Jeremiah 25:9
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.
Study Note
Study Note
God calls Nebuchadnezzar 'my servant' — his chosen instrument to bring judgment on Judah and the surrounding nations for seventy years. As with Isaiah 10's description of Assyria as the rod of God's anger, the use of a pagan king as divine servant raises profound questions about providence, moral responsibility, and the limits of political power. Daniel 1:1-2's 'the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand' confirms Jeremiah's theological interpretation, and both texts contributed to the biblical theology of exile as divine discipline rather than divine defeat.
Other Translations
behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith Jehovah, and I will send unto 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 I will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and a hissing, and perpetual desolations.
Lo, I am sending, and have taken all the families of the north--an affirmation of Jehovah--even unto Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and have brought them in against this land, and against its inhabitants, and against all these nations round about, and have devoted them, and appointed them for an astonishment, and for a hissing, and for wastes age-during.
See, I will send and take all the families of the north, says the Lord, and Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, my servant, and make them come against this land, and against its people, and against all these nations on every side; and I will give them up to complete destruction, and make them a cause of fear and surprise and a waste place for ever.
Cross References
Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; …
That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt …
And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall …
I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice …
O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.
And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto …
And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end …
And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will send and take …
And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah, and said unto him, The Lord thy God hath pronounced this evil …
And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king …