Jeremiah 51:53

Jeremiah 51:53 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Though Babylon should mount up to heaven, and though she should fortify the height of her strength, yet from me shall spoilers come unto her, saith the Lord.
• New International Version (NIV)Even if Babylon ascends to the heavens and fortifies her lofty stronghold, I will send destroyers against her,” declares the Lord.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Though Babylon should mount up to heaven, and though she should fortify her strong height, yet destroyers would come from me against her, declares the Lord.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Though Babylon were to mount up to heaven, And though she were to fortify the height of her strength, Yet from Me plunderers would come to her,” says the Lord.

Context of Jeremiah 51:53

51You say, “We are ashamed. People have insulted us. We hide our faces in shame because foreigners have gone into the holy places of the Lord's temple.” ’ 52But the Lord says this: ‘The time will soon come when I will punish Babylon's idols. People everywhere in that land will cry with pain, because their wounds are causing them to die. Babylon's people may build their city very high. They may make its walls very strong. But I will send an army to destroy it.’ That is what the Lord says. 54‘Listen to the noise that comes from Babylon! People are crying in pain. Listen to the noise of the enemy army as it destroys Babylonia. 55The Lord is preparing to destroy Babylon. No noise will come from there any more. The enemy soldiers will attack like great waves of water. There will be a loud noise of battle.

Jeremiah 51:53 word by word

כִּֽי־תַעֲלֶ֤ה בָבֶל֙ הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וְכִ֥י תְבַצֵּ֖ר מְר֣וֹם עֻזָּ֑הּ מֵאִתִּ֗י יָבֹ֧אוּ שֹׁדְדִ֛ים לָ֖הּ נְאֻם־יְהוָֽה׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Though Babylonבָּבֶ֫ל, בָּבֶלbâbel · BabylonH894
• should mount upעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: riseH5927
• to heavenשָׁמַיִםshâmayim shâmeh · heavenH8064
• and though she should fortifyבָּצַרbâtsar · to gather/restrain/fortifyH1219
• the heightמָרוֹםmârôm · heightH4791
• of her strengthעֹז‛ôz ‛ôz · strengthH5797
• yetאָז'âz · thenH227
• from me shall spoilersשָׁדַדshâdad · to ruinH7703
• comeבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• unto her, saithנְאֻםne'ûm · utteranceH5002
• the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068

Cross-references for Jeremiah 51:53

• Jeremiah 51:25The Lord says, ‘Listen to me, Babylon! I am your enemy! You are like a strong mountain that destroys the whole earth. I will punish you with all my strength. I will push you down from your high place. I will make you a heap of ashes.
• Jeremiah 49:16You are proud people. You boast that you cause other people to be afraid of you. But your thoughts have deceived you. You live high up among the rocks, and on the tops of mountains. But I will bring you down from there, even if you are as high as an eagle's nest.’ That is what the Lord says.
• Genesis 11:4They said, ‘Let us build a city to live in. We should also build a very tall tower. The tower will go up into the heavens. Then we will always be famous. If we do that, we will not have to separate and go to live in different places on the earth.’
• Psalms 139:8If I go up to heaven, you would be there. If I dig deep down into the ground to reach Sheol, you would be there too.
• Isaiah 14:12Look at you! You have fallen from heaven! You shine like the bright morning star! You have won against many nations, but now you have come down very low!
• Isaiah 47:5‘You city of the Babylonians, sit there quietly! Go and hide in a dark place. People will no longer call you the queen of all kingdoms.
• Ezekiel 31:9I made that tree beautiful, with all its strong branches. All the trees in Eden, God's garden, were jealous of that tree.
• Daniel 4:30The king said, ‘Look how great Babylon is! It is the city that I have built to be my home as king. It shows that I am a great and powerful king!’
• Amos 9:4Even when their enemies take them away as prisoners, I will cause them to die in battle. I have decided to destroy them. I will not help them.’
• Obadiah 1:3You think that you are better than other people. And so you believe something that is not true. You live in a place that is difficult to reach. Your home is high up in a place among rocks. You say to yourself, “Nobody can reach us up here.”
• 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.
• Jeremiah 50:9I 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.
• Isaiah 10:6I send Assyria's army against a nation that does not serve God. I command them to attack the people with whom I am angry. I tell them to take that nation's valuable things for themselves. I tell them to walk all over them, as if they were walking on dirt in the streets.
• 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 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.

Commentaries on Jeremiah 51:53

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 53Though Babylon should mount up to heaven - Though it were fortified even to the skies, it shall fall by the enemies that I will send against it.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 53Babylon's walls could not save it. The city would definitely be looted because the Lord had declared their punishment.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 5353. We are not to measure God's power by what seems to our perceptions natural or probable. Compare Ob 4 as to Edom (Am 9:2).Read the comment

Topics related to Jeremiah 51:53

• Armies
• Persia
• War

In the dictionaries

• Babylon
• Babylon, Babylonia, Babylonian
• Device
• Empty
• Hold
• Mount
• Ezekiel
• Isaiah
• Jeremiah (2)

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