Jeremiah 51 62

Jeremiah 51:62 kjv

Then shalt thou say, O LORD, thou hast spoken against this place, to cut it off, that none shall remain in it, neither man nor beast, but that it shall be desolate for ever.

Jeremiah 51:62 nkjv

then you shall say, 'O LORD, You have spoken against this place to cut it off, so that none shall remain in it, neither man nor beast, but it shall be desolate forever.'

Jeremiah 51:62 niv

Then say, 'LORD, you have said you will destroy this place, so that neither people nor animals will live in it; it will be desolate forever.'

Jeremiah 51:62 esv

and say, 'O LORD, you have said concerning this place that you will cut it off, so that nothing shall dwell in it, neither man nor beast, and it shall be desolate forever.'

Jeremiah 51:62 nlt

Then say, 'LORD, you have said that you will destroy Babylon so that neither people nor animals will remain here. She will lie empty and abandoned forever.'

Jeremiah 51 verses

Jeremiah 51 62 meaning

Jeremiah 51:62 serves as a concluding declaration of Yahweh's definitive judgment against Babylon. Through this verse, delivered by Seraiah, Judah's envoy, the divine decree proclaims Babylon's total and permanent eradication. It signifies that the place once mighty and feared, the captor of God's people, would be utterly depopulated—devoid of both human and animal life—and reduced to a perpetual wasteland, never to recover its former glory or be re-inhabited. This pronouncement reinforces God's sovereignty over world powers and provides a promise of justice for His afflicted people.

Jeremiah 51 62 Context

Jeremiah chapter 51 elaborates extensively on the impending doom of Babylon, mirroring and expanding upon themes introduced in chapter 50. It details God's fierce indignation against Babylon for its pride, idolatry, and especially for its cruel oppression of His people, Israel. God uses the Medes and other nations as His instruments to exact this judgment. The immediate context of verse 62 (Jeremiah 51:59-64) describes a specific, symbolic act. Seraiah, Zedekiah's quartermaster (not Baruch, as mistakenly suggested in some interpretations but Baruch likely transcribed the words), is instructed by Jeremiah to take a scroll containing these prophecies to Babylon, read it aloud to the exiles, and then tie a stone to it and throw it into the Euphrates River, proclaiming, "Thus Babylon shall sink and not rise again." Verse 62 is the very specific declaration Seraiah is commanded to utter after reading the entire scroll and before the symbolic act of sinking it. This reinforces the prophetic word, connecting the physical action with the verbal declaration, emphasizing the finality of Babylon's downfall. Historically, this occurred around the fourth year of Zedekiah's reign (c. 594 BC), well before Babylon's ultimate fall to the Medes and Persians in 539 BC, providing a clear pre-declaration to both the Judean exiles and the Babylonians about God's future actions.

Jeremiah 51 62 Word analysis

• Then you shall say (וְאָמַרְתָּ / və’āmartā): The conjunction "then" connects this command directly to the preceding act of reading the scroll. It's an imperative to Seraiah to verbally declare God's unchangeable decree, reinforcing the weight and authority of the message beyond mere transcription. The Hebrew verb implies an authoritative proclamation.
• O Lord (יְהוָה / YHWH): The covenant name of God, emphasizing that this declaration and its execution come from the one true, living God of Israel, not a human source. It asserts Yahweh's absolute supremacy over Babylon's gods.
• You have spoken (דִבַּרְתָּ / dibartā): Implies a definitive, purposeful, and performative utterance. God's spoken word is effective; it brings to pass what it declares (Is. 55:11). This is not a prediction based on human foresight, but a divine decree.
• against this place (אֶל־הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה / ʾel-hammaqom hazzeh): Directly points to Babylon, physically present to Seraiah and the exiles. The specificity anchors the prophecy in reality and provides a concrete target for God's wrath, leaving no ambiguity.
• to cut it off (לְהַשְׁמִדוֹ / ləhašmidō): From the Hebrew root šāmaḏ, meaning "to destroy utterly," "to annihilate," or "to exterminate." It signifies a complete and devastating destruction, implying total ruin without a chance of recovery.
• so that none shall remain in it (מֵאֵין יוֹשֵׁב בָּהּ / meʾen yôšēḇ bāh): Lit. "from there being no dweller in it." This emphasizes a total depopulation, indicating a level of devastation that precludes any continued human presence.
• neither man nor beast (מֵאָדָם וְעַד־בְּהֵמָה / meʾāḏām wəʿaḏ-bəhēmāh): A merism, a common Hebrew rhetorical device, signifying an all-encompassing totality. It means absolutely everything alive, from the highest form of creation (human) to the lowest (beast), will be removed, leaving no living creature behind. This highlights the profundity of the desolation.
• but it shall be desolate forever (כִּי אִם־שְׁמָמָה עוֹלָם תִּהְיֶה / kî ʾim-šəmāmāh ʿôlām tihyeh):
  • desolate (שְׁמָמָה / šəmāmāh): A noun derived from šāmam, meaning "to be astonished, horrified, desolate." It denotes a state of utter emptiness, waste, and ruin, causing shock or awe due to its deserted state.
  • forever (עוֹלָם / ʿôlām): Often denotes an enduring, long-lasting period, or perpetuity. In this context, given the extent of destruction prophesied, it strongly implies an irreversible and unending state of ruin for Babylon as a functioning, populated entity. Historically, while some remnant might exist, Babylon never regained its prominence, fulfilling the spirit of 'forever' for ancient imperial power.

Jeremiah 51 62 Bonus section

The specific instructions for Seraiah in Jeremiah 51:59-64 involve a symbolic prophetic act: reading the scroll in Babylon and then tying a stone to it before casting it into the Euphrates River. This act of sinking the scroll dramatizes the verbal declaration, making the message visceral and memorable. The stone's weight and the water's depths become a physical metaphor for Babylon's irrevocable fall, reinforcing the pronouncement of perpetual desolation in verse 62. The detailed prophetic action underlines the performative nature of God's word, where the spoken decree initiates the historical unfolding of the predicted events. This entire sequence also served as a profound comfort and hope for the Jewish exiles, a promise that their tormentor's days were numbered and that God remembered His covenant people. It highlights God's strategic patience, allowing kingdoms to rise and fall according to His overarching plan, a theme echoing throughout prophetic literature and reaching its climax in Revelation's depiction of the "fall of Babylon" (Rev. 18:21-23), indicating a continuous spiritual principle of divine judgment against all forms of worldly oppression against God's kingdom.

Jeremiah 51 62 Commentary

Jeremiah 51:62 functions as a capstone declaration to the comprehensive prophecies against Babylon. It encapsulates God's ultimate verdict, affirming that His word, once spoken, will assuredly come to pass. This isn't merely a threat but a divine sentence of execution against an empire marked by arrogance, idolatry, and the ruthless oppression of God's chosen people. The decree of total depopulation ("neither man nor beast") and perpetual desolation ("desolate forever") signifies a divine act of wiping Babylon from the map as a center of power and habitation, leaving it as a lasting monument to God's justice. This powerful pronouncement, delivered through a prophetic act, not only condemned Babylon but also offered profound assurance to the exiled Judeans that their suffering would not go unavenged and that their God remained sovereign over all earthly kingdoms. It stands as a timeless warning to any entity that opposes God's purposes and persecutes His people, showcasing that divine judgment is comprehensive, final, and irrevocably enacted by His word.