King James Version:
(The Lord speaking is red text)
And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwellingplace for dragons, an astonishment, and an hissing, without an inhabitant.
Complete Jewish Bible:
Bavel will become a heap of ruins, a place for jackals to live, an object of horror and hissing, with no one living there.
Berean Standard Bible:
Babylon will become a heap of rubble, a haunt for jackals, an object of horror and scorn, without inhabitant.
American Standard Version:
And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwelling-place for jackals, an astonishment, and a hissing, without inhabitant.
KJV with Strong’s Numbers:
And Babylon{H894} shall become heaps{H1530}, a dwellingplace{H4583} for dragons{H8577}, an astonishment{H8047}, and an hissing{H8322}, without an inhabitant{H3427}.
Cross-References (KJV):
Revelation 18:2
- And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
Jeremiah 18:16
- To make their land desolate, [and] a perpetual hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head.
Jeremiah 25:9
- Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations.
Revelation 18:21
- And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast [it] into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.
Revelation 18:23
- And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.
Jeremiah 19:8
- And I will make this city desolate, and an hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished and hiss because of all the plagues thereof.
Jeremiah 29:18
- And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be removed to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, and an astonishment, and an hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations whither I have driven them:
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Commentary for Jeremiah 51:37
Jeremiah 51:37 is part of a larger prophetic oracle against Babylon, which is found in chapters 50 and 51 of the Book of Jeremiah. This verse encapsulates the theme of divine retribution and the downfall of a great empire, which is a common motif in biblical prophecy. The historical context of this verse is set during a time when Babylon was the dominant world power, having previously conquered Judah and destroyed Jerusalem, including the First Temple, in 586 BCE.
In this verse, the prophet Jeremiah foretells the complete desolation of Babylon. The imagery of Babylon becoming "heaps" and a "dwelling place for dragons" symbolizes utter ruin and abandonment. Dragons in this context likely refer to mythical creatures associated with chaos and desolation, emphasizing the extent of the city's devastation. The mention of Babylon as an "astonishment" and a "hissing" suggests that the city, once renowned for its splendor and might, will become an object of horror and derision, eliciting only whispers and gasps from passersby. The phrase "without an inhabitant" underscores the totality of its abandonment—a once-teeming metropolis reduced to emptiness.
The verse reflects the theological perspective that nations which defy God and oppress His people will eventually face judgment. It also serves as a message of hope for the exiled Judahites, assuring them that their oppressor will not endure forever. This prophecy of Babylon's fall would have been particularly poignant for Jeremiah's contemporaries, who had witnessed the city's rise and the subsequent exile of many Jews to Babylon. The verse's fulfillment would historically be associated with the fall of Babylon to the Persians in 539 BCE, an event that led to the liberation of the Jewish exiles and the eventual rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Second Temple.
*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model
Strong's Numbers and Definitions:
Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)
- Strong's Number: H894
There are 233 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: בָּבֶל
Transliteration: Bâbel
Pronunciation: baw-bel'
Description: from בָּלַל; confusion; Babel (i.e. Babylon), including Babylonia and the Babylonian empire; Babel, Babylon. - Strong's Number: H1530
There are 32 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: גַּל
Transliteration: gal
Pronunciation: gal
Description: from גָּלַל; something rolled, i.e. a heap of stone or dung (plural ruins), by analogy, a spring of water (plural waves); billow, heap, spring, wave. - Strong's Number: H4583
There are 19 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: מָעוֹן
Transliteration: mâʻôwn
Pronunciation: maw-ohn'
Description: or מָעִין; (1 Chronicles 4:41), from the same as עוֹנָה; an abode, of God (the Tabernacle or the Temple), men (their home) or animals (their lair); hence, a retreat (asylum); den, dwelling((-) place), habitation. - Strong's Number: H8577
There are 28 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: תַּנִּין
Transliteration: tannîyn
Pronunciation: tan-neen'
Description: or תַּנִּים; (Ezekiel 29:3), intensive from the same as תַּן; a marine or land monster, i.e. sea-serpent or jackal; dragon, sea-monster, serpent, whale. - Strong's Number: H8047
There are 39 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: שַׁמָּה
Transliteration: shammâh
Pronunciation: sham-maw'
Description: from שָׁמֵם; ruin; by implication, consternation; astonishment, desolate(-ion), waste, wonderful thing. - Strong's Number: H8322
There are 7 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: שְׁרֵקָה
Transliteration: shᵉrêqâh
Pronunciation: sher-ay-kaw'
Description: from שָׁרַק; a derision; hissing. - Strong's Number: H3427
There are 980 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: יָשַׁב
Transliteration: yâshab
Pronunciation: yaw-shab'
Description: a primitive root; properly, to sit down (specifically as judge. in ambush, in quiet); by implication, to dwell, to remain; causatively, to settle, to marry; (make to) abide(-ing), continue, (cause to, make to) dwell(-ing), ease self, endure, establish, [idiom] fail, habitation, haunt, (make to) inhabit(-ant), make to keep (house), lurking, [idiom] marry(-ing), (bring again to) place, remain, return, seat, set(-tle), (down-) sit(-down, still, -ting down, -ting (place) -uate), take, tarry.