Focused Passage

Jeremiah 51:59-64

Babylon Sunk: The LORD’s Vengeance, Israel’s Deliverance, and the Stone Cast into the Euphrates

The chapter moves from the LORD stirring up destroyers against Babylon, to the command for Israel to flee, to Babylon’s image as a shattered golden cup, to the LORD’s vengeance for Zion, to a creation-theology contrast between the LORD and idols, to Babylon as the LORD’s war club now judged, to repeated announcements of Babylon’s desolation, to pastoral exhortations for exiles not to lose heart, and finally to Seraiah’s symbolic sinking of the scroll in the Euphrates.

Berean Standard Bible, Public Domain - Translation notes - Reference sources

59 This is the message that Jeremiah the prophet gave to the quartermaster Seraiah son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, when he went to Babylon with King Zedekiah of Judah in the fourth year of Zedekiah’s reign.

60 Jeremiah had written on a single scroll about all the disaster that would come upon Babylon—all these words that had been written concerning Babylon.

61 And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, “When you get to Babylon, see that you read all these words aloud,

62 and say, ‘O LORD, You have promised to cut off this place so that no one will remain—neither man nor beast. Indeed, it will be desolate forever.’

63 When you finish reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and cast it into the Euphrates.

64 Then you are to say, ‘In the same way Babylon will sink and never rise again, because of the disaster I will bring upon her. And her people will grow weary.’” Here end the words of Jeremiah.

Study Helps

References and Original Words

Verse 59

Original words

[This is] the message הַדָּבָ֞ר H1697 Article | Noun - masculine singular that אֲשֶׁר־ H834 Pronoun - relative Jeremiah יִרְמְיָ֣הוּ H3414 Noun - proper - masculine singular the prophet הַנָּבִ֗יא H5030 Article | Noun - masculine singular - אֶת־ H853 Direct object marker gave צִוָּ֣ה׀ H6680 Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person masculine singular - וּשְׂרָיָ֖ה H8304 Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - masculine singular vvv שַׂ֥ר H8269 Noun - masculine singular construct to the quartermaster מְנוּחָֽה׃ H4496 Noun - feminine singular Seraiah שְׂרָיָ֣ה H8304 Noun - proper - masculine singular son בֶן־ H1121 Noun - masculine singular construct of Neriah נֵרִיָּה֮ H5374 Noun - proper - masculine singular the son בֶּן־ H1121 Noun - masculine singular construct of Mahseiah מַחְסֵיָה֒ H4271 Noun - proper - masculine singular when he went בְּלֶכְתּ֞וֹ H1980 Preposition-b | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | third person masculine singular to Babylon בָּבֶ֔ל H894 Noun - proper - feminine singular with אֶת־ H854 Preposition King מֶֽלֶךְ־ H4428 Noun - masculine singular construct Zedekiah צִדְקִיָּ֤הוּ H6667 Noun - proper - masculine singular of Judah יְהוּדָה֙ H3063 Noun - proper - masculine singular in the fourth הָרְבִעִ֖ית H7243 Article | Number - ordinal feminine singular year בִּשְׁנַ֥ת H8141 Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct of Zedekiah’s reign לְמָלְכ֑וֹ H4427 Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | third person masculine singular
Verse 60

Original words

Jeremiah יִרְמְיָ֗הוּ H3414 Noun - proper - masculine singular - אֵ֧ת H853 Direct object marker had written וַיִּכְתֹּ֣ב H3789 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular on אֶל־ H413 Preposition a single אֶחָ֑ד H259 Number - masculine singular - אֵ֚ת H853 Direct object marker scroll סֵ֣פֶר H5612 Noun - masculine singular about all כָּל־ H3605 Noun - masculine singular construct the disaster הָרָעָ֛ה H7451 Article | Adjective - feminine singular that אֲשֶׁר־ H834 Pronoun - relative would come תָּב֥וֹא H935 Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular upon אֶל־ H413 Preposition Babylon בָּבֶ֖ל H894 Noun - proper - feminine singular all כָּל־ H3605 Noun - masculine singular construct these הָאֵ֔לֶּה H428 Article | Pronoun - common plural words הַדְּבָרִ֣ים H1697 Article | Noun - masculine plural that had been written הַכְּתֻבִ֖ים H3789 Article | Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine plural concerning אֶל־ H413 Preposition Babylon בָּבֶֽל׃ H894 Noun - proper - feminine singular
Verse 61

Original words

And Jeremiah יִרְמְיָ֖הוּ H3414 Noun - proper - masculine singular said וַיֹּ֥אמֶר H559 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular to אֶל־ H413 Preposition Seraiah שְׂרָיָ֑ה H8304 Noun - proper - masculine singular When you get כְּבֹאֲךָ֣ H935 Preposition-k | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | second person masculine singular to Babylon בָבֶ֔ל H894 Noun - proper - feminine singular see וְֽרָאִ֔יתָ H7200 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular that you read all כָּל־ H3605 Noun - masculine singular construct these הָאֵֽלֶּה׃ H428 Article | Pronoun - common plural words הַדְּבָרִ֖ים H1697 Article | Noun - masculine plural aloud וְֽקָרָ֔אתָ H7121 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular - אֵ֥ת H853 Direct object marker
Verse 62

Original words

and say וְאָמַרְתָּ֗ H559 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular O LORD יְהוָה֙ H3068 Noun - proper - masculine singular You אַתָּ֨ה H859 Pronoun - second person masculine singular have promised דִבַּ֜רְתָּ H1696 Verb - Piel - Perfect - second person masculine singular . . . אֶל־ H413 Preposition to cut off לְהַכְרִית֔וֹ H3772 Preposition-l | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct | third person masculine singular this הַזֶּה֙ H2088 Article | Pronoun - masculine singular place הַמָּק֤וֹם H4725 Article | Noun - masculine singular so that no one לְבִלְתִּ֤י H1115 Preposition-l הֱיֽוֹת־ הֱיֽוֹת־ H1961 Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct will remain יוֹשֵׁ֔ב H3427 Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular neither man לְמֵאָדָ֖ם H120 Preposition-l, Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular nor וְעַד־ H5704 Conjunctive waw | Preposition beast בְּהֵמָ֑ה H929 Noun - feminine singular Indeed כִּֽי־ H3588 Conjunction it will be תִּֽהְיֶֽה׃ H1961 Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular desolate שִׁמְמ֥וֹת H8077 Noun - feminine plural construct forever עוֹלָ֖ם H5769 Noun - masculine singular
Verse 63

Original words

- וְהָיָה֙ H1961 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular When you finish כְּכַלֹּ֣תְךָ֔ H3615 Preposition-k | Verb - Piel - Infinitive construct | second person masculine singular reading לִקְרֹ֖א H7121 Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct - אֶת־ H853 Direct object marker this הַזֶּ֑ה H2088 Article | Pronoun - masculine singular scroll הַסֵּ֣פֶר H5612 Article | Noun - masculine singular tie תִּקְשֹׁ֤ר H7194 Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular a stone אֶ֔בֶן H68 Noun - feminine singular to it עָלָיו֙ H5921 Preposition | third person masculine singular and cast it וְהִשְׁלַכְתּ֖וֹ H7993 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular | third person masculine singular into אֶל־ H413 Preposition . . . תּ֥וֹךְ H8432 Noun - masculine singular construct the Euphrates פְּרָֽת׃ H6578 Noun - proper - feminine singular
Verse 64

Original words

Then you are to say וְאָמַרְתָּ֗ H559 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular In the same way כָּ֠כָה H3602 Adverb Babylon בָּבֶ֤ל H894 Noun - proper - feminine singular will sink תִּשְׁקַ֨ע H8257 Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular and never וְלֹֽא־ H3808 Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle rise again תָקוּם֙ H6965 Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular because of מִפְּנֵ֣י H6440 Preposition-m | Noun - common plural construct the disaster הָרָעָ֗ה H7451 Article | Adjective - feminine singular - אֲשֶׁ֧ר H834 Pronoun - relative I אָנֹכִ֛י H595 Pronoun - first person common singular will bring מֵבִ֥יא H935 Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine singular upon her עָלֶ֖יהָ H5921 Preposition | third person feminine singular And [her people] will grow weary וְיָעֵ֑פוּ H3286 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural Here הֵ֖נָּה H2008 Adverb end עַד־ H5704 Preposition the words דִּבְרֵ֥י H1697 Noun - masculine plural construct of Jeremiah יִרְמְיָֽהוּ׃ס H3414 Noun - proper - masculine singular

Berean Standard Bible (BSB): CC0 Public Domain Scripture text. Focused passages are drawn from the same reader contract as the full chapter. Reference sources explains external study-link sources.