Jeremiah 51:33 kjv
For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; The daughter of Babylon is like a threshingfloor, it is time to thresh her: yet a little while, and the time of her harvest shall come.
Jeremiah 51:33 nkjv
For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor When it is time to thresh her; Yet a little while And the time of her harvest will come."
Jeremiah 51:33 niv
This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "Daughter Babylon is like a threshing floor at the time it is trampled; the time to harvest her will soon come."
Jeremiah 51:33 esv
For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor at the time when it is trodden; yet a little while and the time of her harvest will come."
Jeremiah 51:33 nlt
This is what the LORD of Heaven's Armies,
the God of Israel, says:
"Babylon is like wheat on a threshing floor,
about to be trampled.
In just a little while
her harvest will begin."
Jeremiah 51 33 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah 51:33 | For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor when it is time to thresh; yet a little while and the time of her harvest will come. | God's judgment upon Babylon |
| Isaiah 21:10 | O my threshed and winnowed one, hear what I have heard from the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, whom I have redeemed for you. | God's people compared to threshing/harvesting |
| Micah 4:12-13 | But they do not understand the thoughts of the Lord; they do not comprehend his purpose, that he has gathered them as sheaves to the threshing floor. "Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion, for I will make your horn of iron, and I will make your hoofs of bronze. You shall beat many peoples to pieces... | Zion's victory and threshing |
| Revelation 14:15 | And another angel came out of the temple, crying out with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, "Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe." | Heavenly command for harvest/judgment |
| Joel 3:13 | Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come tread, for the winepress is full. The vats overflow, for their evil is abundant. | Divine invitation to judgment by treading winepress |
| Hosea 10:11 | Ephraim is a trained heifer that loves to tread out the grain. But I will lay a yoke on her beautiful neck; I will drive Ephraim. Judah will plow; Jacob will break the soil. | God bringing judgment through enforced labor |
| Psalm 55:23 | But you, O God, will cast them down into the pit of destruction; men of blood and treachery shall not live out half their days, but I will trust in you. | God casting enemies into destruction |
| Isaiah 41:15 | Behold, I will make of you a new threshing sledge, sharp, with new teeth. You shall thresh the mountains and beat them small, and you will make the hills like chaff. | God using a nation as an instrument of threshing |
| Jeremiah 18:21 | therefore give their children to famine and deliver them up to the power of the sword; let their wives become childless and widowed. Let their men be put to death by the pestilence and their young men smitten by the sword in battle. | description of God's judgment |
| Jeremiah 25:30 | Thus says the Lord: "Behold, disaster is sweeping from nation to nation, and a great tempest is stirring from the farthest ends of the earth! | Prophecy of widespread destruction |
| Jeremiah 50:24 | I have laid a snare for you, and you were also caught, O Babylon, even when you did not know it; you were sought and found, because you have struggled against the Lord. | Babylon caught in God's snare |
| Jeremiah 51:1-5 | Thus says the Lord: "Behold, I will stir up a destructive wind against Babylon and against the inhabitants of the peoples of Babylon. And I will send winnowers to Babylon to winnow and to clear out her land... | God orchestrating destructive forces |
| Psalm 7:6 | Arise, O Lord! In your anger lift yourself up against the rage of my enemies; awake for me; you have appointed judgment. | Plea for God's judgment |
| Matthew 3:12 | His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire. | John the Baptist on the judgment of God |
| Isaiah 47:1-3 | "Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground; no throne for you, O daughter of the Chaldeans! ... your nakedness shall be uncovered, yes, your shame shall be seen. I will take vengeance, and I will not pit myself against a person. | God's judgment and exposure of Babylon |
| Amos 1:3 | Thus says the Lord: "For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they have crushed Gilead with threshing sledges of iron. | judgment against those who oppress with brutality |
| Revelation 18:6-8 | Pay her back as she also has paid, and for her deeds twice over! In the cup which she is mixed, mix a double portion. ... Thus she will be punished. | Call to recompense Babylon |
| 1 Corinthians 3:9 | For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building. | Believers as God's field |
| Galatians 6:7 | Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. | Principle of sowing and reaping |
| Romans 11:22 | Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you too will be cut off. | God's severity and kindness dichotomy |
Jeremiah 51 verses
Jeremiah 51 33 Meaning
This verse declares that the people of Israel (represented as a threshing floor) are ripe for judgment. Babylon's destructive actions against them are compared to the farmer’s practice of threshing grain. The ultimate outcome is God’s active judgment, where Babylon will be pulverized and utterly defeated, serving as a means for God to bring His own justice.
Jeremiah 51 33 Context
Jeremiah 51:33 is situated within the broader prophecy against Babylon, detailing its impending destruction. Babylon, a mighty empire that had oppressed God's people, the Israelites, for generations, is depicted as a force that will ultimately be judged by God. The prophet Jeremiah received this oracle during a period of intense Babylonian influence and threat to Judah. The chapter serves as a final pronouncement of doom against Babylon, contrasting its proud might with its coming downfall orchestrated by God. The immediate context is the unfolding judgment of God upon various nations, with Babylon being the ultimate target due to its arrogance and cruelty.
Jeremiah 51 33 Word Analysis
"For thus says the Lord of hosts": This is a standard prophetic formula, emphasizing that the message originates from God Almighty, the commander of heavenly armies, lending supreme authority to the oracle.
"the God of Israel": This designates God in His covenant relationship with His chosen people, highlighting His commitment to their ultimate welfare, even when they are experiencing His judgment.
"The daughter of Babylon": Personification of the city and its people as a woman. This literary device is common in prophetic literature, making the judgment more vivid and relatable. It can also imply vulnerability and shame in its downfall.
"is like a threshing floor": A threshing floor was an open, circular area, often paved, where grain was beaten to separate the edible kernels from the husk. This imagery suggests vulnerability, being exposed, and ready for severe treatment. It implies a stage of ripeness, where the crop is ready to be harvested and processed.
"when it is time to thresh": The temporal aspect is crucial. Just as a farmer waits for the right season when the grain is mature, God waits for the appointed time to enact judgment. It implies a divine timetable.
"yet a little while": This phrase signifies that the period before Babylon's fall, though perhaps perceived as distant by some, is relatively short from God's eternal perspective. It provides a sense of urgency and certainty for the coming judgment.
"and the time of her harvest will come": "Harvest" here refers to the culmination of the threshing process, meaning complete destruction and gathering for judgment. It contrasts with the positive harvest of grain; for Babylon, it signifies the reaping of the consequences of its actions.
Figurative Language of Agriculture: The entire verse employs agricultural metaphors – threshing floor and harvest – to convey God’s judgment. Threshing implies a violent separation and crushing. Harvest signifies the culmination and recompense.
Ripeness for Judgment: The "time to thresh" and "time of her harvest" speak to a point where accumulated sin makes a nation or entity ripe for divine judgment, mirroring natural agricultural cycles.
Divine Sovereignty in Judgment: The passage underscores that God, the Lord of hosts, is the orchestrator of these events, determining the timing and nature of the judgment, much like a farmer managing his crops.
Jeremiah 51 33 Bonus Section
The imagery of the threshing floor and harvest has deep roots in Old Testament theology, often representing judgment or salvation. While here it signifies judgment on Babylon, other passages, like Matthew 3:12, use similar imagery for God’s final judgment, separating the righteous (wheat) from the wicked (chaff). The concept of ripeness for judgment is also found in texts like Revelation 14:15 and Joel 3:13, illustrating God's patience followed by His decisive action when iniquity reaches its full measure. The comparison of nations to agricultural products also appears elsewhere, such as in Amos 1:3, where Israel's enemies are described as being crushed by threshing sledges, illustrating a similar, though human-executed, process of brutal subjugation.
Jeremiah 51 33 Commentary
Jeremiah 51:33 vividly portrays Babylon as being prepared for divine destruction, much like ripe grain is brought to the threshing floor for processing. This agricultural imagery underscores that Babylon's sin has reached its zenith, making it ripe for the judgment that God has appointed. The phrase "yet a little while" signifies that despite Babylon's current power and seeming invincibility, its ultimate downfall is certain and imminent from God's perspective. This judgment will be comprehensive and severe, as threshing involved beating and crushing. The "harvest" represents the final outcome of this severe process – complete destruction and being gathered for divine retribution. This verse functions not only as a prophecy of judgment against Babylon but also as a reminder of God's justice and sovereignty, showing that He will deal with oppressors according to His perfect timing.