Jeremiah 50:9

Jeremiah 50:9 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For, lo, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the north country: and they shall set themselves in array against her; from thence she shall be taken: their arrows shall be as of a mighty expert man; none shall return in vain.
• New International Version (NIV)For I will stir up and bring against Babylon an alliance of great nations from the land of the north. They will take up their positions against her, and from the north she will be captured. Their arrows will be like skilled warriors who do not return empty-handed.
• English Standard Version (ESV)For behold, I am stirring up and bringing against Babylon a gathering of great nations, from the north country. And they shall array themselves against her. From there she shall be taken. Their arrows are like a skilled warrior who does not return empty-handed.
• New King James Version (NKJV)For behold, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon An assembly of great nations from the north country, And they shall array themselves against her; From there she shall be captured. Their arrows shall be like those of an expert warrior; None shall return in vain.

Context of Jeremiah 50:9

7Anyone who found them killed them. Their enemies said, “We are not guilty for their death. They deserved to die because they turned against the Lord. He is their true home where they are safe. But they turned against the Lord, the God that their ancestors trusted.” ’ 8‘People of Judah, escape quickly from Babylon! Leave the land of Babylonia! Be the first people to leave. Lead the other people away, like a male goat that leads the other goats. I will call a group of strong nations from the north. They will join together to fight against Babylon. They will get ready to attack. They will come from the north and they will take power over Babylon. Their arrows will be like brave soldiers. They will kill everyone that they want to kill. 10The people of Babylonia will lose all their things. Enemy soldiers will take everything that they want for themselves.’ That is what the Lord says. 11‘You people of Babylon are very happy, because you have robbed my people. You dance like young cows that have fresh grass to eat. You make a happy noise, like a strong male horse.

Jeremiah 50:9 word by word

כִּ֣י הִנֵּ֣ה אָנֹכִ֡י מֵעִיר֩ וּמַעֲלֶ֨ה עַל־בָּבֶ֜ל קְהַל־גּוֹיִ֤ם גְּדֹלִים֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ צָפ֔וֹן וְעָ֣רְכוּ לָ֔הּ מִשָּׁ֖ם תִּלָּכֵ֑ד חִצָּיו֙ כְּגִבּ֣וֹר מַשְׁכִּ֔יל לֹ֥א יָשׁ֖וּב רֵיקָֽם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• For, lo, I will raiseעוּר‛ûr · to rouseH5782
• and cause to come upעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: establishH5927
• against Babylonבָּבֶ֫ל, בָּבֶלbâbel · BabylonH894
• an assemblyקָהָלqâhâl · assemblyH6951
• of greatגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
• nationsגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
• from the northצָפוֹןtsâphôn tsâphôn · northH6828
• countryאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• and they shall set themselves in arrayעָרַךְ‛ârak · to arrangeH6186
• against her; from thence she shall be takenלָכַדlâkad · to captureH3920
• their arrowsחֵץchêts · arrowH2671
• as of a mightyגִּבּוֹרgibbôr gibbôr · mighty manH1368
• expert manשָׁכֹלshâkôl · be bereavedH7921
• expert manשָׂכַלώâkal · be prudentH7919
• none shall returnשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
• in vainרֵיקָםrêyqâm · emptilyH7387

Cross-references for Jeremiah 50:9

• Jeremiah 50:3A nation from the north will attack Babylon. They will destroy the whole land. People and animals will all run away, so that nobody lives there.’
• Jeremiah 15:14Your enemies will make you their slaves in a land that you do not know. I will punish you as if in a hot fire, because I am very angry with you.’
• Jeremiah 51:1The Lord says this: ‘I will send an enemy to destroy Babylon and the people of Babylonia. It will come like a strong wind that blows them away.
• Ezra 1:1In the first year that Cyrus, king of Persia, was ruling Babylon, the Lord put a thought in his mind. King Cyrus decided to send a message to everybody who lived in his kingdom. His message would cause what God had already spoken to his prophet Jeremiah to become true. The message was written down and people took it all over Cyrus's kingdom. It said:
• Isaiah 13:2Lift up a sign on an empty hill. Shout aloud for an army to attack! Wave your hand! Then they will go through the city gates into the rulers' palaces.
• Isaiah 21:2The Lord showed me a vision of terrible things. ‘People are deceiving one another! People are destroying one another! Elam, go to attack Babylon! People from Media, attack all round the city! I will stop all the tears that Babylon's armies have caused.’
• Isaiah 41:25I have woken up a ruler, who is coming with his army from the north. He comes from a land in the east, where the sun rises, and he will use my name to call to me. He will walk over rulers of other nations as if they are mud. He will push them down with his feet, like a potter who prepares his clay.
• Isaiah 45:1The Lord says this to Cyrus, the king that he has chosen to serve him: ‘I hold your right hand. I give you power over other nations, to take away the weapons of their kings. I will open the gates of cities in front of you, and they will stay open.
• Jeremiah 50:14‘Get ready to fight, all you soldiers who have bows and arrows. Stand in your places around Babylon. Shoot your arrows into the city! Shoot all of them! Punish Babylon, because its people have turned against the Lord.
• 2 Samuel 1:22When Jonathan shot arrows from his bow, his enemies fell to the ground, dead. He would never turn away from them. Saul's sword also cut down his enemies. He always finished the job.
• Isaiah 13:18Their arrows will kill Babylon's young men. They will not let babies or children go free.

Commentaries on Jeremiah 50:9

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 9An assembly of great nations - The army of Cyrus was composed of Medes, Persians, Armenians, Caducians, Sacae, etc. Though all these did not come from the north; yet they were arranged under the Medes, who did come from the north, in reference to Babylon. Their arrows - They are such expert archers, that they shall never miss their mark.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 9I will raise - Or, stir up. An assembly of great nations - The Medo-Persian empire was as much an aggregate of discordant nations as that of Babylon. From thence - From the north, i. e., by the great nations coming thence. Return in vain - A proverbial expression for ill success (compare Isaiah 55:11). Here the skillful warrior returns not empty.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 8-20Verses 8-20 The desolation that shall be brought upon Babylon is set forth in a variety of expressions. The cause of this destruction is the wrath of the Lord. Babylon shall be wholly desolated; for she hath sinned against the Lord. Sin makes men a mark for the arrows of God's judgments. The mercy promised to the Israel of God, shall not only accompany, but arise from the destruction of Babylon. These sheep shall be gathered from the deserts, and put…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8-9The Lord told the Israelites to leave when he commanded a large army from many nations, including Persia and its allies, to attack Babylon in 539 BC.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 99. from thence--that is, from the north country. expert--literally, "prosperous." Besides "might," "expertness" is needed, that an arrow may do execution. The Margin has a different Hebrew reading; "destroying," literally, "bereaving, childless-making" (Jr 15:7). The Septuagint and Syriac support English Version. In vain--without killing him at whom it was aimed (2Sa 1:22).Read the comment

In the dictionaries

• Babylon
• Babylon, Babylonia, Babylonian
• North country
• Archer
• Desolation
• Isaiah
• Jeremiah (2)

Commentaries on Jeremiah 50

• 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