Jeremiah 51:57 meaning summary explained with word-by-word analysis enriched with context, commentary and Cross References from KJV, NIV, ESV and NLT.
Jeremiah 51:57 kjv
And I will make drunk her princes, and her wise men, her captains, and her rulers, and her mighty men: and they shall sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.
Jeremiah 51:57 nkjv
"And I will make drunk Her princes and wise men, Her governors, her deputies, and her mighty men. And they shall sleep a perpetual sleep And not awake," says the King, Whose name is the LORD of hosts.
Jeremiah 51:57 niv
I will make her officials and wise men drunk, her governors, officers and warriors as well; they will sleep forever and not awake," declares the King, whose name is the LORD Almighty.
Jeremiah 51:57 esv
I will make drunk her officials and her wise men, her governors, her commanders, and her warriors; they shall sleep a perpetual sleep and not wake, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.
Jeremiah 51:57 nlt
I will make her officials and wise men drunk,
along with her captains, officers, and warriors.
They will fall asleep
and never wake up again!"
says the King, whose name is
the LORD of Heaven's Armies.
Jeremiah 51 57 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isa 13:3-5 | I have commanded my sanctified ones... to execute my wrath... the Lord of hosts mustereth the host of the battle. | God marshals forces for Babylon's judgment. |
| 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 complete desolation. |
| Jer 25:15-16 | For thus saith the Lord God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations... to drink it. | Nations made drunk by God's wrath. |
| Jer 50:35-36 | A sword is against the Chaldeans, saith the Lord... A sword is against her wise men; and they shall be doting: a sword is against her mighty men... | God's judgment specifically on Babylon's wise and mighty. |
| Jer 51:6 | Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul... for this is the time of the Lord's vengeance... | Imminent escape urged before God's wrath. |
| Jer 51:30 | The mighty men of Babylon have forborn to fight... their might hath failed... they were as women... her dwellingplaces are burned... | Babylon's warriors rendered helpless. |
| Jer 51:39 | In their heat I will make their feasts, and I will make them drunken, that they may rejoice, and sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake... | Echoes this verse with "drunken" and "sleep" imagery. |
| Ps 75:8 | For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red... he poureth out of the same... all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out... | God's cup of wrath for the wicked. |
| Ps 76:5-6 | The stouthearted are spoiled, they have slept their sleep: and none of the men of might have found their hands... | Mighty warriors sleeping an irreversible sleep. |
| Isa 29:14 | Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work... for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent... | Divine nullification of human wisdom. |
| 1 Cor 1:19 | For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. | New Testament confirmation of God undoing human wisdom. |
| Job 3:13 | For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest. | Sleep as a metaphor for the rest of death. |
| Isa 14:18-19 | All the kings of the nations, all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house. But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch... | Proud leaders brought low in death/defeat. |
| Nah 3:11 | Thou also shalt be drunken: thou shalt be hid, thou also shalt seek strength because of the enemy. | Drunkenness as incapacitation for a nation. |
| Rev 17:1-2 | Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore... With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants... | Judgment on "Babylon the Great," intoxicating the world. |
| Rev 18:2-3 | Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen... for all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication... | Final fall of symbolic Babylon. |
| Obad 1:8 | Shall I not in that day, saith the Lord, even destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau? | God removing wisdom from an arrogant nation. |
| Zech 12:4 | In that day, saith the Lord, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness... | Divine judgment causing confusion and incapacitation. |
| Psa 110:5-6 | The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath... He shall fill the places with the dead bodies... | God's power over earthly kings and their armies. |
| Dan 5:1-6 | Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords... they drank wine... the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him. | Babylon's leaders at a feast during its downfall. |
| Isa 47:10-11 | For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness... evil shall come upon thee... desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know. | Sudden and inescapable destruction for trusting in wickedness. |
Jeremiah 51 verses
Jeremiah 51 57 meaning
Jeremiah 51:57 proclaims the decisive judgment of God upon Babylon, specifically targeting its leadership and powerful figures. It declares that the Lord will make Babylon's princes, wise men, governors, commanders, and mighty warriors become disoriented and incapacitated, metaphorically depicted as being made "drunk." This state will lead them into a "perpetual sleep" from which they will never awaken, signifying their ultimate and irreversible defeat, rendering them helpless and powerless in the face of divine judgment.
Jeremiah 51 57 Context
Jeremiah 51:57 is embedded within Jeremiah chapters 50-51, which form a comprehensive oracle primarily against Babylon, proclaiming its certain and utter destruction. This long prophecy stands as God's declaration of judgment against the nation that had served as His instrument for punishing Judah, but which had also greatly oppressed His people and gloried in its own power and idols. The immediate context of verse 57 (Jer 51:54-58) details the sound of lamentation from Babylon, the complete desolation that will befall it, and the futile strength of its walls. The historical backdrop is the period of Judah's exile in Babylon. Jeremiah's prophecies provided hope and assurance to the exiles that their captivity would not be permanent and that divine justice would prevail. This verse particularly targets Babylon's elite—those responsible for its military, governance, and renowned wisdom (including its infamous astrology and divination). By incapacitating these key figures, God reveals His sovereignty over human might and wisdom, a direct polemic against Babylon's pride and its reliance on false gods and human cunning.
Jeremiah 51 57 Word analysis
Thus says the Lord: This opening phrase asserts divine authority. It is a formula found frequently in prophetic books, signaling that the message is not of human origin but directly from the sovereign God, ensuring its truth and inevitable fulfillment.
I will make her princes drunk, her wise men, her governors, her commanders, and her mighty warriors:
- I will make them drunk (וְהִשְׁכַּרְתִּי - v'hishkhartī): This is a Hiphil perfect verb, meaning "I will cause them to drink" or "I will make them drunk." It denotes direct, active divine intervention. The "wine of God's wrath" (cf. Jer 25:15) causes confusion, loss of control, staggering, and senselessness. This state is not pleasurable revelry but a divinely induced stupor of judgment.
- princes (שָׂרֶיהָ - sarêhā): High-ranking officials, rulers.
- wise men (חֲכָמֶיהָ - chakāmêhā): Scribes, counselors, astrologers, diviners—Babylon was famous for its "wisdom." This signifies God undermining intellectual and strategic capacity.
- governors (פַּחוֹתֶיהָ - paḥôtêhā): Regional administrators, civil authorities.
- commanders (סְגָנֶיהָ - sĕgānêhā): Military and perhaps cultic leaders.
- mighty warriors (גִּבֹּרֶיהָ - gibōrêhā): The military strength and heroes of Babylon.
- This collective list encompasses all key pillars of Babylon's societal, governmental, and military power, indicating a complete and comprehensive collapse from the top down. All sources of leadership, counsel, and defense will be rendered useless.
And they shall sleep a perpetual sleep (שְׁנַת־עוֹלָם - shenat-ôlām):
- sleep: This metaphor represents death, unconsciousness, or utter incapacitation. It is not literal slumber but a state where they are unable to respond, resist, or recover.
- perpetual (ôlām): Often translated as "everlasting" or "of eternity," emphasizes the permanent and irreversible nature of their state. Their defeat will be final and their incapacity without end. This implies not only death for many but also the permanent demise of their power and influence.
and not wake up, says the Lord:
- not wake up (לֹא יָקִיצוּ - lō' yāqîtsû): This reinforces the finality. They will not be roused from this stupor of defeat. There will be no recovery, no regaining of consciousness, no return to power or their former state. The divine judgment is irreversible.
Words-group analysis:
- "I will make them drunk... and they shall sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake up": This powerful imagery depicts a complete and divinely orchestrated incapacitation leading to an irreversible state of helplessness, signaling the finality of God's judgment and Babylon's end. It underscores the transition from a state of prideful, active power to one of passive, eternal defeat.
- "princes, wise men, governors, commanders, and mighty warriors": This comprehensive enumeration stresses that no aspect of Babylon's leadership or strength—be it political, intellectual, administrative, or military—will be exempt from God's judgment. Every pillar of their perceived greatness will crumble.
Jeremiah 51 57 Bonus section
The imagery of "drunkenness" leading to "sleep" serves as a striking contrast to the customary revelry associated with feasts in ancient Babylon. While historical accounts, such as Daniel 5, mention King Belshazzar's feast occurring just before Babylon's fall, Jeremiah's prophecy goes beyond mere celebration. Here, the "drunkenness" is explicitly an act of God, causing not joy but disorientation, confusion, and helplessness—a profound spiritual and physical paralysis inflicted by divine wrath. This prophetic vision aligns with God's overarching theme in Jeremiah that He is the true Lord of history, who raises up and pulls down nations according to His purpose, making foolish the wisdom of the world.
Jeremiah 51 57 Commentary
Jeremiah 51:57 is a vivid pronouncement of God's sovereign judgment over Babylon, targeting the very essence of its perceived power and wisdom. Through the potent metaphor of drunkenness followed by a perpetual sleep, God declares that He will personally orchestrate the confusion and complete incapacitation of all Babylon's elites—its rulers, intellectuals, administrators, and military leaders. This isn't merely defeat, but a humiliating and irreversible surrender of consciousness and capability, symbolizing the utter and final collapse of a proud empire. The verse highlights the futility of human strength and wisdom when opposed to the decree of the Almighty, serving as an assurance to the exiled Judahites of God's unwavering justice and faithfulness to His covenant promises. It foreshadows a swift, comprehensive, and divinely administered end to Babylon's dominance, from which there would be no revival or recovery.