The Meaning of Jeremiah 50:21 Explained

Jeremiah 50:21

KJV: Go up against the land of Merathaim, even against it, and against the inhabitants of Pekod: waste and utterly destroy after them, saith the LORD, and do according to all that I have commanded thee.

YLT: Against the land of Merathaim: Go up against it, and unto the inhabitants of Pekod, Waste and devote their posterity, An affirmation of Jehovah, And do according to all that I have commanded thee.

Darby: Go up against the land of double rebellion, against it, and against the inhabitants of visitation; waste and utterly destroy after them, saith Jehovah, and do according to all that I have commanded thee.

ASV: Go up against the land of Merathaim, even against it, and against the inhabitants of Pekod: slay and utterly destroy after them, saith Jehovah, and do according to all that I have commanded thee.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Go up  against the land  of Merathaim,  [even] against it, and against the inhabitants  of Pekod:  waste  and utterly destroy  after  them, saith  the LORD,  and do  according to all that I have commanded  thee. 

What does Jeremiah 50:21 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Lord commanded Babylon"s destroyers to go up against the land of double rebellion, the meaning of "Merathaim." Babylon was doubly rebellious (i.e, more rebellious) than other cities and nations-through its idolatry and pride. Assyria and Babylon both came from the same general area, Mesopotamia, and both nations had rebelled against Him. He gave their land the name Pekod, meaning "punishment." Divine punishment would single out Mesopotamia. The destroyer should carry out the Lord"s directions exactly by slaying and completely destroying the Babylonians. The Persians did not do this.
Merathaim (Mat Marratim) was a region at the head of the Persian Gulf where the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers met. Pekod was a region, named after a tribe, in southeastern Babylonia (cf. Ezekiel 23:23). Jeremiah made a wordplay on these names to affirm the rebelliousness and certain judgment coming on Babylon.

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 50

1  The judgment of Babylon and the redemption of Israel

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 50:21 mean?

Against the land of Merathaim go up against it and against the inhabitants of Pekod Waste and utterly destroy them says Yahweh and do according to all that I have commanded you -
עַל־ הָאָ֤רֶץ מְרָתַ֙יִם֙ עֲלֵ֣ה עָלֶ֔יהָ וְאֶל־ יוֹשְׁבֵ֖י פְּק֑וֹד חֲרֹ֨ב וְהַחֲרֵ֤ם אַֽחֲרֵיהֶם֙ נְאֻם־ יְהוָ֔ה וַעֲשֵׂ֕ה כְּכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר צִוִּיתִֽיךָ ס

עַל־  Against 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
הָאָ֤רֶץ  the  land 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
מְרָתַ֙יִם֙  of  Merathaim 
Parse: Noun, fd
Root: מְרָתַיִם  
Sense: another name for ‘Babylon’.
עֲלֵ֣ה  go  up 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
עָלֶ֔יהָ  against  it 
Parse: Preposition, third person feminine singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
וְאֶל־  and  against 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
יוֹשְׁבֵ֖י  the  inhabitants 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.
פְּק֑וֹד  of  Pekod 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: פְּקֹוד  
Sense: a people in the Babylonian army and a tribe in southeast Babylonia bordering Elam.
חֲרֹ֨ב  Waste 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: חָרֵב 
Sense: to be waste, lay waste, make desolate, be desolate, be in ruins.
וְהַחֲרֵ֤ם  and  utterly  destroy 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: חָרַם 
Sense: to ban, devote, destroy utterly, completely destroy, dedicate for destruction, exterminate.
נְאֻם־  says 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: נְאֻם  
Sense: (Qal) utterance, declaration (of prophet).
יְהוָ֔ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
וַעֲשֵׂ֕ה  and  do 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
כְּכֹ֖ל  according  to  all 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, masculine singular
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
אֲשֶׁ֥ר  that 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
צִוִּיתִֽיךָ  I  have  commanded  you 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, first person common singular, second person masculine singular
Root: צָוָה  
Sense: to command, charge, give orders, lay charge, give charge to, order.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation