Go up against the land of Merathaim, even against it, and against the inhabitants of Pekod: waste and utterly destroy after them, saith the LORD, and do according to all that I have commanded thee.

JEREMIAH 50:21KJV
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Jeremiah 50:21 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 50:21 mean?

Jeremiah 50:21 is a command from God, delivered through the prophet Jeremiah, instructing an attack on the land called Merathaim and its people, specifically those in Pekod, with orders to completely destroy them as God has directed. This verse is part of a prophecy announcing judgment against Babylon and its territories.

In the setting of Jeremiah 50, God is speaking through Jeremiah to announce Babylon’s coming downfall. The verse uses strong language to emphasize total destruction, reflecting the seriousness of Babylon’s offenses. Merathaim and Pekod are likely symbolic or representative names for regions or groups within Babylon, and the command shows that God’s judgment is thorough and intentional.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 50:21

  • מְרַתַּיִם (Merathaim): This name means "double rebellion" or "double bitterness." Its use here may be symbolic, highlighting the depth of Babylon’s guilt or stubbornness.
  • פְּקוֹד (Pekod): This is a region or tribe associated with Babylon. The name means "punishment" or "visitation," which fits the theme of judgment in the passage.
  • חָרַם (charam, “destroy”): This word means to devote something to destruction, often in the sense of complete removal or annihilation, showing the totality of the judgment.
  • צָוָה (tsavah, “commanded”): This word emphasizes that the actions are not random violence but are carried out under God’s direct orders.

Why Jeremiah 50:21 matters

  • Jeremiah 50:21 clears up that the destruction of Babylon is not accidental or merely political, but a fulfillment of God’s specific judgment against their actions.
  • The verse’s use of symbolic names like Merathaim and Pekod highlights the seriousness of Babylon’s offenses and the certainty of their punishment.
  • This verse connects to the larger theme in Jeremiah 50 of God’s sovereignty over nations and His ability to bring justice, even against the most powerful empires.

Where else these words appear

“Pekod” Hebrew H6489 · used in 2 verses

  • Ezekiel 23:23 The Babylonians, and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, and Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them: all of them desirable young men, captains and rulers, great lords and renowned, all of them riding upon horses.

“waste” Hebrew H2717 · used in 36 verses

  • Genesis 8:13 And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry.
  • Isaiah 34:10 It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever.
  • Jeremiah 51:36 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will plead thy cause, and take vengeance for thee; and I will dry up her sea, and make her springs dry.

“destroy” Hebrew H2763 · used in 48 verses

  • Exodus 22:20 He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the LORD only, he shall be utterly destroyed.
  • Joshua 10:1 Now it came to pass, when Adonizedek king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them;
  • 1 Samuel 15:18 And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.