Jeremiah 25

The Seventy-Year Exile

1 [This is] the word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim^[a] son of Josiah, king of Judah (which was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon).

2 The prophet Jeremiah spoke concerning all the people of Judah and all the residents of Jerusalem as follows:

3 "From the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah, until this very day-23 years-the word of the Lord has come to me, and I have spoken to you time and time again,^[b] but you have not obeyed.

4 The Lord sent all His servants the prophets to you time and time again,^[c] but you have not obeyed or even paid attention.^[d]

5 He announced, 'Turn, each of you, from your^[e] evil way of life and from your evil deeds.^[f] Live in the land the Lord gave to you and your ancestors forever and ever.

6 Do not follow other gods to serve them and to worship them,^[g] and do not provoke Me to anger by the work of your hands.^[h] Then I will do you no harm.

7 " 'But you would not obey Me'-[this is] the Lord's declaration-'in order that you might provoke Me to anger by the work of your hands and bring disaster on yourselves.'

8 "Therefore, this is what the Lord of Hosts says: 'Because you have not obeyed My words,

9 I am going to send for all the families of the north'^[i]-[this is] the Lord's declaration-'and [send for] My servant^[j] Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and I will bring them against this land, against its residents, and against all these surrounding nations, and I will completely destroy them and make them a desolation,^[k] a derision, and ruins forever.

10 I will eliminate the sound of joy and gladness from them-the voice of the bridegroom and the bride,^[l] the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp.

11 This whole land will become a desolate ruin, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon for 70 years.^[m]

12 When the 70 years are completed, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation'-[this is] the Lord's declaration-'the land of the Chaldeans, for their guilt, and I will make it a ruin forever.

13 I will bring on that land all My words I have spoken against it, all that is written in this book that Jeremiah prophesied against all the nations.

14 For many nations and great kings will enslave them, and I will repay them according to their deeds^[n] and the work of their hands.' "

The Cup of God's Wrath

15 This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: "Take this cup of the wine of wrath from My hand and make all the nations I am sending you to drink from it.^[o]

16 They will drink, stagger,^[p] and go out of their minds because of the sword I am sending among them."

17 So I took the cup from the Lord's hand and made all the nations drink [from it], everyone the Lord sent me to.

18 [These included:] Jerusalem and the [other] cities of Judah, its kings and its officials, to make them a desolate ruin, an object of scorn and cursing^[q]-as it is today;

19 Pharaoh king of Egypt, his officers, his leaders, all his people,

20 and all the mixed peoples;^[r] all the kings of the land of Uz;^[s] all the kings of the land of the Philistines-Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod;

21 Edom, Moab, and the Ammonites;

22 all the kings of Tyre, all the kings of Sidon, and the kings of the coastlands across the sea;

23 Dedan, Tema, Buz, and all those who shave their temples;^[t]

24 all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mixed peoples who have settled in the desert;

25 all the kings of Zimri, all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of Media;

26 all the kings of the north, both near and far from one another; that is, all the kingdoms of the world which are on the face of the earth. Finally, the king of Sheshach^[u] will drink after them.

27 "Then you are to say to them: This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: Drink, get drunk, and vomit. Fall down and never get up again, as a result of the sword I am sending among you.

28 If^[v] they refuse to take the cup from you and drink, you are to say to them: This is what the Lord of Hosts says: You must drink!

29 For I am already bringing disaster on the city that bears My name,^[w] so how could you possibly go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am summoning a sword against all the inhabitants of the earth"-[this is] the declaration of the Lord of Hosts.^[x]

Judgment on the Whole World

30 "As for you, you are to prophesy all these things to them, and say to them: The Lord roars from on high; He raises His voice from His holy dwelling.^[y] He roars loudly over His grazing land; He calls out with a shout, like those who tread [grapes], against all the inhabitants of the earth.

31 The tumult reaches to the ends of the earth because the Lord brings a case against^[z] the nations. He enters into judgment with all flesh. As for the wicked, He hands them over to the sword- [This is] the Lord's declaration.

32 "This is what the Lord of Hosts says: Pay attention! Disaster goes forth from nation to nation. A great storm is stirred up from the ends of the earth."^[aa]

33 Those slain by the Lord on that day will be [spread] from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned, gathered, or buried. They will be like manure on the surface of the ground.

34 Wail, you shepherds, and cry out. Roll [in the dust],^[ab][ac]you leaders of the flock. Because the days of your slaughter have come, you will fall and become shattered like a precious vase.

35 Flight will be impossible for the shepherds, and escape, for the leaders of the flock.

36 [Hear] the sound of the shepherds' cry, the wail of the leaders of the flock, for the Lord is destroying their pasture.

37 Peaceful grazing land will become lifeless because of the Lord's burning anger.^[ad]

38 He has left His den like a lion, for their land has become a desolation because of the sword^[ae] of the oppressor, because of His burning anger.

Jeremiah 25 Commentary

Chapter 25

The Jews rebuked for not obeying calls to repentance. (1-7) Their captivity during seventy years is expressly foretold. (8-14) Desolations upon the nations shown by the emblem of a cup of wrath. (15-29) The judgments again declared. (30-38)

Verses 1-7 The call to turn from evil ways to the worship and service of God, and for sinners to trust in Christ, and partake of his salvation, concerns all men. God keeps an account how long we possess the means of grace; and the longer we have them, the heavier will our account be if we have not improved them. Rising early, points out the earnest desire that this people should turn and live. Personal and particular reformation must be insisted on as necessary to a national deliverance; and every one must turn from his own evil way. Yet all was to no purpose. They would not take the right and only method to turn away the wrath of God.

Verses 8-14 The fixing of the time during which the Jewish captivity should last, would not only confirm the prophecy, but also comfort the people of God, and encourage faith and prayer. The ruin of Babylon is foretold: the rod will be thrown into the fire when the correcting work is done. When the set time to favour Zion is come, Babylon shall be punished for their iniquity, as other nations have been punished for their sins. Every threatening of the Scripture will certainly be accomplished.

Verses 15-29 The evil and the good events of life are often represented in Scripture as cups. Under this figure is represented the desolation then coming upon that part of the world, of which Nebuchadnezzar, who had just began to reign and act, was to be the instrument; but this destroying sword would come from the hand of God. The desolations the sword should make in all these kingdoms, are represented by the consequences of excessive drinking. This may make us loathe the sin of drunkenness, that the consequences of it are used to set forth such a woful condition. Drunkenness deprives men of the use of their reason, makes men as mad. It takes from them the valuable blessing, health; and is a sin which is its own punishment. This may also make us dread the judgments of war. It soon fills a nation with confusion. They will refuse to take the cup at thy hand. They will not believe Jeremiah; but he must tell them it is the word of the Lord of hosts, and it is in vain for them to struggle against Almighty power. And if God's judgments begin with backsliding professors, let not the wicked expect to escape.

Verses 30-38 The Lord has just ground of controversy with every nation and every person; and he will execute judgment on all the wicked. Who can avoid trembling when God speaks in displeasure? The days are fully come; the time fixed in the Divine counsels, which will make the nations wholly desolate. The tender and delicate shall share the common calamity. Even those who used to live in peace, and did nothing to provoke, shall not escape. Blessed be God, there is a peaceable habitation above, for all the sons of peace. The Lord will preserve his church and all believers in all changes; for nothing can separate them from his love.

Footnotes

• [a]. 2 Kg 23:34-24:6; 2 Ch 36:4-8
• [b]. Lit you; rising early and speaking
• [c]. Lit prophets, rising early and sending
• [d]. Lit even inclined your ears
• [e]. Lit his
• [f]. Jr 18:11; 35:15
• [g]. Jr 13:10; Dt 8:19
• [h]. Jr 44:8; Dt 31:29; 1 Kg 16:7
• [i]. Jr 1:13
• [j]. Isa 45:1
• [k]. Jr 4:7; 18:16; 19:8
• [l]. Jr 7:34; 16:9; 33:11
• [m]. Jr 29:10; 2 Ch 36:21; Dn 9:2
• [n]. Jr 50:29
• [o]. Jr 49:12; Ps 75:8; Isa 51:17
• [p]. Or vomit
• [q]. Jr 25:9
• [r]. Jr 50:37; Ex 12:38; Neh 13:1-3
• [s]. Jb 1:1; Lm 4:21
• [t]. Or who live in distant places; Jr 9:26; 49:32; Lv 19:27
• [u]. Probably a code name for Babylon
• [v]. Or When
• [w]. Dn 9:18
• [x]. Jr 49:12-13
• [y]. Dt 26:15; 2 Ch 30:27; Ps 76:2
• [z]. Hs 4:1; 12:3; Mc 6:2
• [aa]. Jr 23:19; 30:23
• [ab]. a mourning custom
• [ac]. Jr 6:26; Jb 2:8,12; Ezk 27:30
• [ad]. Nm 32:14; 2 Ch 28:11; Zph 2:2
• [ae]. Some Hb mss, LXX, Tg; other Hb mss read burning; Jr 46:16

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 25

This chapter contains a prophecy of the destruction of Judea by the king of Babylon; and also of Babylon itself, after the Jews' captivity of seventy years; and likewise of all the nations round about. The date of this prophecy is in Jer 25:1; when the prophet puts the Jews in mind of the prophecies that had been delivered unto them by himself and others, for some years past, without effect, Jer 25:2-7; wherefore they are threatened with the king of Babylon, that he should come against them, and strip them of all their desirable things; make their land desolate, and them captives for seventy years, Jer 25:8-11; at the expiration of which he in his turn shall be punished, and the land of Chaldea laid waste, and become subject to other nations and kings, Jer 25:12-14; and by a cup of wine given to all the nations round about, is signified the utter ruin of them, and who are particularly mentioned by name, Jer 25:15-26; which is confirmed by beginning with the city of Jerusalem, and the destruction of that, Jer 25:27-29; wherefore the prophet is bid to prophesy against them, and to declare the Lord's controversy with them, and that there should be a slaughter of them from one end of the earth to the other, Jer 25:30-33; upon which the shepherds, kings, and rulers of them, are called to lamentation and howling, Jer 25:34-38.