Jeremiah 25:12
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.
Original Language Analysis
וְהָיָ֣ה
H1961
וְהָיָ֣ה
Strong's:
H1961
Word #:
1 of 22
to exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
כִמְלֹ֣אות
are accomplished
H4390
כִמְלֹ֣אות
are accomplished
Strong's:
H4390
Word #:
2 of 22
to fill or (intransitively) be full of, in a wide application (literally and figuratively)
אֶפְקֹ֣ד
that I will punish
H6485
אֶפְקֹ֣ד
that I will punish
Strong's:
H6485
Word #:
5 of 22
to visit (with friendly or hostile intent); by analogy, to oversee, muster, charge, care for, miss, deposit, etc
עַל
H5921
עַל
Strong's:
H5921
Word #:
6 of 22
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
בָּבֶל֩
of Babylon
H894
בָּבֶל֩
of Babylon
Strong's:
H894
Word #:
8 of 22
babel (i.e., babylon), including babylonia and the babylonian empire
וְעַל
H5921
וְעַל
Strong's:
H5921
Word #:
9 of 22
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
הַגּ֨וֹי
and that nation
H1471
הַגּ֨וֹי
and that nation
Strong's:
H1471
Word #:
10 of 22
a foreign nation; hence, a gentile; also (figuratively) a troop of animals, or a flight of locusts
הַה֧וּא
H1931
הַה֧וּא
Strong's:
H1931
Word #:
11 of 22
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
יְהוָ֛ה
the LORD
H3068
יְהוָ֛ה
the LORD
Strong's:
H3068
Word #:
13 of 22
(the) self-existent or eternal; jeho-vah, jewish national name of god
אֶת
H853
אֶת
Strong's:
H853
Word #:
14 of 22
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
וְעַל
H5921
וְעַל
Strong's:
H5921
Word #:
16 of 22
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
כַּשְׂדִּ֑ים
of the Chaldeans
H3778
כַּשְׂדִּ֑ים
of the Chaldeans
Strong's:
H3778
Word #:
18 of 22
a kasdite, or descendant of kesed; by implication, a chaldaean (as if so descended); also an astrologer (as if proverbial of that people
וְשַׂמְתִּ֥י
and will make
H7760
וְשַׂמְתִּ֥י
and will make
Strong's:
H7760
Word #:
19 of 22
to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)
אֹת֖וֹ
H853
אֹת֖וֹ
Strong's:
H853
Word #:
20 of 22
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
Cross References
Isaiah 13:19And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.Daniel 9:2In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.Jeremiah 29:10For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.Isaiah 14:23I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the LORD of hosts.
Historical Context
Babylon fell to Cyrus the Persian in 539 BC, just 66 years after Nebuchadnezzar's first conquest of Jerusalem. The prophecy's fulfillment was dramatic—Daniel 5 records the fall of Babylon the very night of Belshazzar's feast. Though the city survived initially, it gradually declined until by the Christian era it was deserted ruins. Isaiah 13-14 and Jeremiah 50-51 prophesied Babylon's perpetual desolation, fulfilled more completely than Judah's temporary exile. Archaeological excavations reveal a magnificent ancient city now uninhabited desert—a testimony to fulfilled prophecy.
Questions for Reflection
- How does God's judgment on Babylon demonstrate that being used by God doesn't exempt one from moral accountability?
- What does the greater severity of Babylon's judgment (perpetual versus temporary) teach about degrees of accountability based on knowledge and privilege?
- How should this principle—that God judges those who execute His judgments—shape our understanding of national and political powers today?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
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. The phrase bimlōʾṯ shivʿîm shānâ (בִּמְלֹאת שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה, when seventy years are fulfilled) indicates precise divine timing. The verb pāqaḏ (פָּקַד, punish/visit in judgment) applies to Babylon just as it applied to Judah. Though God used Babylon as His instrument, their brutal excesses and proud arrogance warranted judgment (Isaiah 47; Jeremiah 50-51).
This reveals a crucial theological principle: God holds accountable those He uses to judge others. Assyria faced judgment for pride despite being God's 'rod of anger' (Isaiah 10:5-19). Rome would be destroyed despite executing God's judgment on Jerusalem in AD 70. Being God's instrument doesn't excuse moral responsibility for how that role is executed. Babylon's sin wasn't conquering Judah (God commanded this) but their cruelty, pride, and idolatry in doing so. The phrase lĕḥorĕḇōṯ ʿôlām (לְחָרְבוֹת עוֹלָם, perpetual desolations) pronounced on Babylon would be even more complete than Judah's—Babylon would never be restored as Judah was.