Jeremiah 12:12 kjv
The spoilers are come upon all high places through the wilderness: for the sword of the LORD shall devour from the one end of the land even to the other end of the land: no flesh shall have peace.
Jeremiah 12:12 nkjv
The plunderers have come On all the desolate heights in the wilderness, For the sword of the LORD shall devour From one end of the land to the other end of the land; No flesh shall have peace.
Jeremiah 12:12 niv
Over all the barren heights in the desert destroyers will swarm, for the sword of the LORD will devour from one end of the land to the other; no one will be safe.
Jeremiah 12:12 esv
Upon all the bare heights in the desert destroyers have come, for the sword of the LORD devours from one end of the land to the other; no flesh has peace.
Jeremiah 12:12 nlt
On all the bare hilltops,
destroying armies can be seen.
The sword of the LORD devours people
from one end of the nation to the other.
No one will escape!
Jeremiah 12 12 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jer 12:12 | Thus says the Lord: Lo, the desert and the sea; they have taken possession. | Complete destruction |
| Jer 12:12 | Those who have eaten up Jerusalem. | Devouring the land |
| Isa 5:9 | I have declared in my ears that many houses, even great and beautiful ones, shall become a desolation. | Desolation |
| Jer 4:7 | The lion has gone up from his thicket. | Wild beasts as instruments |
| Jer 4:7 | And the destroyer of nations has set out. | Divine judgment |
| Ezek 14:21 | For thus says the Lord God: How much more when I send upon Jerusalem my four severe judgments, sword, famine, ravenous beasts, and pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast! | Severity of judgment |
| Lev 26:22 | I will let loose the wild beasts against you, and they shall bereave you of your children and destroy your cattle and make you few in number, so that your ways shall become desolate. | Wild beasts' action |
| Deut 32:24 | They shall be gaunt with hunger, and devoured by plague and fierce pestilence; I will send the teeth of beasts against them, with the venom of vipers that crawl in the dust. | Devastation by beasts |
| Jer 4:3 | Tear up your virgin soil, and do not sow among thorns. | Ruined fertility |
| Jer 51:37 | And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwelling place for jackals, a desolation and a hissing, without inhabitant. | Depopulation |
| Psa 79:1 | O God, the heathen have come into your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple; they have laid Jerusalem in ruins. | Ruined sanctuary |
| Jer 23:14 | I have seen even in the prophets of Jerusalem a horrible thing: they commit adultery and walk in lies; they strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that none turns from his wickedness. | Root cause of judgment |
| Jer 23:15 | Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets: Behold, I will feed them with bitter food, and give them poisoned water to drink, for from the prophets of Jerusalem profaneness has gone forth into all the land. | Prophets' responsibility |
| Ezek 34:25 | I will make a covenant of peace with them and destroy the dangerous beasts from the land, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the forests. | Contrast to judgment |
| Rom 11:20-22 | That is true also of the branches that were broken off. For by their unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not presume to be high-minded but rather fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. | Consequences of disobedience |
| Luke 13:34-35 | O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you would not! Your house is left to you desolate. | Jesus' lament over Jerusalem |
| Matt 23:37-39 | O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you would not! And behold, your house is left to you desolate. | Jesus' lament over Jerusalem |
| Rev 18:2 | He cried out with a mighty voice, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! It has become a dwelling place of demons, a haunt of every unclean spirit, a haunt of every unclean and hateful bird." | Ultimate desolation |
| Zeph 1:3 | I will sweep away both man and beast; I will sweep away the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea. And I will make the wicked stumble. | Comprehensive judgment |
| Hos 4:3 | Therefore the land mourns, and all who dwell in it languish, and also the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, and even the fish of the sea are taken away. | Land affected by sin |
Jeremiah 12 verses
Jeremiah 12 12 Meaning
The verse describes a devastating and comprehensive judgment that will befall the land, depicted through the actions of wild beasts. This judgment is a consequence of the people's wickedness and idolatry. It signifies complete ruin, where even the land's natural inhabitants will contribute to its destruction, leaving it desolate and uninhabited by humans.
Jeremiah 12 12 Context
Jeremiah chapter 12 addresses the prophet's lament over the prosperity of the wicked, particularly the people of Anathoth who conspired against him, and God's response concerning His judgment on all nations and specifically Judah. The Lord explains that the land will be desolated due to its inhabitants' wickedness. Verse 12 continues this theme of impending judgment, personifying the wilderness and the sea as agents of destruction, mirroring the overall sense of divine retribution described throughout Jeremiah. The historical context is one of widespread corruption, injustice, and religious syncretism within Judah, leading up to the Babylonian exile.
Jeremiah 12 12 Word analysis
Thus - Introducing a direct statement from the Lord, indicating authority.
says - Communicates the divine declaration.
the Lord - Referring to Yahweh, the God of Israel, emphasizing the source of the prophecy.
Lo - An interjection used to draw attention, to behold, emphasizing the significance of what follows.
the desert - Refers to a barren, uninhabited, or desolate region (Hebrew: midbar).
and - A conjunction linking two entities or actions.
the sea - Refers to the ocean or a large body of water, often associated with chaos or foreign lands (Hebrew: yam).
they - Pronoun referring to "the desert" and "the sea".
have taken possession - Indicates the action of occupying, seizing, or claiming as their own (Hebrew: yahres - to lay waste, make desolate). This implies a hostile takeover of the land by forces of desolation.
of - Preposition showing possession or origin.
Jerusalem - The capital city of Judah, symbolic of the entire nation and its covenant relationship with God.
Those - Pronoun referring to an unspecified group.
who - Relative pronoun.
have eaten - In the sense of consuming, destroying, or devouring (Hebrew: akhah - to eat, consume). This personifies the destroyers.
up - A directional or intensifying particle, implying thorough consumption.
Jerusalem - As mentioned, the heart of the nation.
The desert and the sea (Midbar v'yam) - These natural elements represent forces that consume and make desolate. In ancient Near Eastern thought, the desert could be a place of primal chaos or punishment, while the sea often represented instability and foreign threat. Together, they symbolize utter devastation.
Have taken possession / They have laid waste (Yahres) - The active destruction and making of the land into a desolate wasteland by these consuming forces.
Those who have eaten up Jerusalem - This is a powerful personification of the agents of destruction who will completely consume the city and land due to their wickedness, referring to the invading enemies, but ultimately instruments of God's wrath.
Jeremiah 12 12 Bonus Section
The imagery of nature turned against a sinful people is a recurring theme in the Old Testament, emphasizing that God’s judgment extends to the very fabric of creation when His people betray Him. The Hebrew word translated "laid waste" or "taken possession" (yahres) carries a sense of profound and absolute destruction, rendering the land permanently unusable. This verse foreshadows the ultimate desolation described in prophetic literature, such as the fall of Babylon or the final judgment, where all remnants of human habitation and order are erased. Jesus’ lament over Jerusalem in Luke 13 and Matthew 23, using the phrase "your house is left to you desolate," echoes this prophetic warning of abandonment and ruin due to unfaithfulness.
Jeremiah 12 12 Commentary
This verse serves as a stark prophecy of judgment upon Judah and Jerusalem for their pervasive sinfulness. The imagery of the "desert and the sea" taking possession and "eating up" Jerusalem is a powerful metaphor for complete devastation. The Lord declares that the land, once a place of blessing and habitation, will become desolate, reclaimed by the barrenness of the desert and the unbridled force of the sea. This indicates not just military defeat but a profound ecological and societal ruin. The enemies who will inflict this destruction are presented as extensions of these desolate forces, relentlessly consuming all. The root cause, as often in Jeremiah, is the deep-seated wickedness that has pervaded Jerusalem, leading to its ultimate abandonment by God's presence and protection, leaving it vulnerable to utter ruin.