Jeremiah 27:8

8 "It will be, that the nation or the kingdom which 1will not serve him, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and which will not put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation with the 2sword, with famine and with pestilence," declares the LORD, "until I have destroyed it by his hand.

Jeremiah 27:8 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 27:8

And it shall come to pass, [that] the nation and kingdom which
will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon
Will not, upon his approaching to them, invading and besieging them, submit and become tributary to him, as is more fully expressed in the next clause: and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon;
or voluntarily become subject to him, and pay a tax he shall impose upon them. This refers to, and explains the symbol of, Jeremiah's making and wearing yokes, ( Jeremiah 27:2 ) ; that nation will I punish, saith the Lord, with the sword, and with
the famine, and with the pestilence;
with one judgment after another; some will perish by the sword of the enemy, sallying out upon them, or endeavouring to make their escape; others by famine their provisions being spent through the length of the siege; and others by pestilence, or the plague, by the immediate hand of God: until I have consumed them by his hand;
Nebuchadnezzar's; by means of him; by his sword, and strait besieging them; or, "into his hand"; and so the Targum,

``until I have delivered them into his hand;''
having consumed multitudes by the sword, famine, and pestilence, will deliver the rest into his hands to be carried captive by him.

Jeremiah 27:8 In-Context

6 "Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and I have given him also the wild animals of the field to serve him.
7 "All the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson until the time of his own land comes; then many nations and great kings will make him their servant.
8 "It will be, that the nation or the kingdom which will not serve him, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and which will not put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation with the sword, with famine and with pestilence," declares the LORD , "until I have destroyed it by his hand.
9 "But as for you, do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your soothsayers or your sorcerers who speak to you, saying, 'You will not serve the king of Babylon.'
10 "For they prophesy a lie to you in order to remove you far from your land; and I will drive you out and you will perish.

Cross References 2

  • 1. Jeremiah 38:17-19; Jeremiah 42:15, 16; Ezekiel 17:19-21
  • 2. Jeremiah 24:10; Jeremiah 27:13; Jeremiah 29:17, 18; Ezekiel 14:21

Footnotes 1

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