Jeremiah 25 · Verse 11

Jeremiah 25:11

And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
Jeremiah 25:11, King James Version

Jeremiah 25:11 in other translations

BSBAnd this whole land will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.
WEBThis whole land will be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
ASVAnd this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
YLTAnd all this land hath been for a waste, for an astonishment, and these nations have served the king of Babylon seventy years.
DARBYAnd this whole land shall become a waste, an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
BBEAll this land will be a waste and a cause of wonder; and these nations will be the servants of the king of Babylon for seventy years.
WebsterAnd this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

What does Jeremiah 25:11 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
11. seventy years--(Jr 27:7). The exact number of years of Sabbaths in four hundred ninety years, the period from Saul to the Babylonian captivity; righteous retribution for their violation of the Sabbath (Le 26:34, 35; 2Ch 36:21). The seventy years probably begin from the fourth year of Jehoiakim, when Jerusalem was first captured, and many captives, as well as the treasures of the temple, were carried away; they end with the first year of Cyrus, who, on taking Babylon, issued an edict for the restoration of the Jews (Ezr 1:1). Daniel's seventy prophetic weeks are based on the seventy years of the captivity (compare Da 9:2, 24).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 11 Shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years - As this prophecy was delivered in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, and in the first of Nebuchadnezzar, and began to be accomplished in the same year, (for then Nebuchadnezzar invaded Judea, and took Jerusalem), seventy years from this time will reach down to the first year of Cyrus, when he made his proclamation for the restoration of the Jews, and the rebuilding of Jerusalem. See the note on Isa 13:19 (note), where the subject is farther considered in relation to the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, and the city of Babylon.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Jeremiah 25:8-14

The fixing of the time during which the Jewish captivity should last, would not only confirm the prophecy, but also comfort the people of God, and encourage faith and prayer. The ruin of Babylon is foretold: the rod will be thrown into the fire when the correcting work is done. When the set time to favour Zion is come, Babylon shall be punished for their iniquity, as other nations have been punished for their sins…

Read the full comment on Jeremiah 25:8-14 →

Jeremiah 25:11 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְהָֽיְתָה֙ve.ha.ye.Tahand it will becomeH1961
כָּל\־kol-allH3605
הָאָ֣רֶץha.'A.retzthe landH776
הַזֹּ֔אתha.Zot<the> thisH2063
לְחָרְבָּ֖הle.cha.re.Bah<into> a desolationH2723
לְשַׁמָּ֑הle.sha.Mah<into> a wasteH8047
וְעָ֨בְד֜וּve.'A.ve.Duand they will serveH5647
הַגּוֹיִ֥םha.go.Yimthe nationsH1471
הָאֵ֛לֶּהha.'E.leh<the> theseH428
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
מֶ֥לֶךְMe.lekh[the] king ofH4428
בָּבֶ֖לba.VelBabylonH894
שִׁבְעִ֥יםshiv.'ImseventyH7657
שָׁנָֽה\׃sha.Nahyear[s]H8141

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Jeremiah 25:11

  • Daniel 9:2

    In 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.

  • Zechariah 1:12

    Then the angel of the Lord answered and said, O Lord of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?

  • 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.

  • 2 Chronicles 36:21-22

    To fulfil the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years. Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,

  • Zechariah 7:5

    Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me?

  • Isaiah 23:15-17

    And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot. Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered. And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the Lord will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.

  • Jeremiah 4:27

    For thus hath the Lord said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.

  • Jeremiah 12:11-12

    They have made it desolate, and being desolate it mourneth unto me; the whole land is made desolate, because no man layeth it to heart. The spoilers are come upon all high places through the wilderness: for the sword of the Lord shall devour from the one end of the land even to the other end of the land: no flesh shall have peace.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
seventy.This prophecy was delivered in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, and began to be accomplished immediately; and it was exactly seventy years from this time to the proclamation of Cyrus for the return of the Jews.
12; 2Ch 36:21,22; Isa 23:15-17; Da 9:2; Zec 1:12; 7:5

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Jeremiah 25:10

    Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle.

  • Jeremiah 25:11

    And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

  • 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.

Read all of Jeremiah 25

Jeremiah 25:11 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y toda esta tierra será puesta en soledad, en espanto; y servirán estas gentes al rey de Babilonia setenta años.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et tout ce pays sera un désert, une désolation; et ces nations serviront le roi de Babylone 70 ans.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und dieses ganze Land wird zur Einöde, zur Wüste werden; und diese Nationen werden dem König von Babel dienen siebzig Jahre.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et erit universa terra hæc in solitudinem, et in stuporem: et servient omnes gentes istæ regi Babylonis septuaginta annis.