The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the LORD our God, the vengeance of his temple.

JEREMIAH 50:28KJV
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Jeremiah 50:28 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 50:28 mean?

Jeremiah 50:28 describes people escaping from Babylon and coming to Zion to announce that God is taking vengeance for what happened to His temple. The verse highlights a message of justice: those who fled Babylon are witnesses to God’s response to Babylon’s destruction of the temple in Jerusalem.

Jeremiah is speaking about a future time when Babylon, the empire that destroyed Jerusalem and the temple, will itself face judgment. The “voice” refers to the reports or cries of those who have survived Babylon’s downfall, bringing news to Zion (another name for Jerusalem) that God is avenging the wrongs done to His sacred place. This verse fits into a larger prophecy against Babylon, showing that God sees and responds to violence against His people and His house.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 50:28

  • “voice” (קוֹל, qol): This word often means a sound, cry, or proclamation. Here, it emphasizes the public and urgent nature of the news being brought from Babylon.
  • “flee” (נוּס, nus): This word means to escape or run away, highlighting the danger and urgency for those leaving Babylon.
  • “vengeance” (נְקָמָה, neqamah): This term means retribution or payback, and it is repeated for emphasis, underlining that God’s response is deliberate and just, not random anger.
  • “temple” (הֵיכָל, heykhal): This word refers specifically to the sanctuary or temple building in Jerusalem, making clear that the vengeance is directly tied to the desecration of God’s holy place.

Why Jeremiah 50:28 matters

  • This verse clarifies that God’s judgment on Babylon is not arbitrary but is specifically in response to Babylon’s destruction of the temple, connecting historical events to God’s justice.
  • The mention of “Zion” and “His temple” ties the prophecy back to Jerusalem’s central place in Israel’s faith, showing that God has not forgotten His people or His promises.
  • The verse helps the reader see that those who escape Babylon become messengers, turning their survival into a testimony of God’s faithfulness and justice.

Where else these words appear

“out” Hebrew H6405 · used in 5 verses

  • Psalms 32:7 Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.
  • Psalms 56:7 Shall they escape by iniquity? in thine anger cast down the people, O God.
  • Jeremiah 44:14 So that none of the remnant of Judah, which are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall escape or remain, that they should return into the land of Judah, to the which they have a desire to return to dwell there: for none shall return but such as shall escape.

“vengeance” Hebrew H5360 · used in 22 verses

  • Numbers 31:2 Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people.
  • Psalms 94:1 O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself.
  • Jeremiah 51:6 Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the LORD'S vengeance; he will render unto her a recompence.

“temple” Hebrew H1964 · used in 76 verses

  • 1 Samuel 1:9 So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD.
  • Nehemiah 6:10 Afterward I came unto the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel, who was shut up; and he said, Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to slay thee; yea, in the night will they come to slay thee.
  • Ezekiel 41:1 Afterward he brought me to the temple, and measured the posts, six cubits broad on the one side, and six cubits broad on the other side, which was the breadth of the tabernacle.

“flee” Hebrew H5127 · used in 143 verses

  • Genesis 14:10 And the vale of Siddim was full of slimepits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain.
  • Judges 8:12 And when Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued after them, and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and discomfited all the host.
  • 1 Chronicles 11:13 He was with David at Pasdammim, and there the Philistines were gathered together to battle, where was a parcel of ground full of barley; and the people fled from before the Philistines.