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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Jeremiah 51:20 "You are My war club, My weapon for battle. With you I shatter nations; with you I bring kingdoms to ruin.</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/jeremiah/51-20.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/1/24_Jer_51_20.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Jeremiah 51:20 - Babylon's Punishment" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="You are My war club, My weapon for battle. 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With you I shatter nations; with you I bring kingdoms to ruin.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/jeremiah/51.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />Thou <i>art</i> my battle axe <i>and</i> weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/jeremiah/51.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />“You <i>are</i> My battle-ax <i>and</i> weapons of war: For with you I will break the nation in pieces; With you I will destroy kingdoms;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/jeremiah/51.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br /><i>He says,</i> “You are My war-club, <i>My</i> weapon of war; And with you I shatter nations, And with you I destroy kingdoms.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/jeremiah/51.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />He says, &#8220You are My war-club, My weapon of war; And with you I shatter nations, And with you I destroy kingdoms.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/jeremiah/51.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br /><i>He says,</i> “You are My war-club, <i>My</i> weapon of war; And with you I shatter nations, And with you I destroy kingdoms.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/jeremiah/51.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br /><i>He says</i>, “You are My <i>instrument</i> of shattering, <i>My</i> weapon of war; And with you I shatter nations, And with you I destroy kingdoms.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/jeremiah/51.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />“You [Cyrus of Persia, soon to conquer Babylon] are My battle-axe and weapon of war— For with you I shatter nations, With you I destroy kingdoms.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/jeremiah/51.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />You are my war club, my weapons of war. With you I will smash nations; with you I will bring kingdoms to ruin.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/jeremiah/51.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />You are My battle club, My weapons of war. With you I will smash nations; with you I will bring kingdoms to ruin. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/jeremiah/51.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />Thou art my battle-axe and weapons of war: and with thee will I break in pieces the nations; and with thee will I destroy kingdoms;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/jeremiah/51.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />Babylonia, you were my hammer; I used you to pound nations and break kingdoms, <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/jeremiah/51.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: and with thee will I break in pieces the nations; and with thee will I destroy kingdoms;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/jeremiah/51.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />"You are my war club and my weapon for battle. I will use you to crush nations. I will use you to destroy kingdoms.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/jeremiah/51.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />The LORD says, "Babylonia, you are my hammer, my weapon of war. I used you to crush nations and kingdoms, <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/jeremiah/51.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />"You are my war-club and weapons of war. I'll smash nations with you and destroy kingdoms with you.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/jeremiah/51.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />“You are My war club, My weapon for battle. With you I shatter nations; with you I bring kingdoms to ruin.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/jeremiah/51.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />"Babylon, you are my war club, my weapon for battle. I used you to smash nations. I used you to destroy kingdoms. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/jeremiah/51.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />"You are my battle axe and weapons of war: and with you will I break in pieces the nations; and with you will I destroy kingdoms;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/jeremiah/51.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />Thou art my battle-ax and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/jeremiah/51.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />“You are my battle ax and weapons of war. With you I will break the nations into pieces. With you I will destroy kingdoms. <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/jeremiah/51.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />You [are] My shatterer—weapons of war, "" And I have broken in pieces nations by you, "" And I have destroyed kingdoms by you,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/jeremiah/51.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> An axe art thou to me -- weapons of war, And I have broken in pieces by thee nations, And I have destroyed by thee kingdoms,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/jeremiah/51.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />Thou a mallet to me, a weapon of war: and I broke the nations in pieces with thee, and I destroyed kingdoms with thee;<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/jeremiah/51.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />Thou dashest together for me the weapons of war, and with thee I will dash nations together, and with thee I will destroy kingdoms: <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/jeremiah/51.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />“For me, you strike together the instruments of war; and with you, I will strike together nations; and with you, I will scatter the kingdoms.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/jeremiah/51.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />You are my hammer, a weapon for war; With you I shatter nations, with you I destroy kingdoms. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/jeremiah/51.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />You are my war club, my weapon of battle: with you I smash nations; with you I destroy kingdoms;<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/jeremiah/51.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />Prepare weapons of war, for with you will I scatter the nations and with you will I destroy kingdoms;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/jeremiah/51.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />Prepare for me weapons of war. I shall scatter the nations by you and I shall destroy kingdoms by you<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/jeremiah/51.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />Thou art My maul and weapons of war, And with thee will I shatter the nations, And with thee will I destroy kingdoms;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/jeremiah/51.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />Thou scatterest for me the weapons of war: and I will scatter nations by thee, and will destroy kings by means of thee.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/jeremiah/51-20.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5k55c51ZGhs?start=16035" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/jeremiah/51.htm">Babylon's Punishment</a></span><br> <span class="reftext">20</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/859.htm" title="859: ’at·tāh (Pro-2ms) -- You (masc. sing.). ">“You are</a> <a href="/hebrew/lî (Prep:: 1cs) -- ">My</a> <a href="/hebrew/4661.htm" title="4661: map·pêṣ- (N-ms) -- A war-club. From naphats; a smiter, i.e. A war club.">war club,</a> <a href="/hebrew/3627.htm" title="3627: kə·lê (N-mpc) -- An article, utensil, vessel. From kalah; something prepared, i.e. Any apparatus.">My weapon</a> <a href="/hebrew/4421.htm" title="4421: mil·ḥā·māh (N-fs) -- A battle, war. From lacham; a battle; generally, war.">for battle.</a> <a href="/hebrew/ḇə·ḵā (Prep:: 2ms) -- ">With you</a> <a href="/hebrew/5310.htm" title="5310: wə·nip·paṣ·tî (Conj-w:: V-Piel-ConjPerf-1cs) -- To dash to pieces, scatter. A primitive root; to dash to pieces, or scatter.">I shatter</a> <a href="/hebrew/1471.htm" title="1471: gō·w·yim (N-mp) -- Rarely goy; apparently from the same root as gevah; a foreign nation; hence, a Gentile; also a troop of animals, or a flight of locusts.">nations;</a> <a href="/hebrew/4467.htm" title="4467: mam·lā·ḵō·wṯ (N-fp) -- Kingdom, sovereignty, dominion, reign. From malak; dominion, i.e. the estate or the country.">with you I bring kingdoms</a> <a href="/hebrew/7843.htm" title="7843: wə·hiš·ḥat·tî (Conj-w:: V-Hifil-ConjPerf-1cs) -- Perhaps to go to ruin. A primitive root; to decay, i.e. ruin.">to ruin.</a> <a href="/hebrew/ḇə·ḵā (Prep:: 2ms) -- "></a> </span><span class="reftext">21</span>With you I shatter the horse and rider; with you I shatter the chariot and driver.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/41-15.htm">Isaiah 41:15-16</a></span><br />Behold, I will make you into a threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many teeth. You will thresh the mountains and crush them, and reduce the hills to chaff. / You will winnow them, and a wind will carry them away; a gale will scatter them. But you will rejoice in the LORD; you will glory in the Holy One of Israel.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/10-5.htm">Isaiah 10:5-7</a></span><br />Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger; the staff in their hands is My wrath. / I will send him against a godless nation; I will dispatch him against a people destined for My rage, to take spoils and seize plunder, and to trample them down like clay in the streets. / But this is not his intention; this is not his plan. For it is in his heart to destroy and cut off many nations.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/13-5.htm">Isaiah 13:5</a></span><br />They are coming from faraway lands, from the ends of the heavens—the LORD and the weapons of His wrath—to destroy the whole country.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/45-1.htm">Isaiah 45:1-3</a></span><br />This is what the LORD says to Cyrus His anointed, whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations before him, to disarm kings, to open the doors before him, so that the gates will not be shut: / “I will go before you and level the mountains; I will break down the gates of bronze and cut through the bars of iron. / I will give you the treasures of darkness and the riches hidden in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by name.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/13-17.htm">Isaiah 13:17-19</a></span><br />Behold, I will stir up against them the Medes, who have no regard for silver and no desire for gold. / Their bows will dash young men to pieces; they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb; they will not look with pity on the children. / And Babylon, the jewel of the kingdoms, the glory of the pride of the Chaldeans, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/14-4.htm">Isaiah 14:4-6</a></span><br />you will sing this song of contempt against the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has ceased, and how his fury has ended! / The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers. / It struck the peoples in anger with unceasing blows; it subdued the nations in rage with relentless persecution.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/44-28.htm">Isaiah 44:28</a></span><br />who says of Cyrus, ‘My shepherd will fulfill all that I desire,’ who says of Jerusalem, ‘She will be rebuilt,’ and of the temple, ‘Let its foundation be laid.’”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/47-6.htm">Isaiah 47:6</a></span><br />I was angry with My people; I profaned My heritage, and I placed them under your control. You showed them no mercy; even on the elderly you laid a most heavy yoke.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ezekiel/21-19.htm">Ezekiel 21:19-23</a></span><br />“Now you, son of man, mark out two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to take, both starting from the same land. And make a signpost where the road branches off to each city. / Mark out one road for the sword to come against Rabbah of the Ammonites, and another against Judah into fortified Jerusalem. / For the king of Babylon stands at the fork in the road, at the junction of the two roads, to seek an omen: He shakes the arrows, he consults the idols, he examines the liver. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ezekiel/30-24.htm">Ezekiel 30:24-25</a></span><br />I will strengthen the arms of Babylon’s king and place My sword in his hand, but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, who will groan before him like a mortally wounded man. / I will strengthen the arms of Babylon’s king, but Pharaoh’s arms will fall limp. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I place My sword in the hand of Babylon’s king, and he wields it against the land of Egypt.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ezekiel/25-14.htm">Ezekiel 25:14</a></span><br />I will take My vengeance on Edom by the hand of My people Israel, and they will deal with Edom according to My anger and wrath. Then they will know My vengeance, declares the Lord GOD.’<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/daniel/2-37.htm">Daniel 2:37-38</a></span><br />You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given sovereignty, power, strength, and glory. / Wherever the sons of men or beasts of the field or birds of the air dwell, He has given them into your hand and has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/daniel/5-18.htm">Daniel 5:18-19</a></span><br />As for you, O king, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness, glory and honor. / Because of the greatness that He bestowed on him, the people of every nation and language trembled in fear before him. He killed whom he wished and kept alive whom he wished; he exalted whom he wished and humbled whom he wished.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/habakkuk/1-6.htm">Habakkuk 1:6-7</a></span><br />For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans—that ruthless and impetuous nation which marches through the breadth of the earth to seize dwellings not their own. / They are dreaded and feared; from themselves they derive justice and sovereignty.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/zechariah/9-13.htm">Zechariah 9:13</a></span><br />For I will bend Judah as My bow and fit it with Ephraim. I will rouse your sons, O Zion, against the sons of Greece. I will make you like the sword of a mighty man.</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">You are my battle ax and weapons of war: for with you will I break in pieces the nations, and with you will I destroy kingdoms;</p><p class="hdg">art</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/jeremiah/50-23.htm">Jeremiah 50:23</a></b></br> How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken! how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations!</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/isaiah/10-5.htm">Isaiah 10:5,15</a></b></br> O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation… </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/isaiah/13-5.htm">Isaiah 13:5</a></b></br> They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, <i>even</i> the LORD, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.</p><p class="hdg">with thee.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/jeremiah/25-9.htm">Jeremiah 25:9,11</a></b></br> Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations… </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/jeremiah/27-5.htm">Jeremiah 27:5-7</a></b></br> I have made the earth, the man and the beast that <i>are</i> upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me… </p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/jeremiah/10-3.htm">Axe</a> <a href="/jeremiah/50-42.htm">Battle</a> <a href="/psalms/35-3.htm">Battle-Axe</a> <a href="/jeremiah/50-26.htm">Break</a> <a href="/jeremiah/51-8.htm">Broken</a> <a href="/isaiah/28-27.htm">Club</a> <a href="/jeremiah/51-11.htm">Destroy</a> <a href="/jeremiah/51-8.htm">Destroyed</a> <a href="/jeremiah/37-10.htm">Fighting</a> <a href="/jeremiah/50-23.htm">Hammer</a> <a href="/isaiah/54-17.htm">Instrument</a> <a href="/jeremiah/49-28.htm">Kingdoms</a> <a href="/proverbs/25-18.htm">Maul</a> <a href="/jeremiah/51-7.htm">Nations</a> <a href="/jeremiah/50-2.htm">Pieces</a> <a href="/jeremiah/49-37.htm">Shatter</a> <a href="/jeremiah/50-42.htm">War</a> <a href="/isaiah/54-17.htm">Weapon</a> <a href="/jeremiah/50-25.htm">Weapons</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/matthew/3-10.htm">Axe</a> <a href="/jeremiah/51-28.htm">Battle</a> <a href="/psalms/35-3.htm">Battle-Axe</a> <a href="/jeremiah/51-21.htm">Break</a> <a href="/jeremiah/51-21.htm">Broken</a> <a href="/2_samuel/23-21.htm">Club</a> <a href="/jeremiah/51-25.htm">Destroy</a> <a href="/jeremiah/51-55.htm">Destroyed</a> <a href="/jeremiah/51-30.htm">Fighting</a> <a href="/exodus/25-31.htm">Hammer</a> <a href="/ezekiel/33-32.htm">Instrument</a> <a href="/jeremiah/51-27.htm">Kingdoms</a> <a href="/nahum/2-1.htm">Maul</a> <a href="/jeremiah/51-27.htm">Nations</a> <a href="/jeremiah/51-21.htm">Pieces</a> <a href="/jeremiah/51-21.htm">Shatter</a> <a href="/jeremiah/51-28.htm">War</a> <a href="/ezekiel/9-1.htm">Weapon</a> <a href="/ezekiel/23-24.htm">Weapons</a><div class="vheading2">Jeremiah 51</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/jeremiah/51-1.htm">The severe judgment of God against Babylon, in revenge of Israel</a></span><br><span class="reftext">59. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/jeremiah/51-59.htm">Jeremiah delivers the book of this prophecy to Seraiah, to be cast into Euphrates, </a></span><br><span class="reftext">64. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/jeremiah/51-64.htm">in token of the perpetual sinking of Babylon</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <script type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script><br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading"><a href="/study/jeremiah/51.htm">Berean Study Bible</a></div><b>You are My war club</b><br />The phrase "You are My war club" signifies a powerful instrument in the hands of God. The Hebrew word for "war club" is "maqqel," which can also mean a rod or staff used for striking. In the ancient Near Eastern context, a war club was a weapon of significant force, used to break through enemy defenses. This imagery suggests that God is using a chosen instrument to execute His judgment and fulfill His purposes. The emphasis is on divine empowerment, where the instrument itself is not inherently powerful but becomes mighty through God's use.<p><b>My weapon for battle</b><br />The continuation with "My weapon for battle" reinforces the idea of divine agency. The Hebrew term "keli" for "weapon" can also mean a tool or vessel, indicating that the object is specifically designed for a purpose. In this context, it is for battle, underscoring the theme of spiritual warfare. Historically, this reflects the period of Babylon's dominance and the subsequent judgment that God would bring upon it. Theologically, it speaks to the sovereignty of God in using nations and individuals to accomplish His will.<p><b>with you I shatter nations</b><br />The phrase "with you I shatter nations" highlights the extent of the power granted by God to His chosen instrument. The Hebrew verb "naphats" means to shatter or break into pieces, conveying total destruction. This is not merely a physical conquest but a divine act of judgment against nations that have opposed God's will. The historical context here is the impending fall of Babylon, a superpower of the time, illustrating that no nation is beyond the reach of God's judgment.<p><b>with you I destroy kingdoms</b><br />"With you I destroy kingdoms" parallels the previous phrase, emphasizing the comprehensive nature of God's judgment. The Hebrew word "abad" for "destroy" implies complete annihilation. This reflects the biblical theme that earthly kingdoms rise and fall under God's sovereign control. The destruction of kingdoms serves as a reminder of the transient nature of human power and the ultimate authority of God over all earthly realms.<div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/jeremiah/51.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(20) <span class= "bld">Thou art my battle ax . . .</span>--Better, <span class= "ital">my mace. </span>The axe is not found on Assyrian monuments as a weapon of war till a comparatively late period. It is a question who is thus addressed--Babylon, or Cyrus as the destroyer of Babylon, or Israel. On the whole, the second seems the more probable answer. The "hammer of the whole earth" is broken by a mightier weapon than itself. (See Note on <a href="/jeremiah/50-23.htm" title="How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken! how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations!">Jeremiah 50:23</a>.)<p><span class= "bld">With thee will I break in pieces . . .</span>--The tense, in this and in the following, should be the present. The force of the verb is multiplied by the emphatic iteration. All obstacles are to be crushed in the victorious march of the conqueror.<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/jeremiah/51.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verses 20-26.</span> - Israel is now to be Jehovah's hammer, striking down everything, even the Chaldean colossus. But though Babylon may be as great and as destructive as a volcanic mountain, it shall soon be quite burnt out. <span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 20.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">My battle axe;</span> or, <span class="accented">my</span> <span class="accented">mace</span>. The mace (for a picture of which, see Rawlinson, 'Ancient Monarchies,' 1:459) was a weapon constantly employed by the Assyrians and presumably by the Babylonian kings. The battle axe was much less frequently used. But who is addressed by this terrible title? The commentators are divided, some inclining to Babylon, <p><span class="note_emph">(1)</span> because Babylon was the last person addressed (see ver. 14), and <p><span class="note_emph">(2)</span> because a similar title was given to Babylon in <a href="/jeremiah/50-23.htm">Jeremiah 50:23</a>: others to Israel, on the ground that the tenses are the same throughout the passage (vers. 20-24). The latter view is probably the best. How could Babylon be said to shatter her own "governors" and "viceroys" (for the prophet deliberately chooses the Babylonian official names)? The argument from the context is not very weighty; for it is clear that the connection of the parts of this prophecy is very loose. We may assume, then, that ver. 20 begins a fresh paragraph, standing quite apart from that which precedes. The objection of Graf and Keil, is that Israel could not himself be styled a "mace," it being Israel's destiny to be delivered by others. But is not a very similar statement made of Israel in <a href="/isaiah/41-15.htm">Isaiah 41:15</a>; <a href="/psalms/149-7.htm">Psalm 149:7-9</a>? (Kuenen offers a third explanation - Cyrus.) <span class="cmt_word">The nations... kingdoms.</span> First the great social organisms are mentioned; next comes the military power; next the population, according to sex, age, and class. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/jeremiah/51-20.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">“You</span><br /><span class="heb">אַתָּ֣ה</span> <span class="translit">(’at·tāh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Pronoun - second person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_859.htm">Strong's 859: </a> </span><span class="str2">Thou and thee, ye and you</span><br /><br /><span class="word">are My war club,</span><br /><span class="heb">מַפֵּץ־</span> <span class="translit">(map·pêṣ-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4661.htm">Strong's 4661: </a> </span><span class="str2">A smiter, a war club</span><br /><br /><span class="word">My weapon</span><br /><span class="heb">כְּלֵ֖י</span> <span class="translit">(kə·lê)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine plural construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3627.htm">Strong's 3627: </a> </span><span class="str2">Something prepared, any apparatus</span><br /><br /><span class="word">for battle.</span><br /><span class="heb">מִלְחָמָ֑ה</span> <span class="translit">(mil·ḥā·māh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4421.htm">Strong's 4421: </a> </span><span class="str2">A battle, war</span><br /><br /><span class="word">With you I shatter</span><br /><span class="heb">וְנִפַּצְתִּ֤י</span> <span class="translit">(wə·nip·paṣ·tî)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5310.htm">Strong's 5310: </a> </span><span class="str2">To dash to pieces, scatter</span><br /><br /><span class="word">nations;</span><br /><span class="heb">גּוֹיִ֔ם</span> <span class="translit">(gō·w·yim)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1471.htm">Strong's 1471: </a> </span><span class="str2">A foreign nation, a Gentile, a troop of animals, a flight of locusts</span><br /><br /><span class="word">with you I bring kingdoms</span><br /><span class="heb">מַמְלָכֽוֹת׃</span> <span class="translit">(mam·lā·ḵō·wṯ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - feminine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4467.htm">Strong's 4467: </a> </span><span class="str2">Kingdom, sovereignty, dominion, reign</span><br /><br /><span class="word">to ruin.</span><br /><span class="heb">וְהִשְׁחַתִּ֥י</span> <span class="translit">(wə·hiš·ḥat·tî)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7843.htm">Strong's 7843: </a> </span><span class="str2">Perhaps to go to ruin</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/jeremiah/51-20.htm">Jeremiah 51:20 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/jeremiah/51-20.htm">Jeremiah 51:20 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/jeremiah/51-20.htm">Jeremiah 51:20 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/jeremiah/51-20.htm">Jeremiah 51:20 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/jeremiah/51-20.htm">Jeremiah 51:20 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/jeremiah/51-20.htm">Jeremiah 51:20 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/jeremiah/51-20.htm">Jeremiah 51:20 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/jeremiah/51-20.htm">Jeremiah 51:20 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/jeremiah/51-20.htm">Jeremiah 51:20 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/jeremiah/51-20.htm">Jeremiah 51:20 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/jeremiah/51-20.htm">OT Prophets: Jeremiah 51:20 You are my battle axe and weapons (Jer.) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/jeremiah/51-19.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Jeremiah 51:19"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Jeremiah 51:19" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/jeremiah/51-21.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Jeremiah 51:21"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Jeremiah 51:21" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>