Jeremiah 51:37

And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwellingplace for dragons, an astonishment, and an hissing, without an inhabitant.

And Babylon {H894} shall become heaps {H1530}, a dwellingplace {H4583} for dragons {H8577}, an astonishment {H8047}, and an hissing {H8322}, without an inhabitant {H3427}.

Bavel will become a heap of ruins, a place for jackals to live, an object of horror and hissing, with no one living there.

Babylon will become a heap of rubble, a haunt for jackals, an object of horror and scorn, without inhabitant.

And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwelling-place for jackals, an astonishment, and a hissing, without inhabitant.

Commentary

Jeremiah 51:37 is a powerful prophetic declaration concerning the utter destruction and desolation of Babylon, the mighty empire that had conquered Judah and exiled its people. This verse is part of a larger oracle against Babylon spanning chapters 50 and 51 of Jeremiah, emphasizing God's impending judgment upon a nation known for its pride, idolatry, and cruelty.

Context

At the time of Jeremiah's prophecy, Babylon, under King Nebuchadnezzar, was the dominant world power. It had recently sacked Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple, and carried the Jewish population into exile. However, Jeremiah's message consistently revealed that Babylon's power was temporary and that God would use other nations, specifically the Medes and Persians (as detailed in Jeremiah 51:11 and historically fulfilled), to bring about its downfall. This verse paints a vivid picture of the aftermath, a complete reversal of Babylon's former glory and bustling life.

Key Themes

  • Divine Judgment: The verse underscores God's absolute sovereignty and His righteous judgment against nations that oppose Him and oppress His people. Babylon's destruction serves as a stark reminder that no earthly power can ultimately defy the Lord.
  • Utter Desolation: The imagery of "heaps," a "dwellingplace for dragons," and "without an inhabitant" vividly portrays an irreversible ruin. This is not merely a defeat but a complete and enduring abandonment, a place where wild creatures roam instead of people.
  • Fulfillment of Prophecy: This prophecy, along with others in Jeremiah and Isaiah (Isaiah 13:19-22), was remarkably fulfilled when Babylon fell to Cyrus the Great in 539 BC, and eventually, its site became a desolate ruin, a testament to the accuracy of God's word.

Linguistic Insights

  • The term "heaps" (Hebrew: galliym) refers to piles of rubble or ruins, signifying a city reduced to debris.
  • "Dragons" (Hebrew: tannim) is often translated as jackals, wild dogs, or desert creatures. This emphasizes the transformation of a magnificent metropolis into a wild, uninhabitable wasteland, a common biblical motif for divine judgment and desolation (compare with Isaiah 34:13 concerning Edom).
  • "Astonishment" (Hebrew: shammah) indicates a state of shock, horror, and desolation that would leave observers utterly amazed at the extent of its destruction.
  • "Hissing" (Hebrew: shereqah) implies a sound of scorn, mockery, or lamentation that would accompany the sight of Babylon's ruin, a sound of contempt from those who once feared it.

Practical Application

Jeremiah 51:37 offers timeless lessons for all generations. It reminds us that:

  • Earthly Power is Fleeting: No empire, no matter how strong or formidable, is beyond God's reach or eternal. Pride and self-sufficiency ultimately lead to downfall.
  • God is Just: The Lord will bring justice to those who oppress and defy Him. This offers comfort and hope to those who are suffering under injustice, knowing that God sees and will act.
  • The Word of God is True: The precise fulfillment of such ancient and detailed prophecies strengthens faith in the reliability and authority of the Bible. God's declarations always come to pass.
  • A Warning Against Spiritual Babylon: For many interpreters, Babylon in prophecy also symbolizes systems of human rebellion against God, particularly in the book of Revelation (Revelation 18:2). This verse serves as a warning against aligning with any system that promotes pride, idolatry, or oppression.

The prophecy of Babylon's desolation stands as a powerful testament to God's sovereignty over human history and His commitment to justice.

Note: If the commentary doesn’t appear instantly, please allow 2–5 seconds for it to load. It is generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash using a prompt focused on Biblical fidelity over bias. While the insights have been consistently reliable, we encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit.

Please note that only the commentary section is AI-generated — the main Scripture and cross-references are stored on the site and are from trusted and verified sources.

Cross-References

  • 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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