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Prepare the nations for battle against her—the kings of the Medes, their governors and all their officials, and all the lands they rule.
Jeremiah 51:28 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB Prepare against her the nations, the kings of the Medes, its governors, and all its deputies, and all the land of their dominion!
  • KJV Prepare against her the nations with the kings of the Medes, the captains thereof, and all the rulers thereof, and all the land of his dominion.
  • NKJV Prepare against her the nations, With the kings of the Medes, Its governors and all its rulers, All the land of his dominion.
  • NASB Consecrate the nations against her, The kings of the Medes, Their governors and all their officials, And every land under their control.
  • NLT Bring against her the armies of the nations— led by the kings of the Medes and all their captains and officers.

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

The nations, especially the kings of the Medes with their governors and dominions, are prepared against Babylon. God marshals the whole Median realm for Babylon's downfall.

Overview

The Medes are again named as the chief agents of judgment, leading a broad alliance of subject territories. This historical specificity underscores that God's word against Babylon was concrete and fulfilled. The mustering of empires at God's command testifies to His sovereignty over the rise and fall of kingdoms, all serving the unfolding of His purposes that center on Christ.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 14

  • Jer 51:11Sharpen the arrows! Fill the quivers! The LORD has aroused the spirit of the kings of the Medes, because His plan is aimed at Babylon to destroy her, for it is the vengeance of the LORD—vengeance for His temple.
  • Jer 25:25all the kings of Zimri, Elam, and Media;
  • Dan 6:8Therefore, O king, establish the decree and sign the document so that it cannot be changed—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.”
  • Isa 13:17Behold, I will stir up against them the Medes, who have no regard for silver and no desire for gold.
  • Dan 8:20The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia.
  • Dan 8:3–4Then I lifted up my eyes and saw a ram with two horns standing beside the canal. The horns were long, but one was longer than the other, and the longer one grew up later.
  • Isa 21:2A dire vision is declared to me: “The traitor still betrays, and the destroyer still destroys. Go up, O Elam! Lay siege, O Media! I will put an end to all her groaning.”
  • Dan 5:28–30PERES means that your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians.”
  • Jer 51:27“Raise a banner in the land! Blow the ram’s horn among the nations! Prepare the nations against her. Summon the kingdoms against her—Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz. Appoint a captain against her; bring up horses like swarming locusts.
  • 1 Chr 1:5The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.
  • Dan 9:1In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes, a Mede by descent, who was made ruler over the kingdom of the Chaldeans—
  • Gen 10:2The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.
  • Esth 10:2And all of Mordecai’s powerful and magnificent accomplishments, together with the full account of the greatness to which the king had raised him, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Media and Persia?
  • Esth 1:3In the third year of his reign, Xerxes held a feast for all his officials and servants. The military leaders of Persia and Media were there, along with the nobles and princes of the provinces.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Jeremiah videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Jeremiah 51:28YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on JeremiahMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 51:28 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.