BibleWord.ai› Bible› Jeremiah› Chapter 51› Verse 37

Jeremiah 51:37

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Jeremiah 51:37 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwelling-place for jackals, an astonishment, and a hissing, without inhabitant.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwelling-place for jackals, an astonishment, and a hissing, without inhabitant.
Jeremiah 51:37 — American Standard Version

Context — Jeremiah 51

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
34Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon hath devoured me, he hath crushed me, he hath made me an empty vessel, he hath, like a monster, swallowed me up, he hath filled his maw with my delicacies; he hath cast me out.
35The violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon, shall the inhabitant of Zion say; and, My blood be upon the inhabitants of Chaldea, shall Jerusalem say.
36Therefore thus saith Jehovah: Behold, I will plead thy cause, and take vengeance for thee; and I will dry up her sea, and make her fountain dry.
37And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwelling-place for jackals, an astonishment, and a hissing, without inhabitant.
38They shall roar together like young lions; they shall growl as lions` whelps.
39When they are heated, I will make their feast, and I will make them drunken, that they may rejoice, and sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith Jehovah.
40I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams with he-goats.
← Jeremiah 51:36Jeremiah 51:38 →
← Full Chapter 51 Jeremiah Overview

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 Babylon shall become heaps, etc.] The houses should be demolished, and the stones lie in heaps one upon another, and become mere rubbish: a dwelling place for dragons; and other wild and savage creatures. Dragons, as Aelianusf1058 observes, love to live in desert places, and such now Babylon is; it lies in ruins; and even its palace is so full of scorpions and serpents, as Benjamin of Tudelaf1059 says it was in his time, that men durst not enter into it; (see <245039>Jeremiah 50:39 <231321>Isaiah 13:21,22); an astonishment, and an hissing, without an inhabitant; an astonishment to neighbouring nations, and to all that pass by; who shall hiss at the destruction of it, and rejoice, there…”
Read attributed excerpt →
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“(Jer 50:26, Jer 50:39; Rev 18:2).”
Read attributed excerpt →
Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Heaps - Of rubbish, formed in this case by the decay of the unburned bricks of which Babylon was built. It is these heaps which have yielded such a large wealth of historical documents in our own days. Dragons - Jackals Jeremiah 10:22. return to 'Top of Page'”
Read attributed excerpt →
Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“51:37 The looting of the city and the damage to its structures would inspire contempt rather than awe in its visitors.”
Read attributed excerpt →
Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“become: Jer 51:25, Jer 51:26, Jer 51:29, Jer 25:9, Jer 25:12, Jer 25:18, Jer 50:12, Jer 50:13, Jer 50:23-26, Jer 50:38-40; Isa 13:19-22, Isa 14:23; Isa 34:8-17; Rev 18:2, Rev 18:21-23 an hissing: Jer 18:16, Jer 19:8, Jer 29:18; Ch2 29:8; Lam 2:15, Lam 2:16; Mic 6:16; Zep 2:15 Jeremiah 51:38”
Read attributed excerpt →

Related study paths

Read Jeremiah 51 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification