Jeremiah 25:15-38

The Cup of God’s Wrath

15 This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it.

16 When they drink it, they will stagger and go mad because of the sword I will send among them.”

17 So I took the cup from the LORD’s hand and made all the nations to whom he sent me drink it:

18 Jerusalem and the towns of Judah, its kings and officials, to make them a ruin and an object of horror and scorn, a curse^[a] —as they are today;

19 Pharaoh king of Egypt, his attendants, his officials and all his people,

20 and all the foreign people there; all the kings of Uz; all the kings of the Philistines (those of Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the people left at Ashdod);

21 Edom, Moab and Ammon;

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

23 Dedan, Tema, Buz and all who are in distant places^[b] ;

24 all the kings of Arabia and all the kings of the foreign people who live in the wilderness;

25 all the kings of Zimri, Elam and Media;

26 and all the kings of the north, near and far, one after the other—all the kingdoms on the face of the earth. And after all of them, the king of Sheshak^[c] will drink it too.

27 “Then tell them, ‘This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Drink, get drunk and vomit, and fall to rise no more because of the sword I will send among you.’

28 But if they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink, tell them, ‘This is what the LORD Almighty says: You must drink it!

29 See, I am beginning to bring disaster on the city that bears my Name, and will you indeed go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am calling down a sword on all who live on the earth, declares the LORD Almighty.’

30 “Now prophesy all these words against them and say to them: “ ‘The LORD will roar from on high; he will thunder from his holy dwelling and roar mightily against his land. He will shout like those who tread the grapes, shout against all who live on the earth.

31 The tumult will resound to the ends of the earth, for the LORD will bring charges against the nations; he will bring judgment on all mankind and put the wicked to the sword,’ ” declares the LORD.

32 This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Look! Disaster is spreading from nation to nation; a mighty storm is rising from the ends of the earth.”

33 At that time those slain by the LORD will be everywhere—from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned or gathered up or buried, but will be like dung lying on the ground.

34 Weep and wail, you shepherds; roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock. For your time to be slaughtered has come; you will fall like the best of the rams.^[d]

35 The shepherds will have nowhere to flee, the leaders of the flock no place to escape.

36 Hear the cry of the shepherds, the wailing of the leaders of the flock, for the LORD is destroying their pasture.

37 The peaceful meadows will be laid waste because of the fierce anger of the LORD.

38 Like a lion he will leave his lair, and their land will become desolate because of the sword^[e] of the oppressor and because of the LORD’s fierce anger.

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Jeremiah 25:15-38 Meaning and Commentary

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.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 72

1. S Isaiah 51:17; Jeremiah 49:12; Lamentations 4:21; Ezekiel 23:31; Psalms 75:8; Revelation 14:10
2. Jeremiah 1:5
3. ver 26
4. S Psalms 60:3; Nahum 3:11
5. Jeremiah 51:7
6. ver 27-29
7. Jeremiah 1:10; Jeremiah 27:3
8. S Jeremiah 13:13
9. S Job 12:19
10. S 2 Chronicles 29:8
11. S Jeremiah 24:9
12. S Genesis 19:13; Jeremiah 44:22
13. S 2 Kings 18:21
14. Isaiah 19:1; Isaiah 20:3; Jeremiah 44:30; Ezekiel 29:2
15. S Genesis 10:23; Job 1:1
16. S Joshua 13:3; S 2 Chronicles 26:6; S 2 Chronicles 28:18; Zephaniah 2:4-7
17. Jeremiah 47:5; Amos 1:7-8
18. S Genesis 10:19
19. S Genesis 25:30
20. S Genesis 19:37; S Deuteronomy 23:6
21. S Genesis 19:38; Jeremiah 27:3; Jeremiah 49:1
22. S Joshua 19:29
23. S Genesis 10:15; Jeremiah 47:4
24. Isaiah 11:11; Isaiah 48:20; Isaiah 66:20; Jeremiah 31:10; Ezekiel 27:15; Ezekiel 39:6; Daniel 11:18
25. S Genesis 25:3
26. S Genesis 25:15
27. S Ge 2 2:21
28. Jeremiah 9:26; Jeremiah 49:32
29. S 2 Chronicles 9:14
30. ver 20
31. Genesis 25:2
32. S Genesis 10:22
33. S Isaiah 21:2
34. ver 9; Jeremiah 50:3,9; Jeremiah 51:11,48
35. Isaiah 23:17
36. Jeremiah 51:41
37. ver 16,28; S Isaiah 29:9; S Isaiah 49:26; Jeremiah 51:57; Ezekiel 23:32-34; Nahum 3:18; Habakkuk 2:16
38. S Jeremiah 12:12; Ezekiel 14:17; Ezekiel 21:4
39. S Isaiah 51:23
40. S 2 Samuel 5:7; Isaiah 10:12; Jeremiah 13:12-14; Jeremiah 39:1
41. S Deuteronomy 28:10; S Isaiah 37:17; 1 Peter 4:17
42. S Proverbs 11:31
43. ver 27
44. ver 30-31; Isaiah 34:2
45. S Isaiah 24:1
46. Isaiah 16:10; S Isaiah 42:13
47. S Psalms 46:6; Joel 3:16; Amos 1:2
48. S Psalms 68:5
49. Isaiah 63:3; Joel 3:13; Revelation 14:19-20
50. Jeremiah 23:19
51. S Jeremiah 2:9; Hosea 4:1; Joel 3:2; Micah 6:2
52. S 1 Samuel 12:7; S Jeremiah 2:35; S Ezekiel 36:5
53. S ver 29
54. S Jeremiah 15:9
55. S Isaiah 30:25
56. Isaiah 34:2
57. S Jeremiah 23:19
58. S Deuteronomy 28:49
59. Isaiah 66:16; Ezekiel 39:17-20
60. S Jeremiah 8:2; Jeremiah 16:4
61. S Psalms 79:3
62. S Jeremiah 2:8; Zechariah 10:3
63. S Jeremiah 6:26
64. S Psalms 44:22; S Isaiah 34:6; Jeremiah 50:27; Jeremiah 51:40; Zechariah 11:4,7
65. S Jeremiah 22:28
66. S Job 11:20
67. S Jeremiah 6:26
68. S Jeremiah 23:1; Zechariah 11:3
69. S Job 10:16; S Jeremiah 4:7
70. Jeremiah 44:22
71. Jeremiah 46:16; Jeremiah 50:16
72. S Exodus 15:7; S Jeremiah 4:26

Footnotes 5

[a]. That is, their names to be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, to be seen by others as cursed
[b]. Or "who clip the hair by their foreheads"
[c]. "Sheshak" is a cryptogram for Babylon.
[d]. Septuagint; Hebrew "fall and be shattered like fine pottery"
[e]. Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint (see also 46:16 and 50:16); most Hebrew manuscripts "anger"