Jeremiah 50 · Verse 21

Jeremiah 50:21

Go up against the land of Merathaim, even against it, and against the inhabitants of Pekod: waste and utterly destroy after them, saith the Lord, and do according to all that I have commanded thee.
Jeremiah 50:21, King James Version

Jeremiah 50:21 in other translations

BSBGo up against the land of Merathaim, and against the residents of Pekod. Kill them and devote them to destruction. Do all that I have commanded you,” declares the LORD.
WEB“Go up against the land of Merathaim, even against it, and against the inhabitants of Pekod. Kill and utterly destroy after them,” says the LORD, “and do according to all that I have commanded you.
ASVGo up against the land of Merathaim, even against it, and against the inhabitants of Pekod: slay and utterly destroy after them, saith Jehovah, and do according to all that I have commanded thee.
YLTAgainst the land of Merathaim: Go up against it, and unto the inhabitants of Pekod, Waste and devote their posterity, An affirmation of Jehovah, And do according to all that I have commanded thee.
DARBYGo up against the land of double rebellion, against it, and against the inhabitants of visitation; waste and utterly destroy after them, saith Jehovah, and do according to all that I have commanded thee.
BBEGo up against the land of Merathaim, even against it, and against the people of Pekod; put them to death and send destruction after them, says the Lord, and do everything I have given you orders to do.
WebsterGo up against the land of Merathaim, even against it, and against the inhabitants of Pekod: waste and utterly destroy after them, saith the LORD, and do according to all that I have commanded thee.

What does Jeremiah 50:21 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
21. Merathaim--a symbolical name for Babylon, the doubly rebellious, namely, against God. Compare Jr 50:24, "thou hast striven against the Lord"; and Jr 50:29, "proud against the Lord." The "doubly" refers to: first, the Assyrian's oppression of Israel; next, the kindred Chaldean's oppression of Judah (compare Jr 50:17-20, 33; especially Jr 50:18). Pekod--(Eze 23:23); a chief province of Assyria, in which Nineveh, now overthrown, once lay. But, as in Merathaim, the allusion is to the meaning of Pekod, namely, "visitation"; the inhabitants whose time of deserved visitation in punishment is come; not, however, without reference to the now Babylonian province, Pekod. The visitation on Babylon was a following up of that on Assyria. after them--even their posterity, and all that is still left of Babylon, until the very name is extinct [Grotius]. Devastate the city, after its inhabitants have deserted it. all ... I ... commanded--by Isaiah (Is 13:1, &c.).

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 21 Go up against the land of Merathaim - and against the inhabitants of Pekod - No such places as these are to be found any where else; and it is not likely that places are at all meant. The ancient Versions agree in rendering the first as an appellative, and the last as a verb, except the Chaldee, which has Pekod as a proper name. Dr. Blayney translates: - "Against the land of bitternesses, go up: Upon it, and upon its inhabitants, visit, O sword!" Dr. Dahler renders thus: - "March against the country doubly rebellious, And against its inhabitants worthy of punishment." The latter of these two versions I take to be the most literal. The words are addressed to the Medes and Persians; and the country is Chaldea, doubly rebellious by its idolatry and its insufferable pride. In these two, it was exceeded by no other land.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Jeremiah 50:21-32
The forces are mustered and empowered to destroy Babylon. Let them do what God demands, and they shall bring to pass what he threatens. The pride of men's hearts sets God against them, and ripens them apace for ruin. Babylon's pride must be her ruin; she has been proud against the Holy One of Israel; who can keep those up whom God will throw down?

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

Jeremiah 50:21 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.

עַל\־'al-onH5921
הָאָ֤רֶץha.'A.retzthe land ofH776
מְרָתַ֙יִם֙me.ra.Ta.yimMerathaimH4850
עֲלֵ֣ה'a.Lehgo upH5927
עָלֶ֔יהָ'a.Lei.haon itH5921
וְאֶל\־ve.'el-and againstH413
יוֹשְׁבֵ֖יyo.she.Vei[the] inhabitants ofH3427
פְּק֑וֹדpe.KodPekodH6489
חֲרֹ֨בcha.RokillH2717
וְהַחֲרֵ֤םve.ha.cha.Remand totally destroyH2763
אַֽחֲרֵיהֶם֙'a.cha.rei.Hemafter themH310
נְאֻם\־ne.'um-[the] utterance ofH5002
יְהוָ֔הYah.wehYahwehH3068
וַעֲשֵׂ֕הva.'a.Sehand doH6213
כְּכֹ֖לke.Kholaccording to allH3605
אֲשֶׁ֥ר'a.SherthatH834
צִוִּיתִֽיךָ\׃\ \סtzi.vi.Ti.khaI have commanded youH6680

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

Cross references for Jeremiah 50:21

  • Ezekiel 23:23

    The Babylonians, and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, and Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them: all of them desirable young men, captains and rulers, great lords and renowned, all of them riding upon horses.

  • 2 Samuel 16:11

    And David said to Abishai, and to all his servants, Behold, my son, which came forth of my bowels, seeketh my life: how much more now may this Benjamite do it? let him alone, and let him curse; for the Lord hath bidden him.

  • 1 Samuel 15:11-24

    It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the Lord all night. And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal. And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the Lord: I have performed the commandment of the Lord. And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? …

  • Jeremiah 48:10

    Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord deceitfully, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood.

  • Jeremiah 50:9

    For, lo, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the north country: and they shall set themselves in array against her; from thence she shall be taken: their arrows shall be as of a mighty expert man; none shall return in vain.

  • 2 Kings 18:25

    Am I now come up without the Lord against this place to destroy it? The Lord said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.

  • Jeremiah 50:15

    Shout against her round about: she hath given her hand: her foundations are fallen, her walls are thrown down: for it is the vengeance of the Lord: take vengeance upon her; as she hath done, do unto her.

  • Isaiah 44:28

    That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.

  • Isaiah 48:14

    All ye, assemble yourselves, and hear; which among them hath declared these things? The Lord hath loved him: he will do his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans.

  • Isaiah 10:6

    I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.

  • 2 Chronicles 36:23

    Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the Lord God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The Lord his God be with him, and let him go up.

  • Numbers 31:14-18

    And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, with the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, which came from the battle. And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive? Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the Lord. Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. …

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
up.
3,9,15
Merathaim. or, the rebels. Pekod. or, visitation.
Eze 23:23
and do.
34:22; 48:10; Nu 31:14-18; 1Sa 15:3,11-24; 2Sa 16:11; 2Ki 18:25
2Ch 36:23; Isa 10:6; 44:28; 48:14

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

Context

  • Jeremiah 50:20

    In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve.

  • Jeremiah 50:21

    Go up against the land of Merathaim, even against it, and against the inhabitants of Pekod: waste and utterly destroy after them, saith the Lord, and do according to all that I have commanded thee.

  • Jeremiah 50:22

    A sound of battle is in the land, and of great destruction.

Read all of Jeremiah 50

Jeremiah 50:21 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Sube contra la tierra de Merathaim, contra ella, y contra los moradores de Pekod: destruye y mata en pos de ellos, dice Jehová, y haz conforme á todo lo que yo te he mandado.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Monte contre le pays doublement rebelle, contre lui et contre les habitants destinés à la visitation; dévaste et détruis entièrement derrière eux, dit l’ Éternel, et fais selon tout ce que je t’ai commandé.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Wider das Land "Doppelte Widerspenstigkeit", wider dasselbe ziehe hinauf und gegen die Bewohner von "Heimsuchung" Verwüste und vertilge hinter ihnen her, spricht Jehova, und tue nach allem, was ich dir geboten habe!
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Super terram dominantium ascende, et super habitatores ejus visita: dissipa, et interfice quæ post eos sunt, ait Dominus, et fac juxta omnia quæ præcepi tibi.