Jeremiah 51:1-6

The Utter Destruction of Babylon

1 Thus says the LORD: "Behold, I will stir up ¹the spirit of a destroyer against Babylon, against the inhabitants of Leb-kamai,^[a]

2 and I will send to Babylon winnowers, and ²they shall winnow her, and they shall empty her land, when they come against her from every side ³on the day of trouble.

3 ⁴Let not the archer bend his bow, and let him not stand up in his armor. Spare not her young men; ⁵devote to destruction^[b] all her army.

4 They shall fall down slain in the land of the Chaldeans, ⁶and wounded in her streets.

5 ⁷For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken by their God, the LORD of hosts, but the land of the Chaldeans^[c] is full of guilt against the Holy One of Israel.

6 ⁸"Flee from the midst of Babylon; let every one save his life! ⁹Be not cut off in her punishment, ¹⁰for this is the time of the LORD's vengeance, the repayment he is rendering her.

Jeremiah 51:1-6 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

• 1. [Jeremiah 4:11; Isaiah 21:1]
• 2. [Matthew 3:12]; See Jeremiah 15:7
• 3. [Jeremiah 2:28]
• 4. [Jeremiah 50:14, 29]
• 5. [Jeremiah 50:21]
• 6. Jeremiah 49:26
• 7. See Isaiah 54:5-7
• 8. ver. 45; Jeremiah 50:8
• 9. [Genesis 19:15]
• 10. Jeremiah 50:15

Footnotes

• [a]. A code name for Chaldea
• [b]. That is, set apart (devote) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction)
• [c]. Hebrew their land