Chapter 51 – FAMILIA MUNDIAL
1 [11] Media’s kings: the Medes dwelt with the Persians in the land now known as Iran. At the time these words were written the Medes were the dominant people of the two, but within a short time the Persians had gained the ascendancy.
2 [27] Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz: regions or people in what is now Armenia, subject at this time to Media.
3 [34] Me, my: refers to Jerusalem.
4 [59] Seraiah: the brother of Baruch; cf ⇒ Jeremiah 32:12. The king: Zedekiah. Perhaps Seraiah went to Babylon to explain away the presence of foreign ambassadors in Jerusalem that same year; cf ⇒ Jeremiah 27:3.
5 [60] Jeremiah prophesied against Babylon, even as he foretold Judah’s release from Babylon’s power (⇒ Jeremiah 3:14-18; ⇒ 32:15; ⇒ 33:6-9, ⇒ 12-13); but his book against Babylon was thrown in the Euphrates (⇒ Jeremiah 51:63). The preceding oracles were composed by later writers; see note on ⇒ Jeremiah 50:1-⇒ 51:58.
6 [64] To «weary themselves» are the words of Jeremiah: an editorial remark concerning the end of ⇒ Jeremiah 51:58.