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Then Jeremiah said to Seraiah, “As soon as you come to Babylon, see that you read all these words aloud,
Jeremiah 51:61 · New American Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB Jeremiah said to Seraiah, “When you come to Babylon, then see that you read all these words,
  • KJV And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, When thou comest to Babylon, and shalt see, and shalt read all these words;
  • BSB And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, “When you get to Babylon, see that you read all these words aloud,
  • NKJV And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, “When you arrive in Babylon and see it, and read all these words,
  • NLT He said to Seraiah, “When you get to Babylon, read aloud everything on this scroll.

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

Jeremiah instructs Seraiah that when he reaches Babylon he must read all these words aloud. The prophecy is to be proclaimed in the very city it condemns.

Overview

Reading the oracle aloud in Babylon was a prophetic declaration, releasing God's word of judgment over the city. It was an act of faith, announcing doom over a seemingly invincible empire. This bold proclamation of God's word in the heart of opposition models the courage of declaring God's truth everywhere, as the gospel of Christ is preached to all nations.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 7

  • Mark 13:1As he went out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, see what kind of stones and what kind of buildings!”
  • 1 Th 4:18Therefore comfort one another with these words.
  • Rev 1:3Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and keep the things that are written in it, for the time is at hand.
  • 1 Th 5:27I solemnly command you by the Lord that this letter be read to all the holy brothers.
  • Matt 24:1Jesus went out from the temple, and was going on his way. His disciples came to him to show him the buildings of the temple.
  • Jer 29:1–2Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the residue of the elders of the captivity, and to the priests, to the prophets, and to all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon,
  • Col 4:16When this letter has been read among you, cause it to be read also in the assembly of the Laodiceans; and that you also read the letter from Laodicea.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

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 51:61YouTube · 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 51:61 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.