Jeremiah

Jeremiah 51:34-35

The suffering of God’s people under oppressive powers is not ignored; their cry for justice reaches the Lord.

Jeremiah 51:34-35 (WEB)

34 “Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon has devoured me. He has crushed me. He has made me an empty vessel. He has, like a monster, swallowed me up. He has filled his mouth with my delicacies. He has cast me out.

35 May the violence done to me and to my flesh be on Babylon!” the inhabitant of Zion will say; and, “May my blood be on the inhabitants of Chaldea!” will Jerusalem say.

Central Idea

The suffering of God’s people under oppressive powers is not ignored; their cry for justice reaches the LORD.

Authorial Intent

To voice Zion’s complaint against Babylon for devouring and destroying God’s people and to call for divine justice against the violence inflicted upon Jerusalem.

Literary Context

Jeremiah 51:34–35 shifts from prophetic announcement to the voice of Zion, lamenting Babylon’s destruction and appealing for divine justice.

Chapter: Jeremiah 51

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

The LORD will make Babylon sink under the weight of her violence, idolatry, pride, and bloodshed, while calling his people to flee, remember Zion, and trust his irreversible word.