New English Translation
Jeremiah 51:1
1The Lord says, “I will cause a destructive wind to blow against Babylon and the people who inhabit Babylonia.
Jeremiah 51:1 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, and against them that dwell in the midst of them that rise up against me, a destroying wind;
- New International Version (NIV)This is what the Lord says: “See, I will stir up the spirit of a destroyer against Babylon and the people of Leb Kamai.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Thus says the Lord: "Behold, I will stir up the spirit of a destroyer against Babylon, against the inhabitants of Leb-kamai,
- New King James Version (NKJV)Thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, Against those who dwell in Leb Kamai, A destroying wind.
Context of Jeremiah 51:1
The Lord says, “I will cause a destructive wind to blow against Babylon and the people who inhabit Babylonia. 2I will send people to winnow Babylonia like a wind blowing away chaff. They will winnow her and strip her land bare. This will happen when they come against her from every direction, when it is time to destroy her. 3Do not give her archers time to string their bows or to put on their coats of armor. Do not spare any of her young men. Completely destroy her whole army.
Read all of Jeremiah 51Jeremiah 51:1 word by word
כֹּ֚ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה הִנְנִי֙ מֵעִ֣יר עַל־בָּבֶ֔ל וְאֶל־יֹשְׁבֵ֖י לֵ֣ב קָמָ֑י ר֖וּחַ מַשְׁחִֽית׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Thus saithאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- Behold, I will raise upעוּר‛ûr · to rouseH5782
- against Babylonבָּבֶ֫ל, בָּבֶלbâbel · BabylonH894
- and against them that dwellיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
- in the midstלֵבlêb · LebH3820
- of them that rise upקָמָיqûm · (Leb)-kamaiH6965
- against me, a destroyingשָׁחַתshâchath · to ruinH7843
- windרוּחַrûach · spiritH7307
Cross-references for Jeremiah 51:1
- Jeremiah 50:9For I will rouse into action and bring against Babylon a host of mighty nations from the land of the north. They will set up their battle lines against her. They will come from the north and capture her. Their arrows will be like a skilled soldier who does not return from the battle empty-handed.
- Isaiah 13:3I have given orders to my chosen soldiers; I have summoned the warriors through whom I will vent my anger, my boasting, arrogant ones.
- Amos 3:6If an alarm sounds in a city, do people not fear? If disaster overtakes a city, is the Lord not responsible?
- Jeremiah 50:24I set a trap for you, Babylon; you were caught before you knew it. You fought against me. So you were found and captured.
- Zechariah 2:8For the Lord who rules over all says to me that for his own glory he has sent me to the nations that plundered you – for anyone who touches you touches the pupil of his eye.
- Acts 9:4He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
- Jeremiah 4:11“At that time the people of Judah and Jerusalem will be told, ‘A scorching wind will sweep down from the hilltops in the desert on my dear people. It will not be a gentle breeze for winnowing the grain and blowing away the chaff.
- Jeremiah 49:36I will cause enemies to blow through Elam from every direction like the winds blowing in from the four quarters of heaven. I will scatter the people of Elam to the four winds. There will not be any nation where the refugees of Elam will not go.
- 2 Kings 19:7Look, I will take control of his mind; he will receive a report and return to his own land. I will cut him down with a sword in his own land.”’”
- Ezekiel 19:12But it was plucked up in anger; it was thrown down to the ground. The east wind dried up its fruit; its strong branches broke off and withered – a fire consumed them.
- Hosea 13:15Even though he flourishes like a reed plant, a scorching east wind will come, a wind from the Lord rising up from the desert. As a result, his spring will dry up; his well will become dry. That wind will spoil all his delightful foods in the containers in his storehouse.
Commentaries on Jeremiah 51:1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1Thus saith the Lord - This chapter is a continuation of the preceding prophecy. A destroying wind - Such as the pestilential winds in the east; and here the emblem of a destroying army, carrying all before them, and wasting with fire and sword.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1In the midst of them that rise up against me - Or, in Leb-kamai, the cipher for Kasdim, i. e., Chaldaea. This cipher was not necessarily invented by Jeremiah, or used for concealment. It was probaby first devised either for political purposes or for trade, and was in time largely employed in the correspondence between the exiles at Babylon and their friends at home. Thus, words in common use like Sheshach Jeremiah 25:26 and Leb-kamai, would be known to…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1Babylon's doom; God's controversy with her; encouragements from thence to the Israel of God. (Jr 51:1-58) The confirming of this. (Jr 51:59-64) Verses 1-58 The particulars of this prophecy are dispersed and interwoven, and the same things left and returned to again. Babylon is abundant in treasures, yet neither her waters nor her wealth shall secure her. Destruction comes when they did not think of it. Wherever we are, in the greatest depths, at the…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-2The Lord chose Persia, led by Cyrus, to destroy Babylon in 539 BC.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-641. in the midst of them that rise ... against me--literally, "in the heart" of them. Compare Psa 46:2, "the midst of the sea," Margin; Eze 27:4, "the heart of the seas"; Margin; Mt 12:40. In the center of the Chaldeans. "Against Me," because they persecute My people. The cabalistic mode of interpreting Hebrew words (by taking the letters in the inverse order of the alphabet, the last letter representing the first, and so on, Jr 25:26) would give the very…Read the comment
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
New English Translation — © 1996-2016 Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C.
Commentaries