Jeremiah 51:57

I will make her princes and wise men drunk, along with her governors, officials, and warriors. Then they will fall asleep forever and not wake up,” declares the King, whose name is the LORD of Hosts.

Berean Standard Bible

Follow its threads on the canvas →

Study note

Setting — The LORD of Hosts declares judgment against Babylon, targeting its princes, wise men, governors, officials, and warriors at the moment a destroyer approaches to execute divine retribution.

The words — הִשְׁכַּרְתִּי (hish.kar.ti) translates to "I will make drunk," and שְׁנַת (she.nat) means "sleep," describing the forced incapacitation and permanent cessation of Babylon's rulers.

The thread — This imagery echoes Jeremiah 25:27’s command to drink and become drunk, while the title "King, whose name is the LORD of Hosts" appears in Jeremiah 46:18 and Jeremiah 48:15 to affirm sovereign judgment over nations.

Why it lands — The text demands recognition that human authority cannot withstand divine decree and that rebellion against God’s justice ends in irreversible defeat.

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

וְ֠הִשְׁכַּרְתִּיVe./hish.kar.tiand/ I will make drunk שָׂרֶ֨יהָsa.Rei./haofficials/ its וַחֲכָמֶ֜יהָva./cha.kha.Mei./haand/ wise [people]/ its פַּחוֹתֶ֤יהָpa.cho.Tei./hagovernors/ its וּסְגָנֶ֙יהָ֙u./se.ga.Nei./haand/ officials/ its וְגִבּוֹרֶ֔יהָve./gi.bo.Rei./haand/ warriors/ its וְיָשְׁנ֥וּve./ya.she.Nuand/ they will sleep שְׁנַת־she.nat-a sleep of עוֹלָ֖םo.Lamperpetuity וְלֹ֣אve./Lo'and/ not יָקִ֑יצוּya.Ki.tzuthey will awake נְאֻ֨ם־ne.'Um-[the] utterance of הַמֶּ֔לֶךְha./Me.lekhthe/ king יְהוָ֥הYah.weh[is] Yahweh צְבָא֖וֹתtze.va.'otof hosts שְׁמֽוֹ׃ סshe.M/oname/ his

King James Version

And I will make drunk her princes, and her wise men, her captains, and her rulers, and her mighty men: and they shall sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts.

Cross-references

Jeremiah 46:18 As surely as I live, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of Hosts, there will come one who is like Tabor among the mountains and like Carmel by the sea.
Jeremiah 25:27 “Then you are to tell them that this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘Drink, get drunk, and vomit. Fall down and never get up again, because of the sword I will send among you.’
Jeremiah 48:15 Moab has been destroyed and its towns have been invaded; the best of its young men have gone down in the slaughter, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of Hosts.
Psalms 76:5 The valiant lie plundered; they sleep their last sleep. No men of might could lift a hand.
Jeremiah 51:39 While they are flushed with heat, I will serve them a feast, and I will make them drunk so that they may revel; then they will fall asleep forever and never wake up, declares the LORD.
Isaiah 21:4 My heart falters; fear makes me tremble. The twilight I desired has turned to horror.
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!
Daniel 5:1 Later, King Belshazzar held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he drank wine with them.
Daniel 5:30 That very night Belshazzar king of the Chaldeans was slain,
Nahum 1:10 For they will be entangled as with thorns and consumed like the drink of a drunkard—like stubble that is fully dry.