Bible Strands
Jeremiah 50:14
Line up in formation around Babylon, all you who draw the bow! Shoot at her! Spare no arrows! For she has sinned against the LORD.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The prophet Jeremiah delivers this oracle on behalf of the LORD to a coalition of military forces, commanding them to prepare for the imminent siege of Babylon. The declaration occurs within a broader judgment sequence that transitions from warning to the execution of desolation.
The words — The text commands עִרְכ֨וּ ('ir.Khu) = line up and addresses דֹּ֣רְכֵי (Do.re.khei) = [those who] bend a bow, emphasizing organized encirclement and active engagement. The verb יְד֣וּ (ye.Du) = shoot follows directly, framing the action as continuous and unrestrained.
The thread — Jer 50:29 repeats the command to encamp around Babylon and explicitly ties the military action to divine repayment. Hab 2:17 demonstrates the broader principle that violence inflicted on others will rebound upon the perpetrator. 1 Sam 17:20 illustrates the practical reality of mobilizing forces and setting out for a commanded campaign.
Why it lands — The passage demands recognition that covenant violation triggers enforced consequences, leaving no room for negotiation. It requires readers to accept that historical judgments operate under sovereign authority and that rebellion against divine order meets direct, unspared opposition.
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
Put yourselves in array against Babylon round about: all ye that bend the bow, shoot at her, spare no arrows: for she hath sinned against the Lord.
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 50:29 Summon the archers against Babylon, all who string the bow. Encamp all around her; let no one escape. Repay her according to her deeds; do to her as she has done. For she has defied the LORD, the Holy One of Israel.
- Habakkuk 2:17 For your violence against Lebanon will overwhelm you, and the destruction of animals will terrify you, because of your bloodshed against men and your violence against the land, the city, and all their dwellers.
- 1 Samuel 17:20 So David got up early in the morning, left the flock with a keeper, loaded up, and set out as Jesse had instructed him. He reached the camp as the army was marching out to its position and shouting the battle cry.
- Jeremiah 50:7 All who found them devoured them, and their enemies said, ‘We are not guilty, for they have sinned against the LORD, their true pasture, the LORD, the hope of their fathers.’
- Jeremiah 50:9 For behold, I stir up and bring against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the land of the north. They will line up against her; from the north she will be captured. Their arrows will be like skilled warriors who do not return empty-handed.
- Jeremiah 50:42 They grasp the bow and spear; they are cruel and merciless. Their voice roars like the sea, and they ride upon horses, lined up like men in formation against you, O Daughter of Babylon.
- Habakkuk 2:8 Because you have plundered many nations, the remnant of the people will plunder you—because of your bloodshed against man and your violence against the land, the city, and all their dwellers.
- 2 Samuel 10:9 When Joab saw the battle lines before him and behind him, he selected some of the best men of Israel and arrayed them against the Arameans.
- Psalms 51:4 Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You may be proved right when You speak and blameless when You judge.
- Isaiah 5:28 Their arrows are sharpened, and all their bows are strung. The hooves of their horses are like flint; their chariot wheels are like a whirlwind.