Jeremiah 51:11
in Jeremiah 51Sharpen the arrows! Fill the quivers! The LORD has aroused the spirit of the kings of the Medes, because His plan is aimed at Babylon to destroy her, for it is the vengeance of the LORD—vengeance for His temple.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Make sharp the arrows; hold firm the shields: Jehovah hath stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes; because his purpose is against Babylon, to destroy it: for it is the vengeance of Jehovah, the vengeance of his temple.
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.
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This verse in Jeremiah 51
Commentary
6 notes on this verseMake bright the arrows,.... Which were covered with rust; scour them of it; anoint them with oil, as armour were wont to be; make them neat, clean, and bright, that they may pierce the deeper; hence we read of a "polished shaft", or arrow, one made bright and pure, Isa 49:2; agreeably to this some render the word "sharpen the arrows" (k); so the Targum.
This site's exposition
the spirit of the kings of the Medes
on Jeremiah 51:11-14
The attacker is now named: “The LORD has aroused the spirit of the kings of the Medes,” the power allied with Cyrus when Babylon fell. Babylon may “post the guard”, for the LORD “has both devised and accomplished what He spoke.” Babylon dwells “by many waters, rich in treasures.”
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
), Darius and Cyrus, who come against Babylon by a divine instinct; for God's device is against Babylon to destroy it. They do it, but God devised it, he designed it; they are but accomplishing his purpose, and acting as he directed.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Make bright - Rather, Sharpen. The Medes Gen 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.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
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 Jer 46:3-6). kings of . . . Medes--He names the Medes rather than the Persians, because Darius, or Cyaxares, was above Cyrus in power and the greatness of his kingdom. temple-- (Jer 50:28).
Make 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.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
“The Lord has brought forth our merits” We have been remembered by Him favorably, and the merits of our forefathers have come before Him.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 7 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
21 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| הָבֵ֣רוּ | haveru | sharpen | H1305 → | |
| הַחִצִּים֮ | hachitzim | the arrows | H2671 → | 53 times |
| מִלְא֣וּ | milu | fill | H4390 → | 249 times |
| הַשְּׁלָטִים֒ | hashelatim | the shields | H7982 → | |
| הֵעִ֣יר | heir | he has roused | H5782 → | 80 times |
| יְהוָ֗ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| ר֙וּחַ֙ | ruach | [the] spirit of | H7307 → | 378 times |
| מַלְכֵ֣י | malkhei | [the] kings of | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| מָדַ֔י | madai | Media | H4074 → | 16 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| בָּבֶ֥ל | bavel | Babylon | H894 → | 262 times |
| מְזִמָּת֖וֹ | mezimato | purpose his | H4209 → | 19 times |
| לְהַשְׁחִיתָ֑הּ | lehashchitah | [is] to destroy it | H7843 → | 146 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| נִקְמַ֤ת | nikmat | [is] [the] vengeance of | H5360 → | 27 times |
| יְהוָה֙ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| הִ֔יא | hi' | it | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| נִקְמַ֖ת | nikmat | [the] vengeance of | H5360 → | 27 times |
| הֵיכָלֽוֹ׃ | heikhalo | temple his | H1964 → | 80 times |
הָבֵ֣רוּsharpen
haveruH1305 →
הַחִצִּים֮the arrows
hachitzimH2671 →53 times
מִלְא֣וּfill
miluH4390 →249 times
הַשְּׁלָטִים֒the shields
hashelatimH7982 →
הֵעִ֣ירhe has roused
heirH5782 →80 times
יְהוָ֗הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
ר֙וּחַ֙[the] spirit of
ruachH7307 →378 times
מַלְכֵ֣י[the] kings of
malkheiH4428 →2525 times
מָדַ֔יMedia
madaiH4074 →16 times
כִּֽי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
בָּבֶ֥לBabylon
bavelH894 →262 times
מְזִמָּת֖וֹpurpose his
mezimatoH4209 →19 times
לְהַשְׁחִיתָ֑הּ[is] to destroy it
lehashchitahH7843 →146 times
כִּֽי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
נִקְמַ֤ת[is] [the] vengeance of
nikmatH5360 →27 times
יְהוָה֙Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
הִ֔יאit
hi'H1931 →1879 times
נִקְמַ֖ת[the] vengeance of
nikmatH5360 →27 times
הֵיכָלֽוֹ׃temple his
heikhaloH1964 →80 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
Isaiah 41:25I have raised up one from the north, and he has come—one from the east who calls on My name. He will march over rulers as if they were mortar, like a potter who…
it leads to
- Isaiah 46:10–11
I declare the end from the beginning, and ancient times from what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and all My good pleasure I will accomplish.’
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Isaiah 41:2
Who has aroused one from the east and called him to his feet in righteousness? He hands nations over to him and subdues kings before him. He turns them to dust with his sword,…
- 2 Samuel 22:43
I ground them as the dust of the earth; I crushed and trampled them like mud in the streets.
- Isaiah 10:6
I will send him against a godless nation; I will dispatch him against a people destined for My rage, to take spoils and seize plunder, and to trample them down like clay in the…
- Zechariah 10:5
They will be like mighty men in battle, trampling the enemy in the mire of the streets. They will fight because the LORD is with them, and they will put the horsemen to shame.
- Isaiah 46:10–11
Through
Jeremiah 46:9Advance, O horses! Race furiously, O chariots! Let the warriors come forth—Cush and Put carrying their shields, men of Lydia drawing the bow.
it leads to
- Ezekiel 27:10
Men of Persia, Lydia, and Put served as warriors in your army. They hung their shields and helmets on your walls; they gave you splendor.
- Isaiah 66:19
I will establish a sign among them, and I will send survivors from among them to the nations—to Tarshish, Put, and the archers of Lud; to Tubal, Javan, and the islands far away who…
- Ezekiel 27:10
Through
Jeremiah 46:4Harness the horses; mount the steeds; take your positions with helmets on! Polish your spears; put on armor!
it leads to
- Ezekiel 21:9–11
“Son of man, prophesy and tell them that this is what the Lord says: ‘A sword, a sword, sharpened and polished—
- Ezekiel 21:9–11
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 Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; 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; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.