Jeremiah 25 12

Jeremiah 25:12 kjv

And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.

Jeremiah 25:12 nkjv

'Then it will come to pass, when seventy years are completed, that I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity,' says the LORD; 'and I will make it a perpetual desolation.

Jeremiah 25:12 niv

"But when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation, the land of the Babylonians, for their guilt," declares the LORD, "and will make it desolate forever.

Jeremiah 25:12 esv

Then after seventy years are completed, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity, declares the LORD, making the land an everlasting waste.

Jeremiah 25:12 nlt

"Then, after the seventy years of captivity are over, I will punish the king of Babylon and his people for their sins," says the LORD. "I will make the country of the Babylonians a wasteland forever.

Jeremiah 25 12 Cross References

| Verse | Text | Reference ||---|---|---|| Isa 13:19-22 | And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms... shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited... | Prophecy of Babylon's utter and permanent ruin. || Isa 14:22-23 | "I will cut off from Babylon name and remnant, son and grandson," declares the LORD... I will sweep it with the broom of destruction. | Divine promise of complete annihilation for Babylon's lineage. || Isa 47:1-5 | Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground: there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate. | Taunt against Babylon, predicting its fall from glory and enslavement. || Jer 29:10 | For thus says the LORD: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, in bringing you back to this place. | The companion prophecy guaranteeing Judah's return after 70 years. || Jer 50:1-3 | The word that the LORD spoke against Babylon, against the land of the Chaldeans... For out of the north a nation comes up against her... | Opening of extensive prophecy against Babylon's fall to invaders from the north (Medes/Persians). || Jer 50:18 | "Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I have punished the king of Assyria." | Reinforces the principle of God judging empires, referencing Assyria's previous fall. || Jer 50:23 | How the hammer of the whole earth is cut apart and broken! How Babylon has become a desolation among the nations! | Symbolic language for Babylon's power being destroyed, becoming an example of desolation. || Jer 51:24 | "And I will repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldea for all the evil they have done in Zion in your sight," declares the LORD. | Direct statement of divine vengeance for Babylon's actions against Zion. || Dan 9:2 | ...in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years which the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. | Daniel's understanding and prayer based on Jeremiah's prophecy. || 2 Chron 36:21 | To fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths. For as long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years. | Direct biblical statement of fulfillment concerning the 70 years. || Zech 1:15 | "And I am very angry with the nations that are at ease; for I was a little angry, and they helped on the disaster." | God's anger at nations (like Babylon) who inflict excessive suffering beyond His limited anger. || Zech 7:5 | "When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for these seventy years, was it actually for Me that you fasted?" | Refers to the continued mourning for the exile, affirming the 70-year duration. || Hab 2:8 | "Because you have plundered many nations, all the remnant of the peoples shall plunder you, because of men's blood and the violence done to the land..." | Universal principle of retribution for those who engage in conquest and violence. || Isa 10:12 | "So it shall be, when the Lord has finished all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, that He will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria..." | God uses nations as instruments, then judges them for their arrogance and excesses. || Nah 1:2 | The LORD is a jealous God and avenging; the LORD is avenging and wrathful; the LORD takes vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserves wrath for His enemies. | Highlights God's nature as a God who exacts justice and vengeance. || Deut 32:35 | Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; In due time their foot shall slip; For the day of their calamity is at hand, And the things to come hasten upon them. | Principle of divine retribution, delayed but certain. || Ps 9:16 | The LORD is known by the judgment He executes; The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. | Emphasizes God's righteous character through His judgment of the wicked. || Rev 18:6 | Render to her just as she rendered to you; and double to her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her. | New Testament echoing the principle of divine judgment and full retribution against "Babylon." || Rev 18:21 | Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "Thus with violence will that great city Babylon be thrown down, and will not be found anymore." | Symbolic fulfillment of Babylon's complete and final destruction, mirroring ancient prophecies. || Rom 12:19 | Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord." | Reinforces God's sole prerogative and certainty in executing vengeance. || Prov 11:21 | Though they join forces, the wicked will not go unpunished; But the posterity of the righteous will be delivered. | Assurance that no collective power will shield the wicked from God's judgment. |

Jeremiah 25 verses

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Jeremiah 25 12 Meaning

Jeremiah 25:12 declares that once Judah's seventy-year captivity in Babylon is complete, the LORD will meticulously account for and punish the king of Babylon and his nation for their extensive iniquity. The consequence for Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, will be a perpetual and irreversible desolation, a divine act of retribution for their pride and excessive cruelty beyond God's appointed judgment on Judah.

Jeremiah 25 12 Context

Jeremiah 25 presents a pivotal prophecy given in the fourth year of Jehoiakim's reign, the year Nebuchadnezzar began his conquests. The chapter first declares Judah's impending seventy-year desolation under Babylonian captivity (vv. 8-11), directly leading into verse 12 which pronounces divine judgment against Babylon. This timing emphasizes God's sovereign control over international affairs and the precision of His prophetic word. Immediately following this verse, the chapter expands on a vision of God's "cup of wrath," indicating that judgment would spread to all nations, though Babylon receives a unique and ultimate destruction for their particular wickedness and role as oppressors. Historically, Babylon was an instrument of God's wrath against Judah for its sin, but it overstepped its divine mandate with pride and extreme cruelty, thus meriting its own severe and irreversible punishment.

Jeremiah 25 12 Word analysis

  • And it shall come to pass: (wəhāyāh - וְהָיָה) - This phrase denotes certainty; it is a prophetic declaration of an event that will inevitably occur. It underlines the divine decree and the reliability of God's word, not merely a possibility.
  • when seventy years are accomplished: (biməlō't šib'īm šānāh - בִּמְלֹאות שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה) -
    • məlō't (מְלֹאות) - from māle' (מָלֵא), meaning "to be full, complete, or fulfilled." It signifies the exact termination of the appointed time, emphasizing divine precision in the timing of historical events. This period directly ties to the seventy years of Judah's desolation (Jer 29:10, Zech 7:5).
    • šib'īm šānāh (שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה) - "seventy years." This specific number highlights God's pre-ordained plan and patience.
  • that I will punish: (ʾepqōd - אֶפְקֹד) - from pāqaḏ (פָּקַד), a rich Hebrew verb. It can mean "to visit, to inspect, to attend to," but in contexts of wrongdoing, it carries the strong sense of "to call to account, to inflict punishment." It implies a divine visitation for judgment and accountability. God is meticulously inspecting Babylon's deeds.
  • the king of Babylon: (ʿal-meleḵ Bāvel - עַל־מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל) - Refers primarily to Nebuchadnezzar, but collectively represents the Babylonian dynasty and its ruling authority.
  • and that nation: (wəʾal-hagoy hahū'- וְעַל־הַגּוֹי הַהוּא) - Encompasses the entire Babylonian people and their empire, not just the king.
  • for their iniquity: (ʿal-ʿăwōnām - עַל־עֲוֹנָם) -
    • ʿăwōnām (עֲוֹנָם) - "their iniquity, guilt, perversity, sin." This signifies that God's judgment is not arbitrary but is a righteous response to Babylon's moral failings and wickedness. Their actions, though initially used by God to chastise Judah, were also expressions of their own inherent evil, pride, and cruelty. They took sadistic pleasure and exceeded divine limits (Zech 1:15).
  • and the land of the Chaldeans: (wəʿal-ʾereṣ Kasdīm - וְעַל־אֶרֶץ כַּשְׂדִּים) - Chaldea is an alternative or overlapping geographical term for Babylonia, emphasizing the territory that will suffer.
  • and will make it perpetual desolations: (wəśaməttîhā šammōt ʿôlām - וְשַׂמְתִּיהָ שַׁמּוֹת עוֹלָם) -
    • šammōt (שַׁמּוֹת) - "desolations, ruins, wastes." A very strong term indicating utter destruction.
    • ʿôlām (עוֹלָם) - "eternal, perpetual, forever." This word is crucial. Unlike Judah's temporary seventy-year desolation for a restorative purpose, Babylon's destruction is portrayed as permanent and irreversible. This highlights a polemic against the idea of empires lasting indefinitely through their own strength; God alone is eternal.

Jeremiah 25 12 Bonus section

  • The seventy-year period mentioned here and in Jeremiah 29:10 is a pivotal prophetic timeline, acting as a fixed point in God's plan for both Judah's judgment and restoration, and Babylon's ultimate downfall. Daniel specifically studied these prophecies (Dan 9:2).
  • The phrase "perpetual desolations" contrasts sharply with the restoration promised to Judah, revealing a key theological distinction between disciplinary judgment for God's people and annihilative judgment for defiant nations. While cities like Jerusalem could be rebuilt, Babylon's demise was to be total, illustrating the severity of sin against God's ultimate plan and people.
  • This verse embodies a powerful "lex talionis" (law of retaliation) principle in divine justice: "as you have done, it shall be done to you" (Obadiah 1:15). Babylon, which caused desolation, would experience desolation itself, and worse.
  • The specific mention of "their iniquity" clarifies that Babylon's downfall was not merely a political shift or cosmic accident but a righteous verdict on their moral transgressions, reinforcing God's role as the moral governor of the universe.

Jeremiah 25 12 Commentary

Jeremiah 25:12 stands as a profound testament to God's sovereignty over history, His unwavering justice, and the ultimate reliability of His prophetic word. It confirms that divine judgment, even when protracted, has a precise expiration date, after which retribution begins. Babylon, used as God's instrument against Judah, would not escape accountability for its own hubris, excessive cruelty, and independent wickedness (Hab 2:8). Their punishment would be perpetual desolation, a striking contrast to Judah's temporary seventy-year affliction intended for restoration. This stark difference underscores a crucial theological point: while God disciplines His people, He utterly destroys His enemies who revel in their evil and oppress beyond their divine commission. This verse serves as a historical promise fulfilled in 539 BC with the fall of Babylon to Cyrus the Great, and as a prophetic warning that no empire, however mighty, can escape the righteous judgment of the Almighty for its iniquity. It speaks to God's control even over the powerful and confirms that those who gloat in others' suffering will ultimately face His full wrath.