Jeremiah 51:26-36

26 "They will not take from you even a stone for a corner Nor a stone for foundations, But you will be 1desolate forever," declares the LORD.
27 2Lift up a signal in the land, Blow a trumpet among the nations! Consecrate the nations against her, Summon against her the 3kingdoms of 4Ararat, Minni and 5Ashkenaz; Appoint a marshal against her, Bring up the 6horses like bristly locusts.
28 Consecrate the nations against her, The kings of the Medes, Their governors and all their prefects, And every land of their dominion.
29 So the 7land quakes and writhes, For the purposes of the LORD against Babylon stand, To make the land of Babylon A 8desolation without inhabitants.
30 The 9mighty men of Babylon have ceased fighting, They stay in the strongholds; 10Their strength is exhausted, They are becoming 11like women; Their dwelling places are set on fire, The 12bars of her gates are broken.
31 One 13courier runs to meet another, And one 14messenger to meet another, To tell the king of Babylon That his city has been captured from end to end;
32 The fords also have been seized, And they have burned the marshes with fire, And the men of war are terrified.
33 For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "The daughter of Babylon is like a 15threshing floor At the time it is stamped firm; Yet in a little while the time of 16harvest will come for her."
34 "Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has 17devoured me and crushed me, He has set me down like an 18empty vessel; He has 19swallowed me like a monster, He has filled his stomach with my delicacies; He has washed me away.
35 "May the 20violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon," The inhabitant of Zion will say; And, "May my blood be upon the inhabitants of Chaldea," Jerusalem will say.
36 Therefore thus says the LORD, "Behold, I am going to 21plead your case And 22exact full vengeance for you; And 23I will dry up her sea And make her fountain dry.

Jeremiah 51:26-36 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 51

The former part of this chapter is a continuation of the prophecy of the preceding chapter, concerning the destruction of Babylon, Jer 51:1-58; the latter part of it contains a prophecy of Jeremiah sent to the captives in Babylon by the hand of Seraiah, with the copy of the above prophecy against Babylon, and an order to fasten a stone to it, and cast it into the river Euphrates, as a sign, confirming the utter and irreparable ruin of Babylon, Jer 51:59-64.

Cross References 23

  • 1. Isaiah 13:19-22; Jeremiah 50:13; Jeremiah 51:29
  • 2. Isaiah 13:2-5; Isaiah 18:3; Jeremiah 50:2; Jeremiah 51:12
  • 3. Jeremiah 50:3, 9
  • 4. Genesis 8:4; 2 Kings 19:37; Isaiah 37:38
  • 5. Genesis 10:3
  • 6. Jeremiah 50:42
  • 7. Jeremiah 8:16; Jeremiah 10:10; Jeremiah 50:46; Amos 8:8
  • 8. Isaiah 13:19, 20; Isaiah 47:11; Jeremiah 50:13; Jeremiah 51:26, 43
  • 9. Psalms 76:5; Jer 50:15, 36, 37
  • 10. Isaiah 13:7, 8; Nahum 3:13
  • 11. Isaiah 13:7, 8; Nahum 3:13
  • 12. Isaiah 45:1, 2; Lamentations 2:9; Amos 1:5; Nahum 3:13
  • 13. 2 Chronicles 30:6
  • 14. 2 Samuel 18:19-31
  • 15. Isaiah 21:10; Isaiah 41:15, 16; Micah 4:13
  • 16. Isaiah 17:5; Hosea 6:11; Joel 3:13; Revelation 14:15
  • 17. Jeremiah 50:17
  • 18. Isaiah 24:1-3
  • 19. Job 20:15; Jeremiah 51:44
  • 20. Psalms 137:8
  • 21. Psalms 140:12
  • 22. Jeremiah 51:6, 11; Romans 12:19
  • 23. Jeremiah 50:38

Footnotes 14

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