Jeremiah 50:43

Modern

The king of Babylon has heard the report, and his hands hang limp. Anguish has gripped him, pain like that of a woman in labor.

Traditional

The king of Babylon hath heard the report of them, and his hands waxed feeble: anguish took hold of him, and pangs as of a woman in travail.

Literal

The king of Babylon has heard the report of them, and his hands hang limp; distress has taken hold of him, writhing like that of a woman in labor.

Latin

Audivit rex Babylonis famam eorum, et dissolutæ sunt manus ejus: angustia apprehendit eum, dolor quasi parturientem.

Hebrew

English

The king of Babylon has heard the report, and his hands hang limp. Anguish has gripped him, pain like that of a woman in labor.

The Babylonians would feel the same fear that their victims had felt (compare Jeremiah 6:22–23).

Theme notes and profiles

Jeremiah 51:31
One courier races to meet another, and messenger follows messenger, to announce to the king of Babylon that his city has been captured from end to end.
Jeremiah 49:24
Damascus has become feeble; she has turned to flee. Panic has gripped her; anguish and pain have seized her like a woman in labor.
Isaiah 21:3–4
Therefore my body is filled with anguish. Pain grips me, like the pains of a woman in labor. I am bewildered to hear, I am dismayed to see.
Jeremiah 49:22
Look! An eagle will soar and swoop down, spreading its wings over Bozrah. In that day the hearts of Edom’s mighty men will be like the heart of a woman in labor.
Daniel 5:5–6
At that moment the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. As the king watched the hand that was writing,
Isaiah 13:6–8
Wail, for the Day of the LORD is near; it will come as destruction from the Almighty.

Babylon: Ancient Mesopotamian city, capital of Babylonian Empire, site of the Tower of Babel