The Meaning of Jeremiah 51:26 Explained

Jeremiah 51:26

KJV: And they shall not take of thee a stone for a corner, nor a stone for foundations; but thou shalt be desolate for ever, saith the LORD.

YLT: And they take not out of thee a stone for a corner, And a stone for foundations, For desolations age-during art thou, An affirmation of Jehovah.

Darby: And they shall not take of thee a stone for a corner, nor a stone for foundations; for thou shalt be desolate for ever, saith Jehovah.

ASV: And they shall not take of thee a stone for a corner, nor a stone for foundations; but thou shalt be desolate for ever, saith Jehovah.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And they shall not take  of thee a stone  for a corner,  nor a stone  for foundations;  but thou shalt be desolate  for ever,  saith  the LORD. 

What does Jeremiah 51:26 Mean?

Verse Meaning

God would so thoroughly destroy this "mountain" that people would not be able to use any of its stones to build. People would not be able to use the splintered remains of Babylon-after God had obliterated her-to build other nations. This devastation was not the condition of Babylon after Cyrus, or any past enemy, took the city. They left it intact. Thus this must refer to a future destruction of Babylon.

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 51

1  The severe judgment of God against Babylon, in revenge of Israel
59  Jeremiah delivers the book of this prophecy to Seraiah, to be cast into Euphrates,
64  in token of the perpetual sinking of Babylon

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 51:26 mean?

And not they shall take from you a stone for a corner nor a stone for a foundation but desolate forever you shall be says Yahweh
וְלֹֽא־ יִקְח֤וּ מִמְּךָ֙ אֶ֣בֶן לְפִנָּ֔ה וְאֶ֖בֶן לְמֽוֹסָד֑וֹת כִּֽי־ שִׁמְמ֥וֹת עוֹלָ֛ם תִּֽהְיֶ֖ה נְאֻם־ יְהוָֽה

וְלֹֽא־  And  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יִקְח֤וּ  they  shall  take 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
מִמְּךָ֙  from  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
Root: מִן 
Sense: from, out of, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not, more than.
אֶ֣בֶן  a  stone 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶבֶן  
Sense: stone (large or small).
לְפִנָּ֔ה  for  a  corner 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, feminine singular
Root: פִּנָּה  
Sense: corner.
וְאֶ֖בֶן  nor  a  stone 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶבֶן  
Sense: stone (large or small).
לְמֽוֹסָד֑וֹת  for  a  foundation 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural
Root: מֹוסָדָה  
Sense: foundation.
שִׁמְמ֥וֹת  desolate 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: שְׁמָמָה 
Sense: devastation, waste, desolation.
עוֹלָ֛ם  forever 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֹולָם  
Sense: long duration, antiquity, futurity, for ever, ever, everlasting, evermore, perpetual, old, ancient, world.
תִּֽהְיֶ֖ה  you  shall  be 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
נְאֻם־  says 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: נְאֻם  
Sense: (Qal) utterance, declaration (of prophet).
יְהוָֽה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.