Jeremiah 50:3 For a nation from the north will come against her; it will make her land a desolation. No one will live in it; both man and beast will flee."

◄ Jeremiah 50:3 ►

New International Version
A nation from the north will attack her and lay waste her land. No one will live in it; both people and animals will flee away.

New Living Translation
For a nation will attack her from the north and bring such destruction that no one will live there again. Everything will be gone; both people and animals will flee.

English Standard Version
“For out of the north a nation has come up against her, which shall make her land a desolation, and none shall dwell in it; both man and beast shall flee away.

Berean Standard Bible
For a nation from the north will come against her; it will make her land a desolation. No one will live in it; both man and beast will flee.”

King James Bible
For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.

New King James Version
For out of the north a nation comes up against her, Which shall make her land desolate, And no one shall dwell therein. They shall move, they shall depart, Both man and beast.

New American Standard Bible
For a nation has come up against her from the north; it will make her land an object of horror, and there will be no inhabitant in it. Whether people or animals, they have wandered off, they have gone!

NASB 1995
“For a nation has come up against her out of the north; it will make her land an object of horror, and there will be no inhabitant in it. Both man and beast have wandered off, they have gone away!

NASB 1977
“For a nation has come up against her out of the north; it will make her land an object of horror, and there will be no inhabitant in it. Both man and beast have wandered off, they have gone away!

Legacy Standard Bible
For a nation has come up against her out of the north; it will make her land an object of horror, and there will be no inhabitant in it. Both man and beast have wandered off; they have gone away!

Amplified Bible
For out of the north a nation (Media) has come against her which will make her land desolate, and no one will live there. They have fled, they have gone away—both man and animal.

Christian Standard Bible
For a nation from the north will attack her; it will make her land desolate. No one will be living in it — both people and animals will escape.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
For a nation from the north will come against her; it will make her land desolate. No one will be living in it— both man and beast will escape.

American Standard Version
For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they are fled, they are gone, both man and beast.

Contemporary English Version
The attack on the Babylonians will come from the north; they and their animals will run, leaving the land empty.

English Revised Version
For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they are fled, they are gone, both man and beast.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
A nation from the north will attack Babylon and destroy its land so that no one will live in it. People and animals will run away.

Good News Translation
"A nation from the north has come to attack Babylonia and will make it a desert. People and animals will run away, and no one will live there."

International Standard Version
For a nation from the north will go up against her. It will make her land into an object of horror, and no one will live in it. Both people and animals will wander off, and they'll leave.

Majority Standard Bible
For a nation from the north will come against her; it will make her land a desolation. No one will live in it; both man and beast will flee.”

NET Bible
For a nation from the north will attack Babylon. It will lay her land waste. People and animals will flee out of it. No one will inhabit it.'

New Heart English Bible
For out of the north there comes up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell in it: they are fled, they are gone, both man and animal.

Webster's Bible Translation
For out of the north there cometh a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell in it, they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.

World English Bible
For a nation comes up out of the north against her, which will make her land desolate, and no one will dwell in it. They have fled. They are gone, both man and animal.

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
For a nation from the north has come up against her, "" It makes her land become a desolation, "" And there is not an inhabitant in it. From man even to beast, "" They have moved, they have gone.

Young's Literal Translation
For come up against her hath a nation from the north, It maketh her land become a desolation, And there is not an inhabitant in it. From man even unto beast, They have moved, they have gone.

Smith's Literal Translation
For a nation came up from the north against her; it shall set her land for a desolation, and none shall be dwelling in her: from man and even to beast they moved, and they went.

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
For a nation is come up against her out of the north, which shall make her land desolate: and there shall be none to dwell therein, from man even to beast:: yea they are removed, and gone away.

Catholic Public Domain Version
For a nation has ascended against her from the north, which will set her land in desolation. And there will be no one who may live within it, from man even to beast. For they have been removed and have gone away.

New American Bible
A nation from the north advances against it, making the land desolate So that no one can live there; human beings and animals have fled.

New Revised Standard Version
For out of the north a nation has come up against her; it shall make her land a desolation, and no one shall live in it; both human beings and animals shall flee away.

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
For out of the north there comes up a nation against her which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell in it; they shall flee, they shall depart, both man and beast.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Because the people from the North comes upon her. It shall make her land a wilderness, and not one dwelling of the children of man shall be in it, nor for beast; they broke away and they left

OT Translations

JPS Tanakh 1917
For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, Which shall make her land desolate, And none shall dwell therein; They are fled, they are gone, both man and beast.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For a nation has come up against her from the north, he shall utterly ravage her land, and there shall be none to dwell in it, neither man nor beast.

Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

Prophecies against Babylon
…2“Announce and declare to the nations; lift up a banner and proclaim it; hold nothing back when you say, ‘Babylon is captured; Bel is put to shame; Marduk is shattered, her images are disgraced, her idols are broken in pieces.’ 3For a nation from the north will come against her; it will make her land a desolation. No one will live in it; both man and beast will flee.”

Berean Standard Bible · Download

Cross References

Isaiah 13:17-19
Behold, I will stir up against them the Medes, who have no regard for silver and no desire for gold. / Their bows will dash young men to pieces; they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb; they will not look with pity on the children. / And Babylon, the jewel of the kingdoms, the glory of the pride of the Chaldeans, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah.

Isaiah 21:2
A dire vision is declared to me: “The traitor still betrays, and the destroyer still destroys. Go up, O Elam! Lay siege, O Media! I will put an end to all her groaning.”

Isaiah 47:1-3
“Go down and sit in the dust, O Virgin Daughter of Babylon. Sit on the ground without a throne, O Daughter of the Chaldeans! For you will no longer be called tender or delicate. / Take millstones and grind flour; remove your veil; strip off your skirt, bare your thigh, and wade through the streams. / Your nakedness will be uncovered and your shame will be exposed. I will take vengeance; I will spare no one.”

Jeremiah 51:11
Sharpen the arrows! Fill the quivers! The LORD has aroused the spirit of the kings of the Medes, because His plan is aimed at Babylon to destroy her, for it is the vengeance of the LORD—vengeance for His temple.

Jeremiah 51:27-28
“Raise a banner in the land! Blow the ram’s horn among the nations! Prepare the nations against her. Summon the kingdoms against her—Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz. Appoint a captain against her; bring up horses like swarming locusts. / Prepare the nations for battle against her—the kings of the Medes, their governors and all their officials, and all the lands they rule.

Daniel 5:28-31
PERES means that your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians.” / Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel in purple, placed a gold chain around his neck, and proclaimed him the third highest ruler in the kingdom. / That very night Belshazzar king of the Chaldeans was slain, ...

Revelation 18:2-3
And he cried out in a mighty voice: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a lair for demons and a haunt for every unclean spirit, every unclean bird, and every detestable beast. / All the nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her immorality. The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown wealthy from the extravagance of her luxury.”

Revelation 17:16-17
And the ten horns and the beast that you saw will hate the prostitute. They will leave her desolate and naked, and they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. / For God has put it into their hearts to carry out His purpose by uniting to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.

Isaiah 13:1-5
This is the burden against Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz received: / Raise a banner on a barren hilltop; call aloud to them. Wave your hand, that they may enter the gates of the nobles. / I have commanded My sanctified ones; I have even summoned My warriors to execute My wrath and exult in My triumph. ...

Isaiah 14:22-23
“I will rise up against them,” declares the LORD of Hosts. “I will cut off from Babylon her name and her remnant, her offspring and her posterity,” declares the LORD. / “I will make her a place for owls and for swamplands; I will sweep her away with the broom of destruction,” declares the LORD of Hosts.

Jeremiah 25:12
But when seventy years are complete, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their guilt, declares the LORD, and I will make it an everlasting desolation.

Jeremiah 46:10
For that day belongs to the Lord GOD of Hosts, a day of vengeance against His foes. The sword will devour until it is satisfied, until it is quenched with their blood. For the Lord GOD of Hosts will hold a sacrifice in the land of the north by the River Euphrates.

Ezekiel 38:1-6
And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, / “Son of man, set your face against Gog of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. Prophesy against him / and declare that this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. ...

Habakkuk 1:6-11
For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans—that ruthless and impetuous nation which marches through the breadth of the earth to seize dwellings not their own. / They are dreaded and feared; from themselves they derive justice and sovereignty. / Their horses are swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves of the night. Their horsemen charge ahead, and their cavalry comes from afar. They fly like a vulture, swooping down to devour. ...

Zechariah 6:6-8
The one with the black horses is going toward the land of the north, the one with the white horses toward the west, and the one with the dappled horses toward the south.” / As the strong horses went out, they were eager to go and patrol the earth; and the LORD said, “Go and patrol the earth.” So they patrolled the earth. / Then the LORD summoned me and said, “Behold, those going to the land of the north have given rest to My Spirit in the land of the north.”

Treasury of Scripture

For out of the north there comes up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.

out of the

Media lay N.

Jeremiah 50:9,41
For, lo, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the north country: and they shall set themselves in array against her; from thence she shall be taken: their arrows shall be as of a mighty expert man; none shall return in vain…

Jeremiah 51:11,27,48
Make bright the arrows; gather the shields: the LORD hath raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes: for his device is against Babylon, to destroy it; because it is the vengeance of the LORD, the vengeance of his temple…

Isaiah 13:5,17,18,20
They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land…

which

Jeremiah 50:12,13,35-40
Your mother shall be sore confounded; she that bare you shall be ashamed: behold, the hindermost of the nations shall be a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert…

Jeremiah 51:8,9,25,26,37-44,62
Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed…

Isaiah 13:6-10,19-22
Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty…

both

Jeremiah 7:20
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched.

Jeremiah 21:6
And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast: they shall die of a great pestilence.

Genesis 6:7
And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

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Jeremiah 50

1. The judgment of Babylon and the redemption of Israel

Berean Study Bible

For out of the north
This phrase indicates the direction from which the impending threat to Babylon will arise. Historically, the Medes and Persians, who conquered Babylon, came from the north. In the Hebrew context, the north often symbolizes a place of judgment or divine intervention. The Hebrew word for "north" is "tsaphon," which can also imply hidden or dark, suggesting the unexpected nature of God's judgment.

a nation has come up against her
The "nation" refers to the Medo-Persian Empire, which God used as an instrument of judgment against Babylon. The Hebrew word for "nation" is "goy," often used to describe a people or ethnic group. This highlights the sovereignty of God in using entire nations to fulfill His divine purposes, emphasizing His control over the rise and fall of empires.

which will make her land desolate
The desolation of Babylon is a fulfillment of God's judgment. The Hebrew root "shamem" for "desolate" conveys a sense of devastation and ruin. This prophecy underscores the seriousness of God's judgment against sin and the certainty of His word being fulfilled. Historically, Babylon, once a thriving empire, was reduced to ruins, confirming the accuracy of Jeremiah's prophecy.

so that no one shall dwell in it
This phrase emphasizes the totality of Babylon's destruction. The Hebrew word "yashab" means to sit, remain, or dwell, indicating that the land would be uninhabitable. This serves as a stark warning of the consequences of pride and idolatry, as Babylon was known for its arrogance and defiance against God.

both man and beast have wandered off
The departure of both humans and animals signifies complete abandonment. The Hebrew word "nadad" for "wandered off" suggests a scattering or fleeing, often used in contexts of fear or panic. This imagery paints a picture of utter desolation, where life cannot be sustained, and all creation flees from the impending judgment. It serves as a reminder of the comprehensive nature of God's justice, affecting all aspects of creation.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(3) Out of the north there cometh up a nation.--It is significant that the very phrase which had described the danger that threatened Judah from Babylon (Jeremiah 1:10) is now used for the danger that threatened Babylon itself from Media. It is as though the prophet watched that northern quarter of the heavens, and saw storm after storm, torrent after torrent, bursting out upon the south. The nations are named in Jeremiah 51:27-28. We are almost irresistibly reminded of the language in which the historians of the fourth and fifth centuries speak of the Gothic and Teutonic tribes that poured down upon the Roman Empire.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 3. - Out of the north. There was a peculiar mystery attaching to the north in the Hebrew mind, as, in fact, the word very for "north" in Hebrew (literally, the hidden) indicates. The burnt offering was to be sacrificed on the north side of the altar (Leviticus 1:11), and the four cherubim, in the vision of Ezekiel, are described as coming from the north (Ezekiel 1:4). The horror with which Babylon was regarded was intensified, apparently, by its northern position (Jeremiah 1:14), and now the "hidden" north again pours forth its swarms of warriors against Babylon herself. They shall remove, they shall depart; rather, they are fled, they are gone; almost the same clause occurs in Jeremiah 9:10. The prediction is realized as past.

Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

For
כִּ֣י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

a nation
גּ֜וֹי (gō·w)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1471: A foreign nation, a Gentile, a troop of animals, a flight of locusts

from the north
מִצָּפ֗וֹן (miṣ·ṣā·p̄ō·wn)
Preposition-m | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 6828: Hidden, dark, the north as a, quarter

will come
עָלָה֩ (‘ā·lāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5927: To ascend, in, actively

against her;
עָלֶ֨יהָ (‘ā·le·hā)
Preposition | third person feminine singular
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

it
הֽוּא־ (hū-)
Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

will make
יָשִׁ֤ית (yā·šîṯ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7896: To put, set

her land
אַרְצָהּ֙ (’ar·ṣāh)
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

an object of horror.
לְשַׁמָּ֔ה (lə·šam·māh)
Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8047: Ruin, consternation

No one
וְלֹֽא־ (wə·lō-)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

will live
יוֹשֵׁ֖ב (yō·wō·šêḇ)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 3427: To sit down, to dwell, to remain, to settle, to marry

in it;
בָּ֑הּ (bāh)
Preposition | third person feminine singular
Strong's Hebrew

both man
מֵאָדָ֥ם (mê·’ā·ḏām)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 120: Ruddy, a human being

and
וְעַד־ (wə·‘aḏ-)
Conjunctive waw | Preposition
Strong's 5704: As far as, even to, up to, until, while

beast
בְּהֵמָ֖ה (bə·hê·māh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 929: A dumb beast, any large quadruped, animal

will flee.”
נָ֥דוּ (nā·ḏū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 5110: To nod, waver, to wander, flee, disappear, to console, deplore, taunt

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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 50:3 For out of the north there comes (Jer.)