Jeremiah 51 3

Jeremiah 51:3 kjv

Against him that bendeth let the archer bend his bow, and against him that lifteth himself up in his brigandine: and spare ye not her young men; destroy ye utterly all her host.

Jeremiah 51:3 nkjv

Against her let the archer bend his bow, And lift himself up against her in his armor. Do not spare her young men; Utterly destroy all her army.

Jeremiah 51:3 niv

Let not the archer string his bow, nor let him put on his armor. Do not spare her young men; completely destroy her army.

Jeremiah 51:3 esv

Let not the archer bend his bow, and let him not stand up in his armor. Spare not her young men; devote to destruction all her army.

Jeremiah 51:3 nlt

Don't let the archers put on their armor
or draw their bows.
Don't spare even her best soldiers!
Let her army be completely destroyed.

Jeremiah 51 verses

Jeremiah 51 3 meaning

Jeremiah 51:3 is a divine command delivered to the nations designated by God to execute judgment upon Babylon. It instructs these invading armies to act with absolute ruthlessness and without quarter. They are forbidden from allowing Babylonian soldiers any opportunity to prepare for defense or offense ("Let not the archer bend his bow, nor let him put on his coat of mail"). Furthermore, the command is to show no pity or compassion, particularly towards the young men who form the strength of Babylon's military, but instead, to utterly destroy them and its entire army, setting them apart for divine extermination. This verse underscores the totality and severity of God's wrath against Babylon for its pride and its cruel oppression of His people.

Jeremiah 51 3 Context

Jeremiah chapter 51 continues the detailed and expansive prophecy against Babylon that began in chapter 50. These two chapters form the longest and most specific prophecy in the Old Testament concerning a foreign nation's destruction. The historical setting is the Babylonian exile, where Judah, along with its king and many of its people, was in captivity in Babylon (after the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC). Jeremiah's prophecies of Babylon's downfall served as a powerful message of hope and divine justice to the exiled Judeans. Babylon, God's earlier "hammer" against unfaithful Judah, is now itself being judged for its hubris, idolatry, and its excessive cruelty towards God's people. Jeremiah 51:3 specifically calls for unrelenting and total war, instructing the Medo-Persian forces (the instruments of God's wrath, later revealed in history to be Cyrus and his army in 539 BC) to give no quarter to Babylon's military. The verse portrays God as sovereign over nations, orchestrating the rise and fall of empires according to His righteous will, and promises full retribution against those who have exalted themselves against Him and oppressed His covenant people.

Jeremiah 51 3 Word analysis

• "Let not the archer bend his bow" (אַל-יִדְרֹךְ הַקַּשָּׁת - ’al-yidroch haqashtô):
  • `אַל` (’al): A negative imperative, meaning "do not" or "let not." It carries the force of a prohibition.
  • `יִדְרֹךְ` (yidroch): From the verb `דָּרַךְ` (darach), meaning "to tread," "to step," but in the context of a bow, "to bend," "to string," or "to draw." This signifies preparation for an offensive action, getting ready to shoot.
  • `הַקַּשָּׁת` (haqashat): "The archer," the one who handles the `קֶשֶׁת` (qeshet, bow). Archers were a formidable and elite part of ancient armies.
  • Significance: This phrase is a command to the attacking forces not to permit any Babylonian archer to even prepare their weapon for battle, ensuring swift and unhindered conquest, preventing any defensive stand.
• "nor let him put on his coat of mail" (וְאַל-יִתְנַגֵּד בְּסִרְיֹנוֹ - wə’al-yitnagged bəsiryōnô):
  • `וְאַל-יִתְנַגֵּד` (wə’al-yitnaged): From `נָגַד` (nagad) in the Hithpael stem, meaning "to stand over against," "to offer resistance," or "to array oneself" for battle. It suggests actively resisting or taking a defensive stand. While "put on his coat of mail" (armor) is a common translation for preparing for defense, the root emphasizes resistance.
  • `בְּסִרְיֹנוֹ` (bəsiryonô): "With his coat of mail," "in his breastplate/body armor." `סִרְיֹן` (siryon) is defensive armor, a critical part of a warrior's protection.
  • Significance: This parallels the preceding command, ensuring no defensive readiness either. The combined phrases mandate that the invaders are to give Babylon's military no opportunity to fight back or even protect themselves.
• "and do not spare her young men" (וְאַל-תַּחְמְלוּ אֶל-בַּחוּרֶיהָ - wə’al-táchmilú ’el-bachureyha):
  • `וְאַל-תַּחְמְלוּ` (wə’al-tachmelu): From `חָמַל` (chamal), "to have pity," "to spare," "to show compassion." The plural imperative here makes it a direct command to the multitude of attacking soldiers.
  • `בַּחוּרֶיהָ` (bachureyha): "Her young men," referring to the strong, vigorous, and able-bodied individuals, particularly those suited for military service. They represent the current strength and future generation of the nation.
  • Significance: This is an explicit command for utter mercilessness, targeting the vital essence and future capacity of Babylon to resist or rebuild.
• "devotedly destroy all her army" (הַחֲרִימוּ כָּל-צְבָאָהּ - hakhárimu kol-tzəbā’áh):
  • `הַחֲרִימוּ` (hachárimu): From `חָרַם` (charam) in the Hiphil imperative, meaning "to put under a ban," "to utterly destroy," "to consecrate to God for destruction." This is the theological concept of cherem, total and sacred annihilation.
  • `כָּל-צְבָאָהּ` (kol-tzəbā’áh): "All her army," referring to Babylon's entire military force, its hosts, or troops.
  • Significance: This is the culminating and most potent command, signaling a holy war sanctioned by God. The destruction is to be total, comprehensive, and sacralized as an act of divine judgment, leaving nothing of Babylon's military strength intact.

• "Let not the archer bend his bow, nor let him put on his coat of mail": This two-part instruction to the attacking forces forbids any grace or opportunity for Babylon's military to prepare either for offense (bow) or defense (armor). It emphasizes an overwhelming and unceasing assault that preempts any effective resistance from the enemy. The war is to be so swift and merciless that the Babylonian soldiers are denied the basic preparations for battle.
• "and do not spare her young men; devotedly destroy all her army": These are twin, escalating imperatives that underline the severity and totality of the decreed judgment. The first command forbids pity, especially toward the military-eligible youth, ensuring the eradication of future fighting capacity. The second, employing the term cherem, mandates a complete, religiously sanctioned annihilation of Babylon's entire armed force, implying an unreserved dedication to God's judgment without taking plunder or leaving remnants.

Jeremiah 51 3 Bonus section

• The use of cherem (hacharimu) signifies more than just destruction; it imbues the military action with a religious purpose. Babylon, like the wicked cities of Canaan in earlier history, is to be devoted to destruction as an offering to God's justice, meaning nothing belonging to its military is to be kept for human profit or personal gain by the conquering forces. This emphasizes that the conquest is not merely for human ambition but is an act consecrated to the Lord.
• The intensity of the command, particularly "do not spare her young men," specifically targets the "prime of life," the vigorous segment of the population responsible for sustaining a nation's military and future. Their destruction ensures not only the immediate defeat of Babylon but also crippling its long-term recovery and perpetuation.
• This passage functions as a prophetic reversal: just as Babylon showed no mercy in devastating Judah, now mercy is withheld from her. This highlights the principle of lex talionis (eye for an eye) in God's judicial dealings with nations, ensuring that the oppressor reaps what they have sown, fulfilling a thematic connection found in other prophetic judgments against hostile nations.

Jeremiah 51 3 Commentary

Jeremiah 51:3 is a fierce divine decree demonstrating God's sovereign hand in history, using other nations to execute His judgment upon Babylon. This is not a humanly motivated call for vengeance, but a prophetic pronouncement of God's "holy war" against an empire that had exalted itself against Him and brutally oppressed His chosen people. The specific commands for preventing military preparation (no strung bows, no donned armor) convey that Babylon's fate is sealed; their resistance will be futile. The order to "not spare her young men" and to "devotedly destroy all her army" reveals the extent of God's wrath, ensuring the eradication of Babylon's present military might and future capacity for war. This echoes Old Testament concepts of cherem, where entire entities or groups were dedicated for total destruction as an act of devotion to God's justice. The unsparing nature of the judgment against Babylon serves as a stark reminder of the consequences for nations that defiantly oppose God's will and inflict suffering on the innocent, showcasing divine justice and ultimately, the vindication of God's covenant people.