Bible Strands
Jeremiah 51:3
Do not let the archer bend his bow or put on his armor. Do not spare her young men; devote all her army to destruction!
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The prophet Jeremiah issues this oracle against Babylon, directing the invading forces to execute total judgment. The command targets the enemy army preparing to besiege the city.
The words — The text pairs אֶל־ ('el-) "may not" with יִדְרֹךְ (yidrok) "he bend" and יִתְעַל (yit'al) "he lift" to forbid the archer from drawing his bow or donning his armor. This double negation frames the coming devastation as an absolute decree rather than a tactical choice.
The thread — The order to spare no arrows and devote the army to destruction runs parallel to the judgment commands in Jeremiah 50:14 and Jeremiah 50:21, while standing in direct contrast to the standard battle preparations outlined in Jeremiah 46:4.
Why it lands — The verse requires the reader to acknowledge that divine judgment bypasses conventional warfare, demanding acceptance that total destruction is the fixed outcome. It strips away military hope to leave only the reality of executed verdict.
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
Against him that bendeth let the archer bend his bow, and against him that lifteth himself up in his brigandine: and spare ye not her young men; destroy ye utterly all her host.
Cross-references
- 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.
- Jeremiah 46:4 Harness the horses; mount the steeds; take your positions with helmets on! Polish your spears; put on armor!
- Jeremiah 50:21 Go up against the land of Merathaim, and against the residents of Pekod. Kill them and devote them to destruction. Do all that I have commanded you,” declares the LORD.
- Deuteronomy 32:25 Outside, the sword will take their children, and inside, terror will strike the young man and the young woman, the infant and the gray-haired man.
- Isaiah 13:10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light. The rising sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light.
- Jeremiah 9:21 For death has climbed in through our windows; it has entered our fortresses to cut off the children from the streets, the young men from the town squares.
- Jeremiah 50:27 Kill all her young bulls; let them go down to the slaughter. Woe to them, for their day has come—the time of their punishment.
- 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.
- Jeremiah 50:41 Behold, an army is coming from the north; a great nation and many kings are stirred up from the ends of the earth.
- James 2:13 For judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.