New English Translation
Jeremiah 51:16
16When his voice thunders, the waters in the heavens roar. He makes the clouds rise from the far-off horizons. He makes the lightning flash out in the midst of the rain. He unleashes the wind from the places where he stores it.
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 who rules over all has solemnly sworn, ‘I will fill your land with enemy soldiers. They will swarm over it like locusts. They will raise up shouts of victory over it.’ 15He is the one who by his power made the earth. He is the one who by his wisdom fixed the world in place, by his understanding he spread out the heavens. When his voice thunders, the waters in the heavens roar. He makes the clouds rise from the far-off horizons. He makes the lightning flash out in the midst of the rain. He unleashes the wind from the places where he stores it. 17All idolaters will prove to be stupid and ignorant. Every goldsmith will be disgraced by the idol he made. For the image he forges is merely a sham. There is no breath in any of those idols. 18They are worthless, objects to be ridiculed. When the time comes to punish them, they will be destroyed.
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 10:2The Lord says, “Do not start following pagan religious practices. Do not be in awe of signs that occur in the sky even though the nations hold them in awe.
- Job 37:2Listen carefully to the thunder of his voice, to the rumbling that proceeds from his mouth.
- Job 40:9Do you have an arm as powerful as God’s, and can you thunder with a voice like his?
- Psalms 18:13The Lord thundered in the sky; the sovereign One shouted.
- Psalms 29:3The Lord’s shout is heard over the water; the majestic God thunders, the Lord appears over the surging water.
- Psalms 46:6Nations are in uproar, kingdoms are overthrown. God gives a shout, the earth dissolves.
- Psalms 68:33to the one who rides through the sky from ancient times! Look! He thunders loudly.
- Psalms 104:7Your shout made the waters retreat; at the sound of your thunderous voice they hurried off –
- Ezekiel 10:5The sound of the wings of the cherubim could be heard from the outer court, like the sound of the sovereign God when he speaks.
- Job 36:26“Yes, God is great – beyond our knowledge! The number of his years is unsearchable.
- Job 37:13Whether it is for punishment for his land, or whether it is for mercy, he causes it to find its mark.
- Job 38:34Can you raise your voice to the clouds so that a flood of water covers you?
- Psalms 135:7He causes the clouds to arise from the end of the earth, makes lightning bolts accompany the rain, and brings the wind out of his storehouses.
- Amos 9:7“You Israelites are just like the Ethiopians in my sight,” says the Lord. “Certainly I brought Israel up from the land of Egypt, but I also brought the Philistines from Caphtor and the Arameans from Kir.
- Genesis 8:1But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and domestic animals that were with him in the ark. God caused a wind to blow over the earth and the waters receded.
- Exodus 10:13So Moses extended his staff over the land of Egypt, and then the Lord brought an east wind on the land all that day and all night. The morning came, and the east wind had brought up 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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