Jeremiah 51 60

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 verses

Jeremiah 51 60 Meaning

This verse describes Jeremiah’s action of binding a scroll containing prophecies against Babylon and then casting it into the Euphrates River. The act signifies the ultimate judgment and downfall of Babylon, emphasizing that its ruin is irreversible and absolute, much like sinking into a river. It represents the fulfillment of God's word and the permanence of His decree against oppressive nations.

Jeremiah 51 60 Context

Jeremiah 51 continues the prophetic denunciation of Babylon, the powerful empire that had conquered Judah and exiled its people. This chapter is part of the latter part of Jeremiah's book, where the focus shifts to oracles against foreign nations. Specifically, this section details God’s impending judgment on Babylon for its pride, cruelty, and idolatry, and for its role as an instrument of God’s wrath against His own people. The symbolic act in verse 60, along with the preceding verses, is the culmination of these prophecies, visually and definitively portraying Babylon’s irreversible doom. The immediate context is God's instruction to Jeremiah to inscribe all the pronouncements of disaster against Babylon onto a scroll and then to perform a symbolic act to demonstrate its complete destruction.

Jeremiah 51 60 Word Analysis

• וְהָיָה (vehāyāh): "And it shall come to pass" or "and it will be." This common conjunctive phrase often introduces a new statement or event, linking it to what preceded. It marks the narrative flow of prophecy.

• כִּי (kī): "When" or "that." Here it functions as a conjunction, connecting the action of writing to the completion of reading the scroll.

• גָּמַרְתָּ (gāmarta): "you shall have finished" (perfect tense, second person masculine singular). This signifies the completion of the task of reading the prophetic message.

• לִקְרֹא (liqrō'): "to read." The infinitive form indicates the purpose or action itself.

• אֶת־הַסֵּפֶר (et-hassehpher): "the scroll" or "the book." The noun sepher refers to a written document, here containing God's judgments. The et is a direct object marker.

• וְקָשַׁרְתָּ (vekāšarta): "and you shall tie" (consecutive perfect, second person masculine singular). This denotes the next action Jeremiah is to perform, binding something.

• אֹתוֹ (ōtō): "it" (direct object pronoun, masculine singular). Refers back to the scroll (sepher).

• בָּאֶבֶן (bā'eben): "with a stone." The preposition bā- ("with" or "in") is combined with eben ("stone"). The stone represents the weight that will cause it to sink.

• וּבְתוֹךְ (uvtōk): "and in the midst of." U ("and") followed by vetōk ("within," "among," "in the midst of").

• פְּרָת (pərāṯ): "Euphrates." The prominent river of Mesopotamia, symbolizing the heartland of Babylon.

• מֵימָיו (meymāyw): "its waters." Mey ("waters") + ēyw ("his/its" suffix).

• אֹמֵר (ōmer): "saying." Participle form, indicating that words will be spoken as the action occurs.

• כֹּה־תֹּאמַר (koh-tomar): "thus you shall say." Koh ("thus," "so") followed by the verb tomar ("you shall say," future tense, second person masculine singular). This introduces the prophetic declaration.

• תִּטְבַּע־בָּבֶל (titba‘-bāvēl): "Babylon shall sink." Titba' is the Hiphil future tense, second person masculine singular, from the root "to sink." The construction here functions with Babylon as the subject of sinking, which will be confirmed in the following verse.

• וְלֹא־תִירָא (velō'-tirā'): "and shall not rise again" or "and will not be," depending on the verb's root and context. The vəlo' means "and not." The verb form is critical.

• Words/Phrases Group Analysis:

  • "When you have finished reading this scroll": This signifies the completion of the prophetic proclamation and its assimilation. The act of reading aloud is important in prophetic delivery.
  • "tie a stone to it and cast it into the midst of the Euphrates": This is a potent symbolic act. The stone is ballast, ensuring submersion, while the Euphrates, a symbol of Babylonian power and life, becomes the agent of its burial and demise.
  • "Then say, 'Thus shall Babylon sink and not rise...'": The spoken words accompanying the action give it its declarative power, directly linking the symbolic act to God's final judgment on Babylon. The impossibility of rising underscores the completeness of its destruction.

Jeremiah 51 60 Bonus Section

This symbolic action is a key example of "prophetic sign acts" in the Old Testament, where prophets performed physical demonstrations to convey God's message. Similar acts include Isaiah walking naked and barefoot for three years as a sign of Egypt's and Cush's captivity (Isaiah 20:2-3), or Ezekiel lying on his side for 390 days to bear the iniquity of Israel (Ezekiel 4:4-6). These acts make the abstract prophecies tangible and memorable for the people. The imagery of sinking into a river is also found in Revelation 18:21, where an angel casts a great millstone into the sea, saying, "So will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence and will be found no more." This demonstrates a clear thematic link and possible fulfillment in later New Testament prophetic vision concerning a future spiritual Babylon.

Jeremiah 51 60 Commentary

The verse vividly portrays the finality of God's judgment against Babylon. Jeremiah’s act of binding a stone to the scroll and casting it into the Euphrates River is a powerful visual metaphor for Babylon’s impending and irreversible destruction. Just as the scroll, containing the written pronouncements of disaster, is irrevocably sunk, so too will Babylon fall, never to recover its former glory or power. This act signifies that the word of God, once spoken, will surely come to pass and its pronouncements cannot be undone. The river itself, a source of life and power for Babylon, becomes the instrument of its utter ruin, mirroring the theme of divine judgment that turns symbols of strength into agents of destruction. It underscores God's sovereign power over all nations and His ultimate control over history, ensuring that His prophecies are fulfilled.