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 useless things that people should laugh at. When the time for their punishment arrives, God will destroy them. 19The God that Jacob's descendants worship is not like those idols. He created everything. He chose Israel's people to belong to him. His name is the Lord Almighty. ‘You are the weapon that I use to fight my battles. I have used you to punish nations. I have used you to destroy kingdoms. 21I have used you to destroy whole armies, with their horses, chariots and riders. 22I have used you to destroy men and women, old men, young men, boys and girls.

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 50:23Babylon attacked other nations of the world, like a hammer that breaks things into pieces. But now that hammer has broken into pieces. Now the other nations see that Babylon is a disgusting place.
• Isaiah 10:5It will be very bad for Assyria! I will use its army to punish my people, because I am angry with them. Assyria will be like a stick that I use to beat my people. That is how I will show them my anger.
• Isaiah 13:5People are coming from countries that are far away, from the ends of the earth. The Lord himself is coming with weapons for war, because he is angry. He will destroy the whole land.
• Isaiah 14:5The Lord has destroyed the authority of wicked rulers like you.
• Isaiah 37:26You said that, but now listen to this! You must surely have heard it already. I decided what to do a long time ago! Now I am causing it to happen. I decided that you would destroy strong cities so that they became heaps of stones.
• Isaiah 41:15‘Look at this! I will cause you to destroy your enemies, like a heavy weight that threshes grain. You will have new sharp metal points that are like teeth. You will thresh the mountains and you will break them into pieces. You will make the hills become like straw.
• Micah 4:13‘People in Zion, get up and fight your enemies,’ God says to you. ‘Hit them like people thresh the wheat. I will make you very strong. Then you will be like dangerous animals with iron horns and metal feet. You will beat enemies from many countries, as men crush things into small pieces. The people from those countries became rich, because they did bad things. But you will bring their riches to me, because I am the Lord of all the earth.’
• Zechariah 9:13I will use Judah and Israel to attack my enemies. I will use you, men from Zion, to attack the men from Greece. I will make you like the long metal knife of a soldier.
• Matthew 22:7The king was very angry. He sent his soldiers to the city where those people lived. They killed the people who killed the king's servants. They destroyed their city with fire.
• Jeremiah 25:9So I, the Lord, tell you that I will call the nations in the north to come. I will call my servant, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, to come. I will bring them to attack this land and the people who live here. They will also attack all the nations that are around you. I will completely destroy this land, its people and all the nations around it. Their houses will become heaps of stones for ever. The land will become a terrible place. People will always see how foolish my people are.
• Jeremiah 27:5I used my great power and strength to make this earth, as well as the people and the animals who live on it. I give these things that I have made to anyone that I choose.

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