Jeremiah 25:17-26 Meaning: The Cup of God's Wrath
17Then I took the cup at Yahweh’s hand, and made all the nations to drink, to whom Yahweh had sent me:
18Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, with its kings and its princes, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, a hissing, and a curse, as it is today;
19Pharaoh king of Egypt, with his servants, his princes, and all his people;
20and all the mixed people, and all the kings of the land of Uz, all the kings of the Philistines, Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod;
21Edom, Moab, and the children of Ammon;
22and all the kings of Tyre, all the kings of Sidon, and the kings of the isle which is beyond the sea;
23Dedan, Tema, Buz, and all who have the corners of their beard cut off;
24and all the kings of Arabia, all the kings of the mixed people who dwell in the wilderness;
25and all the kings of Zimri, all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes;
26and all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another; and all the kingdoms of the world, which are on the surface of the earth. The king of Sheshach will drink after them.
17Then took I the cup at the Lord’s hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom the Lord had sent me:
18To wit, Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, an hissing, and a curse; as it is this day;
19Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people;
20And all the mingled people, and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Azzah, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod,
21Edom, and Moab, and the children of Ammon,
22And all the kings of Tyrus, and all the kings of Zidon, and the kings of the isles which are beyond the sea,
23Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all that are in the utmost corners,
24And all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mingled people that dwell in the desert,
25And all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes,
26And all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another, and all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth: and the king of Sheshach shall drink after them.
17Then took I the cup at Jehovah’s hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom Jehovah had sent me:
18to wit, Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, a hissing, and a curse, as it is this day;
19Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people;
20and all the mingled people, and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Gaza, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod;
21Edom, and Moab, and the children of Ammon;
22and all the kings of Tyre, and all the kings of Sidon, and the kings of the isle which is beyond the sea;
23Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all that have the corners of their hair cut off;
24and all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mingled people that dwell in the wilderness;
25and all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes;
26and all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another; and all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth: and the king of Sheshach shall drink after them.
17`And I take the cup out of the hand of Jehovah, and cause all the nations to drink unto whom Jehovah sent me:
18Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, And its kings, its heads, To give them to waste, to astonishment, To hissing, and to reviling, as at this day.
19Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants, And his heads, and all his people,
20And all the mixed people, And all the kings of the land of Uz, And all the kings of the land of the Philistines, And Ashkelon, and Gazzah, and Ekron, And the remnant of Ashdod,
21Edom, and Moab, and the sons of Ammon,
22And all the kings of Tyre, And all the kings of Zidon, And the kings of the isle that is beyond the sea,
23Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, And all cutting the corners of the beard ,
24And all the kings of Arabia, And all the kings of the mixed people, Who are dwelling in the wilderness,
25And all the kings of Zimri, And all the kings of Elam, And all the kings of Media,
26And all the kings of the north, The near and the far off, one unto another, And all the kingdoms of the earth, That are on the face of the ground, And king Sheshach drinketh after them.
17And I took the cup at Jehovah's hand, and made all the nations to drink, to whom Jehovah had sent me:
18Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them a waste, an astonishment, a hissing, and a curse, as it is this day;
19Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people;
20and all the mingled people, and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Gazah, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod;
21Edom, and Moab, and the children of Ammon;
22and all the kings of Tyre, and all the kings of Zidon, and the kings of the isles that are beyond the sea;
23Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all that have the corners [of their beard] cut off;
24and all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mingled people that dwell in the desert;
25and all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes;
26and all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another; and all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth; and the king of Sheshach shall drink after them.
Meaning in one sentence
Jeremiah 25:17-26 shows God's judgment on Jerusalem and all nations through the symbol of a cup of wrath. No nation escapes God's justice.
Context
Jeremiah lived through the final years of Judah. Babylon was rising, and God had already told the people they would be taken captive for seventy years. But His judgment did not stop with Judah. In chapter 25, God gives Jeremiah a startling vision: a cup filled with the wine of His wrath. The prophet is told to make every nation drink from it.
This passage lists the nations one by one. It starts with Jerusalem, God's own city, then Egypt, the Philistine cities, Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, Sidon, the Arabian tribes, Elam, Media, and finally Babylon itself, called here by the coded name Sheshach. The list is long and sweeping, showing that no corner of the world is beyond God's reach.
Jeremiah did not literally force people to swallow wine. The action was a prophetic symbol, as the commentators agree. He proclaimed God's decree: every nation would face the consequences of its rebellion.
Key Words
Three Hebrew words anchor this passage and deepen its meaning.
Cup (kos, H3563). A common word for a drinking vessel. But in the prophets, the cup regularly stands for God's wrath poured out on the guilty. The same image appears in Psalm 75:8 and Isaiah 51:17. It is not literal wine but the bitter reality of divine judgment.
Made to drink (hishkah, H8248, Hiphil of shakah). The verb carries the idea of causing someone to drink, often by force. In this case, the force is not physical but prophetic. Jeremiah's words carry the weight of God's decree. When he speaks the judgment, it is as good as done.
Desolation, astonishment, hissing, curse (chorba, shamah, shereqah, qelalah). These four words pile up to describe total ruin. Each one adds a layer: places reduced to rubble, people stunned silent, a mocking whistle from passersby, and a name used as a curse. Together they paint a scene of complete collapse.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians across traditions have read this passage as a declaration of God's universal sovereignty.
Calvin noted that judgment begins at God's house, echoing 1 Peter 4:17. He observed that Jerusalem is listed first because God's people are held to a higher standard. Matthew Henry saw the cup as the righteous penalty for sin that every nation must face.
Baptist commentator Gill described the action as visionary, not literal, Jeremiah obeyed by prophesying. Anglican scholars in the Cambridge Bible agree that the cup symbolizes confusion and dismay. The Wesleyan tradition likewise reads it as symbolic of impending destruction.
All these traditions agree on one point: the God of Israel is Lord over every nation, not just His own. His justice reaches every corner of the earth.
A common misunderstanding
Some readers picture Jeremiah literally carrying a cup of wine from court to court, forcing foreign kings to drink it. In fact, Jeremiah never left Judah with a physical cup. The action was prophetic symbolism. He proclaimed God's message to diplomats and envoys who came to Jerusalem (see Jeremiah 27:3), and he wrote it down for distant nations. The cup is a metaphor for the judgment God would bring through Babylon's armies.
Living This Out
This passage asks you to sit with an uncomfortable truth: God holds every nation accountable, including your own. It is easy to assume that your country stands on the right side of history because of its heritage or its faith. But Jerusalem was the city that bore God's name, and it drank first.
You might spend time this week praying for your leaders and your nation, not with pride but with humility. Ask God to turn hearts toward justice and mercy. Also, let the list remind you that no person or power stands outside His reach. That is sobering for the proud, but it is hope for the oppressed.
Main takeaway: God's judgment is universal, but it begins with His own people before reaching every nation.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
God told Jeremiah to show everyone that He was the boss of all nations, even the ones that seemed very strong. Everyone had to listen to God.
For ages 9, 12
God used a picture for Jeremiah: a cup of wine that stood for His anger at sin. Jerusalem, God's own city, had to drink first. Then every other nation around them would also be judged. This showed that no country is too special to escape God's justice. He cares about how all people live, not just His own people. But the story doesn't end here, God also promised to restore His people after the punishment, which points forward to Jesus, who drank the cup of God's wrath for us.
Questions People Ask
Why does Jerusalem drink from the cup first?
Because judgment begins with God's own people. They had received the Law, the prophets, and the covenant, so they were held to a higher standard. Peter later echoes this principle in 1 Peter 4:17, where he says judgment starts at the household of God.
What does the cup of wrath actually mean?
It is a symbol for God's judgment against sin. The image appears throughout the Old Testament, Psalm 75:8, Isaiah 51:17, and represents the pain, ruin, and exile that come when a nation or person rebels against God. Jeremiah did not serve literal wine.
Who is the king of Sheshach?
Sheshach is a coded name for Babylon, used here to show that even the empire carrying out God's judgment would itself be judged. The code was probably a simple letter substitution common among Jewish scribes. It emphasizes that no nation, not even Babylon, escapes God's justice.
Was Jeremiah actually traveling to all these nations to give them a drink?
No. The commentators agree the action was symbolic. Jeremiah proclaimed the message to representatives of these nations who came to Jerusalem, and he likely wrote it down. The 'drinking' means the judgment would come upon them through war and exile.
Does this passage mean God is angry at all nations forever?
No. The judgment was historical and limited to that time period. It fulfilled its purpose, and God later promised restoration to many of these nations (Jeremiah 46-49). The passage shows God's justice, but the larger biblical story points to His mercy through Christ, who absorbed God's wrath on behalf of all who believe.
For pastors & researchers
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