New King James Version
Jeremiah 51:11
11Make the arrows bright! Gather the shields! The Lord has raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes. For His plan is against Babylon to destroy it, Because it is the vengeance of the Lord, The vengeance for His temple.
Jeremiah 51:11 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Make bright the arrows; gather the shields: the Lord hath raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes: for his device is against Babylon, to destroy it; because it is the vengeance of the Lord, the vengeance of his temple.
- New International Version (NIV)“Sharpen the arrows, take up the shields! The Lord has stirred up the kings of the Medes, because his purpose is to destroy Babylon. The Lord will take vengeance, vengeance for his temple.
- English Standard Version (ESV)"Sharpen the arrows! Take up the shields! The Lord has stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes, because his purpose concerning Babylon is to destroy it, for that is the vengeance of the Lord, the vengeance for his temple.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Sharpen the arrows! Lift up the shields! For the Lord has inspired the kings of the Medes to march against Babylon and destroy her. This is his vengeance against those who desecrated his Temple.
Context of Jeremiah 51:11
9We would have healed Babylon, But she is not healed. Forsake her, and let us go everyone to his own country; For her judgment reaches to heaven and is lifted up to the skies. 10The Lord has revealed our righteousness. Come and let us declare in Zion the work of the Lord our God. Make the arrows bright! Gather the shields! The Lord has raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes. For His plan is against Babylon to destroy it, Because it is the vengeance of the Lord, The vengeance for His temple. 12Set up the standard on the walls of Babylon; Make the guard strong, Set up the watchmen, Prepare the ambushes. For the Lord has both devised and done What He spoke against the inhabitants of Babylon. 13O you who dwell by many waters, Abundant in treasures, Your end has come, The measure of your covetousness.
Read all of Jeremiah 51Jeremiah 51:11 word by word
הָבֵ֣רוּ הַחִצִּים֮ מִלְא֣וּ הַשְּׁלָטִים֒ הֵעִ֣יר יְהוָ֗ה אֶת־ר֙וּחַ֙ מַלְכֵ֣י מָדַ֔י כִּֽי־עַל־בָּבֶ֥ל מְזִמָּת֖וֹ לְהַשְׁחִיתָ֑הּ כִּֽי־נִקְמַ֤ת יְהוָה֙ הִ֔יא נִקְמַ֖ת הֵיכָלֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Make brightבָּרַרbârar · to purifyH1305
- the arrowsחֵץchêts · arrowH2671
- gatherמָלֵאmâlê' mâlâ' · to fillH4390
- the shieldsשֶׁ֫לֶטsheleţ · shieldH7982
- the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- hath raised upעוּר‛ûr · to rouseH5782
- the spiritרוּחַrûach · spiritH7307
- of the kingsמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- of the Medesמָדַיmâday · MedeH4074
- for his deviceמְזִמָּהmezimmâh · plotH4209
- against Babylonבָּבֶ֫ל, בָּבֶלbâbel · BabylonH894
- to destroyשָׁחַתshâchath · to ruinH7843
- the vengeanceנְקָמָהneqâmâh · vengeanceH5360
- of his templeהֵיכָלhêykâl · templeH1964
Cross-references for Jeremiah 51:11
- Jeremiah 46:4Harness the horses, And mount up, you horsemen! Stand forth with your helmets, Polish the spears, Put on the armor!
- Jeremiah 50:9For behold, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon An assembly of great nations from the north country, And they shall array themselves against her; From there she shall be captured. Their arrows shall be like those of an expert warrior; None shall return in vain.
- Isaiah 21:5Prepare the table, Set a watchman in the tower, Eat and drink. Arise, you princes, Anoint the shield!
- Jeremiah 51:27Set up a banner in the land, Blow the trumpet among the nations! Prepare the nations against her, Call the kingdoms together against her: Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz. Appoint a general against her; Cause the horses to come up like the bristling locusts.
- 1 Kings 11:14Now the Lord raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was a descendant of the king in Edom.
- 1 Chronicles 5:26So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, that is, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria. He carried the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh into captivity. He took them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the river of Gozan to this day.
- 2 Chronicles 36:22Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying,
- Ezra 1:1Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying,
- Isaiah 10:26And the Lord of hosts will stir up a scourge for him like the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb; as His rod was on the sea, so will He lift it up in the manner of Egypt.
- Isaiah 13:17“Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, Who will not regard silver; And as for gold, they will not delight in it.
- Isaiah 13:18Also their bows will dash the young men to pieces, And they will have no pity on the fruit of the womb; Their eye will not spare children.
- Isaiah 21:2A distressing vision is declared to me; The treacherous dealer deals treacherously, And the plunderer plunders. Go up, O Elam! Besiege, O Media! All its sighing I have made to cease.
- Isaiah 41:25“I have raised up one from the north, And he shall come; From the rising of the sun he shall call on My name; And he shall come against princes as though mortar, As the potter treads clay.
- Isaiah 45:1“Thus says the Lord to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held— To subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut:
- Isaiah 46:11Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it.
- Revelation 17:16And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire.
Commentaries on Jeremiah 51:11
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 11Make bright the arrows - This is the prophet's address to Babylon. The Lord hath raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes - Of Cyaxares king of Media, called Darius the Mede in Scripture; and of Cyrus king of Persia, presumptive heir of the throne of Cyaxares, his uncle. Cambyses, his father, sent him, Cyrus, with 30, 000 men to assist his uncle Cyaxares, against Neriglissar king of Babylon, and by these was Babylon overthrown.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 11Make bright - Rather, Sharpen. The Medes Genesis 10:2 were a branch of the great Aryan family, who as conquerors had seized upon the vast regions extending from the Caspian Sea to the eastern borders of Mesopotamia, but without being able to dispossess the Turanian tribes who had previously dwelt there. They were divided into numerous clans, each with its own local chief, the leaders of the larger sections being those who are here called kings.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 11-12The kings of the Medes included Cyrus. He marched against Babylon and overthrew it in 539 BC.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1111. Make bright--literally, "pure." Polish and sharpen. gather--literally, "fill"; that is, gather in full number, so that none be wanting. So, "gave in full tale" (1Sa 18:27). Gesenius, not so well, translates, "Fill with your bodies the shields" (compare So 4:4). He means to tell the Babylonians, Make what preparations you will, all will be in vain (compare Jr 46:3-6). kings of ... Medes--He names the Medes rather than the Persians, because Darius, or…Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 51:11
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 King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries