Logos Bible Study

Jeremiah 51:6–10

The NET BibleOther versions

English

Arabic

Czech

French

German

Hebrew

Hungarian

Italian

Korean

Latin

Portuguese

Russian

Simplified Chinese

Spanish

Traditional Chinese

51:6Get out of Babylonia quickly, you foreign people.17

Flee to save your lives.

Do not let yourselves be killed because of her sins.

For it is time for the Lord to wreak his revenge.

He will pay Babylonia18 back for what she has done.19

51:7Babylonia had been a gold cup in the Lord’s hand.

She had made the whole world drunk.

The nations had drunk from the wine of her wrath.20

So they have all gone mad.21

51:8But suddenly Babylonia will fall and be destroyed.22

Cry out in mourning over it!

Get medicine for her wounds!

Perhaps she can be healed!

51:9Foreigners living there will say,23

‘We tried to heal her, but she could not be healed.

Let’s leave Babylonia24 and each go back to his own country.

For judgment on her will be vast in its proportions.

It will be like it is piled up to heaven, stacked up into the clouds.’25

51:10The exiles from Judah will say,26

‘The Lord has brought about a great deliverance for us!27

Come on, let’s go and proclaim in Zion

what the Lord our God has done!’

Read in Logos

Footnotes

  1. 17 The words “you foreign people” are not in the text and many think the referent is the exiles of Judah. While this is clearly the case in v. 45 the referent seems broader here where the context speaks of every man going to his own country (v. 9).
  2. 18 Heb “her.”
  3. 19 Heb “paying to her a recompense [i.e., a payment in kind].”
  4. 20 The words “of her wrath” are not in the Hebrew text but are supplied in the translation to help those readers who are not familiar with the figure of the “cup of the Lord’s wrath.” The figure of the cup of the Lord’s wrath invoked in Jer 25:15–29 is invoked again here and Babylon is identified as the agent through which the wrath of the Lord is visited on the other nations. See the study note on for explanation and further references.
  5. 21 Heb “upon the grounds of such conditions the nations have gone mad.”
  6. 22 The verbs in this verse and the following are all in the Hebrew perfect tense, a tense that often refers to a past action or a past action with present results. However, as the translator’s notes have indicated, the prophets use this tense to view the actions as if they were as good as done (the Hebrew prophetic perfect). The stance here is ideal, viewed as already accomplished.
  7. 23 The words “Foreigners living there will say” are not in the text but are implicit from the third line. These words are generally assumed by the commentaries and are explicitly added in and which are attempting to clarify the text for the average reader.
  8. 24 Heb “Leave/abandon her.” However, it is smoother in the English translation to make this verb equivalent to the cohortative that follows.
  9. 25 This is an admittedly very paraphrastic translation that tries to make the figurative nuance of the Hebrew original understandable for the average reader. The Hebrew text reads: “For her judgment [or punishment (cf. 1078 מִשְׁפָּט 1.f) = ‘execution of judgment’] touches the heavens, and is lifted up as far as the clouds.” The figure of hyperbole or exaggeration is being used here to indicate the vastness of Babylon’s punishment which is the reason to escape (vv. 6, 9c). For this figure see Deut 1:28 in comparison with Num 13:28 and see also Deut 9:1. In both of the passages in Deut it refers to an exaggeration about the height of the walls of fortified cities. The figure also may be a play on Gen 11:4 where the nations gather in Babylon to build a tower that reaches to the skies. The present translation has interpreted the perfects here as prophetic because it has not happened yet or they would not be encouraging one another to leave and escape. For the idea here compare 50:16.
  10. 26 The words “The exiles from Judah will say” are not in the text but are implicit from the words that follow. They are supplied in the translation to clearly identify for the reader the referent of “us.”
  11. 27 There is some difference of opinion as to the best way to render the Hebrew expression here. Literally it means “brought forth our righteousnesses.” 842 צְדָקָה 7.b interprets this of the “righteous acts” of the people of Judah and compares the usage in Isa 64:6; Ezek 3:20; 18:24; 33:13. However, Judah’s acts of righteousness (or more simply, their righteousness) was scarcely revealed in their deliverance. Most of the English versions and commentaries refer to “vindication” i.e., that the Lord has exonerated or proven Israel’s claims to be true. However, that would require more explanation than the idea of “deliverance” which is a perfectly legitimate usage of the term (cf. 842 צְדָקָה 6.a and compare the usage in Isa 46:13; 51:6, 8; 56:1). The present translation interprets the plural form here as a plural of intensity or amplification ( §124.e) and the suffix as a genitive of advantage ( §9.5.2e). This interpretation is also reflected in and God’s Word.

The NET Bible First Edition, Copyright 1996-2005 by Biblical Studies Press

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

“Flee from the midst of Babylon;

let every one save his life!

Be not cut off in her punishment,

for this is the time of the Lord’s vengeance,

the repayment he is rendering her.

Babylon was a golden cup in the Lord’s hand,

making all the earth drunken;

the nations drank of her wine;

therefore the nations went mad.

Suddenly Babylon has fallen and been broken;

wail for her!

Take balm for her pain;

perhaps she may be healed.

We would have healed Babylon,

but she was not healed.

Forsake her, and let us go

each to his own country,

for her judgment has reached up to heaven

and has been lifted up even to the skies.

The Lord has brought about our vindication;

come, let us declare in Zion

the work of the Lord our God.

Copyright 2001 Crossway Bibles

NIVNew International Version (2011)

“Flee from Babylon!

Run for your lives!

Do not be destroyed because of her sins.

It is time for the Lord’s vengeance;

he will repay her what she deserves.

Babylon was a gold cup in the Lord’s hand;

she made the whole earth drunk.

The nations drank her wine;

therefore they have now gone mad.

Babylon will suddenly fall and be broken.

Wail over her!

Get balm for her pain;

perhaps she can be healed.

“ ‘We would have healed Babylon,

but she cannot be healed;

let us leave her and each go to our own land,

for her judgment reaches to the skies,

it rises as high as the heavens.’

“ ‘The Lord has vindicated us;

come, let us tell in Zion

what the Lord our God has done.’

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica, Inc.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Leave Babylon;

save your lives, each of you!

Don’t perish because of her guilt.

For this is the time of the Lord’s vengeance—

he will pay her what she deserves.

Babylon was a gold cup in the Lord’s hand,

making the whole earth drunk.

The nations drank her wine;

therefore, the nations go mad.

Suddenly Babylon fell and was shattered.

Wail for her;

get balm for her wound—

perhaps she can be healed.

We tried to heal Babylon,

but she could not be healed.

Abandon her!

Let each of us go to his own land,

for her judgment extends to the sky

and reaches as far as the clouds.

The Lord has brought about our vindication;

come, let’s tell in Zion

what the Lord our God has accomplished.

Copyright 2017 Holman Bible Publishers

NLTNew Living Translation

Flee from Babylon! Save yourselves!

Don’t get trapped in her punishment!

It is the Lord’s time for vengeance;

he will repay her in full.

Babylon has been a gold cup in the Lord’s hands,

a cup that made the whole earth drunk.

The nations drank Babylon’s wine,

and it drove them all mad.

But suddenly Babylon, too, has fallen.

Weep for her.

Give her medicine.

Perhaps she can yet be healed.

We would have helped her if we could,

but nothing can save her now.

Let her go; abandon her.

Return now to your own land.

For her punishment reaches to the heavens;

it is so great it cannot be measured.

The Lord has vindicated us.

Come, let us announce in Jerusalem

everything the Lord our God has done.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Flee from the midst of Babylon and save each one his life.

You must not perish because of her guilt.

For this is the time of vengeance for Yahweh,

he will repay her what is deserved.

Babylon was a cup of gold in the hand of Yahweh,

making drunk all the earth.

The nations drank of her wine.

Therefore the nations acted like madmen.

Suddenly Babylon has fallen and she is shattered.

Wail over her!

Take balm for her wounds,

perhaps she may be healed.

We tried to heal Babylon, and she was not healed.

Forsake her and let us go each one to his country,

for her judgment has reached to the heavens,

and it has been lifted up to the skies.

Yahweh has brought forth our vindication.

Come and let us make known in Zion the work of Yahweh our God.

Copyright 2012 Lexham Press

KJV 1900King James Version

Flee out of the midst of Babylon,

And deliver every man his soul:

Be not cut off in her iniquity;

For this is the time of the Lord’s vengeance;

He will render unto her a recompence.

Babylon hath been a golden cup in the Lord’s hand,

That made all the earth drunken:

The nations have drunken of her wine;

Therefore the nations are mad.

Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed:

Howl for her;

Take balm for her pain,

If so be she may be healed.

We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed:

Forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country:

For her judgment reacheth unto heaven,

And is lifted up even to the skies.

The Lord hath brought forth our righteousness:

Come, and let us declare in Zion

The work of the Lord our God.

Public Domain