Jeremiah 51:20

Jeremiah 51:20 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms;
• New International Version (NIV)“You are my war club, my weapon for battle— with you I shatter nations, with you I destroy kingdoms,
• English Standard Version (ESV)"You are my hammer and weapon of war: with you I break nations in pieces; with you I destroy kingdoms;
• New King James Version (NKJV)“You are My battle-ax and weapons of war: For with you I will break the nation in pieces; With you I will destroy kingdoms;

Context of Jeremiah 51:20

18They are worthless (empty, false, futile), a work of delusion and worthy of derision; In the time of their inspection and punishment they will perish. 19The Portion of Jacob [the true God of Israel] is not like these [handmade gods]; For He is the Maker of all and the One who formed and fashioned all things, And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance— The Lord of hosts is His name. “You [Cyrus of Persia, soon to conquer Babylon] are My battle-axe and weapon of war— For with you I shatter nations, With you I destroy kingdoms. 21With you I shatter the horse and his rider, With you I shatter the chariot and its driver, 22With you I shatter man and woman, With you I shatter old man and youth, With you I shatter young man and virgin,

Jeremiah 51:20 word by word

מַפֵּץ־אַתָּ֣ה לִ֔י כְּלֵ֖י מִלְחָמָ֑ה וְנִפַּצְתִּ֤י בְךָ֙ גּוֹיִ֔ם וְהִשְׁחַתִּ֥י בְךָ֖ מַמְלָכֽוֹת׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• my battle axeמַפֵּץmappêts · war-clubH4661
• weaponsכְּלִיkelîy · article/utensilH3627
• of warמִלְחָמָהmilchâmâh · battleH4421
• for with thee will I break in piecesנָפַץnâphats · to shatterH5310
• the nationsגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
• and with thee will I destroyשָׁחַתshâchath · to ruinH7843
• kingdomsמַמְלָכָהmamlâkâh · kingdomH4467

Cross-references for Jeremiah 51:20

• Jeremiah 50:23How the hammer of the whole earth Is crushed and broken! How Babylon has become A horror [of desolation] among the nations!
• Isaiah 10:5Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger [against Israel], The staff in whose hand is My indignation and fury [against Israel’s disobedience]!
• Isaiah 13:5They are coming from a distant country, From the end of heaven [the farthest horizon]— The Lord and the weapons of His indignation— To destroy the whole land.
• Isaiah 14:5The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked, The scepter of the [tyrant] rulers
• Isaiah 37:26Have you not heard [says the God of Israel] That I did it long ago, That I planned it in ancient times? Now I have brought it to pass, That you [king of Assyria] would [be My instrument to] turn fortified cities into ruinous heaps.
• Isaiah 41:15In fact, I have made of you a new, sharp threshing implement with sharp edges; You will thresh the mountains and crush them, And make the hills like chaff.
• Micah 4:13Arise and thresh, O Daughter of Zion! For I will make your horn iron And I will make your hoofs bronze; That you may beat many peoples in pieces [trampling down your enemies], That you may devote to the Lord their unjust gain (pagan possessions) And their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.
• Zechariah 9:13For I will bend Judah as My bow, I will fit the bow with Ephraim [as My arrow]. And I will stir up your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece, And will make you [Israel] like the sword of a warrior.
• Matthew 22:7The king was enraged [when he heard this], and sent his soldiers and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
• Jeremiah 25:9behold (hear this), I will send for all the families of the north,’ says the Lord, ‘and I will send for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant [to enact My plan], and I will bring them against this land and against its inhabitants and against all these surrounding nations; and I will utterly destroy them and make them a horror and a hissing [that is, an object of warning and ridicule] and an everlasting desolation.
• Jeremiah 27:5“I have made the earth, the men and the animals that are on the face of the earth by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and I will give it to whomever pleases Me.

Commentaries on Jeremiah 51:20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20Thou art my battle axe - I believe Nebuchadnezzar is meant, who is called, Jeremiah 50:23, the hammer of the whole earth. Others think the words are spoken of Cyrus. All the verbs are in the past tense: "With thee have I broken in pieces," etc., etc.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20Or, Thou art my maul, weapons of war etc. The maul or mace Proverbs 25:18 only differs from the hammer Jeremiah 50:23 in being used for warlike purposes. Omit the “will” in “will I break.” The crushing of the nations was going on at the time when the prophet wrote. Most commentators consider that Babylon was the mace of God.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 20You: The Lord chose and empowered King Cyrus of Persia to destroy the Babylonian Empire.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. (See on Jr 50:23). "Break in pieces" refers to the "hammer" there (compare Na 2:1, Margin). The club also was often used by ancient warriors.Read the comment

Topics related to Jeremiah 51:20

• Agency
• Ax
• Battle-Ax
• Persia

In the dictionaries

• Battle-Axe
• Armour
• Axe
• Battleaxe
• Device
• Empty
• Hammer
• Hold
• Mount
• Armor; Arms

Commentaries on Jeremiah 51

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings