Jeremiah 50:12
Your mother shall be sore confounded; she that bare you shall be ashamed: behold, the hindermost of the nations shall be a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.
Original Language Analysis
בּ֤וֹשָׁה
confounded
H954
בּ֤וֹשָׁה
confounded
Strong's:
H954
Word #:
1 of 11
properly, to pale, i.e., by implication to be ashamed; also (by implication) to be disappointed or delayed
אִמְּכֶם֙
Your mother
H517
אִמְּכֶם֙
Your mother
Strong's:
H517
Word #:
2 of 11
a mother (as the bond of the family); in a wide sense (both literally and figuratively [like father])
מְאֹ֔ד
shall be sore
H3966
מְאֹ֔ד
shall be sore
Strong's:
H3966
Word #:
3 of 11
properly, vehemence, i.e., (with or without preposition) vehemently; by implication, wholly, speedily, etc. (often with other words as an intensive or
חָפְרָ֖ה
you shall be ashamed
H2659
חָפְרָ֖ה
you shall be ashamed
Strong's:
H2659
Word #:
4 of 11
to blush; figuratively, to be ashamed, disappointed; causatively, to shame, reproach
יֽוֹלַדְתְּכֶ֑ם
she that bare
H3205
יֽוֹלַדְתְּכֶ֑ם
she that bare
Strong's:
H3205
Word #:
5 of 11
to bear young; causatively, to beget; medically, to act as midwife; specifically, to show lineage
אַחֲרִ֣ית
behold the hindermost
H319
אַחֲרִ֣ית
behold the hindermost
Strong's:
H319
Word #:
7 of 11
the last or end, hence, the future; also posterity
גּוֹיִ֔ם
of the nations
H1471
גּוֹיִ֔ם
of the nations
Strong's:
H1471
Word #:
8 of 11
a foreign nation; hence, a gentile; also (figuratively) a troop of animals, or a flight of locusts
מִדְבָּ֖ר
shall be a wilderness
H4057
מִדְבָּ֖ר
shall be a wilderness
Strong's:
H4057
Word #:
9 of 11
a pasture (i.e., open field, whither cattle are driven); by implication, a desert
Historical Context
Babylon was famed for its grandeur—hanging gardens, massive walls, the Ishtar Gate. Yet Jeremiah prophesied it would become a desolate wilderness. After conquest by Persia (539 BC), Babylon gradually declined. Alexander the Great planned to rebuild it but died before doing so. By the time of Christ, ancient historians described Babylon as largely abandoned. Today the archaeological site sits in a desolate region of Iraq—literally a wilderness, exactly as prophesied.
Questions for Reflection
- How does Babylon's fall from 'first among nations' to 'hindermost' illustrate God's power to humble the proud?
- What does this reversal teach about the temporary nature of earthly power and the danger of building security on anything other than God?
- How should the certainty of judgment on Babylon-like systems of power shape Christian engagement with political and economic structures today?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
Your mother shall be sore confounded; she that bare you shall be ashamed—'Your mother' refers to Babylon itself as the mother-city of the empire. Bosh (בּוֹשׁ, confounded) means put to shame, humiliated, disappointed in expectation. Chapher (חָפֵר, ashamed) intensifies this—disgraced, reproached. The personification makes the judgment vivid: the proud city will experience shame as profound as a mother whose children bring disgrace.
Behold, the hindermost of the nations shall be a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert—'hindermost' (achariyth, אַחֲרִית) means last, rearmost, least important—a shocking reversal for the world's greatest empire. From first to last, from fertility to desert (midbar, מִדְבָּר), from abundant waters to dry land (tsiyah, צִיָּה)—complete desolation. This reversal demonstrates God's sovereignty: He raises up and brings down kingdoms according to His purposes (Daniel 2:21). Revelation 17-18 applies Babylon's judgment typologically to all anti-God systems that oppose His people.