God’s Word Translation
Jeremiah 51:16
16When he thunders, the water in the sky roars. He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain. He brings wind out of his storehouses.
Jeremiah 51:16 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens; and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth: he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures.
- New International Version (NIV)When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.
- English Standard Version (ESV)When he utters his voice there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain, and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
- New King James Version (NKJV)When He utters His voice— There is a multitude of waters in the heavens: “He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; He makes lightnings for the rain; He brings the wind out of His treasuries.”
Context of Jeremiah 51:16
14The Lord of Armies has taken an oath on himself: “I will certainly fill you with many enemy armies. They will swarm like locusts. People will shout their victory over you.” 15The Lord made the earth by his power. He set up the world by his wisdom. He stretched out heaven by his understanding. When he thunders, the water in the sky roars. He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain. He brings wind out of his storehouses. 17Everyone is stupid and ignorant. Metalsmiths are put to shame by their idols. Their statues are false ⌞gods⌟. 18They can’t breathe. They are worthless jokes. When they are punished, they will disappear.
Read all of Jeremiah 51Jeremiah 51:16 word by word
לְק֨וֹל תִּתּ֜וֹ הֲמ֥וֹן מַ֙יִם֙ בַּשָּׁמַ֔יִם וַיַּ֥עַל נְשִׂאִ֖ים מִקְצֵה־אָ֑רֶץ בְּרָקִ֤ים לַמָּטָר֙ עָשָׂ֔ה וַיֹּ֥צֵא ר֖וּחַ מֵאֹצְרֹתָֽיו׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- When he utterethנָתַןnâthan · to give: cry outH5414
- voiceקוֹלqôl qôl · voiceH6963
- a multitudeהָמוֹןhâmôn hâmôn · crowdH1995
- of watersמַיmayim · waterH4325
- in the heavensשָׁמַיִםshâmayim shâmeh · heavenH8064
- and he causeth the vapoursנָשִׂיאnâώîy' nâώi' · mistH5387
- to ascendעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: riseH5927
- from the endsקָצֶהqâtseh qêtseh · endH7097
- of the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- he makethעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
- lightningsבָּרָקbârâq · lightningH1300
- with rainמָטַרmâţâr · rainH4306
- and bringeth forthיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: sendH3318
- the windרוּחַrûach · spirit: breathH7307
- out of his treasuresאוֹצָר'ôtsâr · treasureH214
Cross-references for Jeremiah 51:16
- Jeremiah 10:2This is what the Lord says: Don’t learn the practices of the nations. Don’t be frightened by the signs in the sky because the nations are frightened by them.
- Job 37:2Listen! Listen to the roar of God’s voice, to the rumbling that comes from his mouth.
- Job 40:9Do you have power like God’s? Can you thunder with a voice like his?
- Psalms 18:13The Lord thundered in the heavens. The Most High made his voice heard with hailstones and lightning.
- Psalms 29:3The voice of the Lord rolls over the water. The God of glory thunders. The Lord shouts over raging water.
- Psalms 46:6Nations are in turmoil, and kingdoms topple. The earth melts at the sound of ⌞God’s⌟ voice.
- Psalms 68:33God rides through the ancient heaven, the highest heaven. Listen! He makes his voice heard, his powerful voice.
- Psalms 104:7and fled because of your threat. Water ran away at the sound of your thunder.
- Ezekiel 10:5The sound of the angels’ wings was heard as far as the outer courtyard. It was like the sound of the Almighty God when he speaks.
- Job 36:26“Certainly, God is so great that he is beyond our understanding. The number of his years cannot be counted.
- Job 37:13Whether for discipline, or for ⌞the good of⌟ his earth, or out of mercy, he makes the storm appear.
- Job 38:34Can you call to the clouds and have a flood of water cover you?
- Psalms 135:7He is the one who makes the clouds rise from the ends of the earth, who makes lightning for the thunderstorms, and who brings wind out of his storerooms.
- Amos 9:7You people of Israel are like the people from Sudan, says the Lord. Didn’t I bring Israel from Egypt? Didn’t I bring the Philistines from Crete and the Arameans from Kir?
- Genesis 8:1God remembered Noah and all the wild and domestic animals with him in the ship. So God made a wind blow over the earth, and the water started to go down.
- Exodus 10:13Moses held his staff over the land of Egypt, and the Lord made a wind from the east blow over the land all that day and all that night. By morning the east wind had brought the locusts.
Commentaries on Jeremiah 51:16
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16When he uttereth his voice - Sends thunder. There is a multitude of waters - For the electric spark, by decomposing atmospheric air, converts the hydrogen and oxygen gases, of which it is composed, into water; which falls down in the form of rain. Causeth the vapours to ascend - He is the Author of that power of evaporation by which the water is rarified, and, being lighter than the air, ascends in form of vapor, forms clouds, and is ready to be sent down…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 15-19Verses 15-19 A transcript of Jeremiah 10:12-16.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 15-16God, as the Creator and preserver of everything, controls the storm with its thunder, rain, lightning, and wind, not Baal. The Lord can use these forces whenever He wants.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 15-1915-19. Repeated from Jr 10:12-16; except that "Israel" is not in the Hebrew of Jr 51:19, which ought, therefore, to be translated, "He is the Former of all things, and (therefore) of the rod of His inheritance" (that is, of the nation peculiarly His own). In Jr 10:1-25 the contrast is between the idols and God; here it is between the power of populous Babylon and that of God: "Thou dwellest upon many waters" (Jr 51:13); but God can, by merely "uttering…Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 51:16
In the dictionaries
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
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