Jeremiah 14:16 kjv
And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and they shall have none to bury them, them, their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters: for I will pour their wickedness upon them.
Jeremiah 14:16 nkjv
And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; they will have no one to bury them?them nor their wives, their sons nor their daughters?for I will pour their wickedness on them.'
Jeremiah 14:16 niv
And the people they are prophesying to will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and sword. There will be no one to bury them, their wives, their sons and their daughters. I will pour out on them the calamity they deserve.
Jeremiah 14:16 esv
And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem, victims of famine and sword, with none to bury them ? them, their wives, their sons, and their daughters. For I will pour out their evil upon them.
Jeremiah 14:16 nlt
As for the people to whom they prophesy ? their bodies will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem, victims of famine and war. There will be no one left to bury them. Husbands, wives, sons, and daughters ? all will be gone. For I will pour out their own wickedness on them.
Jeremiah 14 16 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah 14:16 | "and the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword." | Foreshadowing judgment, parallel to verses like Eze 6:12 |
| Jeremiah 8:12 | "They are shamed, for they have committed abominations; surely they shall be shamed, yes, with great shame they shall be put to shame." | Theme of shame due to sin |
| Jeremiah 17:18 | "Let them be put to shame who persecute me, but let not me be put to shame; let them be dismayed, but do not let me be dismayed;" | Personal prayer reflecting similar anxieties |
| Jeremiah 20:11 | "But the LORD is with me as a mighty terrifying one; therefore my persecutors will stumble and will not overcome;" | Contrast of God's presence |
| Isaiah 3:26 | "Her gates shall lament and mourn, and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground." | Depiction of Jerusalem's desolation |
| Isaiah 5:13 | "Therefore my people have gone into captivity because they have no knowledge;" | Consequence of ignorance and sin |
| Isaiah 42:22 | "But this is a people robbed and plundered; all of them are snared in holes, and they are hidden in prison houses;" | Condition of God's people |
| Lamentations 1:1 | "How lonely sits the city that was full of people! She has become as a widow;" | Poetic expression of loss and ruin |
| Lamentations 2:9 | "Her gates sank into the ground; he has shattered all her bars; her king and her princes are among the nations; the law is no more;" | Description of destroyed Jerusalem |
| Lamentations 4:4 | "The tongue of the nursing infant clings to the roof of its mouth from thirst; the young children ask for bread, but no one breaks it for them." | Devastation by famine |
| Ezekiel 5:10 | "Therefore the fathers shall eat their children among you, and the children shall eat their fathers; and I will execute judgments among you;" | Harsh judgments foretold |
| Ezekiel 14:21 | "For thus says the Lord GOD: “How much more when I send My four severe judgments against Jerusalem: the sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence," | Enumeration of divine punishments |
| Zephaniah 1:13 | "and it shall be that in the day of the LORD’s sacrifice, I will punish the princes and the king’s children, and all such as are strangely clothed." | Judgment on rulers and the nation |
| Amos 8:3 | "And the songs of the temple shall wail in that day,” says the Lord GOD. “There shall be many dead bodies; in every place you throw them out with silence.”" | Description of death and judgment |
| Micah 3:12 | "Therefore because of you Zion shall be plowed like a field, Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins, and the mountain of the house shall be—”" | Prophecy of destruction |
| Psalm 79:1 | "O God, the nations have invaded your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple; they have laid Jerusalem in ruins." | Plea regarding the desecration of Zion |
| Psalm 91:10 | "No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;" | Promise of protection for the faithful |
| Romans 11:20 | "That is true because of unbelief. And you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear." | Warning against pride and unbelief |
| 1 Corinthians 10:11 | "Now all these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come." | Historical examples for Christian life |
| Revelation 18:17 | "For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.”" | Description of fallen cities |
Jeremiah 14 verses
Jeremiah 14 16 Meaning
The people will return to dust, becoming an object of ridicule and scorn. This consequence stems from their disobedience and rejection of God's messengers.
Jeremiah 14 16 Context
Jeremiah 14 falls within the prophecy against Judah during a severe drought and impending siege by Babylon. The prophet laments the state of the land and the people's sin, which has alienated them from God's favor. Verse 16 specifically addresses the aftermath of the prophesied judgment, detailing the dire fate of Jerusalem's inhabitants when the predicted calamities strike. This chapter highlights God's wrath against unrepentant sin and the severe consequences that follow, emphasizing that even those who escape the famine might fall to the sword or be disgraced among foreign nations.
Jeremiah 14 16 Word Analysis
- וְהָעָם (veha'am): "and the people." "Ve" is a conjunction "and." "Ha'am" is "the people," referring to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judah. It emphasizes the collective consequence affecting the entire populace.
- אֲשֶׁר (asher): "to whom" or "that." A relative pronoun connecting the people to the prophets mentioned previously.
- נִבָּא (nibba'): "they prophesy." From the root "naba," meaning to prophesy or speak forth God's word. Here, it refers to the pronouncements of the false prophets and possibly even the true prophets who delivered messages of doom.
- יִשְׁפְּכוּ (yishpekhu): "shall be cast out" or "shall be poured out." The verb "shaphakh" can mean to pour, spill, or cast out. In this context, it signifies being violently expelled or scattered, suggesting a forceful removal from their homes.
- לְרָעָב (lerav): "because of famine." "Le" is a preposition "for" or "because of." "Ra'av" is "famine" or "hunger." It explicitly states famine as a primary cause of their displacement.
- וּלְחֶרֶב (ul'cherev): "and because of the sword." "Ul" combines the conjunction "vav" (and) and the preposition "le" (because of). "Cherev" means "sword," symbolizing warfare, violence, and death. This indicates that the sword's threat complements the famine's devastation.
- בְּסִמְטוֹת (bsimtot): "in the streets" or "in the roadways." From the root "samt," meaning a street, lane, or open place. This word paints a picture of public exposure and degradation.
- יְרוּשָׁלִָם (Yerushalayim): "Jerusalem." The name of the capital city, symbolizing the entire nation's spiritual and political center.
- הִצָּמְדוּ (hitzamdu): "shall be stuck" or "shall cling." The Hithpael (reflexive/passive) conjugation of "tsamad," meaning to join or fasten. Here, it suggests the people being trapped or pinned down, unable to escape the plight. It implies a state of being helpless and confined to these desperate circumstances, perhaps even becoming part of the dust themselves in their despair.
Word Group Analysis:
- "the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out...": This phrase highlights a direct causal link between the pronouncements (whether true or false) and the resultant suffering. The prophets' words have led to a situation where the people themselves face public expulsion and death.
- "...because of the famine and the sword...": This pairing of causes signifies a dual devastation – scarcity of food and the violence of war – both of which lead to extreme suffering and death.
- "...in the streets of Jerusalem...": The location emphasizes the public and utter destruction, not a hidden demise, but a visible, shameful state for the holy city.
- "...shall be stuck/cling...": The Hebrew verb suggests not just being present, but being inextricably bound to these dreadful conditions, their existence becoming synonymous with the desolation and dust.
Jeremiah 14 16 Bonus Section
The imagery of being "cast out into the streets" and becoming like dust speaks to a loss of dignity and national identity, a complete undoing of societal order. This mirrors the prophetic concern throughout the Old Testament for the land and its people becoming a byword or a curse. The people’s desperate state, clinging to the dusty streets, evokes the earlier lament of the prophet in chapter 13:23: "Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Then also you can do good who are accustomed to do evil." It implies an ingrained sinfulness that makes repentance incredibly difficult, leading to such profound degradation.
Jeremiah 14 16 Commentary
Jeremiah 14:16 describes a gruesome outcome for Jerusalem's inhabitants. Their sin has so angered God that even the prophecies spoken about them lead to their utter ruin. Famine will leave them weak, and the sword will bring death. They won't even have proper burial; instead, they will be discarded in the public thoroughfares of Jerusalem, becoming like dirt or refuse, despised and forgotten. This verse underscores the severity of divine judgment when a people turns away from God, highlighting that even the words meant to guide or condemn can preface an almost unimaginable level of suffering and disgrace. The "clinging" or being "stuck" implies a helplessness, a state of being utterly trapped by the consequences of their choices, ultimately being reduced to dust like the earth beneath their feet.