Jeremiah 51:7
New International Version
Babylon was a gold cup in the LORD’s hand; she made the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore they have now gone mad.

New Living Translation
Babylon has been a gold cup in the LORD’s hands, a cup that made the whole earth drunk. The nations drank Babylon’s wine, and it drove them all mad.

English Standard Version
Babylon was a golden cup in the LORD’s hand, making all the earth drunken; the nations drank of her wine; therefore the nations went mad.

Berean Standard Bible
Babylon was a gold cup in the hand of the LORD, making the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore the nations have gone mad.

King James Bible
Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD'S hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.

New King James Version
Babylon was a golden cup in the LORD’s hand, That made all the earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; Therefore the nations are deranged.

New American Standard Bible
Babylon has been a golden cup in the hand of the LORD, Intoxicating all the earth. The nations have drunk of her wine; Therefore the nations are going insane.

NASB 1995
Babylon has been a golden cup in the hand of the LORD, Intoxicating all the earth. The nations have drunk of her wine; Therefore the nations are going mad.

NASB 1977
Babylon has been a golden cup in the hand of the LORD, Intoxicating all the earth. The nations have drunk of her wine; Therefore the nations are going mad.

Legacy Standard Bible
Babylon has been a golden cup in the hand of Yahweh, Intoxicating all the earth. The nations have drunk of her wine; Therefore the nations are going mad.

Amplified Bible
Babylon has been a golden cup in the LORD’S hand, Intoxicating all the earth. The nations drank her wine; Therefore the nations have gone mad.

Christian Standard Bible
Babylon was a gold cup in the LORD’s hand, making the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore, the nations go mad.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Babylon was a gold cup in the LORD’s hand, making the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore, the nations go mad.

American Standard Version
Babylon hath been a golden cup in Jehovah's hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunk of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.

Contemporary English Version
Babylon was my golden cup, filled with the wine of my anger. The nations of the world got drunk on this wine and went insane.

English Revised Version
Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD'S hand; that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunk of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Babylon was a golden cup in the LORD's hand. It made the whole world drunk. The nations drank its wine. That is why the nations have gone insane.

Good News Translation
Babylonia was like a gold cup in my hand, making the whole world drunk. The nations drank its wine and went out of their minds.

International Standard Version
Babylon was a golden cup in the LORD's hand, making the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine, therefore the nations have gone mad.

Majority Standard Bible
Babylon was a gold cup in the hand of the LORD, making the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore the nations have gone mad.

NET Bible
Babylonia had been a gold cup in the LORD's hand. She had made the whole world drunk. The nations had drunk from the wine of her wrath. So they have all gone mad.

New Heart English Bible
Babylon has been a golden cup in the LORD's hand, who made all the earth drunk: the nations have drunk of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.

Webster's Bible Translation
Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD'S hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drank of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.

World English Bible
Babylon has been a golden cup in Yahweh’s hand, who made all the earth drunk. The nations have drunk of her wine; therefore the nations have gone mad.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Babylon [is] a golden cup in the hand of YHWH, "" Making all the earth drunk, "" Nations have drunk of her wine, "" Therefore nations boast themselves.

Young's Literal Translation
A golden cup is Babylon in the hand of Jehovah, Making drunk all the earth, Of its wine drunk have nations, Therefore boast themselves do nations.

Smith's Literal Translation
Babel a cup of gold in the hand of Jehovah, making all the earth drunk: the nations drank from her wine; for this the nations will be foolish.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Babylon hath been a golden cup in the hand of the Lord, that made all the earth drunk: the nations have drunk of her wine, and therefore they have staggered.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Babylon is a gold cup in the hand of the Lord, inebriating the entire earth. The nations have drunk from her wine, and therefore they have staggered.

New American Bible
who pays out her due. Babylon was a golden cup in the hand of the LORD making the whole earth drunk; The nations drank its wine, thus they have gone mad.

New Revised Standard Version
Babylon was a golden cup in the LORD’s hand, making all the earth drunken; the nations drank of her wine, and so the nations went mad.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Babylon has been a golden cup in the LORD'S hand that made all the earth drunken of her wine; all the nations have drunk, and therefore the nations stagger with drunkenness.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Babel is a cup of gold in the hand of LORD JEHOVAH who intoxicates all the Earth with her wine. All the nations have drunk and they were staggering
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Babylon hath been a golden cup in LORD'S hand, That made all the earth drunken; The nations have drunk of her wine, Therefore the nations are mad.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Babylon has been a golden cup in the Lord's hand, causing all the earth to be drunken: the nations have drunk of her wine; therefore they were shaken.
Audio Bible



Context
The Judgment on Babylon
6Flee from Babylon! Escape with your lives! Do not be destroyed in her punishment. For this is the time of the LORD’s vengeance; He will pay her what she deserves. 7Babylon was a gold cup in the hand of the LORD, making the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore the nations have gone mad. 8Suddenly Babylon has fallen and been shattered. Wail for her; get her balm for her pain; perhaps she can be healed.…

Cross References
Revelation 17:4
The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls. She held in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality.

Revelation 18:3
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.”

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.”

Revelation 18:2
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.

Revelation 17:2
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 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!”

Isaiah 47:7-9
You said, ‘I will be queen forever.’ You did not take these things to heart or consider their outcome. / So now hear this, O lover of luxury who sits securely, who says to herself, ‘I am, and there is none besides me. I will never be a widow or know the loss of children.’ / These two things will overtake you in a moment, in a single day: loss of children, and widowhood. They will come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and the potency of your spells.

Isaiah 13:19
And Babylon, the jewel of the kingdoms, the glory of the pride of the Chaldeans, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah.

Revelation 18:23
The light of a lamp will never shine in you again, and the voices of a bride and bridegroom will never call out in you again. For your merchants were the great ones of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery.”

Revelation 18:6
Give back to her as she has done to others; pay her back double for what she has done; mix her a double portion in her own cup.

Habakkuk 2:15-16
Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors, pouring it from the wineskin until they are drunk, in order to gaze at their nakedness! / You will be filled with shame instead of glory. You too must drink and expose your uncircumcision! The cup in the LORD’s right hand will come around to you, and utter disgrace will cover your glory.

Jeremiah 25:15-16
This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from My hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink from it. / And they will drink and stagger and go out of their minds, because of the sword that I will send among them.”

Revelation 18:10
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.”

Revelation 18:7
As much as she has glorified herself and lived in luxury, give her the same measure of torment and grief. In her heart she says, ‘I sit as queen; I am not a widow and will never see grief.’

Isaiah 51:17
Awake, awake! Rise up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD the cup of His fury; you who have drained the goblet to the dregs—the cup that makes men stagger.


Treasury of Scripture

Babylon has been a golden cup in the LORD's hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.

a golden

Isaiah 14:4
That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!

Daniel 2:32,38
This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, …

Revelation 17:4
And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:

the nations

Jeremiah 25:9,14-27
Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations…

Daniel 3:1-7
Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon…

Habakkuk 2:15,16
Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness! …

are mad

Jeremiah 25:16
And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them.

Jeremiah 50:38
A drought is upon her waters; and they shall be dried up: for it is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols.

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Babylon Boast Cause Cup Drank Drunk Drunken Earth Gold Golden Hand LORD's Mad Making Nations Overcome Themselves Whole Wine
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Babylon Boast Cause Cup Drank Drunk Drunken Earth Gold Golden Hand LORD's Mad Making Nations Overcome Themselves Whole Wine
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














Babylon was a gold cup in the hand of the LORD
The imagery of Babylon as a "gold cup" signifies both beauty and corruption. In ancient times, a gold cup was a symbol of wealth, power, and divine favor. The Hebrew word for "cup" (כּוֹס, kos) often represents judgment or blessing, depending on the context. Here, it is a vessel of God's judgment. Babylon, in its splendor, was used by God to execute His purposes, much like a cup in the hand of a master. Historically, Babylon was a dominant empire, known for its grandeur and influence, yet it was ultimately under God's sovereign control.

making the whole earth drunk
The phrase "making the whole earth drunk" uses the metaphor of intoxication to describe the pervasive influence and corruption of Babylon. The Hebrew root for "drunk" (שָׁכַר, shakar) implies a loss of control and moral discernment. Babylon's cultural, political, and economic power led nations into a state of spiritual and moral stupor. This reflects the biblical theme of how worldly powers can lead people away from God, causing them to lose their spiritual bearings.

The nations drank her wine
"Her wine" symbolizes the seductive allure and corrupting influence of Babylon. Wine, in biblical terms, often represents joy and celebration, but it can also signify excess and moral decay. The nations, by partaking in Babylon's "wine," embraced its idolatry, immorality, and materialism. This phrase highlights the widespread impact of Babylon's influence, as nations willingly participated in its sinful practices, leading to their downfall.

therefore they have gone mad
The consequence of drinking Babylon's wine is madness, a state of confusion and irrationality. The Hebrew word for "mad" (הָלַל, halal) can mean to boast or to act foolishly. This madness is a divine judgment, a result of turning away from God and embracing Babylon's corrupt ways. The nations' madness signifies their spiritual blindness and moral disintegration, a common biblical theme where rebellion against God leads to chaos and destruction. This serves as a warning of the dangers of aligning with worldly powers instead of seeking God's righteousness.

(7) Babylon hath been a golden cup . . .--The "golden cup" points to the splendour of Babylon, outwardly, as a vessel made to honour (see Notes on Jer. 1.37). But the "wine" in that cup was poisoned, intoxicating men with wild ambitions and dark idolatries. The same image re-appears in Revelation 14:8; Revelation 17:4, save that there the "golden cup" is in the hand of the harlot, "whose name is MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT."

Verse 7. - Babylon, as the instrument used by God for his judicial purposes, is likened to a wine cup, which "made all the earth drunken" (comp. Jeremiah 25:15, 16); and, more than this, to a golden cup, such was the impression made upon the Jewish prophets, by Babylon's unexampled splendour. (Golden cups were not unknown in Palestine; Jehu sent some to Shalmaneser; Smith, 'Assyrian Canon,' p. 114.) So, in Nebuchadnezzar's vision of the image, the head of the image is of gold (Daniel 2:32, 38). But neither her splendour nor her honourable position as God's minister could save her from merited destruction.

Parallel Commentaries ...


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

was a gold
זָהָ֤ב (zā·hāḇ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2091: Gold, something gold-colored, as oil, a clear sky

cup
כּוֹס־ (kō·ws-)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 3563: A cup, a lot, some unclean bird, an owl

in the hand
בְּיַד־ (bə·yaḏ-)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 3027: A hand

of the LORD,
יְהוָ֔ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

making the whole
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

earth
הָאָ֑רֶץ (hā·’ā·reṣ)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

drunk.
מְשַׁכֶּ֖רֶת (mə·šak·ke·reṯ)
Verb - Piel - Participle - feminine singular
Strong's 7937: To become tipsy, to satiate with a, stimulating drink, influence

The nations
גוֹיִ֔ם (ḡō·w·yim)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 1471: A foreign nation, a Gentile, a troop of animals, a flight of locusts

drank
שָׁת֣וּ (šā·ṯū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 8354: To imbibe

her wine;
מִיֵּינָהּ֙ (mî·yê·nāh)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 3196: Wine, intoxication

therefore
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

the nations
גוֹיִֽם׃ (ḡō·w·yim)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 1471: A foreign nation, a Gentile, a troop of animals, a flight of locusts

have gone mad.
יִתְהֹלְל֥וּ (yiṯ·hō·lə·lū)
Verb - Hitpael - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1984: To shine


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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 51:7 Babylon has been a golden cup (Jer.)
Jeremiah 51:6
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