Jeremiah Chapter 50 · Verse 32

Authorized King James Version

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And the most proud shall stumble and fall, and none shall raise him up: and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it shall devour all round about him.

Original Language Analysis

וְכָשַׁ֤ל shall stumble H3782
וְכָשַׁ֤ל shall stumble
Strong's: H3782
Word #: 1 of 12
to totter or waver (through weakness of the legs, especially the ankle); by implication, to falter, stumble, faint or fall
זָדוֹן֙ And the most proud H2087
זָדוֹן֙ And the most proud
Strong's: H2087
Word #: 2 of 12
arrogance
וְנָפַ֔ל and fall H5307
וְנָפַ֔ל and fall
Strong's: H5307
Word #: 3 of 12
to fall, in a great variety of applications (intransitive or causative, literal or figurative)
וְאֵ֥ין H369
וְאֵ֥ין
Strong's: H369
Word #: 4 of 12
a nonentity; generally used as a negative particle
ל֖וֹ H0
ל֖וֹ
Strong's: H0
Word #: 5 of 12
מֵקִ֑ים and none shall raise him up H6965
מֵקִ֑ים and none shall raise him up
Strong's: H6965
Word #: 6 of 12
to rise (in various applications, literal, figurative, intensive and causative)
וְהִצַּ֤תִּי and I will kindle H3341
וְהִצַּ֤תִּי and I will kindle
Strong's: H3341
Word #: 7 of 12
to burn or set on fire; figuratively, to desolate
אֵשׁ֙ a fire H784
אֵשׁ֙ a fire
Strong's: H784
Word #: 8 of 12
fire (literally or figuratively)
בְּעָרָ֔יו in his cities H5892
בְּעָרָ֔יו in his cities
Strong's: H5892
Word #: 9 of 12
a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the widest sense (even of a mere encampment or post)
וְאָכְלָ֖ה and it shall devour H398
וְאָכְלָ֖ה and it shall devour
Strong's: H398
Word #: 10 of 12
to eat (literally or figuratively)
כָּל H3605
כָּל
Strong's: H3605
Word #: 11 of 12
properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
סְבִיבֹתָֽיו׃ all round about H5439
סְבִיבֹתָֽיו׃ all round about
Strong's: H5439
Word #: 12 of 12
(as noun) a circle, neighbour, or environs; but chiefly (as adverb, with or without preposition) around

Analysis & Commentary

And the most proud shall stumble and fall—zdon (זָדוֹן, the pride, arrogance) personified will kashal (כָּשַׁל, stumble, totter) and naphal (נָפַל, fall, collapse). Pride goes before destruction (Proverbs 16:18). And none shall raise him up—no ally, no god, no power can restore what God casts down. Babylon had numerous vassal nations and alleged divine patrons, yet none could prevent or reverse its fall.

And I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it shall devour all round about him—fire symbolizes complete, purifying judgment. The Hebrew ba'ar (בָּעַר, kindle, burn) and akal (אָכַל, devour, consume) suggest unstoppable destruction spreading from Babylon proper to surrounding regions. This echoes Amos's judgment oracles where fire consumes palaces (Amos 1:4, 7, 10, 12, 14). The fire represents both literal destruction and God's consuming wrath.

Historical Context

Though Cyrus's conquest was relatively peaceful, subsequent fires did consume Babylon. Xerxes I burned Babylon after revolts in 484 BC. Alexander the Great found the city partially ruined by 331 BC. The Parthians and Sassanians ruled over a steadily declining Babylon. Medieval travelers found only ruins. The 'fire' of judgment consumed Babylon progressively but completely. Today, the site lies desolate in Iraq, with Saddam Hussein's attempted reconstruction in the 1980s-90s never succeeding. The proud city has no 'raiser' to restore it.

Questions for Reflection