New English Translation
Jeremiah 50:16
16Kill all the farmers who sow the seed in the land of Babylon. Kill all those who wield the sickle at harvest time. Let all the foreigners return to their own people. Let them hurry back to their own lands to escape destruction by that enemy army.
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 battle positions all around Babylon, all you soldiers who are armed with bows. Shoot all your arrows at her! Do not hold any back! For she has sinned against the Lord. 15Shout the battle cry from all around the city. She will throw up her hands in surrender. Her towers will fall. Her walls will be torn down. Because I, the Lord, am wreaking revenge, take out your vengeance on her! Do to her as she has done! Kill all the farmers who sow the seed in the land of Babylon. Kill all those who wield the sickle at harvest time. Let all the foreigners return to their own people. Let them hurry back to their own lands to escape destruction by that enemy army. 17“The people of Israel are like scattered sheep which lions have chased away. First the king of Assyria devoured them. Now last of all King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has gnawed their bones. 18So I, the Lord God of Israel who rules over all, say: ‘I will punish the king of Babylon and his land just 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 used you to smash shepherds and their flocks. I used you to smash farmers and their teams of oxen. I used you to smash governors and leaders.”
- Joel 1:11Be distressed, farmers; wail, vinedressers, over the wheat and the barley. For the harvest of the field has perished.
- Amos 5:16Because of Israel’s sins this is what the Lord, the God who commands armies, the sovereign One, says: “In all the squares there will be wailing, in all the streets they will mourn the dead. They will tell the field workers to lament and the professional mourners to wail.
- Jeremiah 46:16I will make many stumble. They will fall over one another in their hurry to flee. They will say, ‘Get up! Let’s go back to our own people. Let’s go back to our homelands because the enemy is coming to destroy us.’
- Jeremiah 51:9Foreigners living there will say, ‘We tried to heal her, but she could not be healed. Let’s leave Babylonia and each go back to his own country. For judgment on her will be vast in its proportions. It will be like it is piled up to heaven, stacked up into the clouds.’
- Isaiah 13:14Like a frightened gazelle or a sheep with no shepherd, each will turn toward home, each will run to his homeland.
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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