Jeremiah 25:12

Authorized King James Version

And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.

Word-by-Word Analysis
#1
וְהָיָ֣ה
to exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
#2
כִמְלֹ֣אות
are accomplished
to fill or (intransitively) be full of, in a wide application (literally and figuratively)
#3
שִׁבְעִ֣ים
And it shall come to pass when seventy
seventy
#4
שָׁנָ֡ה
years
a year (as a revolution of time)
#5
אֶפְקֹ֣ד
that I will punish
to visit (with friendly or hostile intent); by analogy, to oversee, muster, charge, care for, miss, deposit, etc
#6
עַל
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
#7
מֶֽלֶךְ
the king
a king
#8
בָּבֶל֩
of Babylon
babel (i.e., babylon), including babylonia and the babylonian empire
#9
וְעַל
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
#10
הַגּ֨וֹי
and that nation
a foreign nation; hence, a gentile; also (figuratively) a troop of animals, or a flight of locusts
#11
הַה֧וּא
he (she or it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also (intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same; sometimes (as demo
#12
נְאֻם
saith
an oracle
#13
יְהוָ֛ה
the LORD
(the) self-existent or eternal; jeho-vah, jewish national name of god
#14
אֶת
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
#15
עֲוֹנָ֖ם
for their iniquity
perversity, i.e., (moral) evil
#16
וְעַל
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
#17
אֶ֣רֶץ
and the land
the earth (at large, or partitively a land)
#18
כַּשְׂדִּ֑ים
of the Chaldeans
a kasdite, or descendant of kesed; by implication, a chaldaean (as if so descended); also an astrologer (as if proverbial of that people
#19
וְשַׂמְתִּ֥י
and will make
to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)
#20
אֹת֖וֹ
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
#21
לְשִֽׁמְמ֥וֹת
desolations
devastation; figuratively, astonishment
#22
עוֹלָֽם׃
it perpetual
properly, concealed, i.e., the vanishing point; generally, time out of mind (past or future), i.e., (practically) eternity; frequentatively, adverbial

Analysis

The salvation theme here intersects with the metanarrative of redemption running from Genesis to Revelation. Biblical theology recognizes this as part of a unified storyline from the promise in Genesis 3:15 to its fulfillment in Christ. The phrase emphasizing divine sovereignty contributes to our systematic understanding of Christian doctrine and connects to the broader scriptural witness about God's saving work from the Exodus to the cross.

Historical Context

The literary and historical milieu of the literary conventions and historical circumstances of biblical literature shapes this text's meaning. The historical development of salvation within the theological tradition of Jeremiah Understanding the ancient worldview that shaped the author's theological expression helps modern readers appreciate why the author emphasizes divine sovereignty in this particular way.

Questions for Reflection

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