Bible Strands
Jeremiah 25:18
to make them a ruin, an object of horror and contempt and cursing, as they are to this day—Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, its kings and officials;
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jeremiah pronounces this judgment to Judah’s leadership and people immediately after receiving the cup of wrath from the LORD. The declaration specifically names Jerusalem, Judah’s cities, and their kings and officials as the primary recipients of the coming ruin.
The words — The Hebrew יְרוּשָלִַ֙ם֙ (ye.ru.sha.Lim) identifies Jerusalem, while עָרֵ֣י (‘a.Rei) refers to the cities of Judah. These terms anchor the prophecy in concrete geography rather than abstract nations.
The thread — The formulation of the land as a ruin and object of horror directly parallels Jeremiah 24:9 and Jeremiah 44:22, where desolation and disgrace are repeated outcomes of covenant breach. The motif of staggering from a divinely administered cup also aligns with Psalm 60:3.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to acknowledge that divine judgment targets specific political and geographic centers before expanding to surrounding nations. It demands a clear-eyed assessment of Jerusalem’s historical ruin as the direct result of the stated covenant failures.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
To wit, Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, an hissing, and a curse; as it is this day;
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 24:9 I will make them a horror and an offense to all the kingdoms of the earth, a disgrace and an object of scorn, ridicule, and cursing wherever I have banished them.
- Jeremiah 44:22 So the LORD could no longer endure the evil deeds and detestable acts you committed, and your land became a desolation, a horror, and an object of cursing, without inhabitant, as it is this day.
- Psalms 60:3 You have shown Your people hardship; we are staggered from the wine You made us drink.
- Joshua 6:18 But keep away from the things devoted to destruction, lest you yourself be set apart for destruction. If you take any of these, you will set apart the camp of Israel for destruction and bring disaster upon it.
- 1 Kings 8:24 You have kept Your promise to Your servant, my father David. What You spoke with Your mouth You have fulfilled with Your hand this day.
- 2 Kings 22:19 because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its people, that they would become a desolation and a curse, and because you have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I have heard you,’ declares the LORD.
- Ezra 9:7 From the days of our fathers to this day, our guilt has been great. Because of our iniquities, we and our kings and priests have been delivered into the hands of the kings of the earth and subjected to the sword and to captivity, to pillage and humiliation, as we are this day.
- Nehemiah 9:36 So here we are today as slaves in the land You gave our fathers to enjoy its fruit and goodness—here we are as slaves!
- Isaiah 51:17 Awake, awake! Rise up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD the cup of His fury; you who have drained the goblet to the dregs—the cup that makes men stagger.
- Jeremiah 1:10 See, I have appointed you today over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and plant.”