Call together the archers against Babylon: all ye that bend the bow, camp against it round about; let none thereof escape: recompense her according to her work; according to all that she hath done, do unto her: for she hath been proud against the LORD, against the Holy One of Israel.

JEREMIAH 50:29KJV
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Jeremiah 50:29 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 50:29 mean?

Jeremiah 50:29 describes a call for armies to surround Babylon and attack it without letting anyone escape, as payback for Babylon’s actions and pride against God. The verse says Babylon will be repaid for what it has done, especially because it acted arrogantly toward the LORD, the Holy One of Israel.

In this verse, God is speaking through Jeremiah to announce judgment on Babylon. The setting is a prophecy about Babylon’s downfall, directed at those who will carry out the attack. The verse stresses that Babylon’s punishment matches its deeds, and highlights that its pride against God is the main reason for its coming destruction.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 50:29

  • "Recompense" (שָׁלַם, shalam): This word means to pay back or make whole. Here, it emphasizes that Babylon’s punishment is not random but is a direct repayment for its actions.
  • "Proud" (זָד, zad): This word means to act arrogantly or presumptuously. The verse points out that Babylon’s pride is not just general arrogance, but specifically directed against the LORD (יְהוָה, YHWH), making it a serious offense.
  • "Holy One" (קָדוֹשׁ, qadosh): This term underlines God’s set-apartness and purity. By calling God the "Holy One of Israel," the verse reminds readers that Babylon’s pride was against a uniquely holy and powerful God.

Why Jeremiah 50:29 matters

  • Jeremiah 50:29 clarifies that Babylon’s destruction is not just a political event but a moral response to its pride and actions against God.
  • The verse connects Babylon’s fate to its treatment of others and its attitude toward the LORD, showing that divine justice is at work.
  • This verse helps frame the surrounding passage as a warning against arrogance and injustice, not just a prediction of military defeat.

Where else these words appear

“archers” Hebrew H7228 · used in 2 verses

  • Job 16:13 His archers compass me round about, he cleaveth my reins asunder, and doth not spare; he poureth out my gall upon the ground.

“proud” Hebrew H2102 · used in 10 verses

  • Genesis 25:29 And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:
  • Deuteronomy 1:43 So I spake unto you; and ye would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and went presumptuously up into the hill.
  • Nehemiah 9:10 And shewedst signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and on all his servants, and on all the people of his land: for thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them. So didst thou get thee a name, as it is this day.

“escape” Hebrew H6413 · used in 28 verses

  • Genesis 32:8 And said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape.
  • 2 Chronicles 20:24 And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.
  • Isaiah 15:9 For the waters of Dimon shall be full of blood: for I will bring more upon Dimon, lions upon him that escapeth of Moab, and upon the remnant of the land.

“work” Hebrew H6467 · used in 38 verses

  • Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.
  • Psalms 28:4 Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavours: give them after the work of their hands; render to them their desert.
  • Proverbs 21:8 The way of man is froward and strange: but as for the pure, his work is right.