Verse Lens · Context pointer
Jeremiah 51:11 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 11. 11Make bright the arrows; gather the shields: the LORD hath raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes: for his device is against Babylon, to destroy it; because it is the vengeance of the LORD, the vengeance of his temple.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Role in This Section
The prophetic word through Jeremiah states or reports “Make bright the arrows; gather the shields: the LORD hath raised up the spirit of the kings of…” at Jeremiah 51:11 as a specific part of “Median Attack and Creator Hymn Contrast Idols.”
Read It With
- Jeremiah 51:11–19
Read Jeremiah 51:11 with 51:11–19. By itself, “Make bright the arrows; gather the shields: the LORD hath raised up the spirit of the kings of…” can be detached from the speaker, addressee, date, imperial horizon, poetic movement, or outcome that gives it force. The complete unit establishes: Weapons and ambush answer temple destruction, while Babylon's wealth is set against the living creator and Jacob's portion.
Why It Needs Context
Keep the line with Jeremiah 51:11–19. The prophetic word through Jeremiah states or reports “Make bright the arrows; gather the shields: the LORD hath raised up the spirit of the kings of…” at Jeremiah 51:11 as a specific part of “Median Attack and Creator Hymn Contrast Idols.” The literary form and this limit govern it: The Medes do not map to a modern coalition, and idol satire must not become contempt for present cultures or Jewish neighbors.
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Jeremiah 51:11–19 — Median Attack and Creator Hymn Contrast IdolsSources used for this context pointer
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.
Exact location: Jeremiah 51:11–19, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Jeremiah
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2; fixed commit
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology checked at the exact unit without treating morphology as a critical apparatus or interpretation.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Jer.xml, OSIS 51:11–19
Open the fixed Hebrew Jeremiah file ↗