What is the meaning of Jeremiah 51:35? May the violence done to me The speaker, representing God’s covenant people, recalls the ruthless destruction Babylon inflicted. This is a cry for justice, not personal vengeance. Scripture consistently portrays the Lord as the ultimate Avenger (Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:19). The plea echoes the psalmist’s lament, “Remember, O LORD, against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem’s fall” (Psalm 137:7–8), underscoring that human suffering matters to God and that He will one day set every wrong right. And to my flesh The phrase widens the grievance from external loss to bodily harm—beatings, starvation, and death during the siege (2 Kings 25:1-4). God registers even the smallest wound to His people (Zechariah 2:8). In Revelation 6:10 the martyrs cry, “How long, O Master… until You avenge our blood?”—showing the biblical continuity of this appeal for righteous retribution. Be upon Babylon Here the prayer calls for the violence to boomerang back on its perpetrator. Proverbs 26:27 teaches, “He who digs a pit will fall into it.” God announced Babylon’s doom long before it fell (Isaiah 13:19-22). In Jeremiah 50–51, the Lord vows to turn Babylon into “a desolation among the nations” (Jeremiah 51:26), proving that divine justice, though sometimes delayed, is inevitable. Says the dweller of Zion “Zion” represents the faithful remnant residing in Jerusalem. Their identity is rooted not in geography alone but in covenant relationship. Hebrews 12:22 speaks of believers coming to “Mount Zion… the city of the living God.” Even under judgment, God preserves a remnant (Jeremiah 24:5-7), assuring His people that their cries reach His throne. May my blood be on the dwellers of Chaldea “Blood” stands for innocent life violently shed. Genesis 4:10 reveals that Abel’s blood “cries out,” and God hears. The Chaldeans, Babylon’s ruling class, will not escape accountability. Habakkuk 2:8 foretells, “Because you have shed man’s blood… the same will overwhelm you.” This principle of divine recompense appears again in Revelation 18:24, where end-time “Babylon” is charged with “the blood of prophets and saints.” Says Jerusalem The city itself joins the lament, personified as a victim petitioning God. Lamentations 1:1-12 paints Jerusalem as a widow pleading for justice. This communal voice assures every believer that God welcomes honest lament. He does not dismiss pain; He answers it (Psalm 34:17-18). summary Jeremiah 51:35 captures the covenant community’s plea that the violence and bloodshed Babylon wrought be returned upon the oppressor. It affirms: • God records every injustice against His people. • Divine vengeance belongs to the Lord; He will repay in His time. • Genuine lament is compatible with faith, anchoring hope in God’s righteous character. • The passage foreshadows the ultimate overthrow of all evil, culminating in the final judgment when every wrong is righted and God’s people are vindicated forever (2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 20:11-15). |
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