Jeremiah 51:31 kjv
One post shall run to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to shew the king of Babylon that his city is taken at one end,
Jeremiah 51:31 nkjv
One runner will run to meet another, And one messenger to meet another, To show the king of Babylon that his city is taken on all sides;
Jeremiah 51:31 niv
One courier follows another and messenger follows messenger to announce to the king of Babylon that his entire city is captured,
Jeremiah 51:31 esv
One runner runs to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to tell the king of Babylon that his city is taken on every side;
Jeremiah 51:31 nlt
The news is passed from one runner to the next
as the messengers hurry to tell the king
that his city has been captured.
Jeremiah 51 31 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah 51:31 | One messenger runs to meet another, and one courier to another, | Jeremiah 51:31 |
| Jeremiah 51:32 | to tell the king of Babylon that his city is captured at its farthest extremity. | Jeremiah 51:32 |
| Isaiah 21:9 | "She has fallen, she has fallen, Babylon!" | Isaiah 21:9 |
| Isaiah 47:1 | "Come down and sit in the dust, virgin daughter of Babylon;" | Isaiah 47:1 |
| Jeremiah 50:2, 3 | "Declare among the nations and proclaim, let them have it known; lift up a standard..." | Jeremiah 50:2, 3 |
| Jeremiah 50:8 | "Flee from the midst of Babylon..." | Jeremiah 50:8 |
| Jeremiah 50:14, 15 | "Let her wages be given to her. Strike her hands... Her foundations are fallen!" | Jeremiah 50:14, 15 |
| Jeremiah 50:23 | "How has the hammer of the whole earth been cut off and broken!" | Jeremiah 50:23 |
| Jeremiah 50:31-32 | "Behold, I am against you, O proud one," declares the Lord GOD of hosts... | Jeremiah 50:31-32 |
| Jeremiah 50:44 | "Behold, someone like a lion is coming up from the Jordan against the..." | Jeremiah 50:44 |
| Jeremiah 50:45-46 | "Therefore, hear the counsel of the LORD... Go up against her..." | Jeremiah 50:45-46 |
| Jeremiah 51:6, 7, 10 | "Flee from the midst of Babylon... for her sins have reached unto heaven... She will serve... an atonement..." | Jeremiah 51:6, 7, 10 |
| Jeremiah 51:11 | "Sharpen the arrows; guard the quivers! The LORD has stirred up the spirits..." | Jeremiah 51:11 |
| Jeremiah 51:17, 18 | "Everyone is stupid and without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame..." | Jeremiah 51:17, 18 |
| Jeremiah 51:33 | "For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Daughter of Babylon..." | Jeremiah 51:33 |
| Jeremiah 51:36 | "Therefore thus says the LORD: Behold, I will plead your cause..." | Jeremiah 51:36 |
| Jeremiah 51:37, 41, 56 | "And Babylon shall become a heap of ruins... How Sheshach has been captured... for a devastator has come against her, against Babylon..." | Jeremiah 51:37, 41, 56 |
| Jeremiah 51:63-64 | "And when you finish reading this scroll, you shall tie a stone to it and cast it into the midst of the Euphrates... Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise..." | Jeremiah 51:63-64 |
| Revelation 17:5 | "and on her forehead was written a name of mystery: ‘Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations.’" | Revelation 17:5 |
| Revelation 18:2 | "He cried out with a mighty voice, 'Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!'" | Revelation 18:2 |
| Revelation 18:10, 21 | "and crying out: 'Fallen, fallen, great city Babylon... throw her down headlong... she will be found no more.'" | Revelation 18:10, 21 |
| Psalm 37:35-36 | "I have seen a wicked man overbearing, and stretching himself like a luxuriant tree in its native soil. But he passed away, and behold, he was no more;" | Psalm 37:35-36 |
| Luke 10:18 | "And he said to them, 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.'" | Luke 10:18 |
Jeremiah 51 verses
Jeremiah 51 31 Meaning
The verse describes a messenger bringing news to Jerusalem about Babylon's fall. The news is that Babylon, the devastator, has been overthrown. This divine declaration signifies the end of her dominion and power.
Jeremiah 51 31 Context
This verse is situated within the latter part of Jeremiah's prophecy, specifically chapter 51, which deals extensively with the judgment upon Babylon. Jeremiah had been commissioned by God to pronounce doom upon the mighty empire of Babylon for its cruelty, idolatry, and oppression, especially towards God's people, Israel. Chapter 50 and 51 detail the fall of Babylon. The context of verse 31 is the rapid dissemination of the news of Babylon's imminent defeat. It illustrates the panic and confusion within the city as the messengers frantically deliver their dire reports to the king. The surrounding verses further describe the cause of Babylon's downfall and the resulting devastation.
Jeremiah 51 31 Word Analysis
- וּמַלְאַךְ (u'mal'ach): "and a messenger".
- 'U' (וּ) - A conjunctive particle, "and".
- 'mal'ach' (מַלְאַךְ) - From the root meaning "to send" (שלח - shalach), it signifies a messenger, envoy, or angel. The repetition of the term emphasizes the urgency and overwhelming nature of the incoming reports.
- בָּא (ba): "comes" or "arrives".
- Present tense, indicating the immediacy of the event.
- לִקְרַאת (lik'rat): "to meet".
- From the root ק.ר.א (q.r.a), meaning "to encounter" or "to meet". This suggests the messengers are not coming from a single source but are converging, perhaps representing different aspects of the catastrophic news.
- מַלְאָךְ (mal'ach): "messenger".
- Second instance of "messenger," highlighting the plurality and convergence of the bad news.
- אֶחָֽד (echad): "one".
- Emphasizes individuality within the multitude of messengers.
- וּמַבְּשֵׂר (u'mav'ses): "and a bearer of good news" (though here the news is "bad" for Babylon).
- 'u' (וּ) - "and".
- 'mav'ses' (מַבְּשֵׂר) - Derived from the root בסר (basar), meaning "to bring good news." However, in this context, the "good news" is for Jerusalem (deliverance from Babylon), and "bad news" for Babylon itself.
- אֶחָד (echad): "one".
- לִקְרַאת (lik'rat): "to meet".
- מַבְּשֵׂר (mav'ses): "bearer of news".
- יְרֽוּשָׁלִַם (Yerushalayim): "Jerusalem".
- The city that is receiving the news of Babylon's fall, representing the recipients of God's promised deliverance.
Words-group Analysis
The repetition of "messenger" and "bearer of news" ("one messenger to meet another, and one courier to another") signifies not a singular report, but a cascade of confirmations about the disaster befalling Babylon. This creates a vivid image of an overwhelmed communication system, all bringing the same devastating message of defeat and collapse to the Babylonian capital. The urgency and multitude of reports underscore the totality of the victory and the inescapable nature of the news.
Jeremiah 51 31 Bonus Section
The prophetic delivery of such news underscores God's sovereignty over all nations. While Jeremiah physically delivered these prophecies, the intensity of the imagery suggests a divine orchestration of the communication itself, ensuring the message of judgment is unequivocally delivered. This serves as a reminder of God's active role in history, punishing the wicked and delivering the righteous, a consistent theme throughout Scripture. The concept of divine messengers carrying out God's pronouncements is also a significant theological point, pointing towards a spiritual reality underpinning historical events.
Jeremiah 51 31 Commentary
This verse vividly illustrates the shattering news of Babylon's imminent destruction. The rapid succession of messengers arriving in Jerusalem, and converging towards the city, depicts a scenario of urgent, overwhelming, and undeniable pronouncements of doom. It conveys the certainty of Babylon's defeat, not as a singular event, but as a complete unraveling. For Jerusalem, this is the arrival of the long-awaited news of their oppressor's demise, signifying hope and divine intervention. The "good news" for Jerusalem is the destruction of its tormentor. This imagery is echoed in later apocalyptic visions, such as the fall of spiritual Babylon in Revelation.