Jeremiah 51:7
in Jeremiah 51Babylon was a gold cup in the hand of the LORD, making the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore the nations have gone mad.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Babylon hath been a golden cup in Jehovah’s hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunk of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.
KJV
Babylon hath been a golden cup in the Lord’s hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.
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This verse in Jeremiah 51
Commentary
9 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Literally, “A golden cup is Babel in the hand of Yahweh, intoxicating the whole earth.” Jeremiah beholds her in her splendor, but the wine whereof she makes the nations drink is the wrath of God. As God’s hammer Jer 50:23, Babylon was strong: as His cup of gold, she was rich and beautiful, but neither saves her from ruin.
This site's exposition
Babylon was a gold cup in the hand of the LORD
on Jeremiah 51:7-10
“Babylon was a gold cup in the hand of the LORD, making the whole earth drunk,” the instrument of judgment now judged. The nations say, “We tried to heal Babylon, but she could not be healed.” Verse 10 turns to Zion: “The LORD has brought forth our vindication.”
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
Church people are truly rustic and simple people, but all the heretics are Aristotelian and Platonic. Briefly, that you may know that gold is the usual simile for worldly eloquence, that the heretic's tongue, for example, is as brilliant as gold, hear the words of the prophet: "Babylon was a golden cup in the hand of the Lord." Note how he describes the Babylon of confusion. This world, therefore, is that golden cup. All nations drink from that cup of gold.
"Strangers with the inhabitants of Tyre." Where we have alienigenae [foreigners], the Hebrew text has Philistim, which is interpreted, a cup of poison, for heretics are all drunk from the cup of Babylon, of which Jeremiah says, "The golden cup of Babylon that made the whole earth drunk." Note: "the golden cup of Babylon." Babylon connotes confusion: "a cup truly golden," the teachings of philosophers and the eloquence of orators. Who, indeed, has not been misled by the philosophers? Who has not been seduced by the orators of this world? Theirs is a golden cup, the splendor of eloquence on the outside but within full of poison that they could never conceal except under the gleam of gold. You taste the sweetness of their eloquence, to be sure, and do not suspect the fatal poison. "Strangers with the inhabitants of Tyre." Tyre stands for "narrowness." Truly, there is no room there, not the wide open heart of Christ, as the apostle says to the Corinthians: "In us there is no lack of room for you, but in your heart there is no room for us."
Indeed, since the sum total of all God's bounty and the soul of all virtues are given with this ineffable gift, all other gifts are granted us to enable the yearning of the faithful soul to strive effectively after perfect charity. As this is not …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
In both senses the New-Testament Babylon is said to have made the kings of the earth drunk, Rev. xvii. Babylon had also been God's battle-axe; it was so at this time, when Jeremiah prophesied, and was likely to be yet more so,
Babylon hath been a golden cup in the hand of the Lord,....
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
The cup is termed "golden," to express the splendor and opulence of Babylon; whence also in the image seen by Nebuchadnezzar (Da 2:38) the head representing Babylon is of gold (compare Isa 14:4). Her friends and confederates, who behold her fall, are invited to her aid.
Made all the earth drunken - The cup of God’s wrath is the plenitude of punishment, that he inflicts on transgressors. It is represented as intoxicating and making them mad.
The words behind it
15 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כּוֹס־ | kos- | [was] a cup of | H3563 → | 34 times |
| זָהָ֤ב | zahav | gold | H2091 → | 389 times |
| בָּבֶל֙ | bavel | Babylon | H894 → | 262 times |
| בְּיַד־ | beyad- | in [the] hand of | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| יְהוָ֔ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| מְשַׁכֶּ֖רֶת | meshakeret | making drunk | H7937 → | 19 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הָאָ֑רֶץ | haaretz | the earth | H776 → | 2504 times |
| מִיֵּינָהּ֙ | miyeinah | some of wine its | H3196 → | 141 times |
| שָׁת֣וּ | shatu | they have drunk | H8354 → | 217 times |
| גוֹיִ֔ם | goyim | nations | H1471 → | 561 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | there- | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| כֵּ֖ן | ken | -fore | H3651 → | 771 times |
| יִתְהֹלְל֥וּ | yitholelu | they are acting like mad people | H1984 → | 165 times |
| גוֹיִֽם׃ | goyim | nations | H1471 → | 561 times |
כּוֹס־[was] a cup of
kos-H3563 →34 times
זָהָ֤בgold
zahavH2091 →389 times
בָּבֶל֙Babylon
bavelH894 →262 times
בְּיַד־in [the] hand of
beyad-H3027 →1618 times
יְהוָ֔הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
מְשַׁכֶּ֖רֶתmaking drunk
meshakeretH7937 →19 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
הָאָ֑רֶץthe earth
haaretzH776 →2504 times
מִיֵּינָהּ֙some of wine its
miyeinahH3196 →141 times
שָׁת֣וּthey have drunk
shatuH8354 →217 times
גוֹיִ֔םnations
goyimH1471 →561 times
עַל־there-
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
כֵּ֖ן-fore
kenH3651 →771 times
יִתְהֹלְל֥וּthey are acting like mad people
yitholeluH1984 →165 times
גוֹיִֽם׃nations
goyimH1471 →561 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Revelation 18:3All the nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her immorality. The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown wealthy from the extravagance…
it leads to
- Revelation 14:8
Then a second angel followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, who has made all the nations drink the wine of the passion of her immorality.”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Revelation 18:9
Then the kings of the earth who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her will weep and wail at the sight of the smoke rising from the fire that consumes her.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Revelation 18:23
The light of a lamp will never shine in you again, and the voices of a bride and bridegroom will never call out in you again. For your merchants were the great ones of…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Revelation 17:2
The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and those who dwell on the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her immorality.”
- Revelation 14:8
Through
Revelation 17:4The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls. She held in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual…
it leads to
- Revelation 18:16
saying: “Woe, woe to the great city, clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls!
- Revelation 19:2
For His judgments are true and just. He has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality. He has avenged the blood of His servants that was poured out by her…
- Revelation 18:12
cargo of gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; of fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; of all kinds of citron wood and every article of ivory, precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble;
- Revelation 18:16
Through
Revelation 14:8Then a second angel followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, who has made all the nations drink the wine of the passion of her immorality.”
it leads to
- Jeremiah 51:7–8
Babylon was a gold cup in the hand of the LORD, making the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore the nations have gone mad.
- Jeremiah 51:7–8
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Jeremiah

Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Carl Friedrich Keil, The Prophecies of Jeremiah; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, HOMILIES ON THE PSALMS 11; Jerome, HOMILIES ON THE PSALMS 62; John Calvin, Commentary on Jeremiah and Lamentations; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Prosper of Aquitaine, THE CALL OF ALL NATIONS 2:11.
