“Behold,a people shall come from the north, And a great nation and many kings Shall be raised up from the ends of the earth.
Parallel translations
- WEB “Behold, a people comes from the north; and a great nation and many kings shall be stirred up from the uttermost parts of the earth.
- KJV Behold, a people shall come from the north, and a great nation, and many kings shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.
- BSB Behold, an army is coming from the north; a great nation and many kings are stirred up from the ends of the earth.
- NASB ¶“Behold, a people is coming from the north, And a great nation and many kings Will be roused from the remote parts of the earth.
- NLT “Look! A great army is coming from the north. A great nation and many kings are rising against you from far-off lands.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God announces that a great northern coalition of kings will rise up against Babylon. The proud destroyer of nations will herself be invaded.
Overview
Babylon, which had come from the north against Judah, now hears that an even greater force will sweep down on her from the north (historically Cyrus and the Medo-Persian alliance). The language deliberately echoes earlier oracles where Babylon was God's instrument against others, showing that no empire is exempt from His justice. The Lord who raises up and casts down nations remains sovereign over history, a comfort fulfilled finally in Christ's everlasting kingdom that overthrows every proud power.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Jer 51:27–28“Set up a standard in the land! Blow the trumpet among the nations! Prepare the nations against her! Call together against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz! Appoint a marshal against her! Cause the horses to come up as the rough canker worm!
- Isa 13:2–5Set up a banner on the bare mountain! Lift up your voice to them! Wave your hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.
- Jer 50:9For, behold, I will stir up and cause to come up against Babylon a company of great nations from the north country; and they will set themselves in array against her. She will be taken from there. Their arrows will be as of an expert mighty man. None of them will return in vain.
- Jer 6:22–23Yahweh says, “Behold, a people comes from the north country. A great nation shall be stirred up from the uttermost parts of the earth.
- Jer 51:11“Make the arrows sharp! Hold the shields firmly! Yahweh has stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes, because his purpose is against Babylon, to destroy it; for it is the vengeance of Yahweh, the vengeance of his temple.
- Isa 13:17–18Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, who will not value silver, and as for gold, they will not delight in it.
- Rev 17:16The ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the prostitute, and will make her desolate, and will make her naked, and will eat her flesh, and will burn her utterly with fire.
- Jer 50:2–3“Declare among the nations and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and don’t conceal: say, ‘Babylon has been taken, Bel is disappointed, Merodach is dismayed! Her images are disappointed. Her idols are dismayed.’
- Jer 51:1–2Yahweh says: “Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, and against those who dwell in Lebkamai, a destroying wind.
- Jer 25:14For many nations and great kings shall make bondservants of them, even of them; and I will recompense them according to their deeds, and according to the work of their hands.”
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Christ at the center
Against the failure of false shepherds Jeremiah promises the Righteous Branch, 'The LORD our righteousness,' and the new covenant written on the heart and sealed in the blood of Christ.
How Jeremiah 50:41 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.