Life, 1915-06-03 · page 15 of 52
Life — June 3, 1915 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page presents Jeremiah's biblical prophecy against Babylon as a political allegory. The illustrations show a warrior-woman (representing Babylon) and a figure in submission, visualizing the text's themes of military conquest and divine judgment. Published in Life (a satirical magazine), this piece uses biblical language to comment on contemporary geopolitical conflict. "Babylon" likely represents Germany or another enemy power, with the prophecy of destruction serving as commentary on World War I or its aftermath. The repeated invocations of divine judgment—swords, drought, conquest by "great nations from the north"—frame military victory as righteous punishment for pride and idolatry. The cartoons reinforce this moralizing narrative: Babylon's fall becomes inevitable, divinely ordained justice rather than mere military defeat. This rhetorical strategy was common in American satirical magazines, using classical/biblical language to dignify contemporary political positions.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Judgment of Babylon By Jeremiah ECLARE ye among the nations, and D publish, and set up a standard; pub- lish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Mero- dach is broken confounded, her pieces, in pieces; her images idols are are broken in For, lo, I will raise and cause to tome up against Babylon an assembly of great na- tions from the north country: and they shall set themselves in array against her; from thence she shall be taken: their arrows shall be as of a mighty expert man; none shall return in vain, Because ye were glad, because ye rejoiced, O ye de- stroyers of mine heritage, because ye are grown fat as the heifer at grass, and bellow as bulls; . . . Because of the wrath of the Lord it shall not be in- habited, but it shall be wholly desolate: every one that goeth by Babylon shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues, Put yourselves in array against Babylon round about: all ye that bend the bow, shoot at her, spare no arrows: for she hath sinned against the Lord. Shout against her round about: she hath given her hand: her foundations are fallen, her walls are thrown down: for it is the vengeance of the Lord: take vengeance upon her; as she hath done, do unto her. Come against her from the utmost border, open her storehouses: cast her up as heaps, and destroy her utterly: let nothing of her be left. Call together the archers against Babylon: all ye that bend the bow, camp against it round about; let none thereof escape: recompense her according to her work; according to all that she hath done, do unto her: for she hath been proud against the Lord. A sword is upon the liars; and they shall dote: a sword is upon her mighty men; and they shall be dismayed A drought is upon her waters; and they shall be dried up: for it is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols... . As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the neigh- bor cities thereof, saith the Lord; so shall no man abide there, neither shall any son of man dwell therein. Babylon hath been a golden cup in the Lord’s hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad. And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwelling place for dragons, an astonishment, and an hissing, without an in- habitant. Ver. 1-11]