Jeremiah 50:40 · Bible study
Jeremiah 50:40 Commentary: Babylon's Overthrow Like Sodom's Judgment
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Study Jeremiah 50:40, how Babylon's destruction is compared to Sodom and Gomorrah as a type of total divine judgment on pride and idolatry.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Babylon's destruction will be as total and irreversible as God's overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah.
- Key words: mahpekah (overthrow), used almost exclusively for Sodom's judgment; yashav (dwell/sit) and gur (sojourn) covering all modes of habitation.
- Main debate: Was Babylon ever literally uninhabited, or is this a typological prophecy pointing to final judgment?
- Theological theme: God's justice against human pride and idolatry; the certainty of divine judgment even when delayed.
- Best use: A warning against worldly power and a source of hope for those oppressed by unjust systems.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah along with their neighbors,” declares the LORD, “no one will dwell there; no man will abide there.
WEB World English Bible 2000
As when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and its neighbor cities,” says Yahweh, “so no man will dwell there, neither will any son of man live therein.
KJV King James Version 1769
As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the Lord; so shall no man abide there, neither shall any son of man dwell therein.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
As when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbor cities thereof, saith Jehovah, so shall no man dwell there, neither shall any son of man sojourn therein.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
As overthrown by God with Sodom, And with Gomorrah, and with its neighbours, An affirmation of Jehovah, none doth dwell there, Nor sojourn in her doth a son of man.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
As when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and their neighbour cities, saith Jehovah, no one shall dwell there, neither shall a son of man sojourn therein.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
As the Lord overthrew Sodom and Gomorrha, and their neighbour cities, saith the Lord: no man shall dwell there, neither shall the son of man inhabit it.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Como en el trastornamiento de Dios á Sodoma y á Gomorra y á sus ciudades vecinas, dice Jehová, no morará allí hombre, ni hijo de hombre la habitará.
Assim como Deus destruiu Sodoma, Gomorra e suas cidades vizinhas,diz o SENHOR, assim também não habitará ali homem, nem filho de homem a morará.
Comme Sodome et Gomorrhe, et les villes voisines, que Dieu détruisit,
gleichwie Gott Sodom und Gomorra samt ihren Nachbarn umgekehrt hat, spricht der HERR, daß niemand darin wohne noch ein Mensch darin hause.
Gelijk God Sodom en Gomorra en haar naburen heeft omgekeerd, spreekt de HEERE, alzo zal niemand aldaar wonen, en geen mensenkind in haar verkeren.
Come avvenne quando Dio sovvertì Sodoma, Gomorra, e le città loro vicine, dice l’Eterno, nessuno più abiterà quivi, non vi dimorerà più alcun figliuol d’uomo.
Jako Pan podwrócił Sodomę i Gomorę, i przyległości ich, mówi Pan, tak się tam nikt nie osadzi, ani będzie mieszkał w niej syn człowieczy.
Как ниспровержены Богом Содом и Гоморра и соседние города их, говорит Господь, так и тут ни один человек не будет жить, и сын человеческий не будет останавливаться.
耶和華 說：「必無 人 住 在那裡，也無 人 在其中 寄居，要像我 傾覆 所多瑪、 蛾摩拉，和 鄰近的城邑一樣。
As when Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighbouring towns were overturned by God, says the Lord, so no man will be living in it, and no son of man will have a resting-place there.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Jeremiah 50:40
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Jeremiah 50:40 uses the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah as the defining pattern for Babylon's judgment. Adam Clarke stresses the permanence: the land would become as barren as the Dead Sea region, utterly incapable of sustaining life. Calvin argues the comparison is not about an immediate literal destruction, Babylon remained inhabited for centuries, but about a final, irreversible judgment. He points to Jude 7, where Sodom serves as a mirror of God's vengeance on all the ungodly. Gill and Jamieson-Fausset-Brown note the verse is repeated from Jeremiah 49:18 (against Edom) and closely resembles Isaiah 13:19-20. The Cambridge Bible similarly highlights the dependence on Isaiah. The core agreement: Babylon's fate mirrors Sodom not in timing but in totality, complete desolation, with no hope of restoration.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Literal historical fulfillment: Babylon was eventually abandoned and became a ruin by the Roman period, as Wesley and secular historians note.
- Typological judgment: Calvin argues the destruction is not limited to one historical event but serves as a type of final judgment, citing Jude 7.
- Eschatological future: Some Christians connect Babylon's fate to the final destruction of the world system in Revelation 18.
What is clear: God's judgment on Babylon is certain, complete, and modeled on the overthrow of Sodom—whatever the precise timing, the outcome is irreversible.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The comparison to Sodom | Christians agree that Jeremiah uses Sodom as the ultimate symbol of total divine judgment. | Some Protestants and Catholics read this as a literal prophecy that Babylon would eventually become a barren wasteland; others, following Calvin, see it as a type of the final judgment on all godless powers, with the literal fulfillment being secondary. |
| The timing of fulfillment | All agree the prophecy refers to Babylon's eventual desolation, not an immediate destruction. | Wesley and some historians see the fulfillment in the gradual decline of Babylon from Cyrus through Seleucus. Calvin argues the prophecy extends beyond any one historical event to the final judgment, citing Jude 7. |
| Babylon as a type of the world | Historic Christian teaching holds that Babylon represents worldly opposition to God and his people. | Protestant tradition often applies Babylon to any proud empire or worldly system; Catholic interpretation sometimes sees Babylon as a type of the fallen world in general, with specific historical referents remaining open. |
| Human agency in judgment | God is the ultimate judge; Babylon's destruction comes from him. | Lange's commentary emphasizes God's use of human agents (Cyrus, Darius), while Calvin stresses the divine origin of the judgment behind the human actions. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Jeremiah 50:40 appears in a collection of oracles against Babylon (chapters 50, 51), delivered around 595 BC, when Babylon was still at the height of its power. The city had conquered Judah, destroyed the temple in 586 BC, and taken the people into exile. For Jeremiah's original hearers, predicting Babylon's fall seemed impossible. But the prophet draws on a well-known tradition: the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24, 25), cities so thoroughly erased that the very ground became a wasteland. The Hebrew word mahpekah (overthrow) is used in the Old Testament almost exclusively for Sodom's catastrophe (e.g., Deuteronomy 29:23). By applying this term to Babylon, Jeremiah declares that the empire that terrorized God's people will meet the same fate.
Babylon's actual fall unfolded slowly. Cyrus the Great conquered it in 539 BC but did not destroy the city. Later revolts led to partial destruction by Darius I. Seleucus Nicator, a successor of Alexander the Great, built a new capital at Seleucia, draining Babylon's population. By the time of the Roman emperor Hadrian (second century AD), the old city was deserted. Wesley notes that only gradual ruin matched the prophecy, not immediate devastation. Calvin explains the delay by calling Babylon's destruction a type, a preview of final judgment. The surrounding context (verse 39) describes wild animals occupying the site, reinforcing the imagery of desolation used in Isaiah 13:21, 22 and 34:14. The prophecy draws heavily on these earlier passages, and behind them stands Deuteronomy 29:23, which holds up Sodom as the benchmark of God's wrath.
Textual Notes
No significant textual variants are noted for this verse in the supplied sources. The Greek Septuagint renders the final clause slightly differently (“neither shall any son of man sojourn in her”), but the meaning is unchanged. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts.
Reception History
Calvin used Jeremiah 50:40 to teach that God's judgment on the wicked is a mirror for all time, Sodom's overthrow previews the fate of every rebellious nation. Matthew Henry applied the verse to warn of the downfall of tyrannical empires and to comfort the persecuted. Gill connected it to the judgment on Edom in chapter 49, reinforcing the theme of God's universal justice. In Jewish reception, the verse was read as a reassurance that Babylon, the destroyer of the First Temple, would not escape divine punishment. Throughout church history, the phrase “as God overthrew Sodom” has been used in hymns and sermons to describe the completeness of divine judgment on pride and idolatry, and to point to the final judgment described in Revelation 18.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The pattern of judgment: God's overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah sets the standard. It was total, final, and public. Babylon is measured against it.
- The certainty of desolation: “No man will dwell there.” Both Hebrew verbs (yashav, to sit or inhabit; gur, to sojourn) cover every kind of permanent or temporary residence. Nothing remains.
- The patience of God: Babylon was not destroyed overnight. The delay shows God's mercy even toward a tyrant nation, but also warns that judgment eventually comes.
Five-point outline
- God remembers Sodom: The historical precedent of divine wrath is not forgotten.
- God compares Babylon: The empire that oppressed Israel is no better than the cities of the plain.
- Total depopulation: No one will live there, not even a traveler passing through.
- Irreversible outcome: The desolation spans generations, not just a season.
- Hope for the oppressed: God's people see their captor's end and take courage.
Illustration hooks
- A condemned building: A skyscraper that once dominated a city skyline is sealed off, deemed unsafe. No one enters. In time, it becomes a ghost.
- Ghost towns of industry: Towns that thrived on coal or timber now stand empty after the resource ran out. The comparison shows that the wealth and pride of Babylon would fade to nothing.
- Historical ruins: Tourists visit the ruins of Babylon today, a tourist site, not a living city. The prophecy stands visible.
Questions your congregation is asking
- If God promised to destroy Babylon, why did it take so long? Does God still judge nations slowly?
- Does this mean every nation that oppresses God's people will be destroyed like Sodom?
- How does Babylon's fall give us hope when injustice seems to win?
Leading a Discussion
This verse compares one of the most famous acts of judgment in Scripture, Sodom and Gomorrah, to the future of Babylon. The people of Judah, suffering under Babylonian rule, needed to hear that their captor was not beyond God's reach. The comparison would have shocked them: Babylon seemed eternal. Yet Jeremiah insists its end is as certain as the brimstone that fell on the plain.
Discussion questions
- What does the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah tell us about how God views sin, especially when it becomes systemic?
- Why do you think Jeremiah repeats the same phrase used in 49:18 (against Edom) for Babylon? What does it suggest about God's impartiality?
- Calvin said the destruction of Babylon is “a mirror in which we behold God's vengeance on all the ungodly.” How does this apply beyond Babylon to other powers in history or in our own world?
- The Hebrew uses two different verbs for “dwell” (yashav) and “sojourn” (gur). What does this double description tell us about the completeness of Babylon's emptiness?
- Babylon was not destroyed in a single day like Sodom. How do we reconcile the gradual decline of Babylon with the absolute language of the prophecy?
- How does this passage comfort Christians who suffer under unjust systems or regimes?
- What “Babylons” exist in your own life, pride, self-reliance, or idolatry, that need to face God's overthrow?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 19:24 | Then Yahweh rained on Sodom and on Gomorrah sulfur and fire from Yahweh out of the sky. |
| Genesis 19:25 | He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew on the ground. |
| Deuteronomy 29:23 | that all of its land is sulfur, salt, and burning, that it is not sown, doesn’t produce, nor does any grass grow in it, like the overthrow of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, which Yahweh overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath. |
| Isaiah 1:9 | Unless Yahweh of Armies had left to us a very small remnant, we would have been as Sodom. We would have been like Gomorrah. |
| Isaiah 13:19 | Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride, will be like when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. |
| Isaiah 13:20 | It will never be inhabited, neither will it be lived in from generation to generation. The Arabian will not pitch a tent there, neither will shepherds make their flocks lie down there. |
| Jeremiah 49:18 | As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and its neighbor cities,” says Yahweh, “no man will dwell there, neither will any son of man live therein. |
| Jeremiah 51:26 | They won’t take a cornerstone from you, nor a stone for foundations; but you will be desolate forever,” says Yahweh. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
7 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke points to the physical evidence: just as the ground where Sodom stood now lies under the Dead Sea, Babylon and its surrounding land became completely barren and unfit for habitation. He insists this is the actual historical reality for both places.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible observes that these verses closely resemble the oracle against Babylon in Isaiah, using similar language about desolation and doom. This parallel underscores the certainty of divine judgment and the shared prophetic tradition.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The commentator compares the coming destruction to Sodom and Gomorrah, emphasizing total devastation of both the city and its surroundings. He stresses this judgment is directly from the Lord, making the land forever uninhabited with no person dwelling or remaining there again.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill draws a direct parallel between Babylon's coming destruction and Sodom and Gomorrah's overthrow. He emphasizes the complete, permanent desolation: just as those cities were left uninhabitable, so no person will ever live in Babylon again. The same fate applies to Edom, as shown in an earlier prophecy.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
( Isa 13:19 ). Repeated from Jer 49:18 .
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry emphasizes that God, as their strong Redeemer, will thoroughly plead the cause of His oppressed people by bringing comprehensive judgment on Babylon. Every source of Babylon's pride and security—its warriors, treasures, water, and idols—will be struck down, leaving the land as desolate as Sodom.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley specifies that the prophecy of Babylon's ruin was not fulfilled under Cyrus, who only reduced the city to tribute. Instead, the Greek ruler Seleucus Nicanor brought complete destruction, so that by Emperor Hadrian's day nothing of the great city remained standing.