Bible Strands
Jeremiah 51:21
With you I shatter the horse and rider; with you I shatter the chariot and driver.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — God speaks through Jeremiah to announce judgment on Babylon, declaring His use of a foreign empire as an instrument of destruction against other nations. The verse sits between declarations of shattering peoples (v. 20) and shattering all ages and genders (v. 22).
The words — The Hebrew verb נִפַּצְתִּי (ni.patz.ti) translates literally as "I will shatter" or "I will smash," repeated twice for emphasis. It targets סוּס (sus, "horse") and רֶכֶב (re.khev, "chariot"), each paired with its rider, denoting complete military defeat.
The thread — This dismantling of mounted warfare recalls the Lord throwing horse and rider into the sea at the Red Sea (Exodus 15:1) and aligns with prophetic promises that God will remove enemy chariots and horses (Micah 5:10; Zechariah 10:5).
Why it lands — The text states that God will break Babylon's military apparatus, rendering its cavalry and chariots useless against His purposes. It requires readers to acknowledge that earthly combat power cannot withstand divine 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
And with thee will I break in pieces the horse and his rider; and with thee will I break in pieces the chariot and his rider;
Cross-references
- Exodus 15:1 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD: “I will sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted. The horse and rider He has thrown into the sea.
- Zechariah 10:5 They will be like mighty men in battle, trampling the enemy in the mire of the streets. They will fight because the LORD is with them, and they will put the horsemen to shame.
- Micah 5:10 “In that day,” declares the LORD, “I will remove your horses from among you and wreck your chariots.
- Nahum 2:13 “Behold, I am against you,” declares the LORD of Hosts. “I will reduce your chariots to cinders, and the sword will devour your young lions. I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voices of your messengers will no longer be heard.”
- Haggai 2:22 I will overturn royal thrones and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations. I will overturn chariots and their riders; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother.
- Zechariah 12:4 On that day, declares the LORD, I will strike every horse with panic, and every rider with madness. I will keep a watchful eye on the house of Judah, but I will strike with blindness all the horses of the nations.
- Psalms 46:9 He makes wars to cease throughout the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; He burns the shields in the fire.
- Revelation 19:18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings and commanders and mighty men, of horses and riders, of everyone slave and free, small and great.”
- Exodus 15:21 And Miriam sang back to them: “Sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted; the horse and rider He has thrown into the sea.”
- Psalms 76:6 At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both horse and rider lie stunned.