Jeremiah 50:24

Translation
King James Version
I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon, and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against the LORD.
Ask
KJV (with Strong's)
I have laid a snare H3369 for thee, and thou art also taken H3920, O Babylon H894, and thou wast not aware H3045: thou art found H4672, and also caught H8610, because thou hast striven H1624 against the LORD H3068.
Ask
Complete Jewish Bible
I set a trap and caught you, Bavel, before you knew it. You were discovered and seized, because you challenged ADONAI.
Ask
Berean Standard Bible
I laid a snare for you, O Babylon, and you were caught before you knew it. You were found and captured because you challenged the LORD.
Ask
American Standard Version
I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon, and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against Jehovah.
Ask
World English Bible Messianic
I have laid a snare for you, and you are also taken, Babylon, and you weren’t aware: you are found, and also caught, because you have striven against the LORD.
Ask
Geneva Bible (1599)
I haue snared thee, and thou art taken, O Babel, and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striuen against the Lord.
Ask
Young's Literal Translation
I have laid a snare for thee, And also--thou art captured, O Babylon, And thou--thou hast known, Thou hast been found, and also art caught, For against Jehovah thou hast stirred thyself up.
Ask
See also
Job 9:4Daniel 5:30Daniel 5:31Job 40:2Job 40:9Jeremiah 51:8Jeremiah 51:57
See on the biblical-era map
Prophecy Against Babylon
Prophecy Against Babylon View full PDF

Map © Biblica Open Bible Maps · CC BY-SA 4.0

In the KJVVerse 20,191 of 31,102

Study This Verse

SUMMARY

Jeremiah 50:24 powerfully declares God's sovereign and inescapable judgment upon Babylon, portraying the seemingly invincible empire as an unsuspecting victim caught in a divinely set trap. This prophetic utterance underscores the Lord's absolute control over the destinies of nations and the inevitable, devastating consequences that await those who proudly defy His will and oppress His people. It highlights Babylon's profound overconfidence and ultimate vulnerability in the face of divine retribution, revealing that its downfall is not accidental but a meticulously planned act of God's righteous justice.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: This verse is deeply embedded within the extensive prophetic oracle against Babylon, which spans Jeremiah chapters 50 and 51. These two chapters represent the longest single prophecy in the entire Bible, meticulously detailing Babylon's impending destruction and the promised liberation and restoration of Judah from exile. Situated after Jeremiah's pronouncements of judgment against Judah itself and various surrounding nations, this comprehensive condemnation of Babylon serves as a climactic demonstration of God's universal justice. It reveals that even the most powerful instrument of His wrath—the Neo-Babylonian Empire, which had been used to punish Jerusalem—will not escape accountability for its own hubris, rampant idolatry, and profound cruelty. The sheer length and detailed nature of these chapters underscore the certainty and totality of Babylon's downfall, providing both a stern warning to all oppressors and a profound comfort to the exiled Israelites, assuring them of divine intervention and ultimate vindication.
  • Historical & Cultural Context: In the late 7th and early 6th centuries BCE, the Neo-Babylonian Empire stood as the preeminent superpower of the ancient Near East. Its capital, Babylon, was legendary for its massive fortifications, including its formidable walls (often cited as one of the wonders of the ancient world) and the Euphrates River flowing directly through its heart, contributing to its reputation for impregnability. Culturally, Babylon was a vibrant center of wealth, learning, and, significantly, polytheistic worship, with a vast pantheon led by the supreme god Marduk. The Babylonians were renowned for their military might, their grand architectural achievements (such as the Hanging Gardens and the Ishtar Gate), and their brutal policies of subjugation and deportation of conquered peoples, including the Judeans whom they exiled in two major waves in 597 and 586 BCE. Jeremiah's prophecy directly addresses this context of overwhelming Babylonian dominance, asserting that despite its formidable strength and self-assuredness, this seemingly invincible empire would fall—not by chance or human stratagem, but by the deliberate and righteous hand of Yahweh, the God of Israel, whom they had so brazenly defied.
  • Key Themes: Jeremiah 50:24 powerfully contributes to several overarching themes that resonate throughout the book of Jeremiah and broader biblical theology. Firstly, it emphatically highlights Divine Sovereignty and Retribution, asserting that the Lord is the ultimate orchestrator of history, possessing the power to raise up and bring down nations according to His righteous purposes. Babylon, though previously employed by God as an instrument of judgment against Judah (as explicitly stated in Jeremiah 25:9), is now held fully accountable for its own excessive hubris, violence, and idolatry. Secondly, the verse underscores the theme of Unaware Destruction and the Humiliation of the Proud. Babylon's profound ignorance of its impending doom emphasizes its deep-seated arrogance and self-sufficiency, a recurring motif in prophecies against proud empires (compare Isaiah 47:7-11). Finally, the explicit reason provided for Babylon's capture—"because thou hast striven against the LORD"—reinforces the crucial theme of the Inevitability of Consequences for Rebellion Against God. This is not merely a political or military defeat but a profound divine judgment for direct, active opposition to God's supreme authority and His covenant people, a principle consistently echoed throughout prophetic literature and the Psalms (e.g., Psalm 2:1-5).

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • snare (Hebrew, yâqôsh', H3369): A primitive root; to ensnare (literally or figuratively); fowler (lay a) snare. The imagery of a "snare" is highly evocative and deliberate. God is depicted as the master fowler, meticulously setting a trap for Babylon. This signifies that Babylon's downfall is not a random or accidental occurrence but a precisely planned and executed divine ambush, emphasizing the absolute certainty and inescapable nature of its judgment. Just as an unsuspecting bird or animal is suddenly and completely entrapped in a hunter's net, so too will Babylon be caught by forces it neither anticipates nor can resist.
  • aware (Hebrew, yâdaʻ', H3045): A primitive root; to know (properly, to ascertain by seeing); used in a great variety of senses... be aware, (un-) awares. The phrase "thou wast not aware" powerfully highlights Babylon's profound ignorance, spiritual blindness, and overconfidence. Despite its vast intelligence networks, formidable defenses, and a pervasive belief in its own invincibility, Babylon remained utterly oblivious to the divine forces arrayed against it. This lack of awareness underscores its deep-seated hubris, as it believed itself secure from any threat, especially from the God of a conquered and exiled people. Its spiritual dullness prevented it from discerning the true source of power and judgment.
  • striven (Hebrew, gârâh', H1624): A primitive root; properly, to grate, i.e. (figuratively) to anger; contend, meddle, stir up, strive. The declaration "thou hast striven against the LORD" reveals the fundamental theological reason for Babylon's catastrophic downfall. This verb implies a deliberate, aggressive, and arrogant posture of opposition and contention against God. For Babylon, this "striving" manifested in their excessive cruelty towards God's covenant people, their pervasive idolatry, their blasphemous boasting against the true God, and their general defiance of divine moral order. This active and contentious rebellion provoked God's righteous anger and sealed their inevitable fate.

Verse Breakdown

  • "I have laid a snare for thee": This opening clause immediately establishes the Lord's active, intentional, and strategic role in Babylon's impending destruction. It asserts that Babylon's fall is not a mere geopolitical event or an accident of history, but a direct, deliberate act of divine judgment. The metaphor of a "snare" powerfully conveys the cunning, unexpected, and inescapable nature of God's plan.
  • "and thou art also taken, O Babylon": This pronouncement declares the absolute certainty and completeness of Babylon's capture. The direct address "O Babylon" personifies the empire, making the judgment intensely personal and direct, underscoring that it is the very entity of Babylon that is being targeted. The use of the passive voice ("art taken") emphasizes Babylon's utter helplessness and lack of agency as the object of God's decisive action, despite its immense worldly power.
  • "and thou wast not aware": This phrase highlights Babylon's profound state of ignorance, overconfidence, and spiritual blindness. Despite its vast intelligence apparatus and formidable military might, the empire remained completely oblivious to the divine trap being meticulously set for it. This unawareness is a profound testament to its pride and self-sufficiency, as it failed to recognize or even consider the true, transcendent power that governs all nations and history.
  • "thou art found, and also caught": This clause powerfully reiterates and intensifies the reality of Babylon's capture and exposure. "Found" implies discovery, exposure, and the revelation of its vulnerability, while "caught" reinforces the imagery of being irrevocably trapped. The repetition of verbs describing its capture serves to emphasize the utter inevitability and totality of its downfall, leaving no possibility for escape or evasion.
  • "because thou hast striven against the LORD": This final and crucial clause provides the explicit theological justification for Babylon's catastrophic judgment. Its destruction is not arbitrary or capricious but a direct, righteous consequence of its defiance, arrogance, and active opposition to Yahweh, the God of Israel. This "striving" encompasses its idolatry, its excessive cruelty towards God's people, and its prideful boasting against the one true God, thereby making its punishment a just and necessary act of divine retribution.

Literary Devices

Jeremiah 50:24 is rich with potent literary devices that amplify its prophetic message and underscore the certainty of divine judgment. The most prominent is Metaphor, where Babylon is vividly likened to an unsuspecting animal caught in a hunter's snare. This powerful imagery immediately conveys the suddenness, unexpectedness, and inescapable nature of its capture, creating a stark contrast with Babylon's perceived impregnability and self-assurance. Personification is also strikingly evident as Babylon is directly addressed ("O Babylon"), endowing the empire with human characteristics of awareness and active striving, which makes the divine judgment feel intensely immediate and personal. The subtle use of the Divine Passive (e.g., "thou art taken," "thou art found," "thou art caught") implicitly emphasizes that while Babylon is the subject experiencing these actions, the ultimate, all-powerful agent behind them is God, thereby reinforcing His absolute sovereignty without explicitly stating "God took you." Furthermore, the strategic Repetition of ideas, particularly the multiple verbs describing Babylon's capture ("taken," "found," "caught"), creates a profound sense of emphatic finality and crushing inevitability, underscoring that Babylon's doom is sealed and absolute, with no possibility of escape.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Jeremiah 50:24 stands as a profound theological statement on God's absolute sovereignty over human history and His unwavering commitment to justice. It unequivocally demonstrates that no nation, however mighty, fortified, or self-assured, can defy the Lord with impunity. Babylon, which had been God's chosen instrument of judgment against Judah, now faces its own meticulous reckoning for its unchecked pride, pervasive idolatry, and excessive cruelty towards God's covenant people. This principle firmly affirms that God holds all earthly powers accountable, ensuring that ultimately, righteousness will prevail and the oppressors will be judged according to their deeds. For the oppressed, this verse offers immense comfort and assurance, reminding them that their cries have been heard and that divine justice, though sometimes delayed, is absolutely certain and will be executed in God's perfect timing.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

Jeremiah 50:24 offers timeless and profoundly relevant lessons for all generations, providing both comfort and a stern warning. For the believer, it serves as an immense source of comfort and assurance, reaffirming that God remains absolutely sovereign over all earthly powers and political machinations. Even when evil appears to triumph and oppressors seem invincible, this verse steadfastly reminds us that the Lord is actively working behind the scenes, meticulously laying snares for the proud and bringing about His righteous judgment in His perfect timing. This truth should inspire unwavering trust, patience, and perseverance, knowing that God will ultimately vindicate His people and His holy name. For all humanity, this verse serves as a sober and urgent warning against the perilous dangers of pride, self-sufficiency, and, most critically, active defiance against God. Like ancient Babylon, we can become so engrossed in our own perceived strength, achievements, and worldly security that we fail to recognize our profound vulnerability and utter dependence before the Almighty. The call, therefore, is to cultivate profound humility, acknowledging God's supreme authority, diligently aligning our lives with His revealed will, and earnestly seeking His grace, lest we, too, find ourselves unexpectedly caught in the snare of our own rebellion and opposition to divine truth.

Questions for Reflection

  • In what areas of my personal life or in the broader society might I be observing or operating with a sense of self-sufficiency or spiritual unawareness, similar to Babylon's fatal flaw?
  • How does the absolute certainty of God's righteous judgment on proud and defiant nations encourage my faith when I witness injustice seemingly prevailing in the world today?
  • What does it mean, in a practical and contemporary sense, to "strive against the LORD," and how can I actively ensure that my life, choices, and attitudes are aligned with His will rather than in opposition?
  • How can I intentionally cultivate a spirit of deep humility, constant awareness of God's boundless sovereignty, and dependence on Him in my daily walk, thereby avoiding the insidious trap of pride and self-reliance?

FAQ

What does "striven against the LORD" specifically mean in this context, and how did Babylon do this?

Answer: In the context of Jeremiah 50:24, "striven against the LORD" (Hebrew: gârâh, meaning to contend, stir up, or anger) signifies a deliberate, aggressive, and arrogant posture of opposition to God's authority and purposes. This was not merely accidental sin or ignorance, but a contentious and defiant stance. For Babylon, this "striving" manifested in several profound ways: their excessive and unmerciful cruelty towards Judah, going far beyond what God had intended for their chastisement; their blasphemous pride and boasting against the God of Israel, attributing their victories to their own pagan gods (as seen in the arrogance of the Assyrian king in Isaiah 10:12-15); their pervasive idolatry and explicit rejection of Yahweh as the one true God; and their general oppression and defiance of universal divine moral standards. It implies a direct challenge to God's reign over nations and His covenant faithfulness to His people, making their judgment a necessary act of divine justice.

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

Jeremiah 50:24, with its powerful declaration of divine judgment against a proud and defiant world power, finds its ultimate and profound Christ-centered fulfillment in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Just as God meticulously "laid a snare" for ancient Babylon, Christ, as the divine Son and ultimate King, is the supreme executor of God's righteous judgment against all forms of human rebellion and all worldly systems that "strive against the LORD." The "snare" of sin and death, which held all humanity captive and under its oppressive power, was decisively and eternally overcome by Christ's sacrificial death on the cross and His glorious resurrection (as profoundly articulated in Hebrews 2:14-15). He, through His triumph, disarmed the spiritual principalities and powers that sought to ensnare humanity, triumphing over them publicly by the cross (Colossians 2:15). Furthermore, the profound theme of God judging a proud "Babylon" foreshadows Christ's glorious second coming, when He will return to judge all nations and all worldly systems that oppose God and oppress His people. The Book of Revelation vividly portrays the final, sudden, and complete overthrow of "Babylon the Great"—a symbolic representation of all that is anti-God, idolatrous, and oppressive—by the triumphant Lamb of God (Revelation 19:11-16 and Revelation 18:20-21). Thus, Jeremiah's prophecy not only speaks to a pivotal historical event but powerfully points forward to the definitive and ultimate victory of Christ over all evil, ensuring that every knee will bow and every tongue confess His Lordship, and that all who have striven against the Lord will ultimately be found and caught by His righteous and inescapable judgment.

Copy as

Commentary on Jeremiah 50 verses 21–32

Here, 1. The forces are mustered and commissioned to destroy Babylon, and every thing is got ready for a descent upon that potent kingdom: Go up against that land by Merathaim, the country of the Mardi, that lay part in Assyria and part in Armenia; and go among the inhabitants of Pekod, another country (mentioned Eze 23:23) which Cyrus took in his way to Babylon. The forces of Cyrus are called to go up against Babylon (Jer 50:21), to come against her from the utmost border. Let all come together, for there will be both work and pay enough for them all, Jer 50:26. Distance of place must not be their hindrance from engaging in this work. The archers particularly must be called together against Babylon, Jer 50:29. Thus the Lord hath opened his armoury (Jer 50:25), his treasury (so the word is), and hath brought forth the weapons of his indignation, as great princes fetch out of their magazines and stores all necessary provisions for their armies when they undertake any great expedition. Media and Persia are now God's armoury; thence he fetches the weapons of his wrath, Cyrus and his great officers and armies, whom he will make use of for the destruction of Babylon. Note, Great men are but instruments which the great God makes use of to serve his own purposes. He has variety of instruments, has them at command, has armouries ready to be opened according as the occasion is. This is the work of the Lord God of hosts. Note, When God has work to do he will make it appear that he is God of hosts, and will not want instruments to do it with. 2. Instructions are given them what to do. In general, Do according to all that I have commanded thee, Jer 50:21. It was said of Cyrus (Isa 44:28), He shall perform all my pleasure, in his expedition against Babylon. They must waste and utterly destroy after them; when they have destroyed once they must go over them again, or destroy their posterity that should come after them. They must open her store-houses (Jer 50:26), rifle her treasures, and turn her artillery against herself. They must cast her up as heaps; let all the wealth and pomp of Babylon be shovelled up in a heap of ruins and rubbish. Tread her down as heaps (so the margin reads it) and destroy her utterly. See how little account the great God makes of those things which men so much value and value themselves so much upon. Their princes and great men, who are fat and bulky, shall fall by the sword, not as men of war in the field of battle, which we call a bed of honour, but as beasts by the butcher's hand (Jer 50:27): Slay all her bullocks, all her mighty men; let them go down sottishly and insensibly, as an ox to the slaughter. Woe unto them! their case is the more sad for the little sense they have of it. Their day has come to fall, the time when they must be reckoned with, and they are not aware of it. 3. Assurances are given them of success. Let them do what God commands, and they shall accomplish what he threatens. A great destruction shall be made, Jer 50:22. Babylon shall become a desolation (Jer 50:23); her young men and all her men of war shall be cut off in that day which should have been her defence, Jer 50:30. God is against her (Jer 50:31); he has laid a snare for her (Jer 50:24); he has formed this enterprise against her, that she should be surprised as a bird taken in a snare. Cyrus shall no doubt prevail, for he fights under God. God will kindle a fire in the cities of Babylon (Jer 50:32); and who can stand before him when he is angry, or quench the fire that he has kindled? 4. Reasons are given for these severe dealings with Babylon. Those that are employed in this war may, if they please, know the grounds of it, and be satisfied in the justice of it, which it is fit all should be that are called to such work. (1.) Babylon has been very troublesome, vexatious, and injurious, to all its neighbours; it has been the hammer of the whole earth (Jer 50:23), beating, beating down, and beating to pieces, all the nations far and near. It has done so long enough; it is time now that it be cut asunder and broken. Note, He that is the god of nations will sooner or later assert the injured rights of nations against those that unjustly and violently invade them. The God of the whole earth will break the hammer of the whole earth. (2.) Babylon has bidden defiance to God himself: Thou has striven against the Lord (Jer 50:24), hast joined issue with him (so the word signifies) as in law or battle, hast openly opposed him, set up rivals with him, raised rebellion against him; therefore thou art now found, and caught, as in a snare. Note, Those that strive against the Lord will soon find themselves over-matched. (3.) Babylon ruined Jerusalem, the holy city, and the holy house there, and must now be called to an account for that. This is the manifesto published in Zion, in the day of Babylon's visitation; it is the vengeance of the Lord our God, the vengeance of his temple, Jer 50:28. The burning of the temple, and the carrying away of its vessels, were articles in the charge against Babylon on which greater stress was laid than upon its being the hammer of the whole earth; for Zion was the joy and glory of the whole earth. Note, Whatever wrong is done to God's church (his temple in the world) it will certainly be reckoned for; and no vengeance will be sorer nor heavier than the vengeance of the temple. (4.) Babylon has been very haughty and insolent, and therefore must have a fall; for it is the glory of God to look upon those that are proud and to abase them, Job 40:12. I am against thee, O thou most proud! Jer 50:31 and again Jer 50:32. Thou pride (so the word is), as proud as pride itself. Note, the pride of men's hearts sets God against them and ripens them apace for ruin; for God resists the proud and will bring them down. The most proud shall stumble and fall; they shall fall not so much by others' thrusting them down as by their own stumbling; for they hold their heads so high that they never look under their feet, to choose their way and avoid stumbling-blocks, but walk at all adventures. Babylon's pride must unavoidably be her ruin; for she has been proud against the Lord, against the Holy One of Israel (Jer 50:29), has insulted him in insulting over his people; she has made him her enemy, and therefore, when she has fallen, none shall raise her up, Jer 50:32. Who can help those up whom God will throw down?

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 21–32. Public domain.
Copy as
Cyril of AlexandriaAD 444
COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 68
Now had you been truly desirous of learning, you would have heard from him the things that lead on to eternal life; but as you wickedly tempted him, you will hear nothing more than those commands only that were given to them of old time by Moses. For “what,” said he, “is written in the law? How do you read it?” And on the lawyer’s repeating what is enacted in the law, as if to punish his wickedness and reprove his malicious purpose, Christ, as knowing all things, said, “You have answered rightly; do this, and you shall live.” The lawyer has missed his prey; he has shot wide of the mark, his wickedness is unsuccessful, the sting of envy has ceased, the net of deceit is torn asunder, his sowing bears no fruit, his toil gains no profit; and like some ship that misfortune has overwhelmed, he has suffered a bitter wreck. Let us, therefore, cry out against him in the words of Jeremiah, “You are found and caught, because you have stood up against the Lord.”
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
Copy as

Continue studying Jeremiah 50:24 across the web’s major study libraries — every link below opens this exact verse, chapter, or book on the destination site.

Read & Compare

Commentaries

Original Language & Research

Sermons, Hymns & Audio

TrulyRandomVerse is not affiliated with these sites and doesn’t control their content. They’re linked because they’re genuinely useful.