· Translation: KJV

Jeremiah 51:14Yahweh of Armies has sworn by himself, saying, Surely I will fill you with men, as with the canker worm; and they shall lift up a shout against you.

The setting

Babylon, ~586 BC. God makes an unbreakable oath using the imagery of swarming locusts to describe the coming armies that will overrun the empire.

The emotion here: fierce determination to vindicate his exiled people

The original word

nishba' (נִשְׁבַּע) — to swear a binding oath, making oneself accountable to fulfill it

Why it matters

When God swears by Himself, it's because there's no higher authority to swear by

Read with care

What most readers miss in Jeremiah 51:14

The locust imagery meant the army would be so numerous they'd darken the sky

Common misconceptionPeople think God's wrath is uncontrolled anger, but this oath shows His judgment is deliberate and promised — He's bound Himself to act justly.

Bible Genome reading

Jeremiah 51:14 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerGod
EraExile
Primary emotionangry
Literary typeprophecy
MarkPromise of God
MarkProphecy

Emotional genome

Comfort power10%
Quotability30%
Memorability60%
Crisis relevance50%
Standalone50%
Themes:divine oathmilitary judgmentsovereignty

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open Jeremiah 51

Jeremiah 51:14 comes from the book of Jeremiah, written during the Exile period. These words are attributed to God. The dominant emotion in this verse is angry, with a comfort power of 10% and a tone that is commanding. It belongs to the prophecy genre of biblical literature. Key themes include divine oath, military judgment, sovereignty. Notable phrases: Yahweh of Armies has sworn; fill you with men. This verse contains a promise of God. This verse contains prophecy.

Your reflection

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