Jeremiah 50:26
Come against her from every quarter; open her granaries; pile her up like heaps of grain, and devote her to destruction; let nothing be left of her.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The verse calls for Babylon's granaries to be "opened," suggesting not just food stores but also the vast wealth and resources amassed within the city. This imagery of heaping up grain and then destroying it implies a complete ransacking and utter devastation, where even the stored bounty of the land is turned into rubble.
Jeremiah is calling for the utter destruction of Babylon, depicting it as a massive harvest to be gathered and then annihilated. This divine command goes out to all nations, urging them to attack from every side and plunder the city's abundant stores, leaving absolutely nothing behind as a testament to its complete ruin. This vivid imagery sets the stage for the final judgment upon the oppressor of God's people.
Imagine an enemy force not just attacking a city's walls, but coming from every possible direction, leaving no escape. This verse paints a picture of total encirclement.
The command to 'come against her from every quarter' highlights the comprehensive nature of God's judgment on Babylon. This wasn't a localized attack; it was a global coalition, summoned by God.
The imagery here is stark: granaries emptied, treasures piled high like grain, and then completely destroyed. What does this disturbing picture reveal about God's justice?
The destruction of Babylon is described with vivid metaphors that emphasize the totality and purpose of the judgment.
Understand the original words
charam · Hebrew Verb
To set apart or consecrate, usually for destruction in the context of divine judgment. It implies an object or people are completely surrendered to God and cannot be repurposed or reclaimed for human use.
This verse describes the utter devastation and plunder of Babylon. The historical context reveals this destruction was carried out by the conquering Persian army, who not only defeated the city but also looted its vast resources, fulfilling the prophecy of its complete ruin.
c. 550-539 BC
Rise of Cyrus the Great
Cyrus the Great united the Medes and Persians, building a powerful empire that eventually challenged the Babylonian Empire.
October 12, 539 BC— this verse
Fall of Babylon
Cyrus the Great, under the command of his general Gobryas, captured Babylon. The city's defenses were circumvented by diverting the Euphrates River, allowing soldiers to enter through the riverbed.
539 BC
End of Neo-Babylonian Empire
The conquest by Cyrus marked the end of the Neo-Babylonian Empire and the beginning of the Achaemenid Persian Empire's rule over Mesopotamia.
538 BC
Edict of Cyrus
Following the conquest, Cyrus issued a decree allowing exiled peoples, including the Jews, to return to their homelands and rebuild their temples.
This passage echoes the utter destruction and plundering of a great city, depicting its wealth being consumed and the city left desolate, much like the imagery of opening storehouses and piling things up like heaps in Jeremiah.
Deuteronomy 13:15-16This passage describes the complete destruction and devotion to ruin of a rebellious city, a concept mirrored in Jeremiah's command to 'devote her to destruction; let nothing be left of her.'
Joshua 6:24The destruction of Jericho, where the city and everything in it were devoted to destruction by fire after being conquered, serves as a biblical precedent for the comprehensive devastation described for Babylon.
Jeremiah 5:10This verse offers a stark contrast, describing the destruction of Jerusalem where God commanded his army to 'devote them to destruction; let nothing be left,' highlighting the theme of utter annihilation for disobedience.
gillJeremiah 50:26: "Come against her from the utmost border, open her storehouses: cast her up as heaps, and destroy her utterly: let nothing of her be left."
Come against her from the utmost border,.... Or, "from the end" (a); from the end of the earth; from the Persian gulf, and the Caspian sea, on which the Persians and Medes bordered; from the most distant countries; for the Medes and Persians, who are here called unto, brought others along with them in their army from places still more remote…
pooleJeremiah 50:26: "Come against her from the utmost border, open her storehouses: cast her up as heaps, and destroy her utterly: let nothing of her be left."
The prophet in the name of God calleth to the enemies of Babylon, the Medes, to come up from the furthest parts of their dominions, or from all parts, to fight against Babylon; to open the granaries, or store-houses, or treasuries of the Babylonians, and to cast up the cities as heaps of rubbish, and utterly to destroy the city with such a t…
The verse calls for Babylon's granaries to be "opened," suggesting not just food stores but also the vast wealth and resources amassed within the city. This imagery of heaping up grain and then destroying it implies a complete ransacking and utter devastation, where even the stored bounty of the land is turned into rubble.
Jeremiah is calling for the utter destruction of Babylon, depicting it as a massive harvest to be gathered and then annihilated. This divine command goes out to all nations, urging them to attack from every side and plunder the city's abundant stores, leaving absolutely nothing behind as a testament to its complete ruin. This vivid imagery sets the stage for the final judgment upon the oppressor of God's people.
Jeremiah is calling for the utter destruction of Babylon, depicting it as a massive harvest to be gathered and then annihilated. This divine command goes out to all nations, urging them to attack from every side and plunder the city's abundant stores, leaving absolutely nothing behind as a testament to its complete ruin. This vivid imagery sets the stage for the final judgment upon the oppressor of God's people.
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"Come against her from every quarter; open her granaries; pile her up like heaps of grain, and devote her to destruction; let nothing be left of her." — The verse calls for Babylon's granaries to be "opened," suggesting not just food stores but also the vast wealth and resources amassed within the city. This imagery of heaping up grain and then destr…
