Lexical Summary kares: To cut off, to cut down, to destroy Original Word: כְּרֵשׂ Strong's Exhaustive Concordance belly By variation from qarac; the paunch or belly (as swelling out) -- belly. see HEBREW qarac NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom an unused word Definition belly NASB Translation stomach (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [כָּרֵשׂ] noun [masculine] belly (Late Hebrew כֶּרֶס id.; Aramaic כַּרְסָא  id.; Mandean כראס, כארסא, uterus, NöM 151, 157; Arabic  Ethiopic  wrinkled or folded stomach of cud-chewing animals; compare LagBN 20, 44; Assyrian karšu, body, belly); — only suffix כְּרֵשׂוֺ Jeremiah 51:34 of Nebuchadrezzar under figure of sea-monster. Topical Lexicon Meaning and Imagery of “Keres”The term paints the vivid picture of an over-filled stomach or inner cavity. In Hebrew thought the belly is not merely a physical organ but the seat of appetite. It represents unchecked consumption, self-indulgence, and the arrogant presumption that one can swallow up whatever lies before him. By choosing this rare word, Scripture concentrates attention on the excessiveness of the devourer. Biblical Occurrence and Context Jeremiah 51:34 applies the image to Nebuchadnezzar: “Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has devoured me; he has crushed me. He has set me aside like an empty vessel. He has swallowed me like a sea monster; he filled his belly with my delicacies, and then he spewed me out”. Here Judah laments that Babylon has consumed her resources, dignity, and freedom, treating her as food to be digested and discarded. “Keres” thus becomes a single-word indictment of imperial greed. Historical Setting Jeremiah’s oracle falls near the end of Babylon’s dominance (late sixth century B.C.). The prophet addresses exiles and survivors who have watched the temple burn and their people marched away. The picture of the king’s glutted belly speaks to the economic plunder Babylon exacted—tribute, labor, sacred vessels—while the people starved. When the prophet later announces Babylon’s fall (Jeremiah 51:54-58), the “full belly” verse serves as a judicial record: the oppressor’s voracious appetite has been noted in heaven and will be answered. Theological Significance 1. Divine Justice. Scripture affirms that the one who “fills his belly” with God’s people will himself be “spewed out.” The image anticipates the principle stated elsewhere: “with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Matthew 7:2). 2. Covenant Hope. Israel, though treated as discarded refuse, remains known and valued by the Lord. The humiliation described by “keres” is not the last word; restoration will follow (Jeremiah 51:10). 3. Typological Echoes. Babylon’s gluttony foreshadows later antichrist systems that persecute the saints (Revelation 17–18). The word therefore contributes to a canonical pattern: worldly powers consume; God rescues; the oppressor is judged. Echoes in the Wider Canon Although other Hebrew terms are normally used for “belly,” the thematic idea recurs: • Job 20:15 – the wicked “swallows riches and vomits them up.” Each passage affirms that insatiable appetite meets divine reversal. Pastoral and Practical Applications • Warning against Greed. Nations, churches, and individuals alike are tempted to amass at others’ expense. “Keres” exposes such appetite as ultimately self-destructive. Forms and Transliterations כְרֵשׂ֖וֹ כרשו chereSo ḵə·rê·śōw ḵərêśōwLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Jeremiah 51:34 HEB: כַּתַּנִּ֔ין מִלָּ֥א כְרֵשׂ֖וֹ מֵֽעֲדָנָ֑י [הֱדִיחָנוּ NAS: He has filled his stomach with my delicacies; KJV: he hath filled his belly with my delicates, INT: A monster has filled his stomach my delicacies cast out 1 Occurrence |
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