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Jeremiah 51:29

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Jeremiah 51:29 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And the land trembleth and is in pain; for the purposes of Jehovah against Babylon do stand, to make the land of Babylon a desolation, without inhabitant.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And the land trembleth and is in pain; for the purposes of Jehovah against Babylon do stand, to make the land of Babylon a desolation, without inhabitant.
Jeremiah 51:29 — American Standard Version

Context — Jeremiah 51

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
26And they shall not take of thee a stone for a corner, nor a stone for foundations; but thou shalt be desolate for ever, saith Jehovah.
27Set ye up a standard in the land, blow the trumpet among the nations, prepare the nations against her, call together against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz: appoint a marshal against her; cause the horses to come up as the rough canker-worm.
28Prepare against her the nations, the kings of the Medes, the governors thereof, and all the deputies thereof, and all the land of their dominion.
29And the land trembleth and is in pain; for the purposes of Jehovah against Babylon do stand, to make the land of Babylon a desolation, without inhabitant.
30The mighty men of Babylon have forborne to fight, they remain in their strongholds; their might hath failed; they are become as women: her dwelling-places are set on fire; her bars are broken.
31One post shall run to meet another, and one messenger to met another, to show the king of Babylon that his city is taken on every quarter:
32and the passages are seized, and the reeds they have burned with fire, and the men of war are affrighted.
← Jeremiah 51:28Jeremiah 51:30 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And the land shall tremble and sorrow, etc.] The land of Chaldea, the inhabitants of it, should tremble, when they heard of this powerful army invading their land, and besieging their metropolis; and should sorrow, and be in pain as a woman in travail, as the wordf1039 signifies: for every purpose of the Lord shall be performed against Babylon; or, “shall stand”f1040; be certainly fulfilled; for his purposes are firm and not frustratable: to make the land of Babylon a desolation without an inhabitant; this the Lord purposed, and threatened to do; (see <245039>Jeremiah 50:39,40) (<231319>Isaiah 13:19,20).”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“The literal translation is: Then the earth quaked and writhed; For the thoughts of Yahweh against Babel have stood fast; To make Babel a waste without inhabitant. return to 'Top of Page'”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“The land - Babylon, or the land of Chaldea. Jeremiah 51:31”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“51:29-30 The terrible fall of Babylon happened just as the Lord had planned. The Babylonian soldiers lost all desire to fight, and the Persian invaders quickly penetrated the city walls.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“the land: Jer 8:16, Jer 10:10, Jer 50:36, Jer 50:43; Isa 13:13, Isa 13:14, Isa 14:16; Joe 2:10; Amo 8:8 every: Jer 51:11, Jer 51:12, Jer 51:43, Jer 51:62-64, Jer 50:13, Jer 50:39, Jer 50:40, Jer 50:45; Isa 13:19, Isa 13:20, Isa 14:23, Isa 14:24, Isa 46:10, Isa 46:11; Isa 47:1-15; Rev 18:2, Rev 18:21-24 Jeremiah 51:30”
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Keil & Delitzsch
C. F. Keil & F. Delitzsch · Commentary on the Old Testament · 19th-century historical commentary
“On the advance of this mighty host against Babylon, to execute the judgment determined by the Lord, the earth quakes. The mighty men of Babylon cease to offer resistance, and withdraw dispirited, like women, into inaccessible places, while the enemy sets fire to the houses, breaks the bars, and captures the city. The prophet views all this in spirit as already present, and depicts in lively colours the attack on the city and its capture. Hence the historic tenses, ותּרעשׁ, ותּחל, חדלוּ, etc. קמה is used of the permanence, i.e., of the realization of the divine counsels, as in Jer 44:23. On the singular, see Ewald, 317, a. "To make the land," etc., as in Jer 4:7; Jer 18:16, etc. "They sit…”
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Related study paths

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