Jeremiah 51:3

Interpreters give various expositions of this verse. Some understand a soldier of light armor by him who bends the bow; and by him who elevates himself in his coat of mail, they understand a heavy-armed, soldier, There is also another difference; some take la, al, for al, la, when it is said lety law, veal itol, because a copulative follows; and the words seem not to be well connected, if we read thus, "As to him who raises himself up in his coat of mail, and spare ye not," etc.; and hence they take negatively the particle la, al, instead of al la, "and he may not raise up himself in his coat of mail." But it is probable that the copulative in the second place is redundant The simple meaning would therefore be, As to him who bends the bow, and who raises himself up in his coat of mall.¹

I do not, indeed, give such a refined interpretation as some do, respecting the light and heavy armed soldiers. I doubt not, then, but that he points out the archers, and those clad in mail. If, however, any one prefers the other explanation, let him enjoy his own opinion. As to the main point, it is evident that the Prophet exhorts the Persians and the Medes not to spare the young men among the Chaldeans, but to destroy their whole army, so that no part of it should be left remaining.

Grant Almighty God, that since thou wert formerly so solicitous respecting the salvation of thy people as to undertake war, for their sake, against a most powerful nation, -- O grant, that we also, at this day, may know, that we shall be safe and secure under the protection of thy hand, and that we may so experience thy power, that there may be to us a just reason for glorying in thee, and that our enemies may be confounded, in order that thy glory may shine forth more and more, and that the kingdom of thine only-begotten Son may also be thus promoted. -- Amen.

¹ It is singular that la is omitted in the Sept. and the Syr., and retained in its negative sense in the Vulg. and the Targ., which makes no sense consistently with the context. There is evidently rsa understood before the first verb, as is often the case when the verb is in the future tense. Then the literal rendering would be this, --

At him who bends let the bender bend his bow, And at him who glories in his coat of mail; And spare ye not her chosen men, Utterly destroy all her host.

There is here perfect consistency. They who take la as a negative say, that the first part is addressed to the Chaldeans, and the second to their enemies; but this would be strangely abrupt. -- Ed.

Jeremiah 51:3
3. Against him that bendeth the archer bend his bow, and against him that lifteth himself up in his brigandine: and spare ye not her young men; destroy ye utterly all her host.	3. Ad tendentem qui tendit arcum suum Krdy est hic vox supervacua, qui tendit igitur arcum suum,) et (copula hic abundat;) ne parcatis electis ejus, interficite omnem exercitum ejus.