What is the “wine cup of this fury” that God gives Jeremiah?

The “wine cup of this fury” is a picture of God’s judgment. God puts this cup in Jeremiah’s hand and tells him to make the nations drink it. To “drink” the cup means they must undergo the disasters God has decided, especially war and its horrors. The language of drunkenness, falling, and madness shows how overwhelming and terrifying this judgment will be. It is not a literal drink, but a vivid way of saying that people and nations cannot avoid the consequences of their sin when God decides to act.

Why does judgment in this passage begin with Jerusalem and Judah?

Jerusalem and the cities of Judah are listed first because they belong to God in a special way. The city is called by His name and has His temple, so the people there have received more light and more warnings. Because of that, they are more accountable. God says He is beginning to bring evil on the city that is called by His name, then asks whether the other nations should go unpunished. This shows that God does not overlook the sins of His own people, and that their discipline is a sign that others will also face judgment.

Who are the nations listed, and why are they included in God’s judgment?

The passage names a long list: Jerusalem and Judah, Egypt and its king, the mixed peoples, Uz, the Philistine cities like Ashkelon, Azzah, Ekron, the remnant of Ashdod, Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, Zidon, the distant islands, Dedan, Tema, Buz, Arabian groups, Zimri, Elam, the Medes, the kings of the north, and all kingdoms on earth. They are included because God is Lord over all nations, not just Israel, and all have sinned against Him. Borders, power, or alliances cannot protect them when God sends the sword among them.

What does it mean that the king of Sheshach shall drink after them?

The “king of Sheshach” is a way of speaking about Babylon, the great power that would conquer many of these nations. God says this king will “drink after them,” meaning that even the empire He uses as an instrument of judgment will itself face His wrath in time. Babylon would not escape simply because it was strong or used for a season in God’s plan. This shows that God’s justice is even-handed. He can use a nation for His purposes and later call that same nation to account for its own pride and sin.

Why does God say the nations will drink, be drunk, spew, fall, and rise no more?

These strong words describe how complete and overwhelming God’s judgment will be. Drinking the cup makes them like drunk people who cannot stand, think clearly, or control what happens. “Spew” and “fall” point to shame, loss of strength, and downfall. “Rise no more” shows that some kingdoms will be broken beyond repair. This is tied to the sword God sends among them and the spreading of war from nation to nation. The point is that when God’s patience ends, His judgments are real, heavy, and no one can resist them.

What does “the LORD shall roar from on high” teach about God’s character?

The picture of the LORD roaring from on high shows His power and His seriousness about sin. The roar is like a lion’s cry over its territory or like the shout of people treading grapes in a winepress. It reaches to the ends of the earth as God speaks from His holy place against all nations. This teaches that God is not distant or silent about injustice and idolatry. He has a “controversy with the nations” and will act to set things right, putting the wicked to the sword when they harden themselves against Him.

What does it mean that the LORD has a controversy with the nations?

When the passage says the LORD has a controversy with the nations, it means He has a case against them, like a judge who brings charges in court. Their sins, violence, and false worship have not gone unnoticed. God will “plead with all flesh,” not in the sense of begging, but in the sense of judging and deciding what is right. Those who remain wicked are given to the sword. This shows that history is not random. God watches what peoples and leaders do and will one day call all to account before Him.

Why are the slain of the LORD not lamented, gathered, or buried?

The slain of the LORD are said to lie from one end of the earth to the other, without lament, gathering, or burial. This shows how widespread and severe the judgment will be. There will be so many dead, and the destruction so great, that normal mourning and burial practices will break down. They will be like refuse on the ground. It underlines how serious God’s warnings are. When people and nations ignore Him and harden themselves, the result can be total ruin where even basic acts of care for the dead are no longer possible.

How should believers today respond to the warning in this passage?

This passage calls readers to take God’s holiness and justice seriously. It reminds us that God begins with His own people, so we should not assume that belonging to a religious group or having spiritual privileges means sin is ignored. Instead, there should be honest repentance and turning from patterns that dishonor God. It also warns against putting our hope in human nations, powers, or alliances, since all are under God’s rule. For personal life, the right response is humble confession, trust in God’s mercy, and a desire to walk in obedience.

Jer.25.15

Jeremiah 25:15

KJV GOD

¶ For thus saith the Lord God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it.

The Cup of God’s Wrath

¶ For thus saith the Lord God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it.

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

Then took I the cup at the Lord’S hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom the Lord had sent me:

To 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;

Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people;

And 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,

Edom, and Moab, and the children of Ammon,

And all the kings of Tyrus, and all the kings of Zidon, and the kings of the isles which are beyond the sea,

Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all that are in the utmost corners,

And all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mingled people that dwell in the desert,

And all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes,

And 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.

Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Drink ye, and be drunken, and spue, and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you.

And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Ye shall certainly drink.

For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the Lord of hosts.

Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The Lord shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth.

A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the Lord hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the Lord.

Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.

And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.

Cross References

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