Cut off the sower from Babylon, and him that handleth the sickle in the time of harvest: for fear of the oppressing sword they shall turn every one to his people, and they shall flee every one to his own land.
JEREMIAH 50:16KJVWhat does Jeremiah 50:16 mean?
Jeremiah 50:16 describes how, during Babylon’s coming downfall, the people who plant and harvest crops will be cut off and forced to flee because of the invading army’s violence. The verse pictures everyone, including ordinary workers, abandoning Babylon and returning to their own homelands out of fear.
In this verse, the prophet Jeremiah is speaking God’s message of judgment against Babylon. The situation is one of chaos and fear: even those doing everyday work like sowing and harvesting are not safe. The verse highlights how complete the destruction will be—so threatening that people from many nations who had settled in Babylon will run back to their own countries for safety.
The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 50:16
- "off" (כָּרַת, karat): This word often means to cut off or destroy. In this verse, it emphasizes that the normal life of Babylon, represented by sowing and harvesting, will be violently interrupted.
- "sower" (זָרַע, zara): This refers to someone planting seed. Mentioning the sower shows that even the most basic, peaceful activities will stop because of the coming danger.
- "fear" (פָּנִים, panim): While usually meaning "face," here it carries the sense of being in the presence of something—specifically, the fear caused by the "oppressing sword."
- "oppressing" (יָנַד, yanad): This word means something like "pressing" or "crushing." It underlines the harshness of the invading army, making clear why people are so desperate to escape.
Why Jeremiah 50:16 matters
- Jeremiah 50:16 shows that Babylon’s fall will affect everyone, not just soldiers or leaders, but even ordinary workers—no one will be spared from the upheaval.
- The verse connects to the wider passage by picturing the reversal of Babylon’s earlier power, as people from many nations who once came to Babylon now flee from it.
- The detail about people fleeing "every one to his own land" helps explain the multi-ethnic makeup of Babylon at the time, and how its collapse would scatter people back to their original homes.