Who is addressed in Jeremiah 51:20-23?

[arunma]

I've been studying the book of Jeremiah for awhile now, and I came upon this curious passage:

You are my hammer and weapon of war:
with you I break nations in pieces;
with you I destroy kingdoms;
with you I break in pieces the horse and his rider;
with you I break in pieces the chariot and the charioteer;
with you I break in pieces man and woman;
with you I break in pieces the old man and the youth;
with you I break in pieces the young man and the young woman;
with you I break in pieces the shepherd and his flock;
with you I break in pieces the farmer and his team;
with you I break in pieces governors and commanders. (Jeremiah 51:20-23)

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My question is: who does the Prophet address here? At first glance, one would think that this refers to Babylon, possibly to King Nebuchadnezzar himself. This is precisely what one commentary says, in fact. However, my first inclination was that the Scripture is about the church of Christ (which in this time was the people of Israel). After all, the proclamation of God's word is often described in the language of war, as it says,

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

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Is it possible that this Scripture is addressed to the church? Or am I way off on this one?

 

[TwinCrier]

I've always presumed it was Babylon being the literalistic person that I am, but it could be addressing Babylon in a wider sense, the unsaved world. I don't see it as addressing the church at all. Pacifists usually take a less literal interpretation on verses using war and weapons references so they may want to chime in with a different view.

 

[ZiSunka]

Ah yes! The famous "hammer of Jeremiah".

You are right, Jeremiah is refering to the word of God. There's an old hymn about Jeremiah's hammer, but I can't recall the words. It's about repenting and seeking the Lord when Jeremiah's hammer comes down upon your soul.

I'll see if I can find it anywhere.

But old time southern preachers used to preach at least one sermon a year about the hammer of Jeremiah. And in a lot of old black churches, people still pray for the lost by asking God to hammer away at their souls with His word.

 

[MrJim]

(I like KJV's "battle axe" better than hammer--has a tougher meaner sound to it. Hammer vs. Battle Axe--I'd have to opt for the axe myself)

My wife's Amplified Bible defines "you" in vs 20 as Cyrus of Persia. Looks like a case of God using one nation to destroy another...don't know how much to read into it as prophecy for now?

 

[MrJim]

Ah yes! The famous "hammer of Jeremiah".

You are right, Jeremiah is refering to the word of God. There's an old hymn about Jeremiah's hammer, but I can't recall the words. It's about repenting and seeking the Lord when Jeremiah's hammer comes down upon your soul.

I'll see if I can find it anywhere.

But old time southern preachers used to preach at least one sermon a year about the hammer of Jeremiah. And in a lot of old black churches, people still pray for the lost by asking God to hammer away at their souls with His word.

Maybe that's from Jer 23:29

Jer 23:29 Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?

 

[ZiSunka]

Maybe that's from Jer 23:29

Jer 23:29 Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?

Yes, that too, but look at the context of the verses preceeding those posted above:

Jeremiah 51:10 The Lord has revealed our righteousness. Come and let us declare in Zion the work of the Lord our God. 11 Make the arrows bright! Gather the shields! The Lord has raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes. For His plan is against Babylon to destroy it, Because it is the vengeance of the Lord, The vengeance for His temple. 12 Set up the standard on the walls of Babylon; Make the guard strong, Set up the watchmen, Prepare the ambushes. For the Lord has both devised and done What He spoke against the inhabitants of Babylon...

16 When He utters His voice-- There is a multitude of waters in the heavens: "He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; He makes lightnings for the rain; He brings the wind out of His treasuries." F64 17 Everyone is dull-hearted, without knowledge; Every metalsmith is put to shame by the carved image; For his molded image is falsehood, And there is no breath in them. 18 They are futile, a work of errors; In the time of their punishment they shall perish. 19 The Portion of Jacob is not like them, For He is the Maker of all things; And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance. The Lord of hosts is His name.

He's clearly speaking about his own word, the word that does what it says it will do, the word that gives knowledge, the word that shows he is alive, unlike the silent idols, the word that makes all things.

God is consistently using the word "hammer" to also mean his word.

 

[arunma]

Yes, that too, but look at the context of the verses preceeding those posted above:

Jeremiah 51:10 The Lord has revealed our righteousness. Come and let us declare in Zion the work of the Lord our God. 11 Make the arrows bright! Gather the shields! The Lord has raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes. For His plan is against Babylon to destroy it, Because it is the vengeance of the Lord, The vengeance for His temple. 12 Set up the standard on the walls of Babylon; Make the guard strong, Set up the watchmen, Prepare the ambushes. For the Lord has both devised and done What He spoke against the inhabitants of Babylon...

16 When He utters His voice-- There is a multitude of waters in the heavens: "He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; He makes lightnings for the rain; He brings the wind out of His treasuries." F64 17 Everyone is dull-hearted, without knowledge; Every metalsmith is put to shame by the carved image; For his molded image is falsehood, And there is no breath in them. 18 They are futile, a work of errors; In the time of their punishment they shall perish. 19 The Portion of Jacob is not like them, For He is the Maker of all things; And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance. The Lord of hosts is His name.

He's clearly speaking about his own word, the word that does what it says it will do, the word that gives knowledge, the word that shows he is alive, unlike the silent idols, the word that makes all things.

God is consistently using the word "hammer" to also mean his word.

Very interesting. So then, if Jeremiah refers to the Word of God, would it be reasonable to say that this passage speaks about Jesus Christ?

 

[ZiSunka]

Very interesting. So then, if Jeremiah refers to the Word of God, would it be reasonable to say that this passage speaks about Jesus Christ?

No. Not THE Word, but the word.

As we know, faith comes from hearing the word of God, because it convicts us of our sin. This passage speaks of the word as being all the weapon that is needed to break people, every one. Read it again with "you" being the word of God:

The word is my hammer and weapon of war:
with the word I shatter nations in pieces;
with the word I sahtter kingdoms;
with the word I shatter the horse and his rider;
with the word I shatter the chariot and the charioteer;
with the word I shatter man and woman;
with the word I shatter the old man and the youth;
with the word I shatter the young man and the young woman;
with the word I shatter the shepherd and his flock;
with the word I shatter the farmer and his team;
with the word I shatter governors and commanders. (Jeremiah 51:20-23)

Isn't this true? Doesn't God use his word the Bible to break people?
Everyone who is broken and comes to repentence does it because they are convicted when they hear the word of God. When a person hears the word, they either repent or they are destroyed. The are broken or they are broken. Get it?

Here's an interesting link to a website that teaches this passage from a traditional Baptist viewpoint. It's about the importance of Bible study and it uses the Jeremiah 51 passage to illustrate that Jeremiah's hammer is the word of God.-- "One poor woman told me that ever since she set out to seek the Lord she had prayed this one prayer, "O Lord, show me hell." And He had showed it to her and she was satisfied. The pastor of this church loves his Bible and studies it; but he had not the moral courage to tell his people that all these dreams were only as Jeremiah says, like the chaff to wheat, Jer. 23:28. "Jeremiah's hammer" was the "word of God." Jer. [51]:20."
http://www.reformedreader.org/history/moore/chapter15.htm

 

[JPPT1974]

Thanks Lambslove my friend
You did explained it all!