Jeremiah

Jeremiah 49:23-27

Even powerful and celebrated cities collapse when the Lord brings judgment upon them.

Jeremiah 49:23-27 (WEB)

23 Of Damascus: “Hamath is confounded, and Arpad; for they have heard evil news. They have melted away. There is sorrow on the sea. It can’t be quiet.

24 Damascus has grown feeble, she turns herself to flee, and trembling has seized her. Anguish and sorrows have taken hold of her, as of a woman in travail.

25 How is the city of praise not forsaken, the city of my joy?

26 Therefore her young men will fall in her streets, and all the men of war will be brought to silence in that day,” says Yahweh of Armies.

27 “I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, and it will devour the palaces of Ben Hadad.”

Central Idea

Even powerful and celebrated cities collapse when the LORD brings judgment upon them.

Authorial Intent

To announce the LORD’s judgment against Damascus and the cities of Aram, exposing the collapse of their confidence and the terror that will spread through the region.

Literary Context

Jeremiah 49:23–27 begins a new oracle against Damascus and the Aramean region. Following the prophecies against Edom, the prophet continues his series of judgments against surrounding nations, revealing the universal scope of God’s sovereignty over history.

Chapter: Jeremiah 49

The Nations Summoned Down: Ammon, Edom, Damascus, Kedar, Hazor, and Elam under the LORD’s Rule

The LORD brings down every nation’s chosen refuge, whether territory, wisdom, fame, desert freedom, or military strength, yet he remains sovereign to judge and restore according to his word.