Jeremiah 51:60 meaning summary explained with word-by-word analysis enriched with context, commentary and Cross References from KJV, NIV, ESV and NLT.
Jeremiah 51:60 kjv
So Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil that should come upon Babylon, even all these words that are written against Babylon.
Jeremiah 51:60 nkjv
So Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil that would come upon Babylon, all these words that are written against Babylon.
Jeremiah 51:60 niv
Jeremiah had written on a scroll about all the disasters that would come upon Babylon?all that had been recorded concerning Babylon.
Jeremiah 51:60 esv
Jeremiah wrote in a book all the disaster that should come upon Babylon, all these words that are written concerning Babylon.
Jeremiah 51:60 nlt
Jeremiah had recorded on a scroll all the terrible disasters that would soon come upon Babylon ? all the words written here.
Jeremiah 51 60 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference Note |
|---|---|---|
| Exod 17:14 | Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write this...in a book as a memorial..." | God commands writing of His decrees. |
| Deut 31:24 | When Moses finished writing the words of this law in a book to the very end... | God's law preserved in writing. |
| Josh 24:26 | And Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. | Joshua recording God's covenant. |
| 1 Sam 10:25 | Then Samuel explained to the people the rights and duties of the kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the LORD. | Prophetic/legal documentation. |
| Ps 40:7 | Then I said, "Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me." | Reference to prophetic writings. |
| Isa 30:8 | Go, write it before them on a tablet and inscribe it in a book, that it may be for the time to come as a perpetual witness. | Prophecy meant for lasting record. |
| Isa 13:1 | The oracle concerning Babylon that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw. | Earlier prophecy against Babylon. |
| Isa 47:1-15 | Details of Babylon's fall and humiliation. | Another comprehensive oracle on Babylon. |
| Jer 30:2 | "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Write in a book all the words that I have spoken to you." | Direct command for Jeremiah to write. |
| Ezek 24:1-2 | The word of the LORD came to me... "Son of man, write down the name of this day, this very day. The king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem | Prophetic writing to mark an event. |
| Hab 2:2 | And the LORD answered me: "Write the vision; make it plain on tablets so that he may run who reads it." | Clarity and transmission of written prophecy. |
| Mal 3:16 | Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention...a book of remembrance was written before him. | Records kept in heaven and earth. |
| Zech 1:4-6 | But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not overtake your fathers? | Words of prophets fulfill promises. |
| John 12:48 | The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. | Christ's spoken words are judgment. |
| Acts 7:42 | But God turned away and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets... | Refers to prophetic scriptures. |
| Rom 15:4 | For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures | Scriptures are for instruction. |
| 2 Tim 3:16 | All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. | Divine inspiration of all scripture. |
| Rev 1:11 | saying, "Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches..." | John commanded to write prophecies. |
| Rev 18:2 | And he called out with a mighty voice, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!" | New Testament echoes Babylon's fall. |
| Rev 22:18-19 | I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book... | The permanence and sanctity of God's written word. |
| Heb 4:12 | For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword... | The power and efficacy of God's word. |
| 1 Pet 1:25 | but the word of the Lord remains forever. And this word is the good news that was preached to you. | The enduring nature of God's word. |
Jeremiah 51 verses
Jeremiah 51 60 meaning
Jeremiah 51:60 states that the prophet Jeremiah meticulously recorded, in a single scroll, every word the Lord had spoken regarding Babylon. This verse serves as a declaration of the divine origin and complete preservation of the extensive prophecies detailed in Jeremiah chapters 50-51, emphasizing that these messages of judgment against Babylon were not merely spoken but formally documented as God's authoritative and immutable decree.
Jeremiah 51 60 Context
Jeremiah 51:60 is located at the culmination of an extensive prophetic oracle against Babylon, spanning chapters 50 and 51. These chapters deliver a detailed and dramatic prophecy predicting Babylon's utter destruction by various nations. The immediate context of verse 60 is to validate and underscore the divine authority and comprehensive nature of this lengthy message. It serves as a colophon or a concluding editorial statement, leading directly into the subsequent verses (51:61-64), which detail the command for Seraiah (Jeremiah's quartermaster) to take this very scroll to Babylon, read it aloud, and then symbolically cast it into the Euphrates River as a prophetic act demonstrating Babylon's complete demise.
Historically, this prophecy was given during the period when Babylon was the dominant world power and the oppressor of Judah. Many Judeans were exiled in Babylon. The meticulous recording of God's judgment against their captors would have served as a profound message of hope and assurance for the exiles, affirming God's sovereignty and His ultimate justice, promising that their period of suffering under Babylon would end, and the oppressor would eventually face divine retribution. The emphasis on a written record signifies its enduring truth and a future guarantee of fulfillment.
Jeremiah 51 60 Word analysis
- Jeremiah: The chosen prophet of God. His identity adds significant authority to the text, emphasizing divine commissioning rather than human origin.
- wrote: Hebrew: katab (כָּתַב), here yikhtov (יִכְתֹּב) from the root. This is crucial; it's not just an oral tradition but a deliberate, documented record. This implies permanence, accuracy, and official communication. The act of writing makes the prophecy immutable and a tangible witness.
- in a single scroll: Hebrew: b'sefer echad (בְּסֵפֶר אֶחָד). Sefer (סֵפֶר) means 'book' or 'scroll', implying a comprehensive, collected document, not fragmented notes. The phrase echad (אֶחָד - "one" or "single") signifies the unified, complete body of work against Babylon. It means the entire oracle, long as it was, was intentionally compiled into a coherent volume.
- all the words: Hebrew: kol-ha'devarim (כָּל־הַדְּבָרִים). The emphatic 'all' signifies totality and completeness. No divine word regarding Babylon was left out or diminished. This assures the reader that what follows is the exhaustive divine pronouncement.
- that the LORD had spoken: Hebrew: asher dibber YHWH (אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר יְהוָה). This phrase definitively attributes the source of the message to YHWH, the covenant God of Israel. Jeremiah is merely the obedient instrument. This underscores the absolute authority and certainty of the prophecy's fulfillment.
- concerning Babylon: Hebrew: al Babel (עַל־בָּבֶל). This pinpoints the specific target of the divine wrath. Babylon is explicitly identified as the subject of these severe judgments.
- all these words that are written: Hebrew: kol-ha'devarim ha'elleh ha'ketuvim (כָּל־הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה הַכְּתוּבִים). This phrase acts as a powerful reiteration, an emphatic confirmation. The initial mention of 'wrote' and 'all the words' is reinforced. It signifies the authenticity, preservation, and divine validation of the prophecy as recorded. The repetition ensures there is no doubt about the exhaustiveness or the accuracy of the record.
Jeremiah 51 60 Bonus section
- The deliberate act of writing down the prophecy links it to the broader biblical theme of the written word as a testament and witness, often referred to as a "book of remembrance" or a "scroll of witness," signifying God's covenant actions and warnings.
- The repetitive nature of "all the words... concerning Babylon" followed by "all these words that are written concerning Babylon" functions as a rhetorical device for emphasis, leaving no ambiguity regarding the comprehensiveness and authority of the divine message recorded by Jeremiah. This repetition could also suggest an editorial process affirming the compilation.
- The fact that this extensive oracle against Babylon was consolidated into "a single scroll" highlights its significance and preparation for its physical conveyance and public proclamation in Babylon itself (Jer 51:61-64), which involved the scroll being read aloud and then cast into the Euphrates as a symbolic act of judgment.
- Scholars often compare this literary structure to ancient Near Eastern treaties and legal documents, which frequently contained explicit statements of authorship and comprehensive content to ensure authenticity and legal standing. In this context, it confirms God's divine lawsuit against Babylon.
Jeremiah 51 60 Commentary
Jeremiah 51:60 is a pivotal verse, serving as an essential "authorial aside" or colophon to the detailed two-chapter oracle against Babylon. It profoundly emphasizes the divine inspiration and precise documentation of God's word. By stating that "Jeremiah wrote...all the words that the Lord had spoken," the verse affirms the absolute authority of the prophecy. Jeremiah was not inventing but faithfully transcribing every syllable of God's pronouncements. The detail "in a single scroll" underscores the comprehensive and unified nature of this divine judgment. It signals that this was not a collection of fragmented messages, but a carefully assembled and authoritative decree. This meticulous record was critical, not only for its historical transmission but also for the specific prophetic act in the subsequent verses (61-64), where the scroll was to be taken to Babylon and read, solidifying the promise of their doom. The purpose of this precise record was both to ensure that future generations would recognize the fulfillment of God's word and to provide encouragement to the exiled Israelites that God was sovereign over all nations, even their powerful captor, ensuring that divine justice would prevail. It ultimately validates the entire prophetic message of God’s complete judgment upon Babylon.