Bible Strands
Jeremiah 50:36
A sword is against her false prophets, and they will become fools. A sword is against her warriors, and they will be filled with terror.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The prophet delivers a divine oracle against Babylon, positioned between judgments on its officials and wise men and its military forces.
The words — The text highlights בַּדִּים (ba.Dim), translated as "empty talkers" or false prophets, and חָתוּ (Cha.tu), translated as "to be shattered" or filled with terror, which the supplied gloss applies specifically to the warriors.
The thread — This pattern of divine reversal against military pride and deceptive counsel appears in Isaiah 44:25, Nahum 3:13, and Jeremiah 49:22.
Why it lands — The passage states that human strategies and deceptive leadership are subject to sudden divine disruption, requiring the reader to acknowledge the limits of earthly power and the certainty of judgment.
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
A sword is upon the liars; and they shall dote: a sword is upon her mighty men; and they shall be dismayed.
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 49:22 Look! An eagle will soar and swoop down, spreading its wings over Bozrah. In that day the hearts of Edom’s mighty men will be like the heart of a woman in labor.
- Isaiah 44:25 who foils the signs of false prophets and makes fools of diviners, who confounds the wise and turns their knowledge into nonsense,
- Nahum 3:13 Look at your troops—they are like your women! The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies; fire consumes their bars.
- 2 Samuel 17:14 Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than that of Ahithophel.” For the LORD had purposed to thwart the good counsel of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster on Absalom.
- 2 Chronicles 25:16 While he was still speaking, the king asked, “Have we made you the counselor to the king? Stop! Why be struck down?” So the prophet stopped, but he said, “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not heeded my advice.”
- Isaiah 43:14 Thus says the LORD your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “For your sake, I will send to Babylon and bring them all as fugitives, even the Chaldeans, in the ships in which they rejoice.
- Isaiah 47:10 You were secure in your wickedness; you said, ‘No one sees me.’ Your wisdom and knowledge led you astray; you told yourself, ‘I am, and there is none besides me.’
- Jeremiah 48:30 I know his insolence,” declares the LORD, “but it is futile. His boasting is as empty as his deeds.
- Jeremiah 50:30 Therefore, her young men will fall in the streets, and all her warriors will be silenced in that day,” declares the LORD.
- Jeremiah 51:23 With you I shatter the shepherd and his flock; with you I shatter the farmer and his oxen; with you I shatter the governors and officials.