Jeremiah Chapter 25 · Verse 15
For thus saith the LORD God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it.
Original Language Analysis
כִּ֣י
H3588
כִּ֣י
Strong's:
H3588
Word #:
1 of 24
(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed
כֹה֩
H3541
כֹה֩
Strong's:
H3541
Word #:
2 of 24
properly, like this, i.e., by implication, (of manner) thus (or so); also (of place) here (or hither); or (of time) now
יְהוָ֜ה
the LORD
H3068
יְהוָ֜ה
the LORD
Strong's:
H3068
Word #:
4 of 24
(the) self-existent or eternal; jeho-vah, jewish national name of god
אֱלֹהֵ֤י
God
H430
אֱלֹהֵ֤י
God
Strong's:
H430
Word #:
5 of 24
gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme god; occasionally applied by way of
יִשְׂרָאֵל֙
of Israel
H3478
יִשְׂרָאֵל֙
of Israel
Strong's:
H3478
Word #:
6 of 24
he will rule as god; jisral, a symbolical name of jacob; also (typically) of his posterity
אֶת
H853
אֶת
Strong's:
H853
Word #:
9 of 24
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
כּ֨וֹס
cup
H3563
כּ֨וֹס
cup
Strong's:
H3563
Word #:
10 of 24
a cup (as a container), often figuratively, some unclean bird, probably an owl (perhaps from the cup-like cavity of its eye)
הַיַּ֧יִן
the wine
H3196
הַיַּ֧יִן
the wine
Strong's:
H3196
Word #:
11 of 24
wine (as fermented); by implication, intoxication
הַחֵמָ֛ה
of this fury
H2534
הַחֵמָ֛ה
of this fury
Strong's:
H2534
Word #:
12 of 24
heat; figuratively, anger, poison (from its fever)
מִיָּדִ֑י
at my hand
H3027
מִיָּדִ֑י
at my hand
Strong's:
H3027
Word #:
14 of 24
a hand (the open one [indicating power, means, direction, etc.], in distinction from h3709, the closed one); used (as noun, adverb, etc.) in a great v
וְהִשְׁקִיתָ֤ה
thee to drink
H8248
וְהִשְׁקִיתָ֤ה
thee to drink
Strong's:
H8248
Word #:
15 of 24
to quaff, i.e., (causatively) to irrigate or furnish a potion to
אֹתוֹ֙
H853
אֹתוֹ֙
Strong's:
H853
Word #:
16 of 24
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
אֶת
H853
אֶת
Strong's:
H853
Word #:
17 of 24
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
כָּל
H3605
כָּל
Strong's:
H3605
Word #:
18 of 24
properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
הַגּוֹיִ֔ם
and cause all the nations
H1471
הַגּוֹיִ֔ם
and cause all the nations
Strong's:
H1471
Word #:
19 of 24
a foreign nation; hence, a gentile; also (figuratively) a troop of animals, or a flight of locusts
אֲשֶׁ֧ר
H834
אֲשֶׁ֧ר
Strong's:
H834
Word #:
20 of 24
who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc
שֹׁלֵ֥חַ
to whom I send
H7971
שֹׁלֵ֥חַ
to whom I send
Strong's:
H7971
Word #:
22 of 24
to send away, for, or out (in a great variety of applications)
Cross References
Psalms 75:8For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them.Isaiah 51:17Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out.Revelation 14:10The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:Job 21:20His eyes shall see his destruction, and he shall drink of the wrath of the Almighty.Isaiah 51:22Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again:
Historical Context
This vision came during the fourth year of Jehoiakim (605 BC), the same year as Nebuchadnezzar's rise and the Battle of Carchemish. The 'cup of wrath' would be administered through Babylon's conquests over the next decades. The vision's symbolic nature (Jeremiah didn't literally travel to all these nations with a physical cup) represents the prophetic word going forth to pronounce judgment. The list of nations in verses 18-26 encompasses the entire ancient Near East, demonstrating God's comprehensive sovereignty.
Questions for Reflection
- How does the 'cup of wrath' imagery help us understand what Jesus endured at the cross when He bore God's judgment for sin?
- What does God's judgment extending to 'all nations' teach about universal moral accountability before the Creator?
- How should the certainty of divine judgment on all unrighteousness shape our evangelistic urgency and personal holiness?
Analysis & Commentary
For thus saith the LORD God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it. This vision of kôs hayyayin haḥēmâ (כּוֹס הַיַּיִן הַחֵמָה, the wine cup of fury/wrath) introduces one of Scripture's most powerful symbols for divine judgment. The cup represents God's righteous anger against sin, which must be consumed fully. The imagery appears throughout Scripture—Psalms 75:8, Isaiah 51:17-23, Habakkuk 2:16, and crucially in Gethsemane when Jesus prayed 'let this cup pass from me' (Matthew 26:39).
Jeremiah functions as priest administering this cup to the nations—a symbolic prophetic act representing God's judicial sentence. The phrase ʾel-kol-haggôyim ʾăsher ʾānōḵî shōlēaḥ ʿôṯĕḵā ʾălêhem (אֶל־כָּל־הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי שֹׁלֵחַ אֹתְךָ אֲלֵיהֶם, to all the nations to whom I send you) emphasizes God's universal sovereignty. He judges not only covenant-breaking Israel but all nations according to their response to His moral law written on human conscience (Romans 1:18-32, 2:14-16). At the cross, Christ drank this cup fully on behalf of sinners (Mark 10:38-39), exhausting divine wrath against all who trust in Him.