JeremiahChapter 25

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The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah—that was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon—

the word that Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Judah and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem:

From the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah, until this very day—twenty-three years now—the word of the LORD has come to me, and I have spoken to you again and again, but you would not listen.

The LORD sent you all his servants the prophets, again and again, but you would not listen; you would not turn your ear to hear.

They said: Turn back, each of you, from your evil way and from your wicked deeds, and live on the land the LORD gave to you and to your fathers forever and ever.

Do not follow other gods to serve them and bow down to them. Do not provoke me to anger with the work of your hands, and I will do you no harm.

But you would not listen to me, declares the LORD; instead you provoked me to anger with the work of your hands, to your own harm.

Therefore this is what the LORD of hosts says: Because you have not listened to my words,

I am sending for all the tribes of the north, declares the LORD, and for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, my servant, and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all these surrounding nations. I will devote them to destruction and make them an object of horror and scorn, an everlasting ruin.

I will banish from them the sound of joy and gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the bride, the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp.

This whole land will become a ruin and a wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

But when the seventy years are complete, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation for their guilt, declares the LORD, and the land of the Chaldeans too, and I will make it a desolation forever.

I will bring upon that land everything I have spoken against it, all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah prophesied against all the nations.

For they too will be enslaved by many nations and great kings, and I will repay them according to their deeds and the work of their hands.

This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: Take this cup of the wine of wrath from my hand and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it.

They will drink and stagger and go mad because of the sword I am sending among them.

So I took the cup from the LORD's hand and made all the nations to whom he sent me drink it:

Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, its kings and its officials, to make them a ruin and an object of horror, of scorn and cursing, as they are today;

Pharaoh king of Egypt, his servants, his officials and all his people;

all the mixed peoples; all the kings of the land of Uz; all the kings of the land of the Philistines—Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and what is left of Ashdod;

Edom, Moab and the Ammonites;

all the kings of Tyre and all the kings of Sidon; the kings of the coastlands across the sea;

Dedan, Tema, Buz and all who clip the hair at their temples;

all the kings of Arabia and all the kings of the mixed peoples who live in the desert;

all the kings of Zimri, all the kings of Elam and all the kings of Media;

all the kings of the north, near and far, one after another—and all the kingdoms of the world that are on the face of the earth. And after them the king of Sheshach will drink too.

Then say to them: This is what the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, says: Drink, get drunk, vomit, and fall to rise no more, because of the sword I am sending among you.

And if they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink, say to them: This is what the LORD of hosts says: You must drink it!

See, I am beginning to bring disaster on the city that bears my name, and will you go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am summoning the sword against all who live on the earth, declares the LORD of hosts.

So prophesy all these words against them and say to them: The LORD roars from on high; from his holy dwelling he thunders. He roars mightily against his fold; like those who tread the grapes he shouts against all who live on the earth.

The uproar reaches the ends of the earth, for the LORD has a case against the nations; he brings judgment on all flesh and hands the wicked over to the sword, declares the LORD.

This is what the LORD of hosts says: Look! Disaster is spreading from nation to nation, and a mighty storm is rising from the ends of the earth.

On that day those slain by the LORD will lie from one end of the earth to the other. No one will mourn them; they will not be gathered or buried, but will lie like dung on the ground.

Wail, you shepherds, and cry out! Roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock! For the days of your slaughter have come; you will be scattered and fall like a choice vessel.

There will be no refuge for the shepherds, no escape for the leaders of the flock.

Hear the cry of the shepherds, the wailing of the leaders of the flock, for the LORD is destroying their pasture.

The peaceful meadows are silenced before the burning anger of the LORD.

Like a lion he has left his lair, for their land has become a desolation because of the oppressor's fierce anger, because of the burning anger of the LORD.

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Summary2

Chapter 25

Main Theme: God announces judgment over Judah and all nations through the image of a cup of wrath that everyone must drink.

Content: After 23 years of faithful preaching without the people listening, Jeremiah declares that God will send Nebuchadnezzar against Judah and neighboring peoples. They are to serve Babylon for 70 years, after which God will punish Babylon. Through the image of a cup of wrath, Jeremiah shows that all nations, from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth, must drink God's judgment—and eventually Babylon itself. The chapter concludes with judgment on the shepherds (leaders) who have not protected the people.

Key Words/Images:

The Cup of Wrath – A cup of wine symbolizing God's judgment; all nations must drink and stagger.
70 Years – The period Judah is to serve Babylon before God punishes the oppressor.
Nebuchadnezzar, My Servant – The king of Babylon whom God uses as an instrument of judgment, but who will himself be judged.
The Shepherds – The leaders who must lament because their time has come; they lose all chance of escape.
Sheshak – A code word for Babylon, which will drink the cup last, yet cannot escape.

Historical context

Historical and Cultural Context for Jeremiah 25

Events and Customs

The chapter is dated precisely to "the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah – this was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon" (v. 1), which corresponds to 605 B.C.E. This year marked a decisive turning point in Middle Eastern history: Nebuchadnezzar II defeated the Egyptians at the Battle of Carchemish on the Euphrates and thereby established Babylon as the dominant superpower in the region. Jeremiah here summarizes 23 years of prophetic ministry (v. 3), from Josiah’s thirteenth year (627/626 B.C.E.) to this point.

The prophecy concerning seventy years of exile (vv. 11–12) is one of the most specific time prophecies in the Old Testament. It had great significance for later Jewish history and is cited directly in 2 Chronicles 36:21 and Daniel 9:2. The period is usually reckoned from 605 B.C.E. (the first deportation) to 539/538 B.C.E. (Cyrus’s conquest of Babylon and the subsequent decree), or alternatively from the destruction of the temple in 586 B.C.E. to its rebuilding in 516 B.C.E.

Places

The chapter contains an extensive geographical list of nations that will drink the cup of the Lord’s wrath (vv. 18–26). The list proceeds systematically: first Judah and Jerusalem, then Egypt, followed by "the land of Uz" (עוּץ, traditionally located in the Edom region or northeast of Israel, known from the book of Job), the Philistine cities (Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, Ashdod), Edom, Moab, and Ammon east of the Jordan, the Phoenician coastal cities Tyre and Sidon, Arabian tribes (Dedan, Tema, Bus), Elam and Media in the east, and finally all the kingdoms "to the north." This geographical order reflects both Babylon’s military expansion and the known world as seen from Jerusalem.

Key Terms

The expression "שֵׁשַׁךְ" (Sheshak) in verse 26 is an example of atbash, a Hebrew code technique in which letters of the alphabet are swapped (first with last, second with second-to-last, etc.). Sheshak stands for "בָּבֶל" (Babel). This encryption may have served as a literary device or as caution during politically dangerous times, even though Babylon is mentioned openly elsewhere in the chapter.

"The cup of wrath" (כּוֹס הַיַּיִן הַחֵמָה, v. 15) is a powerful prophetic image used several places in the Old Testament (Isa 51:17, 22; Ps 75:9) and carried forward into the New Testament (Rev 14:10; 16:19). The image combines wine as a symbol of intoxication with divine wrath, where nations drink and stagger toward their downfall.

People

Nebuchadnezzar II (נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר) is remarkably referred to as the Lord’s "servant" (עַבְדִּי, v. 9) – a title otherwise reserved for patriarchs, prophets, and David. This underscores the theological point that even pagan rulers function as instruments of God’s plan. Archaeological sources, including the Babylonian Chronicles and numerous building inscriptions, confirm Nebuchadnezzar’s military campaigns during this period and his role as founder of the height of the Neo-Babylonian Empire.

People12

Bus1 Jehoiakim (son of Josiah)1 Theme1 Dedan1 Esau1 Josiah1 Amon (Amon, the governor of Samaria under King Ahab)1 Nebuchadnezzar2 Josiah1 Ammon (Ammon as a place name (the land of the Ammonites), not a person in this verse)1 Jeremiah2 Moab (Lot's son)1

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Key words7

Jeremiah — The prophet who conveys God's message and warnings to the people of Israel in the book of Jeremiah.
Day of Judgment — A day of divine punishment and justice, where God will judge the nations for their sin and disobedience.
Babylon — A powerful ancient empire that God uses as an instrument to punish Israel and other nations for their sins.
70 years — The period during which Israel is to remain under Babylonian rule before returning to their own land.
Cup of Wrath — A symbol of God's anger and judgment against the nations that have acted wickedly and been disobedient toward him.
King Nebuchadnezzar — The king of Babylon whom God appoints to carry out his judgment on Israel and other nations.
Restoration — The process by which God will restore his people after the Babylonian exile and bring in a time of peace and prosperity.