Jeremiah 25
Seventy Years of Captivity
1The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah (this was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon),
2which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Judah, and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem:
3From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, even to this day, these twenty-three years, the LORD’s word has come to me, and I have spoken to you, rising up early and speaking; but you have not listened.
4The LORD has sent to you all his servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them (but you have not listened or inclined your ear to hear),
5saying, “Return now everyone from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that the LORD has given to you and to your fathers, from of old and even forever more.
6Don’t go after other gods to serve them or worship them, and don’t provoke me to anger with the work of your hands; then I will do you no harm.”
7“Yet you have not listened to me,” says the LORD, “that you may provoke me to anger with the work of your hands to your own hurt.”
8Therefore the LORD of Armies says: “Because you have not heard my words,
9behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,” says the LORD, “and I will send to Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against its inhabitants, and against all these nations around. I will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and a hissing, and perpetual desolations.
10Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the lamp.
11This whole land will be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
12“It will happen, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation,” says the LORD, “for their iniquity. I will make the land of the Chaldeans desolate forever.
13I will bring on that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah has prophesied against all the nations.
14For many nations and great kings will make bondservants of them, even of them. I will recompense them according to their deeds, and according to the work of their hands.”
The Cup of God's Wrath
15For the LORD, the God of Israel, says to me: “Take this cup of the wine of wrath from my hand, and cause all the nations to whom I send you to drink it.
16They will drink, and reel back and forth, and be insane, because of the sword that I will send among them.”
17Then I took the cup at the LORD’s hand, and made all the nations to drink, to whom the LORD had sent me:
18Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, with its kings and its princes, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, a hissing, and a curse, as it is today;
19Pharaoh king of Egypt, with his servants, his princes, and all his people;
20and all the mixed people, and all the kings of the land of Uz, all the kings of the Philistines, Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod;
21Edom, Moab, and the children of Ammon;
22and all the kings of Tyre, all the kings of Sidon, and the kings of the isle which is beyond the sea;
23Dedan, Tema, Buz, and all who have the corners of their beard cut off;
24and all the kings of Arabia, all the kings of the mixed people who dwell in the wilderness;
25and all the kings of Zimri, all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes;
26and all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another; and all the kingdoms of the world, which are on the surface of the earth. The king of Sheshach will drink after them.
27“You shall tell them, ‘The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel says: “Drink, and be drunk, vomit, fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you.”’
28It shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at your hand to drink, then you shall tell them, ‘The LORD of Armies says: “You shall surely drink.
29For, behold, I begin to work evil at the city which is called by my name; and should you be utterly unpunished? You will not be unpunished; for I will call for a sword on all the inhabitants of the earth, says the LORD of Armies.”’
The Lord Roars from on High
30“Therefore prophesy against them all these words, and tell them, “‘The LORD will roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation. He will mightily roar against his fold. He will give a shout, as those who tread grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth.
31A noise will come even to the end of the earth; for the LORD has a controversy with the nations. He will enter into judgment with all flesh. As for the wicked, he will give them to the sword,”’ says the LORD.”
32The LORD of Armies says, “Behold, evil will go out from nation to nation, and a great storm will be raised up from the uttermost parts of the earth.”
33The slain of the LORD will be at that day from one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth. They won’t be lamented. They won’t be gathered or buried. They will be dung on the surface of the ground.
34Wail, you shepherds, and cry. Wallow in dust, you leader of the flock; for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions have fully come, and you will fall like fine pottery.
35The shepherds will have no way to flee. The leader of the flock will have no escape.
36A voice of the cry of the shepherds, and the wailing of the leader of the flock, for the LORD destroys their pasture.
37The peaceful folds are brought to silence because of the fierce anger of the LORD.
38He has left his covert, as the lion; for their land has become an astonishment because of the fierceness of the oppression, and because of his fierce anger.
In the fourth year of Jehoiakim's reign, Jeremiah delivers a comprehensive prophecy of judgment after twenty-three years of ignored warnings. God announces that Judah and surrounding nations will serve Babylon for seventy years due to their persistent disobedience and idolatry. The chapter culminates with the symbolic vision of the cup of God's wrath, which all nations must drink as divine judgment falls upon them through military conquest.
Context
This pivotal chapter marks the transition from Jeremiah's earlier calls for repentance to the inevitable reality of exile, setting the stage for the temple's destruction in subsequent chapters.
Key Themes
Outline
- 1-7Twenty-Three Years of Rejected WarningsJeremiah recounts his prophetic ministry and Judah's persistent refusal to heed God's calls for repentance.
- 8-11Seventy Years of Babylonian ServitudeGod announces that Nebuchadnezzar will conquer Judah and surrounding nations for seventy years of exile.
- 12-14Babylon's Ultimate JudgmentAfter seventy years, God will punish Babylon and make the Chaldean land desolate forever.
- 15-29The Cup of Divine WrathJeremiah receives a symbolic cup of God's wrath to offer to all nations, beginning with Jerusalem and Judah.
- 30-38The Lord's Universal JudgmentA poetic oracle describes God's judgment as a roaring lion bringing destruction from heaven to earth.
Seventy Years of Captivity
25:1–25:14Jeremiah prophesies seventy years of Babylonian captivity as punishment for Judah's persistent disobedience and refusal to heed God's warnings through His prophets.
person_contrast
Jeremiah's precise "seventy years" prophecy uniquely combines mathematical specificity with divine judgment, making this the only Old Testament passage to quantify exile duration before its fulfillment.
The Cup of God's Wrath
25:15–25:29God commands Jeremiah to offer a symbolic cup of wrath to all nations, beginning with Jerusalem, demonstrating His universal judgment and sovereignty over all kingdoms.
person_contrast
Jeremiah's role shifts dramatically from weeping prophet to divine executioner, wielding God's cup of wrath against nations in a rare prophetic reversal of his typical intercessory stance.
The Lord Roars from on High
25:30–25:38The LORD roars from heaven in judgment against all nations and their leaders, bringing destruction like a great storm across the earth. This oracle depicts divine wrath against the wicked with imagery of slaughter, scattered bodies, and terrified shepherds unable to escape.
structural
Jeremiah uniquely combines the divine roar motif (found in Amos 1:2 and Joel 3:16) with grape-treading imagery, transforming celebratory harvest language into a terrifying depiction of universal judgment.
Jeremiah 25:1
Jeremiah 46:2lexicalOf Egypt: concerning the army of Pharaoh Necoh king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish, which Nebu…
Jeremiah 36:1lexicalIn the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
Jeremiah 45:1lexicalThe message that Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Baruch the son of Neriah, when he wrote these words in a book at the mout…
Jeremiah 37:1lexicalZedekiah the son of Josiah reigned as king instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon m…
1 Chronicles 3:15lexicalThe sons of Josiah: the firstborn Johanan, the second Jehoiakim, the third Zedekiah, and the fourth Shallum.
Jeremiah 25:6
1 Kings 14:9lexicalbut have done evil above all who were before you, and have gone and made for yourself other gods, molten images, to prov…
Judges 2:12lexicalThey abandoned the LORD, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, o…
Jeremiah 44:8lexicalin that you provoke me to anger with the works of your hands, burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt where y…
2 Chronicles 34:25lexicalBecause they have forsaken me, and have burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the w…
2 Kings 22:17lexicalBecause they have forsaken me and have burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the wo…
Jeremiah 25:9
Jeremiah 1:15lexicalFor behold, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north,” says the LORD. “They will come, and they will ea…
Jeremiah 49:13lexicalFor I have sworn by myself,” says the LORD, “that Bozrah will become an astonishment, a reproach, a waste, and a curse.…
Ezekiel 26:7lexical“For the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, I will bring on Tyre Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, from the north, wit…
Jeremiah 51:37lexicalBabylon will become heaps, a dwelling place for jackals, an astonishment, and a hissing, without inhabitant.
Jeremiah 52:4lexicalIn the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came,…
Jeremiah 25:10
Jeremiah 7:34lexicalThen I will cause to cease from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem the voice of mirth and the voice o…
Jeremiah 16:9lexicalFor the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel says: “Behold, I will cause to cease out of this place, before your eyes and i…
Jeremiah 33:11lexicalthe voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those w…
Isaiah 51:3lexicalFor the LORD has comforted Zion. He has comforted all her waste places, and has made her wilderness like Eden, and her d…
Jeremiah 25:11
Jeremiah 27:17lexicalDon’t listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon, and live. Why should this city become a desolation?
Jeremiah 25:12
Jeremiah 29:10lexicalFor the LORD says, “After seventy years are accomplished for Babylon, I will visit you and perform my good word toward y…
Jeremiah 32:5lexicaland he will bring Zedekiah to Babylon, and he will be there until I visit him,” says the LORD, “though you fight with th…
Jeremiah 41:18lexicalbecause of the Chaldeans; for they were afraid of them, because Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah the son…
Daniel 9:24lexical“Seventy weeks are decreed on your people and on your holy city, to finish disobedience, to make an end of sins, to make…
Jeremiah 50:35lexical“A sword is on the Chaldeans,” says the LORD, “and on the inhabitants of Babylon, on her princes, and on her wise men.
Jeremiah 25:13
Jeremiah 36:4lexicalThen Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah; and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the LORD’s words, which h…
Jeremiah 45:1lexicalThe message that Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Baruch the son of Neriah, when he wrote these words in a book at the mout…
Jeremiah 36:32lexicalThen Jeremiah took another scroll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah, who wrote therein from the mouth…
Jeremiah 51:60lexicalJeremiah wrote in a book all the evil that should come on Babylon, even all these words that are written concerning Baby…
Jeremiah 25:18
Jeremiah 44:22lexicalThus the LORD could no longer bear it, because of the evil of your doings and because of the abominations which you have…
Jeremiah 49:13lexicalFor I have sworn by myself,” says the LORD, “that Bozrah will become an astonishment, a reproach, a waste, and a curse.…
Jeremiah 25:20
1 Samuel 6:17lexicalThese are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned for a trespass offering to the LORD: for Ashdod one, for Gaza…
Amos 1:8lexicalI will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, and him who holds the scepter from Ashkelon; and I will turn my hand against…
Zephaniah 2:4lexicalFor Gaza will be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation. They will drive out Ashdod at noonday, and Ekron will be rooted up…
Zechariah 9:5lexicalAshkelon will see it, and fear; Gaza also, and will writhe in agony; as will Ekron, for her expectation will be disappoi…
Judges 1:18lexicalAlso Judah took Gaza with its border, and Ashkelon with its border, and Ekron with its border.
Jeremiah 25:21
Jeremiah 27:3lexicalThen send them to the king of Edom, to the king of Moab, to the king of the children of Ammon, to the king of Tyre, and…
1 Chronicles 18:11lexicalKing David also dedicated these to the LORD, with the silver and the gold that he carried away from all the nations: fro…
Daniel 11:41lexicalHe will enter also into the glorious land, and many countries will be overthrown; but these will be delivered out of his…
1 Samuel 14:47lexicalNow when Saul had taken the kingdom over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side: against Moab, and agai…
Jeremiah 40:11lexicalLikewise when all the Jews who were in Moab, and among the children of Ammon, and in Edom, and who were in all the count…
Jeremiah 25:22
Jeremiah 47:4lexicalbecause of the day that comes to destroy all the Philistines, to cut off from Tyre and Sidon every helper who remains; f…
Isaiah 23:2lexicalBe still, you inhabitants of the coast, you whom the merchants of Sidon that pass over the sea have replenished.
Ezekiel 27:3lexicaland tell Tyre, ‘You who dwell at the entry of the sea, who are the merchant of the peoples to many islands, the Lord GOD…
Jeremiah 25:31
Deuteronomy 25:1lexicalIf there is a controversy between men, and they come to judgment and the judges judge them, then they shall justify the…
Jeremiah 12:12lexicalDestroyers have come on all the bare heights in the wilderness; for the sword of the LORD devours from the one end of th…
Jeremiah 25:33
Jeremiah 16:4lexical“They will die grievous deaths. They will not be lamented, neither will they be buried. They will be as dung on the surf…
Jeremiah 8:2lexicalThey will spread them before the sun, the moon, and all the army of the sky, which they have loved, which they have serv…
Jeremiah 25:34
Zechariah 11:2lexicalWail, cypress tree, for the cedar has fallen, because the stately ones are destroyed. Wail, you oaks of Bashan, for the…
Jonah 3:7lexicalHe made a proclamation and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, “Let neither man…
Ezekiel 27:30lexicaland will cause their voice to be heard over you, and will cry bitterly. They will cast up dust on their heads. They will…
Jeremiah 25:35
Jeremiah 23:1lexical“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” says the LORD.
Jeremiah 50:6lexicalMy people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have caused them to go astray. They have turned them away on the mountai…
Jeremiah 25:36
Zechariah 11:3lexicalA voice of the wailing of the shepherds! For their glory is destroyed—a voice of the roaring of young lions! For the pri…
Zephaniah 1:10lexicalIn that day, says the LORD, there will be the noise of a cry from the fish gate, a wailing from the second quarter, and…
Jeremiah 23:1lexical“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” says the LORD.
Psalms 95:7lexicalfor he is our God. We are the people of his pasture, and the sheep in his care. Today, oh that you would hear his voice!
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