִי אֶת בִּלְעוֹ מִפִּיו וְלֹא יִנְהֲרוּ אֵלָיו עוֹד גּוֹיִם גַּם חוֹמַת בָּבֶל נָפָלָה׃ (מד) - "And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and I will take out of his mouth what he has swallowed, and nations will no longer stream to him; even the wall of Babylon has fallen." (44)
"Bel" was the deity of Babylon, which they worshipped there. I will punish it so that they shatter it, carry off its gold, and repurpose it for their own needs. And this is the greatest humiliation: your god, and they take its gold to fashion utensils and jewelry from it, treating it as mere raw material. We already find an expression of the fall of Bel in another prophecy: "Bel bows down, Nebo stoops," which likewise refers to the idols they had. Babylon itself was named after this idol, Bel; some say it was also related to the month of Bul, and some say it was named after that idol.
"And I will take out of his mouth what he has swallowed" - the Radak explains that this is metaphorical, referring to the offerings brought to the idol. Not that it actually ate, but offerings were presented before it nonetheless. Incidentally, there were those who had a stone idol, and when they brought a drink near its mouth, one could see in the glass vessel how the water gradually diminished - as if it were drinking. In their naivety, the people believed the god was truly drinking. But what was really happening? The stone was porous, and when liquid was placed against it, it absorbed it like a sponge. In any event, the expression here is metaphorical: as if to say, all the offerings fed to it will now be disgorged and spewed out.
"And nations will no longer stream to him" - the nations used to rush to it, and "yinharu" (stream) connotes rushing, just as a river (nahar) is named for its flowing current. "Even the wall of Babylon has fallen" - even the strong, broad wall fell and collapsed. All of this comes to convey the total, multifaceted collapse of Babylon.
It is worth adding a further insight into "and I will bring forth out of his mouth that which he has swallowed": It is brought down that when Nevuchadnezzar wanted everyone to bow down to the image he set up in the plain of Dura, he took the Tzitz (the High Priest's golden headplate) and placed it into the mouth of the idol. Through this, the idol would recite, "I am [the Lord your God]" and "You shall have no [other gods]", and everyone was convinced that the deity was speaking from its mouth. It is related that Daniel told him that he wished to kiss the idol directly, mouth to mouth, and they arranged scaffolding for him to reach the mouth of the idol high above. He then approached as if to kiss it, pulled out the Tzitz, and the idol collapsed. This is "And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and I will bring forth out of his mouth that which he has swallowed" - he extracted the Tzitz that it had swallowed into its mouth, and by virtue of this, "Bel bows down, Nevo stoops." Even though according to the simple meaning these refer to two different eras, it is very possible that the matter is hinted at here in the verses.
צְאוּ מִתּוֹכָהּ עַמִּי וּמַלְּטוּ אִישׁ אֶת נַפְשׁוֹ מֵחֲרוֹן אַף ה'׃ (מה) - Go out of the midst of her, My people, and deliver every man his soul from the fierce anger of Hashem. (45)
Here the Holy One, blessed be He, tells the people of Israel that the time of redemption has arrived, for Darius and Cyrus granted permission to ascend to the Land and rebuild the Second Temple. Therefore: "Go out of the midst of her, My people, and deliver every man his soul" - escape from the fierce anger that will fall upon Babylon, so that you too do not suffer with her, Heaven forbid.
וּפֶן יֵרַךְ לְבַבְכֶם וְתִירְאוּ בַּשְּׁמוּעָה הַנִּשְׁמַעַת בָּאָרֶץ וּבָא בַשָּׁנָה הַשְּׁמוּעָה וְאַחֲרָיו בַּשָּׁנָה הַשְּׁמוּעָה וְחָמָס בָּאָרֶץ וּמֹשֵׁל עַל מֹשֵׁל׃ (מו) - And lest your heart faint, and you fear for the rumor that shall be heard in the land; for a rumor shall come in one year, and after that in another year shall come a rumor, and violence in the land, ruler against ruler. (46)
What is the significance of the multiple rumors? Rashi explains: "For the rumor that shall be heard in the land" - the rumor that Belshazzar was killed; let your heart not faint. "For a rumor shall come in one year" - in that year another rumor will come, that Babylon was destroyed on its own from Heaven, as it is written, "And Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the glory of the Chaldeans' pride, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah." "And after that in another year shall come a rumor" - this is the third rumor, which is already good news for you: "Thus said Cyrus king of Persia... whoever is among you of all His people... let him go up," the permission Cyrus granted to ascend and rebuild the Beit HaMikdash. "Ruler against ruler" - Darius the Mede ruled for one year, and in the second year Cyrus the Persian ruled.
The Radak adds and explains that he is reassuring them not to fear or let their hearts grow faint from all these rumors, for while the rumors are harsh concerning Babylon, they are good regarding the people of Israel. And even though violence takes place in the land, know that a ruler will come against the existing ruler, and that ruler will grant you permission to ascend to the Land and rebuild it.
The Malbim explains along similar lines, but with a difference: The first rumor is the first destruction; "and a rumor shall come in one year" that Babylon will be destroyed a second time; "and after that in another year shall come a rumor" that Babylon was destroyed a third time - as we have seen according to his view that Babylon was destroyed three times. Thus, according to the Malbim, the third rumor is not the good news of our return to the Land, but rather a third rumor about Babylon's destruction. "And violence in the land, ruler against ruler" - the violence in the land will rule over the rulers. For when there is violence in the land and a strong ruler, he has the power to control the violence and eliminate the evil forces in the country; but when the ruler is weak, the violence ends up ruling over him. This is the meaning of "ruler against ruler": the violence will be stronger than the ruler and dominate him, and the ruler will be unable to overcome the violence in the land.
לָכֵן הִנֵּה יָמִים בָּאִים וּפָקַדְתִּי עַל פְּסִילֵי בָבֶל וְכָל אַרְצָהּ תֵּבוֹשׁ וְכָל חֲלָלֶיהָ יִפְּלוּ בְתוֹכָהּ׃ (מז) - Therefore, behold, days are coming when I will punish the carved images of Babylon, and her whole land shall be put to shame, and all her slain shall fall in her midst. (47)
"And I will punish" - this time it will be through direct Providence, not by nations, but directly from Hashem. The evil I bring will be, as the Malbim defines it, aligned with nature and Providence alike. "And her whole land shall be put to shame" - all the people of her land will be ashamed, for they relied upon their idols and graven images, and now Hashem visits retribution upon them and their idols cannot help them. "And all her slain shall fall in her midst" - this is an added layer of disgrace: one who falls on the battlefield is at least understandable, but one who falls inside the city signifies that they did not even go out to fight, but were led like sheep to the slaughter. Such is the magnitude of Babylon's disgrace: her downfall will occur while they did not fight for their lives at all, but simply waited until the enemy arrived and killed them all.
וְרִנְּנוּ עַל בָּבֶל שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר בָּהֶם כִּי מִצָּפוֹן יָבוֹא לָהּ הַשּׁוֹדְדִים נְאֻם ה'׃ (מח) - Then the heaven and the earth, and all that is in them, shall sing for joy over Babylon; for the spoilers shall come unto her from the north, says Hashem. (48)
When an event occurs here on earth, it seems to happen through natural means; but when an event is decreed in Heaven, it is a sign that it comes through Divine Providence. Here it says, "Heaven and earth shall sing for joy over Babylon" - this downfall will be agreed upon both in Heaven and on earth, both naturally and through Divine Providence. "For out of the north the plunderers shall come upon her" - Darius will come from the north with his army, and they are the plunderers. Just as we were told regarding our own fate, "Out of the north evil shall break forth," for Babylon came from the north and struck us, so too, measure for measure, from the north shall come the trouble and the downfall of Babylon.
גַּם בָּבֶל לִנְפֹּל חַלְלֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל גַּם לְבָבֶל נָפְלוּ חַלְלֵי כָל הָאָרֶץ׃ (מט) - As Babylon caused the slain of Israel to fall, so at Babylon shall fall the slain of all the earth. (49)
פְּלֵטִים מֵחֶרֶב הִלְכוּ אַל תַּעֲמֹדוּ זִכְרוּ מֵרָחוֹק אֶת ה' וִירוּשָׁלַ͏ִם תַּעֲלֶה עַל לְבַבְכֶם׃ (נ) - You who have escaped the sword, go, do not stand still; remember Hashem from afar, and let Jerusalem come into your mind. (50)
Since Babylon is already destined to have the slain of Israel and the slain of all the earth fall within it, do not fall into this trap and do not remain there. You, who wish to be survivors from the sword and not perish like them - "go, do not stand still," depart from here and do not stay.
"Remember Hashem from afar" - remember from the distance of Babylon what you corrupted, that you caused the cessation of the service in the Beit HaMikdash, and through this, "let Jerusalem come into your mind" - remember Jerusalem to return to it. By remembering what you lost and what you damaged, you will return swiftly to Jerusalem; remember that she mourns in her desolation, and this will move you to leave Babylon.
בֹּשְׁנוּ כִּי שָׁמַעְנוּ חֶרְפָּה כִּסְּתָה כְלִמָּה פָּנֵינוּ כִּי בָּאוּ זָרִים עַל מִקְדְּשֵׁי בֵּית ה'׃ (נא) - We are ashamed because we have heard reproach; disgrace has covered our faces, for strangers have entered the sanctuaries of the House of Hashem. (51)
The Malbim explains: *boshet* (shame) is what a person feels within himself, while *kelimah* (disgrace) is the humiliation inflicted by others. Furthermore, *cherpah* (reproach) comes on account of some justifiable reason, whereas *kelimah* can occur even without cause, for no reason at all. Accordingly, there are two distinct stages here. First, "we are ashamed because we have heard reproach" - we were ashamed within ourselves over the reproach that was leveled against us, for the exile and the destruction came because of our own misdeeds, and our evil deeds brought this shame upon us. In the second stage, "disgrace has covered our faces" - even after our sins were atoned for, we were still subjected to disgrace. Why? "For strangers have entered the sanctuaries of the House of Hashem" - strangers came, seized the sacred vessels of the Mikdash, and drank from them. That was already an unprovoked disgrace, since our sin had already been cleansed. And if you will, there is a hint here: *kelimah* is like *beli mah* - without anything, without any reason.
Radak explains that the taunting of the enemies is itself our disgrace. Until now, the enemies taunted us, claiming that the Holy One, blessed be He, was supposedly powerless to save His people - that Hashem is unable to rescue you, the proof being that you are in exile. Now, that disgrace and shame are about to come to an end.
לָכֵן הִנֵּה יָמִים בָּאִים נְאֻם ה' וּפָקַדְתִּי עַל פְּסִילֶיהָ וּבְכָל אַרְצָהּ יֶאֱנֹק חָלָל׃ (נב) - Therefore behold, days are coming, says Hashem, when I will punish her carved images, and throughout all her land the wounded shall groan. (52)
Hashem says: Therefore, I will visit retribution upon Babylon, and this reckoning will be for the desecration of the vessels of the Beit HaMikdash, just as Daniel interpreted the matter - "Mene, Mene, Tekel, u-Farsin" - written by the hand that emerged and inscribed the wall in the palace of Belshazzar. "And throughout all her land the wounded shall groan" - the mortally wounded will cry out. Rashi writes that when a person is struck by an arrow or a spear, he moans, and when the spear is pulled out, that deep groan bursts forth. Radak explains that this *anaka* (groan) is the sound of the soul departing, that the cry of the departing soul is termed *anaka*. Throughout all her land, the slain will groan over the catastrophe that has overtaken them.
כִּי תַעֲלֶה בָבֶל הַשָּׁמַיִם וְכִי תְבַצֵּר מְרוֹם עֻזָּהּ מֵאִתִּי יָבֹאוּ שֹׁדְדִים לָהּ נְאֻם ה'׃ (נג) - "Though Babylon should mount up to heaven, and though she should fortify the height of her strength, yet from Me shall spoilers come unto her, says the Lord."
Even if she builds fortified walls reaching up to the heavens, it will not avail her; and even if she fortifies and strengthens the height of her power and erects mighty, towering structures - "from Me shall spoilers come unto her." "From Me" - for the Holy One, blessed be He, does not descend and wage war directly, as this is not the Exodus from Egypt; rather, those who will come, Darius and Cyrus, are My emissaries to bring Babylon down, even if she mounts up to heaven. In simple terms: there is a mission here that will be fulfilled no matter what, and Babylon will not be able to escape the decree.
The Malbim explains that this does not refer to a physical ascent. While Radak implies that this is a metaphor - that even if they were to climb to heaven, it would not help them - the Malbim explains differently: Providence operates either through supreme Divine Providence (hashgachah elyonah) or through the natural astrological order of the heavens (hora'at hama'arechet). The verse says: even if it were envisioned that Babylon ascends within the celestial systems and stars, that her standing and astrological status were exceedingly high, it would not help her, for Hashem's providence overrides the celestial signs. Therefore, "from Me shall spoilers come": I will disrupt and overthrow the celestial order, and then the configuration of the stars will be of no effect, and even this will not save them.
קוֹל זְעָקָה מִבָּבֶל וְשֶׁבֶר גָּדוֹל מֵאֶרֶץ כַּשְׂדִּים׃ (נד) - "The sound of a cry from Babylon, and great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans!"
כִּי שֹׁדֵד ה' אֶת בָּבֶל וְאִבַּד מִמֶּנָּה קוֹל גָּדוֹל וְהָמוּ גַלֵּיהֶם כְּמַיִם רַבִּים נִתַּן שְׁאוֹן קוֹלָם׃ (נה) - "For the Lord is spoiling Babylon, and destroying out of her the great voice; and their waves roar like great waters, the noise of their voice is uttered."
"For the Lord is spoiling Babylon" - He brings plunderers upon her who will devastate and destabilize her. And Babylon, which was once a bustling metropolis with a "great voice," home to a massive population - and wherever there is a vast multitude, there is bustling noise - Hashem has destroyed her great voice. A desolate place is silent, a realm of utter stillness; a ruined place is one where no voice is heard, whereas a vibrant, living city is filled with clamor. "And their waves roar like great waters, the noise of their voice is uttered" - a city whose surges once roared like mighty waters and was filled with bustle and tumult, that great voice will be silenced and lost forever.
כִּי בָא עָלֶיהָ עַל בָּבֶל שׁוֹדֵד וְנִלְכְּדוּ גִּבּוֹרֶיהָ חִתְּתָה קַשְּׁתוֹתָם כִּי אֵל גְּמֻלוֹת ה' שַׁלֵּם יְשַׁלֵּם׃ (נו) - "For the spoiler has come upon her, upon Babylon, and her mighty men are taken, their bows are broken; for the Lord is a God of retributions, He will surely requite."
Everything Babylon receives is retribution for her evil deeds. The Malbim explains that there is a distinction between gemul (retribution) and tashlumin (recompense): gemul corresponds to the intensity of emotional hatred - the greater a person's hatred, the greater the act of retribution; whereas tashlumin is measured strictly according to the deed itself. Accordingly, when the deed is minor, the recompense might be small, but when fueled by passionate hatred, the retribution will be far greater, as it reflects the animosity rather than just the action. Hashem declares that here they will be judged by both calculations combined - both according to the deed and according to the fury of their hatred. Both will manifest in severe and comprehensive punishments, until they drain the cup of poison to the dregs. Through this, "her mighty men are taken" - unable to fight or mount an offense against the enemy, and "their bows are broken" - their weapons are shattered, leaving them with no means to resist.
וְהִשְׁכַּרְתִּי שָׂרֶיהָ וַחֲכָמֶיהָ פַּחוֹתֶיהָ וּסְגָנֶיהָ וְגִבּוֹרֶיהָ וְיָשְׁנוּ שְׁנַת עוֹלָם וְלֹא יָקִיצוּ נְאֻם הַמֶּלֶךְ ה' צְבָאוֹת שְׁמוֹ׃ (נז) - "And I will make drunk her princes and her wise men, her captains and her rulers and her mighty men; and they shall sleep a perpetual sleep and not awake, says the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts."
We have already seen this explanation above: on that fateful night when Belshazzar brought out the vessels of the Beit HaMikdash and drank from them, the princes, wise men, governors, prefects, and warriors sat drinking until they were inebriated. And when a person gets drunk, he falls asleep; so too here, they fell asleep, but here it was an eternal slumber, as scripture records, "In that night was Belshazzar slain" (Daniel 5:30) - that very night, Belshazzar was killed. Hashem says: this drunkenness, indulged through drinking from the sacred vessels of the Beit HaMikdash, will be followed by sleep, not an ordinary drunken stupor, but an eternal sleep.
כֹּה אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת חֹמוֹת בָּבֶל הָרְחָבָה עַרְעֵר תִּתְעַרְעָר וּשְׁעָרֶיהָ הַגְּבֹהִים בָּאֵשׁ יִצַּתּוּ וְיִגְעוּ עַמִּים בְּדֵי רִיק וּלְאֻמִּים בְּדֵי אֵשׁ וְיָעֵפוּ׃ (נח) - Thus said the Lord of Hosts: The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly razed, and her high gates shall be burned with fire; and the peoples shall labor for vanity, and the nations for fire, and they shall grow weary. (58)
Presumably the verse should have used the plural "broad" (harachavot, to match walls); why then does it say "broad" in the singular (harachavah)? Radak explains that this refers to each and every one of Babylon's walls individually. And as for a broad wall, its sheer thickness is seemingly a guarantee that it will never collapse: a wall with narrow foundations can easily fall, but for a broad wall, collapse is unnatural. Even so, "shall be utterly razed" (ar'er tit'ar'ar) - they will tear down its walls. Rashi explains this as an expression of digging and uncovering down to the bedrock, as in "Raze it, raze it (aru aru), to its very foundation." "And her high gates shall be burned with fire" - the immense gates through which people entered the city will be consumed by flames.
"And the peoples shall labor for vanity, and the nations for fire" - Radak explains that "bidei rik" means in emptiness or for vanity, and "bidei esh" means for fire. When Scripture says "bidei", it denotes constancy: in persistent emptiness and persistent fire. That is to say, even if the nations in Babylon exert themselves immensely to save themselves, their toil is for naught and their salvation ends in fire; you thought you were saved, and the fire overtakes you. Thus, all their efforts to survive prove entirely futile.
Radak offers an additional explanation: they will realize that all their toil in building Babylon was in vain, and their labor was ultimately for the fire. That is, this does not refer to the effort to save themselves, but to the very construction of Babylon itself: when Babylon is destroyed and consumed by fire, it will become clear that all the toil was for nothing. For example, had the builder of the Twin Towers been told what a twisted heap of metal would ultimately emerge from the entire project, he would undoubtedly have walked away from the start. Here too, all the toil and exertion ended in emptiness and fire, rendering their labor completely worthless. Radak adds that this second interpretation seems more compelling to him, since the verse also appears in Chavakuk (Habakkuk), where the phrasing fits this explanation even more precisely.
The Malbim explains that the labor was directed at keeping the wall standing: when the besiegers came to batter down the wall, the defenders made immense efforts to reinforce it. As is well known, when an enemy attacked a wall, defenders on the other side would heap earthen ramparts and erect wooden beams to support it. This is the meaning of "the peoples shall labor for vanity" - what they toiled to keep standing will come to naught; "and the nations for fire" - and whatever labor they invest in extinguishing the flames will itself be consumed by fire, and in the end they will be powerless to save anything.
הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יִרְמְיָהוּ הַנָּבִיא אֶת שְׂרָיָה בֶן נֵרִיָּה בֶּן מַחְסֵיָה בְּלֶכְתּוֹ אֶת צִדְקִיָּהוּ מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה בָּבֶל בִּשְׁנַת הָרְבִעִית לְמָלְכוֹ וּשְׂרָיָה שַׂר מְנוּחָה׃ (נט) - The word that Yirmeyahu the prophet commanded Serayah son of Neriyah, son of Machseyah, when he went with Tzidkiyahu king of Yehudah to Babylon in the fourth year of his reign; and Serayah was the officer of repose (sar menuchah). (59)
Opinions differ as to how Serayah was sent to Babylon. Radak explains, based on Seder Olam, that "when he went with Tzidkiyahu" means he literally traveled alongside him: in the fourth year of Tzidkiyahu's reign, Tzidkiyahu traveled down to pay homage to the king of Babylon, accompanied by Serayah the sar menuchah, and afterward returned to Jerusalem. But Targum Yonatan renders it differently; he maintains that Serayah did not travel together with Tzidkiyahu, but rather that Tzidkiyahu dispatched Serayah on a mission there. Thus Targum Yonatan translates: "When he went on the mission of Tzidkiyahu" - not with Tzidkiyahu in person, but as his emissary.
And what is a "sar menuchah"? There are two explanations here, both fascinating. Radak explains: he was the minister who served as the king's companion, who stayed with the king during his hours of rest to converse and relax with him. Even a king needs to unwind, and in those days there were no tablets or modern gadgets; instead, there was a minister of repose whose role was to accompany the king during his leisure time, entertaining him and pleasanting his hours with engaging conversation. The second explanation, following Targum Yonatan, is that he was a "sar tikruvata" - minister of tribute, understanding menuchah as related to minchah (tribute or gift). People would bring gifts and tribute to the king, which was an entirely standard, official protocol: when appearing before the king, one presents a tribute. For this, an officer was required to oversee the entire logistics of tribute - a very heavy portfolio. Therefore he was called sar menuchah - the minister of the tribute, the one to whom the gifts were delivered so he could present them before the king.
וַיִּכְתֹּב יִרְמְיָהוּ אֵת כָּל הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר תָּבוֹא אֶל בָּבֶל אֶל סֵפֶר אֶחָד אֵת כָּל הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה הַכְּתֻבִים אֶל בָּבֶל׃ (ס) - And Yirmeyahu wrote all the disaster that would come upon Babylon in a single scroll, all these words that are written concerning Babylon. (60)
First Scripture informs us that he wrote a scroll, and only afterward will it teach what was to be done with it. And why the apparent repetition: "all these words that are written concerning Babylon"? It means to say that all the prophecies we have read up to this point were compiled into a single scroll - that is, he gathered them into one cohesive unit containing the entire narrative of Babylon and its bitter end.
וַיֹּאמֶר יִרְמְיָהוּ אֶל שְׂרָיָה כְּבֹאֲךָ בָבֶל וְרָאִיתָ וְקָרָאתָ אֵת כָּל הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה׃ (סא) - And Yirmiyahu said to Serayah: When you come to Babylon, you shall see, and you shall read all these words;
Serayah was traveling to Babylon, and the prophet Yirmiyahu said to him: I have a mission for you. He did not ask him to pick up duty-free goods; he had other requests. Rather, he told him: When you arrive there, read all the words recorded in this scroll. I have placed in your hand a scroll containing all the disasters destined to come upon Babylon; arrive there and read from it.
וְאָמַרְתָּ ה' אַתָּה דִבַּרְתָּ אֶל הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה לְהַכְרִיתוֹ לְבִלְתִּי הֱיוֹת בּוֹ יוֹשֵׁב לְמֵאָדָם וְעַד בְּהֵמָה כִּי שִׁמְמוֹת עוֹלָם תִּהְיֶה׃ (סב) - And you shall say: Hashem, You have spoken concerning this place to cut it off, so that there shall be no inhabitant in it, from man to beast, for it shall be an everlasting desolation.
That is to say: Indeed, from Your mouth, Hashem, were spoken the prophecies written here, and nothing can restrain You from doing whatever You desire, cutting off Babylon so that no inhabitant remains in it, from man to beast.
וְהָיָה כְּכַלֹּתְךָ לִקְרֹא אֶת הַסֵּפֶר הַזֶּה תִּקְשֹׁר עָלָיו אֶבֶן וְהִשְׁלַכְתּוֹ אֶל תּוֹךְ פְּרָת׃ (סג) - And it shall be, when you finish reading this scroll, you shall tie a stone to it and cast it into the midst of the Euphrates.
When you finish reading the words written in the scroll, tie a stone to it. For a book back then was a scroll, and if it is cast into water it is very likely to float; since he wants the scroll to sink, he must tie a stone to it as a weight and cast it into the Euphrates River. Radak asks: Isn't the Euphrates River one of the borders of Eretz Yisrael, so why do we find it here in Babylon? He answers that this river marks the border of Eretz Yisrael and flows continuously all the way to Babylon.
וְאָמַרְתָּ כָּכָה תִּשְׁקַע בָּבֶל וְלֹא תָקוּם מִפְּנֵי הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מֵבִיא עָלֶיהָ וְיָעֵפוּ עַד הֵנָּה דִּבְרֵי יִרְמְיָהוּ׃ (סד) - And you shall say: Thus shall Babylon sink and not rise, because of the evil that I bring upon her, and they shall be weary. Thus far are the words of Yirmiyahu.
This is what you shall say as you sink the scroll: "Thus shall Babylon sink and not rise" - it will have no recovery; "because of the evil that I bring upon her, and they shall be weary" - such a massive catastrophe will come upon them that they will become exhausted, worn out without any strength left to fight.
This seems difficult to understand, for there is still another chapter, Chapter 52, so why does the verse state, "Thus far are the words of Yirmiyahu"? Radak offers three explanations. First: Because he spoke at such length regarding the calamity coming upon Babylon, it states "Thus far are the words of Yirmiyahu" - meaning, what Yirmiyahu spoke concerning Babylon ends here, referring specifically to his prophecy about Babylon. This is similar to what was written earlier, "Thus far is the judgment of Moav," meaning the prophecy concerning Moav.
A second explanation: From this point forward, the text is a historical narrative rather than a prophecy of Yirmiyahu, and whoever compiled the book afterward added the final chapter. Therefore it states, "Thus far are the words of Yirmiyahu," so that one does not mistakenly think that Yirmiyahu authored the continuation as well; rather, the continuation, which describes the Destruction, was added by the compiler of the book and not by Yirmiyahu himself.
Radak brings a third explanation based on the Rambam, who wrote that prophecy inevitably ceases from a prophet prior to his death, whether for a considerable period or a brief one. A prophet never continues prophesying until his final moment; rather, prophecy ceases beforehand, whether long before or shortly before. According to this, it is very likely the meaning of "Thus far are the words of Yirmiyahu": once he completed this prophecy, his prophetic gift ceased and he spoke no more, and from this point forward he did not prophesy.
We can now understand why it was necessary to perform this action with the scroll and cast it into the river. The Malbim does not mention this here, but as noted several times in his name, and as discussed in the Ramban as well: when a prophet performs a physical action, that action draws the decree down from something envisioned only in prophecy, an abstract spiritual concept, into the realm of the physical and earthly - and through this, it is guaranteed that the prophecy will be fulfilled. Even with a prophecy of misfortune, which is not strictly bound to materialize, when a prophet performs a physical deed, the matter must come to pass. It is very likely that this was Yirmiyahu's intent here: he wanted the prophecy against Bavel to be fulfilled no matter what, leaving no possibility that Hashem might relent and show them mercy, invoking the rule that a prophecy of doom does not necessarily have to come true. By taking the scroll, sinking it into the water, and declaring, "So shall Bavel sink," one creates an act in the physical world, bringing the matter into tangible reality and ensuring the fulfillment of the words down to the very last detail.
This section of the chapter describes the downfall of Bavel through all its stages: the feast that turns into perpetual sleep on the night of Belshazzar, the fall of the idol Bel whose swallowed prey is wrenched from his mouth, the destruction of the broad walls and high gates, and the silencing of the great roar of the bustling city that has become a desolation. Alongside this stands the call to the Jewish people - "Go out of her midst, My people," "You who have escaped the sword, go, do not stand still" - to leave Bavel, to remember Hashem from afar, and to bring Jerusalem into their hearts. From the shame brought on by our sins to the disgrace endured unjustly after iniquities have already been atoned for, the prophecy moves toward its conclusion: even if Bavel should ascend to the heavens, Hashem's providence surpasses every system, and from Him destroyers will come upon her. Yirmiyahu concludes with the mission of Serayah: casting the scroll, weighted with a stone, into the Euphrates with the declaration, "So shall Bavel sink and not rise" - a physical action that draws the prophecy down into reality and guarantees its fulfillment to the very last detail.