Jeremiah 51:15-19

Jeremiah 51:15-19

[15] He hath made  the earth  by his power,  he hath established  the world  by his wisdom,  and hath stretched out  the heaven  by his understanding.  [16] When he uttereth  his voice,  there is a multitude  of waters  in the heavens;  and he causeth the vapours  to ascend  from the ends  of the earth:  he maketh  lightnings  with rain,  and bringeth forth  the wind  out of his treasures.  [17] Every man  is brutish  by his knowledge;  every founder  is confounded  by the graven image:  for his molten image  is falsehood,  and there is no breath  in them. [18] They are vanity,  the work  of errors:  in the time  of their visitation  they shall perish.  [19] The portion  of Jacob  is not like them; for he is the former  of all things: and Israel is the rod  of his inheritance:  the LORD  of hosts  is his name. 

What does Jeremiah 51:15-19 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The next verses emphasize particularly Yahweh"s sovereignty over Babylon. The last verse of this section ( Jeremiah 51:19) identifies the person being described as Yahweh Almighty. By referring to Him in the third person in the preceding verses, the writer built anticipation for the revelation of His identity. This prophecy is almost identical to the one in Jeremiah 10:12-16. There Jeremiah reminded Judah of the impotence of idols, and here he instructed Babylon about the same thing (cf. 1 Corinthians 5:10; 1 Corinthians 6:9; 1 Corinthians 8:4; 1 Corinthians 10:7). There are many examples of doublets in Jeremiah. The prophet frequently repeated phrases, sentences, and whole passages in different contexts. [1]