Jeremiah 50:32

32 and the proud one shall stumble and fall, and none shall raise him up; yea, I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it shall devour all that are round about him.

Jeremiah 50:32 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 50:32

And the most proud shall stumble and fall
Or "pride", as before; "the man of pride", who is so proud that he may be called pride itself. The Targum, as before, interprets it a wicked king; and Abarbinel understands it of Belshazzar particularly, who was slain the night that Babylon was taken. It may be understood of the whole kingdom and monarchy of Babylon, which was a superb state; but all its grandeur and glory were brought down and laid in the dust at once, as mystical Babylon will; when it will be said, "Babylon the great", the proud and the haughty, is fallen, ( Revelation 18:2 ) ; and none shall raise him up;
the kingdom of Babylon shall not be restored train, nor the king of it have any successor, nor the city be rebuilt; compare with this ( Revelation 18:21 ) ; and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it shall devour all round
about him;
in Babylon, the metropolis of the kingdom, and in all others round about it: it denotes the utter destruction of the whole monarchy. It may be applied to the burning of Rome with fire, and the ruin of its whole jurisdiction; for, when that is destroyed, the cities of the nations all around shall fall, which belong unto it; see ( Revelation 18:8 ) ( 16:19 ) .

Jeremiah 50:32 In-Context

30 Therefore shall her young men fall in her streets; and all her men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith Jehovah.
31 Behold, I am against thee, proud one, saith the Lord Jehovah of hosts; for thy day is come, the time that I visit thee:
32 and the proud one shall stumble and fall, and none shall raise him up; yea, I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it shall devour all that are round about him.
33 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: The children of Israel and the children of Judah were together oppressed; and all that took them captives held them fast: they refused to let them go.
34 Their Redeemer is strong; Jehovah of hosts is his name: he will thoroughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to the land, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Lit. 'pride,' as ch. 49.16. It is Babylon personified.
The Darby Translation is in the public domain.