God’s Word Translation
Jeremiah 50:16
16Don’t allow anyone in Babylon to plant or harvest. Everyone will turn to his own people and flee to his own homeland because of the enemies’ swords.
Jeremiah 50:16 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Cut off the sower from Babylon, and him that handleth the sickle in the time of harvest: for fear of the oppressing sword they shall turn every one to his people, and they shall flee every one to his own land.
- New International Version (NIV)Cut off from Babylon the sower, and the reaper with his sickle at harvest. Because of the sword of the oppressor let everyone return to their own people, let everyone flee to their own land.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Cut off from Babylon the sower, and the one who handles the sickle in time of harvest; because of the sword of the oppressor, every one shall turn to his own people, and every one shall flee to his own land.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Cut off the sower from Babylon, And him who handles the sickle at harvest time. For fear of the oppressing sword Everyone shall turn to his own people, And everyone shall flee to his own land.
Context of Jeremiah 50:16
14“Take up your positions around Babylon, all you archers with bows. Shoot at it; don’t save any arrows, because the people of Babylon have sinned against the Lord. 15Shout a war cry against them on every side. They’ll surrender. Their towers will fall and their walls will be torn down. Since this is the Lord’s vengeance, take revenge against them. Do to them what they did to others. Don’t allow anyone in Babylon to plant or harvest. Everyone will turn to his own people and flee to his own homeland because of the enemies’ swords. 17“The people of Israel are like scattered sheep that lions have chased. The first to devour them was the king of Assyria. The last to gnaw at their bones was King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. 18“This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: I am going to punish the king of Babylon and his land as I punished the king of Assyria.
Read all of Jeremiah 50Jeremiah 50:16 word by word
כִּרְת֤וּ זוֹרֵ֙עַ֙ מִבָּבֶ֔ל וְתֹפֵ֥שׂ מַגָּ֖ל בְּעֵ֣ת קָצִ֑יר מִפְּנֵי֙ חֶ֣רֶב הַיּוֹנָ֔ה אִ֤ישׁ אֶל־עַמּוֹ֙ יִפְנ֔וּ וְאִ֥ישׁ לְאַרְצ֖וֹ יָנֻֽסוּ׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Cut offכָּרַתkârath · to cut: eliminateH3772
- the sowerזָרַעzâra‛ · to sowH2232
- from Babylonבָּבֶ֫ל, בָּבֶלbâbel · BabylonH894
- and him that handlethתָּפַשׂtâphaώ · to captureH8610
- the sickleמַגָּלmaggâl · sickleH4038
- in the timeעֵת‛êth · timeH6256
- of harvestקָצִירqâtsîyr · harvestH7105
- for fearפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
- of the oppressingיָנָהyânâh · to oppressH3238
- swordחֶ֫רֶבchereb · swordH2719
- they shall turnפָּנָהpânâh · to turnH6437
- every oneאִישׁ'îysh · man: anyoneH376
- to his peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
- and they shall fleeנוּסnûs · to fleeH5127
- to his own landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
Cross-references for Jeremiah 50:16
- Jeremiah 51:23I will use you to crush shepherds and their flocks. I will use you to crush farmers and their oxen. I will use you to crush governors and officials.
- Joel 1:11Be sad, you farmers! Cry loudly, you grape growers! Mourn for the wheat and the barley. The harvest is destroyed in the field.
- Amos 5:16This is what the Lord, the Almighty God of Armies, says: There will be loud crying in every city square, and people will say in every street, “Oh, no!” They will call on farmers to mourn and on professional mourners to cry loudly.
- Jeremiah 46:16They have repeatedly stumbled, and now they have fallen. They say to each other, ‘Get up! Let’s go back to our people, to the land where we were born, and escape our enemy’s sword.’
- Jeremiah 51:9We wanted to heal Babylon, but it couldn’t be healed. Let’s abandon it and go to our own land. God has judged Babylon. Its judgment is complete.
- Isaiah 13:14They’ll be like hunted gazelle and like sheep with no one to gather them. Everyone will return to his own people and flee to his own land.
Commentaries on Jeremiah 50:16
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16Cut off the sower - Destroy the gardens and the fields, that there may be neither fruits nor tillage.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16The population is to be destroyed so utterly that the rich fields of Babylonia are to remain untilled. They shall turn - The full force of the words will be seen if it be remembered that it had been the policy of Nebuchadnezzar to compel citizens selected from the vanquished nations to settle in Babylonia.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. 16When Babylon fell, farmers left their crops and fled. The battle's violence made people escape.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. Babylon had the extent rather of a nation than of a city. Therefore grain was grown within the city wall sufficient to last for a long siege [Aristotle, Politics, 3.2; Pliny, 18.17]. Conquerors usually spare agriculturists, but in this case all alike were to be "cut off." for fear of ... oppressing sword--because of the sword of the oppressor. every one to his people--from which they had been removed to Babylon from all quarters by the Chaldean…Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 50:16
In the dictionaries
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
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