Jeremiah 11 23

Jeremiah 11:23 kjv

And there shall be no remnant of them: for I will bring evil upon the men of Anathoth, even the year of their visitation.

Jeremiah 11:23 nkjv

and there shall be no remnant of them, for I will bring catastrophe on the men of Anathoth, even the year of their punishment.' "

Jeremiah 11:23 niv

Not even a remnant will be left to them, because I will bring disaster on the people of Anathoth in the year of their punishment."

Jeremiah 11:23 esv

and none of them shall be left. For I will bring disaster upon the men of Anathoth, the year of their punishment."

Jeremiah 11:23 nlt

Not one of these plotters from Anathoth will survive, for I will bring disaster upon them when their time of punishment comes."

Jeremiah 11 verses

Jeremiah 11 23 Meaning

The people of Anathoth face immediate and complete destruction, not for some minor transgression, but because they have plotted against God's messenger, Jeremiah, and rebelled against God by practicing idolatry. Their downfall serves as a divine judgment, a consequence of their willful defiance and rejection of God's prophet.

Jeremiah 11 23 Context

Jeremiah 11:18-23 stands as a critical turning point in the narrative, revealing God's escalating judgment against the people of Judah. In the preceding verses (Jer 11:1-17), Jeremiah recounted the covenant blessings and curses, while also condemning the idolatry and religious hypocrisy prevalent in Judah. The people of Anathoth, Jeremiah's own hometown, actively plotted against him, seeking to silence God's message through violent means. This chapter underscores the rejection of prophetic warnings and the deep-seated corruption within Judah, setting the stage for the ultimate judgment described in this verse.

Jeremiah 11 23 Word Analysis

• “Surely”: (Hebrew: 'ak - אָכֵן). Indicates certainty and emphasizes the truth of the following statement, confirming the inevitable outcome.

• “no”: (Hebrew: lo' - לֹא). Absolute negation, asserting the complete absence of anything to intervene or mitigate the coming destruction.

• “instrument” (or “tool”, “implement”, “means”): (Hebrew: keli - כְּלִי). This word broadly refers to a vessel, implement, or agent. Here it signifies any means or force capable of acting as an instrument of God’s judgment.

• “of”: (Hebrew: min - מִן). Indicates source or origin.

• “punishment” (or “destruction”, “visitation”, “affliction”): (Hebrew: qedem - קֶדֶם). Refers to a primal beginning or past time, but in this context, often translated to imply a destructive action or an ordained judgment. (Note: A more common word for punishment would be pēsha or similar; the Masoretic text might use qedem in a less common or specialized sense here, possibly relating to an ancient, appointed doom). However, another perspective understands this term in relation to a "settlement" or "disposition," suggesting no effective disposition for preservation will be found among them. Considering the context of destruction, the sense is of complete removal or absence of remedial power.

• “they”: Refers to the inhabitants of Anathoth.

• “among them”: Indicates the locale of this absence of any mitigating instrument or divine safeguard.

• “surely”: (Hebrew: ki - כִּי). Often translated as "for" or "surely," it here introduces a cause or reason, though it can also function as a strong assertion, emphasizing the truth of the subsequent statement that God’s actions are just.

• “own”: (Implied, possessive).

• “rebellion” (or “wickedness”, “perverseness”): (Hebrew: riš'ah - רִשְׁעָה). Encompasses evil, wickedness, and iniquity, pointing to a deliberate state of opposing God’s will and law.

• “shall they”: Indicates future action.

• “bring” (or “commit”, “accomplish”): (Hebrew: 'asah - עָשָׂה). To do, make, or bring about.

• “destruction” (or “ruin”, “calamity”): (Hebrew: hɔ·wâ - הָוָה). Denotes a calamity or ruin that has befallen or is brought upon. This verb form often refers to an event happening.

• Words group analysis:

  • “Surely no instrument of punishment shall be found among them”: This collective phrase highlights the complete absence of any means for self-defense or mitigation. God’s judgment is so absolute that no tool or force can prevent its execution because the sin itself has removed any buffer.
  • “Surely it is for their own rebellion that they shall bring destruction”: This clause establishes the direct causality between Judah's inherent wickedness and the ultimate ruin they face. Their own actions are the direct precursors to their downfall, leaving no room for blaming external forces or circumstances. The inherent quality of their "rebellion" (riš'ah) leads to the consequence of "destruction" (hɔ·wâ).

Jeremiah 11 23 Bonus Section

The theological concept here is sowing and reaping (Galatians 6:7-8). The people of Anathoth, by rejecting God's prophet and his message, have sown seeds of rebellion and violence. The harvest, therefore, will inevitably be destruction. This principle of divine justice, where actions have direct consequences, is a recurring theme throughout Scripture, illustrating that God’s judgment is not arbitrary but flows from the nature of sin itself. The absolute nature of the judgment (“surely no instrument… shall be found”) points to the complete severing of God’s protective presence due to the magnitude of their sin.

Jeremiah 11 23 Commentary

This verse delivers a stark pronouncement of God’s judgment upon the people of Anathoth for their wicked plots against Jeremiah and their deep-seated rebellion against God. It declares that no protective measures or instruments will be available to them because their own ingrained wickedness (riš'ah) will be the very cause (ki) of their ultimate ruin (hɔ·wâ). God’s justice is so precise that the sin they embrace becomes the mechanism of their destruction. There is no external force or accidental circumstance; it is the direct, self-inflicted consequence of their chosen path of rebellion, which includes, as seen in earlier verses, idolatry and covenant-breaking.