Jeremiah25
American Standard Version · Public Domain
1 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah (the same was the first year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon),
2 which Jeremiah the prophet spake unto all the people of Judah, and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying:
3 From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, even unto this day, these three and twenty years, the word of Jehovah hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you, rising up early and speaking; but ye have not hearkened.
4 And Jehovah hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, (but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear),
5 saying, Return ye now every one from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that Jehovah hath given unto you and to your fathers, from of old and even for evermore;
6 and go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke me not to anger with the work of your hands; and I will do you no hurt.
7 Yet ye have not hearkened unto me, saith Jehovah; that ye may provoke me to anger with the work of your hands to your own hurt.
8 Therefore thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Because ye have not heard my words,
9 behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith Jehovah, and I will send unto Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about; and I will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and a hissing, and perpetual desolations.
10 Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the lamp.
11 And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
12 And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith Jehovah, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans; and I will make it desolate for ever.
13 And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations.
14 For many nations and great kings shall make bondmen of them, even of them; and I will recompense them according to their deeds, and according to the work of their hands.
15 For thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, unto me: Take this cup of the wine of wrath at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it.
16 And they shall drink, and reel to and fro, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them.
17 Then took I the cup at Jehovah’s hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom Jehovah had sent me:
18 to wit, Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, a hissing, and a curse, as it is this day;
19 Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people;
20 and all the mingled people, and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Gaza, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod;
21 Edom, and Moab, and the children of Ammon;
22 and all the kings of Tyre, and all the kings of Sidon, and the kings of the isle which is beyond the sea;
23 Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all that have the corners of their hair cut off;
24 and all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mingled people that dwell in the wilderness;
25 and all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes;
26 and all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another; and all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth: and the king of Sheshach shall drink after them.
27 And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Drink ye, and be drunken, and spew, and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you.
28 And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thy hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Ye shall surely drink.
29 For, lo, I begin to work evil at the city which is called by my name; and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished; for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith Jehovah of hosts.
30 Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, Jehovah will roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he will mightily roar against his fold; he will give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth.
31 A noise shall come even to the end of the earth; for Jehovah hath a controversy with the nations; he will enter into judgment with all flesh: as for the wicked, he will give them to the sword, saith Jehovah.
32 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great tempest shall be raised up from the uttermost parts of the earth.
33 And the slain of Jehovah shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the face of the ground.
34 Wail, ye shepherds, and cry; and wallow in ashes, ye principal of the flock; for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions are fully come, and ye shall fall like a goodly vessel.
35 And the shepherds shall have no way to flee, nor the principal of the flock to escape.
36 A voice of the cry of the shepherds, and the wailing of the principal of the flock! for Jehovah layeth waste their pasture.
37 And the peaceable folds are brought to silence because of the fierce anger of Jehovah.
38 He hath left his covert, as the lion; for their land is become an astonishment because of the fierceness of the oppressing sword, and because of his fierce anger.
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Jeremiah 25Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Jeremiah 25. The full AI study guide (summary, themes, context) has its own page.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: The Jews rebuked for not obeying calls to repentance. (1-7). Their captivity during seventy years is expressly foretold. (8-14). Desolations upon the nations shown by the emblem of a cup of wrath. (15-29). The judgments again declared. (30-38).
vv1-7
The call to turn from evil ways to the worship and service of God, and for sinners to trust in Christ, and partake of his salvation, concerns all men. God keeps an account how long we possess the means of grace; and the longer we have them, the heavier will our account be if we have not improved them. Rising early, points out the earnest desire that this people should turn and live. Personal and particular reformation must be insisted on as necessary to a national deliverance; and every one must turn from his own evil way. Yet all was to no purpose. They would not take the right and only method to turn away the wrath of God.
vv8-14
The fixing of the time during which the Jewish captivity should last, would not only confirm the prophecy, but also comfort the people of God, and encourage faith and prayer. The ruin of Babylon is foretold: the rod will be thrown into the fire when the correcting work is done. When the set time to favour Zion is come, Babylon shall be punished for their iniquity, as other nations have been punished for their sins. Every threatening of the Scripture will certainly be accomplished.
vv15-29
The evil and the good events of life are often represented in Scripture as cups. Under this figure is represented the desolation then coming upon that part of the world, of which Nebuchadnezzar, who had just began to reign and act, was to be the instrument; but this destroying sword would come from the hand of God. The desolations the sword should make in all these kingdoms, are represented by the consequences of excessive drinking. This may make us loathe the sin of drunkenness, that the consequences of it are used to set forth such a woful condition. Drunkenness deprives men of the use of their reason, makes men as mad. It takes from them the valuable blessing, health; and is a sin which is its own punishment. This may also make us dread the judgments of war. It soon fills a nation with confusion. They will refuse to take the cup at thy hand. They will not believe Jeremiah; but he must tell them it is the word of the Lord of hosts, and it is in vain for them to struggle against Almighty power. And if God's judgments begin with backsliding professors, let not the wicked expect to escape.
Key Words
דָּבָר: a word; by implication, a matter (as spoken of) or thing; adverbially, a cause
יִרְמְיָה: Jirmejah, the name of eight or nine Israelites
כֹּל: properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
עַם: a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a tribe (as those of Israel); hence (collectively) troops or attendants; figuratively, a flock
יְהוּדָה: Jehudah (or Judah), the name of five Israelites; also of the tribe descended from the first, and of its territory
רְבִיעִי: fourth; also (fractionally) a fourth
שָׁנֶה: a year (as a revolution of time)
יְהוֹיָקִים: Jehojakim, a Jewish king
בֵּן: a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)
יֹאשִׁיָּה: Joshijah, the name of two Israelites
Cross References
Jeremiah 25Explicitly parallel confirmation of the seventy-year duration of the Babylonian captivity.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Historical fulfillment of the seventy-year desolation, connected to Sabbath land rests.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Daniel explicitly calculates the end of the desolations based on Jeremiah's seventy-year prophecy.
Supported by JFB
Verbal parallel regarding the removal of the voice of mirth, gladness, bridegroom, and bride.
Supported by JFB
Confirms nations serving Nebuchadnezzar, his son, and his grandson until Babylon's time comes.
Supported by JFB
Metaphor of the cup of God's red wine and mixture of fury poured out.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Judgment beginning at the house of God (Jerusalem) before reaching the ungodly nations.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Identical idiomatic expression of God speaking to Israel, rising up early and speaking.
Supported by JFB
Parallels God sending messengers early because He had compassion on His dwelling place.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Explicit designation of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, as God's servant.
Supported by JFB
Parallels a pagan ruler (Cyrus) being called God's shepherd/servant to execute His counsel.
Supported by JFB
Cyrus's decree fulfilling the word spoken by Jeremiah concerning the end of captivity.
Supported by JFB
The Lord roaring from Zion and uttering His voice from Jerusalem in judgment.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Theological principle that those who sin against God wrong and hurt their own souls.
Supported by JFB
New Testament description of Babylon's fall echoing the loss of bridegroom, bride, and candle.
Supported by JFB