God’s Word Translation
Jeremiah 50:3
3A nation from the north will attack Babylon and destroy its land so that no one will live in it. People and animals will run away.
Jeremiah 50:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.
- New International Version (NIV)A nation from the north will attack her and lay waste her land. No one will live in it; both people and animals will flee away.
- English Standard Version (ESV)"For out of the north a nation has come up against her, which shall make her land a desolation, and none shall dwell in it; both man and beast shall flee away.
- New King James Version (NKJV)For out of the north a nation comes up against her, Which shall make her land desolate, And no one shall dwell therein. They shall move, they shall depart, Both man and beast.
Context of Jeremiah 50:3
1This is the message that the Lord spoke about Babylon and the land of the Babylonians through the prophet Jeremiah. 2“Announce this among the nations, and spread the news. Raise a flag, and announce it. Don’t hide anything. Say, ‘Babylon will be captured. Bel will be put to shame. Marduk will be filled with terror. Babylon’s statues will be put to shame. Its idols will be filled with terror.’ A nation from the north will attack Babylon and destroy its land so that no one will live in it. People and animals will run away. 4“In those days and at that time,” declares the Lord, “the people of Israel and Judah will cry as they go together to seek the Lord their God. 5They will ask which road goes to Zion and turn in that direction. They will go there to make a permanent agreement with the Lord. It will not be forgotten.
Read all of Jeremiah 50Jeremiah 50:3 word by word
כִּ֣י עָלָה֩ עָלֶ֨יהָ גּ֜וֹי מִצָּפ֗וֹן הֽוּא־יָשִׁ֤ית אֶת־אַרְצָהּ֙ לְשַׁמָּ֔ה וְלֹֽא־יִהְיֶ֥ה יוֹשֵׁ֖ב בָּ֑הּ מֵאָדָ֥ם וְעַד־בְּהֵמָ֖ה נָ֥דוּ הָלָֽכוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- For out of the northצָפוֹןtsâphôn tsâphôn · northH6828
- there cometh upעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: riseH5927
- a nationגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
- against her, which shall makeשִׁיתshîyth · to set: makeH7896
- her landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- desolateשַׁמָּהshammâh · horror: destroyedH8047
- and none shall dwellיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
- therein: they shall removeנוּדnûd · to wanderH5110
- they shall departהָלַךְhâlak · to go: wentH1980
- both manאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
- and beastבְּהֵמָהbehêmâh · animalH929
Cross-references for Jeremiah 50:3
- Jeremiah 50:9I am going to stir up an alliance of strong nations from the north and bring it against Babylon. Those nations will take up positions against Babylon. Babylon will be captured from the north. Its enemy’s arrows will be like skilled soldiers who don’t come back empty-handed.
- Jeremiah 51:11Sharpen the arrows; fill the quivers. The Lord will stir up the spirit of the kings of the Medes because his plan is to destroy Babylon. The Lord will avenge his temple.
- Isaiah 13:5His army is coming from a distant land, from the ends of heaven. The Lord is coming with the weapons of his fury to destroy the whole world.
- Jeremiah 50:12But your mother will be greatly ashamed. The woman who gave birth to you will be disgraced. Babylon, you will be the least important nation. You will become a parched desert.
- Jeremiah 51:8Babylon will suddenly fall and be shattered. Cry for it. Bring medicine for its pain. Maybe it can be healed.
- Isaiah 13:6Cry loudly, for the day of the Lord is near. It will come like destruction from the Almighty.
- Isaiah 14:22“I’ll rise up against them,” declares the Lord of Armies. “I’ll cut off the name of the survivors from Babylon, its offspring and descendants,” declares the Lord.
- Revelation 18:21Then a powerful angel picked up a stone that was like a large millstone. He threw it into the sea and said, “The important city Babylon will be thrown down with the same force. It will never be found again.
- Jeremiah 7:20“This is what the Almighty Lord says: My anger and fury will be poured out on this place, on humans and animals, and on trees and crops. My anger and fury will burn and not be put out.
- Jeremiah 21:6I will defeat those who live in this city, both people and animals. They will die from a terrible plague.
- Genesis 6:7So he said, “I will wipe off the face of the earth these humans that I created. I will wipe out not only humans, but also domestic animals, crawling animals, and birds. I’m sorry that I made them.”
- Exodus 12:12“On that same night I will go throughout Egypt and kill every firstborn male, both human and animal. I will severely punish all the gods of Egypt, ⌞because⌟ I am the Lord.
- Zephaniah 1:3“I will put an end to humans and animals. I will put an end to the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and the sins that make people fall, together with the sinners. I will remove all people from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.
Commentaries on Jeremiah 50:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Out of the north there cometh up a nation - The Medes, who formed the chief part of the army of Cyrus, lay to the north or north-east of Babylon. Shall make her land desolate - This war, and the consequent taking of the city, began those disasters that brought Babylon in process of time to complete desolation; so that now it is not known where it stood, the whole country being a total solitude.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3Out of the north - Media lay to the northwest of Babylon. This constant use of the north, the quarter where the sun never shines, and therefore the region of darkness, is symbolic of the region from where danger ever comes. They shall remove - Translate it (as in Jeremiah 9:10): “from man even to cattle they are fled, they are gone.”Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3The nation from the north was Persia, led by Cyrus in 539 BC. Persia was east of Babylon. It first attacked Babylonia in the north and then moved south. The attack destroyed the powerful Babylonian Empire.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. a nation--the Medes, north of Babylon (Jr 51:48). The devastation of Babylon here foretold includes not only that by Cyrus, but also that more utter one by Darius, who took Babylon by artifice when it had revolted from Persia, and mercilessly slaughtered the inhabitants, hanging four thousand of the nobles; also the final desertion of Babylon, owing to Seleucia having been built close by under Seleucus Nicanor.Read the comment
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
Commentaries