· Translation: KJV

Jeremiah 25:29For, behold, I begin to work evil at the city which is called by my name; and should you be utterly unpunished? You shall not be unpunished; for I will call for a sword on all the inhabitants of the earth, says Yahweh of Armies.

The setting

Jerusalem, ~605 BC. God explains His logic: if even His chosen city faces judgment, how can pagan nations expect to escape? Modern-day Jerusalem, Israel.

The emotion here: grief-stricken at having to pronounce judgment on his own people

The original word

nāqâ (נָקָה) — to be clean, innocent, or exempt from punishment

Why it matters

Jerusalem was destroyed in 586 BC, exactly as Jeremiah predicted, validating this prophecy

Read with care

What most readers miss in Jeremiah 25:29

This is about earthly judgment through Babylon, not eternal punishment

Common misconceptionPeople use this to judge others, but it's actually about God's people being held to higher standards, not about condemning outsiders.

Bible Genome reading

Jeremiah 25:29 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerYahweh
EraDivided Kingdom
Primary emotionangry
Literary typeprophecy
MarkPromise of God
MarkProphecy

Emotional genome

Comfort power10%
Quotability70%
Memorability70%
Crisis relevance80%
Standalone70%
Themes:judgmentdivine justiceno escape

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open Jeremiah 25

Jeremiah 25:29 comes from the book of Jeremiah, written during the Divided Kingdom period. These words are attributed to Yahweh. The dominant emotion in this verse is angry, with a comfort power of 10% and a tone that is prophetic. It belongs to the prophecy genre of biblical literature. Key themes include judgment, divine justice, no escape. Notable phrases: city which is called by my name; should you be utterly unpunished; You shall not be unpunished. This verse contains a promise of God. This verse contains prophecy.

Your reflection

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