Jeremiah 25 20

Jeremiah 25:20 kjv

And all the mingled people, and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Azzah, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod,

Jeremiah 25:20 nkjv

all the mixed multitude, all the kings of the land of Uz, all the kings of the land of the Philistines (namely, Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod);

Jeremiah 25:20 niv

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);

Jeremiah 25:20 esv

and all the mixed tribes among them; all the kings of the land of Uz and all the kings of the land of the Philistines (Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod);

Jeremiah 25:20 nlt

along with all the foreigners living in that land. I also gave it to all the kings of the land of Uz and the kings of the Philistine cities of Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and what remains of Ashdod.

Jeremiah 25 verses

Jeremiah 25 20 Meaning

Jeremiah 25:20 describes specific nations, peoples, and cities that are designated to drink from the "cup of the wine of God's fury." This verse identifies a diverse group including "all the mingled people," referring to various mixed ethnic groups or perhaps nomadic tribes; "all the kings of the land of Uz," indicating a region associated with Job's homeland, possibly near Edom or northern Arabia; and various cities within the Philistine territory, namely "Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod." The inclusion of these distinct groups signifies the wide and indiscriminate reach of divine judgment that is coming upon the known world through Nebuchadnezzar's conquests, demonstrating God's ultimate sovereignty over all nations.

Jeremiah 25 20 Context

Jeremiah 25 presents a comprehensive prophecy given in the fourth year of Jehoiakim king of Judah (605 BC), which was also the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. The overarching message of the chapter is the imminent seventy-year Babylonian captivity for Judah (Jer 25:11) and, more broadly, a sweeping judgment upon all the nations. Verses 15-26 detail the specific peoples and kingdoms destined to drink from the "cup of the wine of My fury," symbolizing divine wrath and devastation. Verse 20 is an itemized listing within this larger "catalogue of judgment," identifying various neighbors of Judah, both near and somewhat distant. This prophecy signals the shift in global power and reinforces that Judah's exile is not arbitrary but part of a wider divine reckoning with the whole earth, implemented through Babylon. Historically, these nations faced subsequent conquest by Nebuchadnezzar, confirming Jeremiah's prophetic words.

Jeremiah 25 20 Word analysis

• and all the mingled people:

  • all: Implies totality; no one associated with this group is excluded from the judgment.
  • the mingled people (הָעֶרֶב - hāʿerev): This Hebrew term literally means "the mixed multitude" or "mixed peoples." In Ex 12:38, it refers to non-Israelites who accompanied Israel out of Egypt, suggesting a diverse, possibly transient, population. Here, in the context of surrounding nations, it may refer to:
    1. Various foreign groups living among the listed nations or loosely associated with them, possibly mercenaries or marginalized ethnic communities.
    2. Nomadic Arab tribes inhabiting the desert regions to the east and south of Judah, indicating peoples without clear political boundaries, often involved in trade or raiding (Jer 50:37; Eze 30:5 uses similar phrasing for "Arabia" or "mingled people").
    • Significance: Their inclusion underscores the comprehensiveness of the judgment; it extends beyond formally established kingdoms to encompass even those less defined by national structure, affirming God's judgment over all societal and ethnic configurations.

• all the kings of the land of Uz:

  • all the kings: Reinforces the comprehensive nature of the judgment against the political leadership of this region. It includes the entirety of their ruling structures.
  • the land of Uz (עוּץ - Uts): Mentioned as the homeland of Job (Job 1:1). It is geographically placed to the east or southeast of Judah, often associated with Edom (Lam 4:21). It suggests a region on the periphery of the fertile crescent, possibly linked to northern Arabia or the Syrian desert.
  • Significance: The targeting of a more distant land like Uz emphasizes the universal reach of God's judgment, extending beyond Judah's immediate neighbors to more remote territories. It signifies that God's sovereignty is not geographically limited.

• all the kings of the land of the Philistines:

  • all the kings: Indicates judgment against the collective leadership of the entire Philistine region, implying a coordinated or simultaneous divine decree over their independent city-states.
  • the land of the Philistines (אֶרֶץ פְּלִשְׁתִּים - erets Pəlishtim): Refers to the coastal plain southwest of Judah, inhabited by the Philistines. They were long-standing adversaries of Israel (e.g., in the time of Samson, Saul, and David).
  • Polemics: This prophecy inherently functions as a polemic against the Philistine gods (like Dagon, Baal-zebub, and Ashtoreth), demonstrating Yahweh's ultimate power and authority over them and their territories (Jdg 16:23, 1 Sam 31:10, 2 Kgs 1:2), as these false gods could not protect their worshippers from the coming wrath.

• Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod:

  • These are four of the five principal cities of the Philistine Pentapolis (the fifth typically being Gath, which is notably absent here, perhaps having already suffered significant decline by Jeremiah's time). Their explicit naming provides geographical precision and indicates specific devastation for each urban center.
    • Ashkelon (אַשְׁקְלוֹן - Ashqelon): A prominent coastal city and important seaport.
    • Gaza (עַזָּה - Azzah): The southernmost and strategically important Philistine city, controlling a vital trade route to Egypt.
    • Ekron (עֶקְרוֹן - Eqron): The northernmost Philistine city, often contested by Judah.
    • the remnant of Ashdod (שְׁאֵרִית אַשְׁדּוֹד - shəʾerît Ashdôd): The phrase "remnant of Ashdod" is particularly significant. It implies that Ashdod had already suffered considerable devastation, perhaps from earlier Assyrian conquests (Isa 20:1) or other conflicts, and only a portion of its original population or strength remained.
      • Significance: This specification emphasizes the thoroughness of God's judgment; even a diminished, partially destroyed entity like Ashdod would not escape the finality of the "cup of fury." It indicates that the process of judgment was already underway for some, preceding the grand sweep of Nebuchadnezzar's conquests, demonstrating the relentless and complete nature of God's sovereign wrath.

Jeremiah 25 20 Bonus section

• The widespread nature of this prophecy demonstrates that Jeremiah was called by God not just as a prophet to Judah but also "over nations and over kingdoms" (Jer 1:10), a truth explicitly laid out at the beginning of his book.
• The specific inclusion of Ashkelon, Gaza, and Ekron, with the "remnant of Ashdod," provides an intriguing snapshot of the geopolitical landscape just before the full rise of Babylonian imperial power, suggesting that some cities were already weakened, perhaps indicating God's judgment had already commenced or was imminently manifest through existing political circumstances.
• The Philistines' destruction, as prophesied here and in other texts (e.g., Amos 1, Zeph 2, Zech 9), ultimately resulted in their absorption into the larger regional cultures and their distinct identity vanishing, a historical fulfillment of these intense prophetic warnings.

Jeremiah 25 20 Commentary

Jeremiah 25:20 precisely catalogues some of the many recipients of God's impending judgment, portrayed as drinking from a cup of His furious wine. The prophet meticulously lists distinct groups and locations, emphasizing the divine decree's universal scope. From the enigmatic "mingled people"—a diverse collection of populations potentially nomadic Arabs or various inhabitants of mixed descent within or around other nations—to the more clearly defined "kings of the land of Uz," located in a distant region associated with Job and Edom, the breadth of targeted areas highlights that no corner of the known world, regardless of its remoteness or specific societal structure, would escape the sweeping wave of God's indignation.

The Philistine lands receive particular attention, with "all their kings" condemned, followed by the specific naming of four key city-states: Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and notably, "the remnant of Ashdod." The inclusion of "remnant" for Ashdod is striking. It suggests that Ashdod had already experienced significant decline or destruction before this major judgment, perhaps from prior Assyrian campaigns or other regional conflicts. Its presence underscores that God's judgment would complete what was perhaps already a process of ruin, signaling a comprehensive and finality to the Philistines' fate. This particularization serves as a potent polemic against the regional deities worshipped by these Philistine cities, asserting the supreme and exclusive power of Yahweh. The entire list within Jeremiah 25 showcases God's sovereignty over global politics and human affairs, where kingdoms rise and fall at His decree, demonstrating that no nation is beyond accountability to Him. This passage underscores that Judah's suffering in exile was part of a broader, divinely orchestrated cosmic judgment upon the sin and rebellion of all humanity.