The earth is moved at the noise of their fall, at the cry the noise thereof was heard in the Red sea.

JEREMIAH 49:21KJV
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Jeremiah 49:21 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 49:21 mean?

Jeremiah 49:21 describes how the downfall of a nation is so dramatic and loud that the whole earth seems to shake, and the sound of their collapse is heard as far away as the Red Sea. The verse uses vivid language to show the far-reaching impact of this event.

In this passage, the prophet Jeremiah is delivering a message from God about judgment against Edom, a neighboring nation of Israel. The verse paints a picture of Edom’s destruction being so severe that its effects are felt far beyond its borders. The mention of the Red Sea highlights just how widespread the news and consequences of Edom’s fall will be.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 49:21

  • "earth" (אֶרֶץ, ’erets): This word means "land" or "earth," and here it suggests that the impact of Edom’s fall is not just local but affects the whole region.
  • "moved" (רָעַשׁ, ra‘ash): This verb means "to quake" or "to shake," emphasizing the intensity of the event, as if the very ground trembles at the news.
  • "noise" (קוֹל, qol): This word means "sound" or "voice," and it appears twice in the verse, stressing the overwhelming and unmistakable sound of Edom’s collapse.
  • "Red" (סוּף, suph) and "sea" (יָם, yam): Together, these words refer to the "Red Sea," a distant landmark from Edom, showing that the effects of the fall are felt far and wide.

Why Jeremiah 49:21 matters

  • Jeremiah 49:21 clears up any idea that Edom’s downfall is a small or private matter; the language shows it is a catastrophe with regional impact.
  • The verse emphasizes the seriousness of God’s judgment, using the shaking earth and distant echoes to underline how significant this moment is.
  • By connecting the noise to the Red Sea, Jeremiah ties Edom’s fate to places known from Israel’s own history, making the warning more vivid and memorable for his listeners.

Where else these words appear

“cry” Hebrew H6818 · used in 20 verses

  • Genesis 18:21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.
  • Exodus 12:30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.
  • Job 34:28 So that they cause the cry of the poor to come unto him, and he heareth the cry of the afflicted.

“Red” Hebrew H5488 · used in 28 verses

  • Exodus 2:3 And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink.
  • Numbers 33:10 And they removed from Elim, and encamped by the Red sea.
  • 1 Kings 9:26 And king Solomon made a navy of ships in Eziongeber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red sea, in the land of Edom.

“moved” Hebrew H7493 · used in 30 verses

  • Judges 5:4 LORD, when thou wentest out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds also dropped water.
  • Isaiah 13:13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.
  • Ezekiel 27:28 The suburbs shall shake at the sound of the cry of thy pilots.