Jeremiah 10:25
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What's striking here is the intense repetition of "devoured" and "consumed." This isn't just describing destruction; it paints a picture of utter annihilation, as if Jacob itself was a meal being greedily eaten and completely gone, emphasizing the brutality of the nations' actions.
Pour out your wrath on the nations that know you not, and on the peoples that call not on your name, for they have devoured Jacob; they have devoured him and consumed him, and have laid waste his habitation.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse is a prayer for divine vengeance directed at the nations who have oppressed and destroyed Jacob. It follows Jeremiah's earlier pronouncements of judgment against Judah for its own sins, but here the focus shifts to God's enemies. The prophet appeals to God's justice, asking Him to pour out His wrath on those who do not know or call upon His name, particularly highlighting the devastating way these nations have consumed God's people and laid waste their homes.
Why would God's prophet cry out for wrath to be poured on nations? This isn't just anger; it's a desperate cry from a people who have suffered unimaginable loss.
Jeremiah's prayer in this verse is a raw expression of pain and a plea for divine justice. The surrounding context of Jeremiah 10 shows a people facing the brutal reality of invasion and exile. The nations mentioned – those who don't know or call on God – have acted like ravenous beasts, consuming Jacob, stripping them of everything, and leaving their homes desolate.
This isn't a prayer born from petty revenge, but from the profound suffering of seeing God's chosen people devastated by those who actively reject Him. It's an appeal to God's character as a righteous judge who will not let such cruelty go unanswered. The prophet is essentially saying, 'Lord, you are just. These nations have brought destruction upon your people. Your justice demands a response.'
The verse clearly separates 'nations that know you not' from God's own people. What does this distinction mean for how God interacts with the world?
This verse highlights a crucial distinction God makes between those who acknowledge Him and those who don't. The 'nations that know you not' and 'peoples that call not on your name' represent the world operating outside of God's covenant and authority. They are characterized by ignorance of Him and a refusal to worship or invoke Him.
Jeremiah's prayer underscores that God's justice will operate differently for those within His covenant community versus those outside. While God chastens His own people (as the context implies), His ultimate wrath is reserved for the ungodly nations who actively oppose Him and oppress His people. This isn't about God playing favorites, but about His sovereign right to judge those who reject His authority and harm His chosen ones.
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Understand the original words
ḥēmâ · Hebrew Noun
The fierce, judicial outpouring of God’s judgment against persistent wickedness and nations that reject His sovereign authority.
Ya‘ăqōb · Hebrew Proper Noun
The chosen people of God descended from Abraham and Isaac, often used in prophecy to represent the covenant community of Israel and their unique standing before God.
This prayer for divine wrath against the nations is uttered in the context of profound devastation and exile, when the enemies of God's people have brutally conquered and scattered them, leaving their homeland in ruins.
722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquers the Northern Kingdom of Israel, exiling many of its inhabitants. This event marks a significant period of loss and scattering for the Israelites.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquers Judah and begins deporting Israelites, including members of the royal family and educated elite, to Babylon. This is the beginning of the Babylonian exile.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Following a Judean rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar deports more Judeans to Babylon, including the prophet Ezekiel. Jerusalem's Temple is looted.
586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
Babylonian forces, under Nebuchadnezzar, utterly destroy Jerusalem and its Temple, the heart of Israelite worship and identity. The remaining population is exiled to Babylon, leaving the land desolate.
c. 580 BC
Jeremiah's Oracles on Nations
During the exile, Jeremiah utters prophecies of judgment not only against Judah but also against the surrounding nations, particularly Babylon, for their cruelty and their ignorance of God. This verse is part of that larger prophetic message.
539 BC
Fall of Babylon
The Persian Empire, under Cyrus the Great, conquers Babylon. This event signals the eventual end of the Babylonian exile and the beginning of the return of some Jewish exiles.
This passage directly parallels Jeremiah 10:25, using very similar language to describe the same plea for God's wrath to be poured out on the nations who do not know Him and have devastated His people and land.
Isaiah 47:6This passage speaks of God's judgment against Babylon, a nation that severely afflicted His people, echoing the theme of divine retribution against those who have acted with cruelty and without mercy.
2 Thessalonians 1:8This New Testament passage describes God's judgment on those who do not know Him and do not obey the gospel, connecting the Old Testament concept of wrath on the ignorant nations to a future, ultimate judgment.
Romans 2:8This verse speaks of God's wrath being revealed against those who live in opposition to Him, aligning with Jeremiah's prayer for the nations who are ignorant of God and destructive towards His people.
bensonJeremiah 10:25: "Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name: for they have eaten up Jacob, and devoured him, and consumed him, and have made his habitation desolate."
Jeremiah 10:25 . Pour out thine indignation upon the heathen, &c. — Let thy justice be made known, by bringing an exemplary punishment upon the Chaldeans and their allies, (see Jeremiah 1:15 ,) who do not acknowledge thy providence, but ascribe all their successes to thei…
calvinJeremiah 10:25: "Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name: for they have eaten up Jacob, and devoured him, and consumed him, and have made his habitation desolate."
Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name: for they have eaten up Jacob, and devoured him, and consumed him, and have made his habitation desolate.
Effunde iram tuam super gentes, quae te non noverunt,…
What's striking here is the intense repetition of "devoured" and "consumed." This isn't just describing destruction; it paints a picture of utter annihilation, as if Jacob itself was a meal being greedily eaten and completely gone, emphasizing the brutality of the nations' actions.
This verse is a prayer for divine vengeance directed at the nations who have oppressed and destroyed Jacob. It follows Jeremiah's earlier pronouncements of judgment against Judah for its own sins, but here the focus shifts to God's enemies. The prophet appeals to God's justice, asking Him to pour out His wrath on those who do not know or call upon His name, particularly highlighting the devastating way these nations have consumed God's people and laid waste their homes.
This verse is a prayer for divine vengeance directed at the nations who have oppressed and destroyed Jacob. It follows Jeremiah's earlier pronouncements of judgment against Judah for its own sins, but here the focus shifts to God's enemies. The prophet appeals to God's justice, asking Him to pour out His wrath on those who do not know or call upon His name, particularly highlighting the devastating way these nations have consumed God's people and laid waste their homes.
"Pour out your wrath on the nations that know you not, and on the peoples that call not on your name, for they have devoured Jacob; they have devoured him and consumed him, and have laid waste his habitation." — What's striking here is the intense repetition of "devoured" and "consumed." This isn't just describing destruction; it paints a picture of utter annihilation, as if Jacob itself was a meal being gre…
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Last reviewed October 2026
