Bible Strands
Jeremiah 50:18
Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “I will punish the king of Babylon and his land as I punished the king of Assyria.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, addresses Judah and the surrounding nations regarding the impending judgment on Babylon. This declaration follows the description of Israel’s scattering by Assyria and Babylon and immediately precedes the promise of their return to pasture.
The words — The verse opens with לָ/כֵ֗ן (la./Khen), meaning “therefore,” and כֹּֽה (koh), meaning “thus,” which together frame the announcement as a binding divine decree. It also contains הִנְ/נִ֥י (hi./Ni), literally “here I am,” to signal God’s immediate personal intervention against Babylon.
The thread — This pattern of divine punishment against imperial oppressors runs through Isaiah 10:12, where Yahweh declares He will punish the king of Assyria after completing His work on Zion. It parallels the judgment oracle in Nahum 1:1 against Nineveh and corresponds to the historical execution in Isaiah 37:36 of the angel striking the Assyrian camp.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to acknowledge that God sovereignly directs the rise and fall of empires and that judgment against oppressors precedes restoration. It demands alignment with this declared pattern rather than reliance on human political power.
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
Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I have punished the king of Assyria.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 10:12 So when the Lord has completed all His work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, He will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria for the fruit of his arrogant heart and the proud look in his eyes.
- Nahum 1:1 This is the burden against Nineveh, the book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite:
- Isaiah 37:36 Then the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 men in the camp of the Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning, there were all the dead bodies!
- Ezekiel 31:3 Look at Assyria, a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches that shaded the forest. It towered on high; its top was among the clouds.
- Zephaniah 2:13 And He will stretch out His hand against the north and destroy Assyria; He will make Nineveh a desolation, as dry as a desert.