Jeremiah25

Jeremiah prophesies God's judgment upon Judah for their persistent disobedience and idolatry over twenty-three years. He declares that Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, will be God's servant to bring desolation upon Judah and surrounding nations for seventy years. After this period, Babylon itself will face perpetual desolation for its iniquity.
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Prophecy Dated: 23 Years of Warning

1
This is the word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, which was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. ​
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So the prophet Jeremiah spoke to all the people of Judah and all the residents of Jerusalem as follows:
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“From the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah until this very day—twenty-three years—the word of the LORD has come to me, and I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not listened. ​
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And the LORD has sent all His servants the prophets to you again and again, but you have not listened or inclined your ear to hear.
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The prophets told you, ‘Turn now, each of you, from your evil ways and deeds, and you can dwell in the land that the LORD has given to you and your fathers forever and ever. ​
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Do not follow other gods to serve and worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands. Then I will do you no harm.’
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‘But to your own harm, you have not listened to Me,’ declares the LORD, ‘so you have provoked Me to anger with the works of your hands.’

Judgment Declared: The Seventy Years

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Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Because you have not obeyed My words,
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behold, I will summon all the families of the north, declares the LORD, and I will send for My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, whom I will bring against this land, against its residents, and against all the surrounding nations. So I will devote them to destruction and make them an object of horror and contempt, an everlasting desolation. ​
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Moreover, I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of the bride and bridegroom, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the lamp. ​
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And this whole land will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years. ​
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But when seventy years are complete, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their guilt, declares the LORD, and I will make it an everlasting desolation. ​
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I will bring upon that land all the words I have pronounced against it, all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah has prophesied against all the nations. ​
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For many nations and great kings will enslave them, and I will repay them according to their deeds and according to the work of their hands.’”

The Wine Cup of God’s Wrath

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This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from My hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink from it. ​
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And they will drink and stagger and go out of their minds, because of the sword that I will send among them.”
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So I took the cup from the LORD’s hand and made all the nations drink from it, each one to whom the LORD had sent me,
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to make them a ruin, an object of horror and contempt and cursing, as they are to this day—Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, its kings and officials; ​
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Pharaoh king of Egypt, his officials, his leaders, and all his people;
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all the mixed tribes; all the kings of Uz; all the kings of the Philistines: Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod;
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Edom, Moab, and the Ammonites;
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all the kings of Tyre and Sidon; the kings of the coastlands across the sea;
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Dedan, Tema, Buz, and all who cut the corners of their hair;
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all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mixed tribes who dwell in the desert;
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all the kings of Zimri, Elam, and Media;
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all the kings of the north, both near and far, one after another—all the kingdoms on the face of the earth. And after all of them, the king of Sheshach will drink it too. ​
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“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.’
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If they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink it, you are to tell them that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘You most certainly must drink it!
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For behold, I am beginning to bring disaster on the city that bears My Name, so how could you possibly go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am calling down a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, declares the LORD of Hosts.’ ​

The Lord Roars Against the Nations

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So you are to prophesy all these words against them and say to them: ‘The LORD will roar from on high; He will raise His voice from His holy habitation. He will roar loudly over His pasture; like those who tread the grapes, He will call out with a shout against all the inhabitants of the earth. ​
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The tumult will resound to the ends of the earth because the LORD brings a charge against the nations. He brings judgment on all mankind and puts the wicked to the sword,’” declares the LORD. ​
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This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Behold! Disaster is spreading from nation to nation; a mighty storm is rising from the ends of the earth.”
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Those slain by the LORD on that day will be spread from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned, gathered, or buried. They will be like dung lying on the ground. ​
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Wail, you shepherds, and cry out; roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock. For the days of your slaughter have come; you will fall and be shattered like fine pottery. ​
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Flight will evade the shepherds, and escape will elude the leaders of the flock.
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Hear the cry of the shepherds, the wailing of the leaders of the flock, for the LORD is destroying their pasture.
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The peaceful meadows have been silenced because of the LORD’s burning anger.
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He has left His den like a lion, for their land has been made a desolation by the sword of the oppressor, and because of the fierce anger of the LORD. ​

Study Notes for Jeremiah 25

Verse 1

This prophecy is dated to 605 BC, immediately following the Battle of Carchemish and marking the effective beginning of Nebuchadrezzar’s rise to power and the shift to Babylonian dominance.

Verse 3

Jeremiah’s ministry spanned 23 years (from 627 BC to 605 BC). This long period highlights God’s patience and the persistent refusal of Judah to heed the prophetic warnings.

Verse 5

The core message of the prophets was always repentance and a return to the covenant relationship, which would guarantee their continued security in the promised land.

Verse 9

Nebuchadrezzar is shockingly called 'my servant.' This title emphasizes God’s absolute sovereignty, confirming that the pagan Babylonian king is merely an instrument used by Yahweh to execute divine judgment.

Verse 10

This verse describes the complete cessation of normal life, joy, commerce, and domesticity—a total cultural collapse resulting from the invasion.

Verse 11

The famous prophecy of 'seventy years' defines the length of the Babylonian exile. This period ran from the initial deportations (c. 605 BC) until the return under Cyrus (538 BC), providing the exiles with a specific timeline for hope.

Verse 12

God promises that Babylon, the agent of judgment, will itself be punished when the seventy years are complete. This demonstrates that God holds even the most powerful nations accountable for their wickedness.

Verse 13

The phrase 'all that is written in this book' likely refers to the collection of prophecies concerning foreign nations (found primarily in chapters 46–51), indicating that these oracles were already being compiled.

Verse 15

The 'wine cup of fury' is a common prophetic metaphor for divine judgment, signifying a deadly draught that causes nations to stagger, lose control, and fall under God’s wrath.

Verse 18

Jerusalem and Judah are listed first, confirming that God’s judgment begins with His own people before extending to the surrounding world (cf. 1 Peter 4:17).

Verse 26

The list includes nations from all directions, symbolizing universal judgment. 'Sheshach' is a cryptographic name for Babylon, likely used to disguise the prophecy for political safety (using the Atbash cipher).

Verse 29

This verse states the theological principle that if God judges the city bearing His name (Jerusalem), then the wicked nations of the world have no hope of escaping judgment.

Verse 30

The image of the LORD roaring (like a lion) from His holy habitation signifies the sudden, terrifying, and inescapable activation of divine judgment upon the whole earth.

Verse 31

The LORD is presented as the supreme judge who has a 'controversy' (a legal dispute or lawsuit) against all humanity due to their wickedness.

Verse 33

The scope of the destruction is universal ('one end of the earth even unto the other'). The lack of burial was considered a profound curse and dishonor in the ancient Near East.

Verse 34

The 'shepherds' are the rulers, kings, and political leaders of the nations who will be destroyed. They are addressed here in bitter sarcasm, urged to howl over their impending doom.

Verse 38

God leaving His 'covert' (or lair) like a lion signifies that He is emerging from His sanctuary to execute judgment openly and fiercely against His enemies.

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