Jeremiah 51:9
New International Version
“’We would have healed Babylon, but she cannot be healed; let us leave her and each go to our own land, for her judgment reaches to the skies, it rises as high as the heavens.’

New Living Translation
We would have helped her if we could, but nothing can save her now. Let her go; abandon her. Return now to your own land. For her punishment reaches to the heavens; it is so great it cannot be measured.

English Standard Version
We would have healed Babylon, but she was not healed. Forsake her, and let us go each to his own country, for her judgment has reached up to heaven and has been lifted up even to the skies.

Berean Standard Bible
“We tried to heal Babylon, but she could not be healed. Abandon her! Let each of us go to his own land, for her judgment extends to the sky and reaches to the clouds.”

King James Bible
We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country: for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies.

New King James Version
We would have healed Babylon, But she is not healed. Forsake her, and let us go everyone to his own country; For her judgment reaches to heaven and is lifted up to the skies.

New American Standard Bible
We applied healing to Babylon, but she was not healed; Abandon her and let’s each go to his own country, For her judgment has reached to heaven And it rises to the clouds.

NASB 1995
We applied healing to Babylon, but she was not healed; Forsake her and let us each go to his own country, For her judgment has reached to heaven And towers up to the very skies.

NASB 1977
We applied healing to Babylon, but she was not healed; Forsake her and let us each go to his own country, For her judgment has reached to heaven And towers up to the very skies.

Legacy Standard Bible
We applied healing to Babylon, but she was not healed; Forsake her and let us each go to his own country, For her judgment has touched heaven And lifts up to the very skies.

Amplified Bible
We would have healed Babylon, but she was not to be healed. Abandon her and let each [captive] return to his own country, For her guilt and judgment have reached to heaven And are lifted up to the very skies.

Christian Standard Bible
We tried to heal Babylon, but she could not be healed. Abandon her! Let each of us go to his own land, for her judgment extends to the sky and reaches as far as the clouds.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
We tried to heal Babylon, but she could not be healed. Abandon her! Let each of us go to his own land, for her judgment extends to the sky and reaches as far as the clouds.

American Standard Version
We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country; for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies.

Contemporary English Version
The foreigners answered, "We have already tried to treat Babylon's wounds, but they would not heal. Come on, let's all go home to our own countries. Nothing is left in Babylonia; everything is destroyed."

English Revised Version
We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country: for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
We wanted to heal Babylon, but it couldn't be healed. Let's abandon it and go to our own land. God has judged Babylon. Its judgment is complete.

Good News Translation
Foreigners living there said, 'We tried to help Babylonia, but it was too late. Let's leave now and go back home. God has punished Babylonia with all his might and has destroyed it completely.'"

International Standard Version
We tried to heal Babylon, but she wouldn't be healed. Leave her, and let each of us go to his own country. For her judgment has reached to the heavens, and is lifted up to the sky.

Majority Standard Bible
?We tried to heal Babylon, but she could not be healed. Abandon her! Let each of us go to his own land, for her judgment extends to the sky and reaches to the clouds.?

NET Bible
Foreigners living there will say, 'We tried to heal her, but she could not be healed. Let's leave Babylonia and each go back to his own country. For judgment on her will be vast in its proportions. It will be like it is piled up to heaven, stacked up into the clouds.'

New Heart English Bible
'We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let us go everyone into his own country; for her judgment reaches to heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies.'

Webster's Bible Translation
We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country: for her judgment reacheth to heaven, and is lifted even to the skies.

World English Bible
“We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed. Forsake her, and let’s each go into his own country; for her judgment reaches to heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
We healed Babylon, and she was not healed, "" Forsake her, and we go, each to his land, "" For her judgment has come to the heavens, "" And it has been lifted up to the clouds.

Young's Literal Translation
We healed Babylon, and she was not healed, Forsake her, and we go, each to his land, For come unto the heavens hath its judgment, And it hath been lifted up unto the clouds.

Smith's Literal Translation
We healed Babel, and she was not healed: forsake ye her and we will go each to his land: for her judgment reached to the heavens, and was lifted up even to the clouds.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
We would have cured Babylon, but she is not healed: let us forsake her, and let us go every man to his own land: because her judgment hath reached even to the heavens, and is lifted up to the clouds.

Catholic Public Domain Version
“We would have cured Babylon, but there is no cure. Let us abandon her, and let each one of us go to his own land. For her judgment has reached even to the heavens, and has been lifted up even to the clouds.

New American Bible
“We have tried to heal Babylon, but she cannot be healed. Leave her, each of us must go to our own land.” The judgment against her reaches the heavens, it touches the clouds.

New Revised Standard Version
We tried to heal Babylon, but she could not be healed. Forsake her, and let each of us go to our own country; for her judgment has reached up to heaven and has been lifted up even to the skies.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed; let us forsake her, and let us go every one to his own country; for her judgment has reached to heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
We would have healed Babel and she has not been cured. We shall leave her and we shall go, each man to his land, because her judgment approaches unto Heaven, and it is lifted up into the clouds
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed; Forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country; For her judgment reacheth unto heaven, And is lifted up even to the skies.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
We tried to heal Babylon, but she was not healed: let us forsake her, and depart every one to his own country: for her judgment has reached to the heaven, it has mounted up to the stars.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Judgment on Babylon
8Suddenly Babylon has fallen and been shattered. Wail for her; get her balm for her pain; perhaps she can be healed. 9“We tried to heal Babylon, but she could not be healed. Abandon her! Let each of us go to his own land, for her judgment extends to the sky and reaches to the clouds.” 10“The LORD has brought forth our vindication; come, let us tell in Zion what the LORD our God has accomplished.”…

Cross References
Revelation 18:4-5
Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “Come out of her, My people, so that you will not share in her sins or contract any of her plagues. / For her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.

Isaiah 13:19-22
And Babylon, the jewel of the kingdoms, the glory of the pride of the Chaldeans, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah. / She will never be inhabited or settled from generation to generation; no nomad will pitch his tent there, no shepherd will rest his flock there. / But desert creatures will lie down there, and howling creatures will fill her houses. Ostriches will dwell there, and wild goats will leap about. ...

Revelation 14:8
Then a second angel followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, who has made all the nations drink the wine of the passion of her immorality.”

Isaiah 47:1-15
“Go down and sit in the dust, O Virgin Daughter of Babylon. Sit on the ground without a throne, O Daughter of the Chaldeans! For you will no longer be called tender or delicate. / Take millstones and grind flour; remove your veil; strip off your skirt, bare your thigh, and wade through the streams. / Your nakedness will be uncovered and your shame will be exposed. I will take vengeance; I will spare no one.” ...

Revelation 18:2-3
And he cried out in a mighty voice: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a lair for demons and a haunt for every unclean spirit, every unclean bird, and every detestable beast. / All the nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her immorality. The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown wealthy from the extravagance of her luxury.”

Isaiah 21:9
Look, here come the riders, horsemen in pairs.” And one answered, saying: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon! All the images of her gods lie shattered on the ground!”

Revelation 17:1-2
Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters. / The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and those who dwell on the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her immorality.”

Isaiah 48:20
Leave Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans! Declare it with a shout of joy, proclaim it, let it go out to the ends of the earth, saying, “The LORD has redeemed His servant Jacob!”

Revelation 18:9-10
Then the kings of the earth who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her will weep and wail at the sight of the smoke rising from the fire that consumes her. / In fear of her torment, they will stand at a distance and cry out: “Woe, woe to the great city, the mighty city of Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come.”

Isaiah 14:4-23
you will sing this song of contempt against the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has ceased, and how his fury has ended! / The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers. / It struck the peoples in anger with unceasing blows; it subdued the nations in rage with relentless persecution. ...

Revelation 18:21
Then a mighty angel picked up a stone the size of a great millstone and cast it into the sea, saying: “With such violence the great city of Babylon will be cast down, never to be seen again.

Isaiah 46:1-2
Bel crouches; Nebo cowers. Their idols weigh down beasts and cattle. The images you carry are burdensome, a load to the weary animal. / The gods cower; they crouch together, unable to relieve the burden; but they themselves go into captivity.

Revelation 16:19
The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. And God remembered Babylon the great and gave her the cup of the wine of the fury of His wrath.

Isaiah 51:6
Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth below; for the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and its people will die like gnats. But My salvation will last forever, and My righteousness will never fail.

Revelation 18:11-19
And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, because there is no one left to buy their cargo— / cargo of gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; of fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; of all kinds of citron wood and every article of ivory, precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; / of cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, and frankincense; of wine, olive oil, fine flour, and wheat; of cattle, sheep, horses, and carriages; of bodies and souls of slaves. ...


Treasury of Scripture

We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country: for her judgment reaches to heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies.

forsake

Jeremiah 8:20
The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.

Jeremiah 46:16,21
He made many to fall, yea, one fell upon another: and they said, Arise, and let us go again to our own people, and to the land of our nativity, from the oppressing sword…

Jeremiah 50:16
Cut off the sower from Babylon, and him that handleth the sickle in the time of harvest: for fear of the oppressing sword they shall turn every one to his people, and they shall flee every one to his own land.

her judgment

2 Chronicles 28:9
But a prophet of the LORD was there, whose name was Oded: and he went out before the host that came to Samaria, and said unto them, Behold, because the LORD God of your fathers was wroth with Judah, he hath delivered them into your hand, and ye have slain them in a rage that reacheth up unto heaven.

Ezra 9:6
And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens.

Daniel 4:20-22
The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth; …

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Applied Babylon Clouds Country Forsake Go Healed Healing Heaven Heavens High Judgment Lifted Punishment Reached Reaches Reacheth Rises Skies Stretching Towers Treated
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Applied Babylon Clouds Country Forsake Go Healed Healing Heaven Heavens High Judgment Lifted Punishment Reached Reaches Reacheth Rises Skies Stretching Towers Treated
Jeremiah 51
1. The severe judgment of God against Babylon, in revenge of Israel
59. Jeremiah delivers the book of this prophecy to Seraiah, to be cast into Euphrates,
64. in token of the perpetual sinking of Babylon














We tried to heal Babylon, but she could not be healed.
This phrase reflects the futility of attempting to restore Babylon, a city symbolizing human pride and rebellion against God. Historically, Babylon was a powerful empire known for its grandeur and influence, yet it was also marked by idolatry and moral corruption. The attempt to "heal" Babylon can be seen as efforts by its allies or inhabitants to restore its former glory or avert its downfall. This mirrors the broader biblical theme of the inability of human efforts to remedy spiritual decay without divine intervention. The phrase also echoes the prophetic declarations of Babylon's inevitable destruction found in Isaiah 13 and Revelation 18, where Babylon represents the ultimate fall of worldly systems opposed to God.

Abandon her!
This command signifies a call to separate from Babylon, both physically and spiritually. In the historical context, it was a warning to those living in Babylon to flee before its impending destruction. Spiritually, it serves as a metaphor for believers to distance themselves from sinful practices and worldly influences. This call to "come out" is reiterated in Revelation 18:4, where God's people are urged to leave Babylon to avoid sharing in her sins and plagues. It underscores the necessity of holiness and separation from evil in the life of a believer.

Let each of us go to his own land,
This phrase suggests a return to one's origins or homeland, indicating a dispersal of people who had been living in Babylon. Historically, this could refer to the exiles and foreigners who had settled in Babylon during its period of dominance. Theologically, it can symbolize a return to one's spiritual roots or a call to return to God. The idea of returning to one's land is reminiscent of the Israelites' return from Babylonian captivity, as prophesied in Jeremiah 29:10-14, where God promises to bring His people back to their land after 70 years of exile.

for her judgment extends to the sky and reaches to the clouds.
This imagery of judgment reaching the sky emphasizes the completeness and inevitability of Babylon's downfall. It suggests that Babylon's sins are so great that they have reached the heavens, warranting divine retribution. This hyperbolic language is used elsewhere in Scripture to describe the magnitude of sin and the certainty of God's judgment, as seen in Genesis 18:20-21 regarding Sodom and Gomorrah. The phrase also highlights the justice of God, who sees all and will not leave sin unpunished. It serves as a warning of the consequences of pride and rebellion against God, reinforcing the message that no power, however great, can withstand divine judgment.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Babylon
A significant empire in biblical history, known for its power and eventual downfall due to its pride and idolatry. In this context, Babylon symbolizes a nation under divine judgment.

2. Jeremiah
The prophet who conveyed God's messages, including the impending judgment on Babylon. His role was to warn and guide the people according to God's will.

3. Judgment
The divine decree against Babylon for its sins and rebellion against God. This event signifies the inevitable consequences of turning away from God's commandments.
Teaching Points
The Inevitability of Divine Judgment
God's judgment is certain and unavoidable for those who persist in sin and rebellion. Just as Babylon could not be healed, persistent sin leads to inevitable consequences.

The Call to Separate from Sin
Believers are called to "abandon" the ways of the world that are under judgment. This involves a conscious decision to live according to God's standards and not be entangled with sinful practices.

The Futility of Human Efforts Without God
Efforts to "heal" or fix situations without God's intervention are ultimately futile. True healing and restoration come only through aligning with God's will and purposes.

The Height of Sin and Judgment
The imagery of judgment reaching "to the skies" underscores the seriousness of sin and the comprehensive nature of God's justice. It serves as a reminder of the need for repentance and humility before God.

The Assurance of God's Sovereignty
Despite the chaos and downfall of worldly powers, God's sovereignty remains unchallenged. Believers can find peace and assurance in His ultimate control over all events.(9) We would have healed Babylon . . .--This is the dramatic answer of the Israelite exiles to the prophet's appeal. They have done what they could, but all was in vain. The guilt could not be washed away, the punishment could not be averted. The "judgment" is measureless as is the distance from heaven to earth. This is also reproduced in Revelation 18:5. For the phrase, as applied to Nebuchadnezzar, see Daniel 4:20. Possibly there may be an allusive reference to the tower of Babel, "reaching unto heaven," as the type of Babylonian greatness (Genesis 11:4).

Verse 9. - We would have healed Babylon. Experience shows that it is useless to attempt to correct such inveterate evils. Everyone into his own country (as Jeremiah 50:16). Her judgment; i.e. her punishment. Perhaps there is an allusion to the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah, burned by fire from heaven. But we might also render "her crime" (comp. Deuteronomy 19:6, where "worthy of death" is more strictly "a capital crime").

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“We tried to heal
רִפִּ֣ינוּ (rip·pî·nū)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - first person common plural
Strong's 7495: To mend, to cure

Babylon,
בָּבֶל֙ (bā·ḇel)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 894: Babylon -- an eastern Mediterranean empire and its capital city

but she could not
וְלֹ֣א (wə·lō)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

be healed.
נִרְפָּ֔תָה (nir·pā·ṯāh)
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 7495: To mend, to cure

Abandon her!
עִזְב֕וּהָ (‘iz·ḇū·hā)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural | third person feminine singular
Strong's 5800: To loosen, relinquish, permit

Let each
אִ֣ישׁ (’îš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

of us go
וְנֵלֵ֖ךְ (wə·nê·lêḵ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative if contextual - first person common plural
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

to his own land,
לְאַרְצ֑וֹ (lə·’ar·ṣōw)
Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

for
כִּֽי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

her judgment
מִשְׁפָּטָ֔הּ (miš·pā·ṭāh)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 4941: A verdict, a sentence, formal decree, divine law, penalty, justice, privilege, style

extends
נָגַ֤ע (nā·ḡa‘)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5060: To touch, lay the hand upon, to reach, violently, to strike

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

the sky
הַשָּׁמַ֙יִם֙ (haš·šā·ma·yim)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8064: Heaven, sky

and reaches
וְנִשָּׂ֖א (wə·niś·śā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5375: To lift, carry, take

to
עַד־ (‘aḏ-)
Preposition
Strong's 5704: As far as, even to, up to, until, while

the clouds.”
שְׁחָקִֽים׃ (šə·ḥā·qîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 7834: A powder, a thin vapor, the firmament


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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 51:9 We would have healed Babylon but she (Jer.)
Jeremiah 51:8
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