Jeremiah 51:56
in Jeremiah 51For a destroyer is coming against her—against Babylon. Her warriors will be captured, and their bows will be broken, for the LORD is a God of retribution; He will repay in full.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
for the destroyer is come upon her, even upon Babylon, and her mighty men are taken, their bows are broken in pieces; for Jehovah is a God of recompenses, he will surely requite.
KJV
Because the spoiler is come upon her, even upon Babylon, and her mighty men are taken, every one of their bows is broken: for the Lord God of recompences shall surely requite.
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This verse in Jeremiah 51
Commentary
7 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
The sound of a cry comes from Babylon
on Jeremiah 51:54-58
“The sound of a cry comes from Babylon, the sound of great destruction.” The two defenses fall together: “Babylon’s thick walls will be leveled, and her high gates consumed by fire.” “So the labor of the people will be for nothing,” words Habakkuk 2:13 repeats almost exactly.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
Because - Little more is said here than was before, only the words hint the taking of Babylon by a surprize when the king, and the inhabitants were not aware of it, which we had before also told us, ver. 39, 40.
quarantine:anchor (2026-07-29) — cites-ver-39-anchored-56-56
Those that sink under the weight of God's wrath and curse sink irrecoverably. The last words of the chapter seal up the vision and prophecy of this book: Thus far are the words of Jeremiah. Not that this prophecy against Babylon was the last of his prophecies; for it was dated in the fourth year of Zedekiah (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
Because the spoiler is come upon her, even upon Babylon,....
When the spoiler comes upon Babylon her mighty men, who should make head against him, are immediately taken, their weapons of war fail them, every one of their bows is broken and stands them in no stead.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
The Lord God of recompenses - The fall of Babylon is an act of Divine justice; whatever it suffers, it is in consequence of its crimes.
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Every one ... - Or, “Their bows are broken, for Yahweh is a God of recompenses; He will certainly requite.”
The words behind it
16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כִּי֩ | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| בָ֨א | va' | [is] about to come | H935 → | 2568 times |
| עָלֶ֤יהָ | ʾaleiha | on it | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| בָּבֶל֙ | bavel | Babylon | H894 → | 262 times |
| שׁוֹדֵ֔ד | shoded | a destroyer | H7703 → | 57 times |
| וְנִלְכְּדוּ֙ | venilkedu | and they will be captured | H3920 → | 121 times |
| גִּבּוֹרֶ֔יהָ | giboreiha | warriors its | H1368 → | 158 times |
| חִתְּתָ֖ה | chitetah | it will be shattered | H2865 → | 52 times |
| קַשְּׁתוֹתָ֑ם | kashetotam | bows their | H7198 → | 76 times |
| כִּ֣י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| אֵ֧ל | ʾel | [is] a God of | H410 → | |
| גְּמֻל֛וֹת | gemulot | recompense<s> | H1578 → | |
| יְהוָ֖ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| שַׁלֵּ֥ם | shalem | fully <repay> | H7999 → | 116 times |
| יְשַׁלֵּֽם׃ | yeshalem | he will repay | H7999 → | 116 times |
כִּי֩for
kiH3588 →4482 times
בָ֨א[is] about to come
va'H935 →2568 times
עָלֶ֤יהָon it
ʾaleihaH5921 →5755 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
בָּבֶל֙Babylon
bavelH894 →262 times
שׁוֹדֵ֔דa destroyer
shodedH7703 →57 times
וְנִלְכְּדוּ֙and they will be captured
venilkeduH3920 →121 times
גִּבּוֹרֶ֔יהָwarriors its
giboreihaH1368 →158 times
חִתְּתָ֖הit will be shattered
chitetahH2865 →52 times
קַשְּׁתוֹתָ֑םbows their
kashetotamH7198 →76 times
כִּ֣יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
אֵ֧ל[is] a God of
ʾelH410 →
גְּמֻל֛וֹתrecompense<s>
gemulotH1578 →
יְהוָ֖הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
שַׁלֵּ֥םfully <repay>
shalemH7999 →116 times
יְשַׁלֵּֽם׃he will repay
yeshalemH7999 →116 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
Psalms 46:9He makes wars to cease throughout the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; He burns the shields in the fire.
it leads to
- Isaiah 2:4
Then He will judge between the nations and arbitrate for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer take up the sword against…
- Micah 4:3–4
Then He will judge between many peoples and arbitrate for strong nations far and wide. Then they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer take…
- Micah 5:10
“In that day,” declares the LORD, “I will remove your horses from among you and wreck your chariots.
- Isaiah 60:18
No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders. But you will name your walls Salvation and your gates Praise.
- Joshua 11:9
Joshua treated them as the LORD had told him; he hamstrung their horses and burned up their chariots.
- Isaiah 2:4
Through
Jeremiah 51:6Flee from Babylon! Escape with your lives! Do not be destroyed in her punishment. For this is the time of the LORD’s vengeance; He will pay her what she deserves.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 50:8
Flee from the midst of Babylon; depart from the land of the Chaldeans; be like the he-goats that lead the flock.
- Jeremiah 25:14
For many nations and great kings will enslave them, and I will repay them according to their deeds and according to the work of their hands.’”
- Jeremiah 50:15
Raise a war cry against her on every side! She has thrown up her hands in surrender; her towers have fallen; her walls are torn down. Since this is the vengeance of the LORD,…
- Jeremiah 50:8
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 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; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.