Jeremiah 51:55 · Bible study
Jeremiah 51:55 Commentary: The Great Voice and the Roaring Waves
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
What does God destroy when He silences Babylon's great voice? And whose waves roar like many waters? A study in divine judgment and sovereignty.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God sovereignly destroys Babylon, silencing its once-loud voice of pride or commerce, and brings the roar of judgment.
- Key words: 'great voice' (קוֹל גָּדוֹל), noise of city life or arrogant boasting; 'waves roar', invading armies or Babylon's own cry; 'destroy' (שָׁדַד, אָבַד), total devastation.
- Main debate: Does 'great voice' denote the bustle of a thriving city or the voice of prideful boasting? And do the roaring waves represent Babylon's own cry or the invading enemy?
- Theological theme: God's sovereignty over nations and His just judgment against pride and oppression.
- Best use: Preaching or teaching on God's justice, the fleeting nature of human power, and the hope of vindication for the oppressed.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
For the LORD will destroy Babylon; He will silence her mighty voice. The waves will roar like great waters; the tumult of their voices will resound.
WEB World English Bible 2000
For Yahweh lays Babylon waste, and destroys out of her the great voice! Their waves roar like many waters. The noise of their voice is uttered.
KJV King James Version 1769
Because the Lord hath spoiled Babylon, and destroyed out of her the great voice; when her waves do roar like great waters, a noise of their voice is uttered:
ASV American Standard Version 1901
For Jehovah layeth Babylon waste, and destroyeth out of her the great voice; and their waves roar like many waters; the noise of their voice is uttered:
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
For Jehovah is spoiling Babylon, And hath destroyed out of it a great voice, And sounded have its billows as many waters, Given forth a noise hath their voice.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
for Jehovah spoileth Babylon, and he will destroy out of her the great voice; and their waves roar like great waters, the noise of their voice resoundeth.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Because the Lord hath laid Babylon waste, and destroyed out of her the great voice: and their wave shall roar like many waters: their voice hath made a noise:
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Porque Jehová destruye á Babilonia, y quitará de ella el mucho estruendo; y bramarán sus ondas, como muchas aguas será el sonido de la voz de ellos:
Pois o SENHOR destrói a Babilônia, e eliminará dela seu grande ruído; e suas ondas bramarão, como muitas águas será o ruído da voz deles:
Car l’ Éternel ravage Babylone,
denn der HERR verstört Babel und verderbt sie mit großem Getümmel; ihre Wellen brausen wie die großen Wasser, es erschallt ihr lautes Toben.
Want de HEERE verstoort Babel, en zal de grootse stem uit haar doen vergaan; want hunlieder golven zullen bruisen als grote wateren; het geruis van hunlieder geluid zal zich verheffen.
Poiché l’Eterno devasta Babilonia, e fa cessare il suo grande rumore; le onde dei devastatori muggono come grandi acque, se ne ode il fracasso;
Bo Pan Babilon zburzy i wytraci z niego głos wielki, choćby huczały wały ich jako wody wielkie, i wydany był szum głosu ich.
ибо Господь опустошит Вавилон и положит конец горделивому голосу в нем. Зашумят волны их как большие воды, раздастся шумный голос их.
因 耶和華 使 巴比倫 變為荒場，使其中的 大 聲 滅絕。仇敵彷彿眾 水，波浪 匉訇，響聲 已經發出。
For the Lord is making Babylon waste, and putting an end to the great voice coming out of her; and her waves are thundering like great waters, their voice is sounding loud:
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Jeremiah 51:55
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that this verse announces God's sovereign action to destroy Babylon, silencing something called the “great voice” and replacing it with a roaring noise like many waters. The central question is what that voice is. Barnes, the Cambridge Bible, Keil & Delitzsch, and Wesley all take the “great voice” as the noise of a thriving city, trade, traffic, the hum of daily life. By contrast, Adam Clarke, Calvin, and Gill understand it as Babylon's arrogant boasting and prideful speech. The two readings are not mutually exclusive: the city's bustling noise could itself be an expression of pride and self-sufficiency. As for the waves, most commentators, Calvin, Barnes, Keil, Lange, read them as the surging masses of the invading army, the Medes and Persians, who roar like the sea. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown suggests an alternative: the waves represent Babylon's own voice now changed to a roar of distress. But all agree on the main point: God lays waste to Babylon, and where once was loud noise, there will be either silence or the terrifying roar of judgment.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Great voice as city noise: Barnes, Cambridge, Keil, Wesley: the context of a populous city (Jer. 51:13) and parallel language in Isaiah 24:8.
- Great voice as arrogant boasting: Clarke, Calvin, Gill: the pride of Babylon in Jeremiah 50:29–32 and the specific phrase 'great voice' used for boastful speech.
- Waves as invading armies: Calvin, Barnes, Keil: the parallel in Jeremiah 51:42 and the common biblical metaphor of hostile nations as roaring waters.
- Waves as Babylon's own cry: Jamieson-Fausset-Brown: the contrast between 'great voice' and the wave-like roar that now comes from her in destruction (Jer. 51:54).
What is clear: God destroys Babylon and silences a prominent loud sound, replacing it with a roaring noise—whether that of judgment or of Babylon's own anguish.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Agent of destruction | God is the primary agent who lays Babylon waste. | Whether the Medes and Persians are explicitly identified as His instrument in this verse, or whether the verse focuses solely on divine action. |
| Meaning of 'great voice' | It signifies something loud and prominent that God causes to cease. | Some (Barnes, Cambridge, Keil) see it as the busy noise of city life; others (Clarke, Calvin, Gill) as the sound of arrogant boasting. |
| Identity of the roaring waves | They roar like many waters, producing a noise. | Most commentators (Calvin, Barnes, Keil) identify the waves as the surging invading armies. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown raises the possibility that they are Babylon's own voice now changed to a roar of calamity. |
| Theological application | The verse demonstrates God's justice and sovereignty over powerful nations. | Some traditions read it as a historical prophecy fulfilled in 539 BC; others see an additional or primary reference to the eschatological judgment of 'Babylon' in Revelation 18. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Jeremiah prophesied during the final decades of the kingdom of Judah, when Babylon was the undisputed superpower of the ancient Near East. After Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC, many Judeans were exiled to Babylon. Yet Jeremiah had already foretold Babylon's fall (Jeremiah 25:12; 50, 51). The city was famed for its immense walls, the Euphrates running through it, and its vast population. The “great voice” likely refers to the constant noise of a cosmopolitan capital: merchants, officials, revellers, processions. In Isaiah 13 and Revelation 18, similar language describes the silence that falls on a once-lively city after judgment.
The imagery of waves roaring like many waters draws on a common biblical metaphor for invading armies (Isaiah 17:12, 13; Psalm 65:7). The Medes and Persians, who conquered Babylon in 539 BC, are often described as coming from the north, like a flood. Jeremiah 51:42 uses the same picture: “The sea has come up on Babylon. She is covered with the multitude of its waves.” This verse, then, depicts the abrupt transition from confident urban life to the onslaught of war, a transition that God orchestrates.
The historical event is well-documented: Cyrus the Persian diverted the Euphrates, entered the city through the river gates, and took it without a major battle. The “great voice” of revelry and commerce was silenced, and the roar of the enemy was heard instead. But the prophecy looks beyond the event to the theological meaning: God is the one who lays waste, and He does so as a just judge.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Jeremiah 51:55. The Hebrew text is well-established, and the main interpretive questions arise from its imagery and syntax, not from manuscript differences.
Reception History
Throughout church history, this verse has been read as a prophecy of Babylon's literal fall and as a type of God's final judgment on all proud, oppressive systems. Early interpreters, including Jerome, connected it to the historical destruction by Cyrus. Medieval commentators often allegorized Babylon as the world's pride, which God humbles. During the Reformation, the verse was applied to the papacy by Protestants, who saw Rome as a 'Babylon' that God would silence. In modern times, the verse is often cited in studies of divine judgment and pastoral care for those who suffer under corrupt regimes. The phrase “great voice” has also been used in hymns about the silencing of worldly noise, though no single hymn title is universally attached to this specific verse.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God silences the proud city. Whether the “great voice” is the bustling noise of commerce or the arrogant boasting of rulers, God brings it to an end. No human achievement stands before Him (Psalm 127:1).
- The destroyer comes like a wave. The invading army is not a random calamity; it is the instrument of God's judgment. Their roar is overwhelming, unstoppable, a picture of divine power.
- God is the God of retribution. The surrounding verses (v. 56, 57) make explicit what v. 55 implies: Yahweh repays. The destruction is just, not arbitrary.
Five-point outline
- The agent: Yahweh Himself lays Babylon waste.
- The target: The “great voice”, either the pride of boasting or the noise of city life.
- The means: Invading forces that roar like the sea.
- The result: Utter destruction, silence replacing noise, or in its place the roar of judgment.
- The purpose: To show God's justice and to comfort His oppressed people.
Illustration hooks
- The silent downtown: Many have seen a once-bustling shopping street or business district become empty, shuttered. The “great voice” of commerce falls silent. This verse captures that eerie transition.
- The ocean wave: Anyone who has stood on a shore and felt the power of a large wave knows how helpless resistance feels. The invaders are like that, unavoidable, overwhelming.
- Boasting before a fall: The proud speeches of leaders or institutions just before collapse. History records many such moments, from ancient empires to modern corporations.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does this apply only to ancient Babylon, or is there a spiritual meaning for today?
- How do we trust God's justice when the proud seem to prosper for a long time?
- What does it mean for God to “destroy a voice”? Can that happen in our own lives or communities?
Leading a Discussion
This verse shows the God who acts in history. He is not indifferent to pride, oppression, and false confidence. For a people who had suffered under Babylon, it was a promise of vindication. For us, it invites trust in the God who brings down the proud and lifts up the lowly.
Discussion questions
- Observation: What does the verse say God does to Babylon? List the actions verbs.
- Interpretation: Based on the context (Jeremiah 50, 51), what is the “great voice”? Consider both options: urban noise or proud boasting. Which fits the passage best?
- Interpretation: The “waves” roar like many waters. Who or what do the waves represent? How does the surrounding context help decide?
- Cross-reference: Read Isaiah 17:12, 13 and Psalm 93:3, 4. How does the imagery of roaring waters connect to God's power over nations?
- Application: Babylon trusted in its own strength and noise. What do we trust in today that might become a “great voice” God will silence?
- Application: This verse comes in a book full of God's judgments. How does it also offer hope to those who have been harmed by oppressive systems?
- Personal: Is there any “loud voice” in your own life, an area of pride, self-reliance, or busyness, that you need to surrender to God?
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)
| Psalms 18:4 | The cords of death surrounded me. The floods of ungodliness made me afraid. |
| Psalms 65:7 | You still the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the nations. |
| Psalms 93:3 | The floods have lifted up, Yahweh, the floods have lifted up their voice. The floods lift up their waves. |
| Psalms 93:4 | Above the voices of many waters, the mighty breakers of the sea, Yahweh on high is mighty. |
| Isaiah 15:1 | The burden of Moab. For in a night, Ar of Moab is laid waste, and brought to nothing. For in a night Kir of Moab is laid waste, and brought to nothing. |
| Isaiah 17:13 | The nations will rush like the rushing of many waters, but he will rebuke them, and they will flee far off, and will be chased like the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like the whirling dust before the storm. |
| Isaiah 24:8 | The mirth of tambourines ceases. The sound of those who rejoice ends. The joy of the harp ceases. |
| Isaiah 24:11 | There is a crying in the streets because of the wine. All joy is darkened. The mirth of the land is gone. |
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
11 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
The great voice - Its pride and insufferable boasting.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes draws attention to the specific imagery of God silencing Babylon's busy, bustling noise and replacing it with the roar of invading armies. He reads the "wares" not as trade goods but as surging enemy masses whose shouting resounds like many waters.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin argues that the magnificent voice God destroys is not the noise of Babylon's crowded streets, as many think, but the city's arrogant boasting and proud glorying. God alone would silence this pride, showing that Babylon's fall comes from divine power, not human effort. The silence that follows is shame and fear.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
This commentator reads the three phrases as vivid metaphors: the great voice is the hum of city life, the waves are surging invading crowds, and the noise of their voice recalls the roar of enemy armies. The image conveys a city overwhelmed by the din of hostile forces pouring in.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva annotators highlight the completeness of Babylon’s ruin by contrasting its former great voice with the roar of its collapse. Once a source of powerful noise, Babylon is now silenced, and the only sound is the thunder of its own destruction like raging waters.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill interprets "the great voice" as the bustling noise of populous Babylon—its commerce, feasts, and victories—which God destroys. He also applies this to mystical Babylon, where the voice of antichrist's blasphemies will be silenced. The destruction replaces joy with cries of distress from attacking armies.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB interprets the great voice as the commercial din, boasting and feasting of Babylon, which is then destroyed. In its place comes the wave-like roar of her own voice in her destruction, a stark contrast between former noise and present calamity.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch highlight that the prophet already sees the destroyers as present, hearing Babylon's cry and the roar of the invading army like surging waters. God Himself lays waste the city, silencing its loud bustle. As a God of retribution, He makes Babylon's leaders drink the cup of wrath, sinking them into eternal sleep.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange emphasizes that Babylon's defenses consist of both a living wall of its princes and wise men and a dead wall of its physical fortifications, yet neither can withstand God's judgment. The living wall is paralyzed through drunkenness and eternal sleep, while the dead wall is consumed by fire, showing that all human labor against God is futile.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry sees God's judgment on Babylon as the answer to two questions that troubled God's people: is God still with Israel? and will Babylon's wickedness go unpunished? For him, the destroying wind and fanners are instruments of divine justice, proving that God has neither deserted His own nor overlooked the temple's desecration.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley identifies two distinct sounds in the text: the bustling noise of a thriving city's commerce, and the roar of invading enemies breaking in like the sea. He draws a sharp contrast between the ordinary sounds of prosperity and the overwhelming din of destruction that follows.