Jeremiah 51:20
Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms;
Original Language Analysis
כְּלֵ֖י
and weapons
H3627
כְּלֵ֖י
and weapons
Strong's:
H3627
Word #:
4 of 11
something prepared, i.e., any apparatus (as an implement, utensil, dress, vessel or weapon)
מִלְחָמָ֑ה
of war
H4421
מִלְחָמָ֑ה
of war
Strong's:
H4421
Word #:
5 of 11
a battle (i.e., the engagement); generally, war (i.e., war-fare)
וְנִפַּצְתִּ֤י
for with thee will I break in pieces
H5310
וְנִפַּצְתִּ֤י
for with thee will I break in pieces
Strong's:
H5310
Word #:
6 of 11
to dash to pieces, or scatter
גּוֹיִ֔ם
the nations
H1471
גּוֹיִ֔ם
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
Cross References
Micah 4:13Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I will consecrate their gain unto the LORD, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth.Isaiah 37:26Hast thou not heard long ago, how I have done it; and of ancient times, that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste defenced cities into ruinous heaps.Isaiah 10:5O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.Matthew 22:7But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.Isaiah 10:15Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood.Jeremiah 50:23How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken! how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations!Jeremiah 25:11And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.Jeremiah 25:9Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations.Isaiah 13:5They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.
Historical Context
This title is ironic - Babylon was God's tool for judgment, yet remained under judgment herself for her pride and violence. Being used by God doesn't mean approved by God.
Questions for Reflection
- How does God use wicked people or nations to accomplish His purposes?
- What does it mean that God's instruments of judgment themselves face judgment?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
God calls Babylon 'my battle axe and weapons of war' - acknowledging He used them to execute judgment on nations. This doesn't excuse Babylon's cruelty but recognizes God's sovereignty in using evil nations to accomplish His purposes. God can use wicked instruments for righteous ends, yet the instruments remain accountable for their motives and methods (Hab 1:6-17).