New English Translation
Jeremiah 50:43
43The king of Babylon will become paralyzed with fear when he hears news of their coming. Anguish will grip him, agony like that of a woman giving birth to a baby.
Jeremiah 50:43 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)The king of Babylon hath heard the report of them, and his hands waxed feeble: anguish took hold of him, and pangs as of a woman in travail.
- New International Version (NIV)The king of Babylon has heard reports about them, and his hands hang limp. Anguish has gripped him, pain like that of a woman in labor.
- English Standard Version (ESV)"The king of Babylon heard the report of them, and his hands fell helpless; anguish seized him, pain as of a woman in labor.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“The king of Babylon has heard the report about them, And his hands grow feeble; Anguish has taken hold of him, Pangs as of a woman in childbirth.
Context of Jeremiah 50:43
41“Look! An army is about to come from the north. A mighty nation and many kings are stirring into action in faraway parts of the earth. 42Its soldiers are armed with bows and spears. They are cruel and show no mercy. They sound like the roaring sea as they ride forth on their horses. Lined up in formation like men going into battle, they are coming against you, fair Babylon! The king of Babylon will become paralyzed with fear when he hears news of their coming. Anguish will grip him, agony like that of a woman giving birth to a baby. 44“A lion coming up from the thick undergrowth along the Jordan scatters the sheep in the pastureland around it. So too I will chase the Babylonians off of their land. Then I will appoint over it whomever I choose. For there is no one like me. There is no one who can call me to account. There is no ruler that can stand up against me. 45So listen to what I, the Lord, have planned against Babylon, what I intend to do to the people who inhabit the land of Babylonia. Their little ones will be dragged off. I will completely destroy their land because of what they have done.
Read all of Jeremiah 50Jeremiah 50:43 word by word
שָׁמַ֧ע מֶֽלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֛ל אֶת־שִׁמְעָ֖ם וְרָפ֣וּ יָדָ֑יו צָרָה֙ הֶחֱזִיקַ֔תְהוּ חִ֖יל כַּיּוֹלֵדָֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- The kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- of Babylonבָּבֶ֫ל, בָּבֶלbâbel · BabylonH894
- hath heardשָׁמַעshâma‛ · to hear: hearH8085
- the reportשֵׁ֫מַעshêma‛ · reportH8088
- of them, and his handsיָדyâd · handH3027
- waxed feebleרָפָהrâphâh · to slackenH7503
- anguishצָרָהtsârâh · distressH6869
- took holdחָזַקchâzaq · to strengthen: holdH2388
- pangsחִילchîyl chîylâh · agonyH2427
- as of a woman in travailיָלַדyâlad · to begetH3205
Cross-references for Jeremiah 50:43
- Jeremiah 51:31One runner after another will come to the king of Babylon. One messenger after another will come bringing news. They will bring news to the king of Babylon that his whole city has been captured.
- Isaiah 13:6Wail, for the Lord’s day of judgment is near; it comes with all the destructive power of the sovereign judge.
- Isaiah 21:3For this reason my stomach churns; cramps overwhelm me like the contractions of a woman in labor. I am disturbed by what I hear, horrified by what I see.
- Daniel 5:5At that very moment the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the royal palace wall, opposite the lampstand. The king was watching the back of the hand that was writing.
- Jeremiah 49:22Look! Like an eagle with outspread wings, a nation will soar up and swoop down on Bozrah. At that time the soldiers of Edom will be as fearful as a woman in labor.”
Commentaries on Jeremiah 50:43
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 41-43Verses 41-43 An application to Babylon of the doom against Jerusalem Jeremiah 6:22-24. Jeremiah 50:41 The coasts of the earth - See the Jeremiah 6:22 note.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 33-46Verses 33-46 It is Israel's comfort in distress, that, though they are weak, their Redeemer is strong. This may be applied to believers, who complain of the dominion of sin and corruption, and of their own weakness and manifold infirmities. Their Redeemer is able to keep what they commit to him; and sin shall not have dominion over them. He will give them that rest which remains for the people of God. Also here is Babylon's sin, and their punishment. The…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 43The Babylonians would feel the same fear that their victims had felt (compare Jeremiah 6:22–23).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 41-4341-43. (Compare Jr 6:22-24). The very language used to describe the calamities which Babylon inflicted on Zion is that here employed to describe Babylon's own calamity inflicted by the Medes. Retribution in kind. kinds--the allies and satraps of the various provinces of the Medo-Persian empire: Armenia, Hyrcania, Lydia, &c. coasts--the remote parts.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
New English Translation — © 1996-2016 Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C.
Commentaries