Jeremiah 12:17 kjv
But if they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation, saith the LORD.
Jeremiah 12:17 nkjv
But if they do not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation," says the LORD.
Jeremiah 12:17 niv
But if any nation does not listen, I will completely uproot and destroy it," declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 12:17 esv
But if any nation will not listen, then I will utterly pluck it up and destroy it, declares the LORD."
Jeremiah 12:17 nlt
But any nation who refuses to obey me will be uprooted and destroyed. I, the LORD, have spoken!"
Jeremiah 12 17 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah 12:17 | but if they do not listen, I will uproot that nation, uprooting and destroying it, declares the LORD. | Judgment against disloyalty |
| Deuteronomy 28:64 | The LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other. | Consequences of disobedience |
| Isaiah 5:5-7 | Now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it will be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled. | Metaphor of God's judgment |
| Jeremiah 18:7-10 | If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, overturned or destroyed, and if that nation then turns from its evil, I will relent and not bring on it the destruction I had planned. | Conditional nature of judgment |
| Jeremiah 44:22-24 | "Can we not learn from the actions of the kings of Judah and the kings of Jerusalem, whom the former prophets cautioned in the name of the LORD their God, but to no avail?" | Unheeding of prophetic warnings |
| Hosea 9:15-17 | their whole history: Israel will be punished for its wickedness. Because of their sinful deeds, I will drive them out of my house. I will no longer love them; all their leaders are rebels. Ephraim is stricken, their roots are dried up, they will bear no fruit. Even if they give birth, I will kill their precious children. | God's rejection due to sin |
| Psalm 107:33-34 | He turned rivers into wilderness, and springs into arid ground, land that was fertile into salt-laden desolation because of the wickedness of its inhabitants. | Divine reversal of creation |
| Jeremiah 5:11-13 | For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have been utterly treacherous to me, declares the LORD.” "They have lied about the LORD; they said, "He is not! Calamity will not come upon us, and we will never see sword or famine. The prophets are but wind and the word is not in them; may that be done to them!" | Apostasy and denial of consequence |
| Romans 11:17-24 | If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not consider yourself superior to those other branches. | Grafting and spiritual heritage |
| Acts 2:37-40 | they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." | Repentance as response to prophecy |
| Ezekiel 15:1-8 | The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, how is the wood of a grapevine superior to any other wood, or to a branch from any forest? Is it not used for fuel? And the fire consumes both ends of it, and the middle of it is scorched. Is it useful for anything? It is never used for carving or for pegs. It is useless as fuel. It has been no use on the earth; it is scorched and so it is useless. Can it ever be used for anything? The LORD says: Just as the wood of the vine is useless for anything if it has been scorched, so will I treat the inhabitants of Jerusalem after I have done to them what they deserve." | Figurative use of wood as judgment |
| 1 Corinthians 10:11-12 | Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that we might not crave evil, as they did. Do not become idolaters, as some of them did. | Warnings from past failures |
| 2 Peter 2:20-22 | For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. | Relapse into sin is worse |
| Jeremiah 24:9-10 | I will make them a horror among all the kingdoms of the earth because of the disaster that I have brought on them. They will be a reproach, a taunt, a curse, and an object of horror in all the places where I will drive them. I will send sword, famine, and plague among them until they have vanished from the land that I gave to them and their ancestors." | Punishment and scattering |
| Amos 9:8-10 | “Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the face of the earth, except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,” declares the LORD. “For behold, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all the nations as grain is sifted through a sieve, but no kernel shall fall to the ground. | Sifting and scattering of Israel |
| 1 John 5:16 | If you see anyone committing a sin that is not a mortal sin, you should pray and God will give them life. I say this to those who are sinning a sin not leading to death. | Prayer for sinning brethren |
| Matthew 21:43 | Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. | Transfer of the kingdom |
| John 15:6 | If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown outward like a branch and withers; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. | Consequences of not abiding in Christ |
| 1 Samuel 15:23 | For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king.” | Rebellion as witchcraft |
| Isaiah 28:2-4 | the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim, and the fading flower of its glorious beauty, which is on the head of the rich valley of those overcome with wine! Behold, the Lord has a mighty and strong one, like a landslide of hail, a destruction by a flood, like a fall of a mighty avalanche. He will rain it down on his dwelling in fury. The trampling underfoot of the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim will be trampled down. | Destruction from powerful enemies |
Jeremiah 12 verses
Jeremiah 12 17 Meaning
This verse signifies a solemn pronouncement of divine judgment upon those who have forsaken God's covenant and turned to idolatry. It emphasizes the irrevocable nature of God's anger against such disloyalty. The consequences described are severe, involving destruction and scattering, leaving the land barren and desolate, mirroring the spiritual emptiness of the people. This judgment serves as a stern warning about the faithfulness required in the covenant relationship with God.
Jeremiah 12 17 Context
Jeremiah 12 is situated within the broader context of Jeremiah's prophetic ministry, a period marked by intense political turmoil and impending Babylonian invasion of Judah. The prophet is commissioned to deliver messages of judgment against Judah's persistent idolatry and covenant unfaithfulness. In chapter 11, Jeremiah confronts the people of Anathoth for their rebellion and betrayal. Chapter 12 begins with Jeremiah's complaint to God about the prosperity of the wicked, specifically the ungodly in Judah, and God's response explains that while the wicked may prosper temporarily, judgment is certain. Verse 17 is a direct consequence that God declares upon those nations who do not heed His word and who, like Judah, have demonstrated persistent rebellion and disobedience. Historically, this prophecy addresses a time when surrounding nations also influenced Judah's spiritual decline, making them complicit in sin. The scattering and destruction foreshadowed are ultimately realized with the Babylonian exile.
Jeremiah 12 17 Word Analysis
- וְאִם־לֹא֮ שָׁמְע־ (ve'im-lo' sham'-): "And if you do not listen"
- וְ (ve'): "And" - A common conjunctive particle.
- אִם־ (im): "If" - Conditional particle, introducing a hypothetical situation.
- לֹא (lo): "not" - Negation.
- שָׁמְע (sham'-): "listen," "hear," "obey" - Imperfect verb from shama', indicating continued action. The root emphasizes understanding and heeding, not just auditory reception.
- בָּ֤זֹאת (bazot): "to this" or "to this matter"
- בְּ (b'e): "in," "by," "to" - Preposition.
- זֹאת (zot): "this" - Demonstrative pronoun, referring back to the previous instructions or warnings.
- וּנְתַשְׁתִּ֤י (unetash'ti): "then I will pluck up," "root out," "destroy"
- וּ (u): "and" - Conjunction.
- נְתַשְׁתִּ֤י (netash'ti): Perfect verb, 1st person singular from the root natash. The verb implies not just uprooting but complete removal and devastation, often associated with extirpation. It speaks of pulling up by the roots, leaving nothing behind.
- אֶת־ (et): "—" - Direct object marker.
- הַגּוֹי֙ (haggoy): "the nation," "the people"
- הַ (ha): "the" - Definite article.
- גּוֹי֙ (goy): "nation," "people," "Gentile." Here, it likely refers to Judah or the specific peoples warned.
- הַזֶּ֔ה (hazzeh): "this"
- הַ (ha): "the" - Definite article.
- זֶּ֔ה (zeh): "this" - Demonstrative pronoun, modifying haggoy.
- הַשְׁמֵ֥ד (hashmed): "destroy," "annihilate"
- הַ (ha): Likely an intensified imperative or a definite article with the infinitive, functioning as a cognate accusative or emphasizing the certainty of destruction. From shamad - to destroy, lay waste, exterminate.
- וְאָבַ֖ד (ve'ovad): "and perish"
- וְ (ve): "and" - Conjunction.
- אָבַ֖ד (ovad): Perfect verb, 3rd person masculine singular from avad - to perish, be lost, vanish.
- אָמַ֣ר (amar): "says," "declares"
- אָמַ֣ר (amar): Perfect verb, 3rd person masculine singular from amar - to say, speak.
- יְהוָ֑ה (YHWH): "The LORD" - The personal covenant name of God.
Group of words analysis:The phrase "If you do not listen to this, then I will pluck up that nation, plucking up and destroying it, says the LORD" presents a stark cause-and-effect relationship. The act of not listening (lo sham') leads directly to a catastrophic and complete uprooting and destruction (unetash'ti...hashmed ve'ovad). The repetition of the verb "pluck up" (natash) with hashmed ("destroy") amplifies the severity and totality of the impending judgment, leaving no room for misinterpretation of God's intended action against continued disobedience.
Jeremiah 12 17 Bonus Section
The imagery of "uprooting" (natash) can be compared to how invasive weeds are removed, ensuring they do not regrow. This speaks to the finality of God's judgment when reconciliation through repentance is rejected. The prophecy’s fulfillment can be seen not only in the Babylonian exile of Judah but also as a symbolic representation of judgment upon spiritual Israel when they reject Christ, as illustrated in Jesus’ parables like the Parable of the Wicked Tenants (Matt 21:43). The ultimate consequence for any "branch" not abiding in the "vine" (Christ) is being "thrown outward... and withers" and cast into the fire (John 15:6), echoing the thorough destruction declared by Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 12 17 Commentary
Jeremiah 12:17 articulates a foundational principle of God's interaction with His people: conditional covenant faithfulness. Disobedience, particularly rooted in ignoring divine commands and turning away from God, incurs a judgment of total destruction and dispersion. The Hebrew word natash signifies an utter uprooting, emphasizing that the consequences of persistent rebellion are not temporary corrections but radical removal. This forewarns of exilic judgments and serves as a perpetual reminder that God’s patience has limits when faced with entrenched apostasy. The pronouncement "says the LORD" underscores the divine authority behind this decree.
Practical usage:
- When faced with societal disobedience or personal rebellion, this verse reminds us of the ultimate spiritual consequences.
- It highlights the importance of hearkening to God's word and the serious spiritual danger of spiritual complacency and neglect.