Jeremiah 51:53-63

53 If Babylon ascendeth into heaven, and maketh steadfast his strength on high, destroyers thereof shall come of me, saith the Lord. (Yea, even if Babylon goeth up into the heavens, and maketh steadfast its strength on high, its destroyers shall still come from me, saith the Lord.)
54 The voice of a crier of Babylon, and great sorrow of the land of Chaldees, (The sound of crying in Babylon, and the sound of great sorrow in the land of the Chaldeans,)
55 for the Lord destroyed Babylon, and lost of it a great voice; and the waves of them shall sound as many waters. The voice of them gave sound, (for the Lord destroyed Babylon, yea, destroyed its great voice; and the waves of the attacking armies shall sound like many waters. Their voices made a great noise,)
56 for a ravener came [up]on it (for a robber came upon it), that is, [up]on Babylon; and the strong men thereof be taken, and the bow of them withered, for the strong venger, the Lord, yielding [again] shall yield.
57 And I shall make drunken the princes thereof, and the wise men thereof, the dukes thereof, and the magistrates thereof, and the strong men thereof; and they shall sleep everlasting sleep, and they shall not be awaked, saith the king, the Lord of hosts is name of him. (And I shall make drunk its princes, and its wise men, and its leaders, and its magistrates, and its strong men; and they shall sleep an everlasting sleep, and they shall never awaken, saith the King, the Lord of hosts is his name.)
58 The Lord God of hosts saith these things, That broadest wall of Babylon shall be [under]mined with [under]mining, and the high gates thereof shall be burnt with fire; and the travails of peoples shall be to nought, and the travails of heathen men shall be into fire, and shall perish. (The Lord God of hosts saith these things, That most broad wall of Babylon shall be undermined with undermining, and its high gates shall be burned down; and all the labours of the peoples shall be for nothing, and all the labours of the heathen shall be but for the fire, for they shall all perish.)
59 The word which Jeremy, the prophet, commanded to Seraiah, son of Neriah, son of Maaseiah, when he went with Zedekiah, the king, into Babylon, in the fourth year of his realm; forsooth Seraiah was prince of prophecy. (The word which the prophet Jeremiah commanded to Seraiah, the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, when he went with King Zedekiah, to Babylon, in the fourth year of his reign; and Seraiah was a prince of prophecy.)
60 And Jeremy wrote all the evil, that was to coming on Babylon, in a book (And Jeremiah wrote down all of the evil, that was to come upon Babylon, in a book), (yea,) all these words that were written against Babylon.
61 And Jeremy said to Seraiah, When thou comest into Babylon, and seest, and readest all these words,
62 thou shalt say, Lord, thou spakest against this place, that thou shouldest lose it, that none be that dwell therein, from man unto beast, and that it be an everlasting wilderness. (thou shalt say, O Lord, thou hast spoken against this place, that thou wouldest destroy it, so that there be no one who live there, from man unto beast, and that it become an everlasting wilderness.)
63 And when thou hast [ful]filled to read this book, thou shalt bind to it a stone, and thou shalt cast it forth into the midst of Euphrates; (And when thou hast finished reading this book, thou shalt bind it to a stone, and thou shalt throw it forth into the midst of the Euphrates River;)

Jeremiah 51:53-63 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.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.