Jeremiah 15 3

Jeremiah 15:3 kjv

And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith the LORD: the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and destroy.

Jeremiah 15:3 nkjv

"And I will appoint over them four forms of destruction," says the LORD: "the sword to slay, the dogs to drag, the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy.

Jeremiah 15:3 niv

"I will send four kinds of destroyers against them," declares the LORD, "the sword to kill and the dogs to drag away and the birds and the wild animals to devour and destroy.

Jeremiah 15:3 esv

I will appoint over them four kinds of destroyers, declares the LORD: the sword to kill, the dogs to tear, and the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy.

Jeremiah 15:3 nlt

"I will send four kinds of destroyers against them," says the LORD. "I will send the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, the vultures to devour, and the wild animals to finish up what is left.

Jeremiah 15 verses

Jeremiah 15 3 Meaning

Jeremiah 15:3 reveals the Lord's absolute and deliberate decree of judgment upon the unrepentant people of Judah. It outlines four distinct, divinely appointed agents of destruction—the sword, dogs, birds of heaven, and beasts of the earth—that will comprehensively kill, dismember, and completely consume their bodies. This signifies a horrifying and ignominious end, stripping the dead of any dignity, preventing proper burial, and leaving no trace, demonstrating the irreversible nature and severe consequences of their sin and covenant unfaithfulness.

Jeremiah 15 3 Context

Jeremiah 15 opens with God firmly declaring that He will not relent in His judgment against Judah, even after Jeremiah's fervent intercession in the previous chapter. He states that even if Moses and Samuel—renowned intercessors—were to stand before Him, His heart would not turn towards them (15:1). This underscores the severity and finality of Judah's impending doom due to their persistent idolatry, bloodshed (15:4), and covenant breaking that had stretched over generations (Manasseh's sin mentioned in 15:4). The Lord has determined to cast them out of His presence, delivering them to a range of severe fates: death, sword, famine, and captivity (15:2). Verse 3 specifically elaborates on the fate of those destined for death by detailing the horrifying aftermath, intensifying the picture of utter disgrace and desolation as a direct divine retribution for their egregious sins, indicating an irrevocable divine judgment.

Jeremiah 15 3 Word analysis

• And I will appoint over them: וּפָקַדְתִּי עֲלֵיהֶם (u-phaqad'tī ‘ălehēm).

  • And: Connects this verse directly to the previous pronouncement of judgment, showing an expansion or further detail.
  • I will appoint: From the Hebrew verb פָּקַד (paqad), meaning "to visit," "to inspect," "to muster," "to entrust," but often in prophetic contexts, "to punish" or "to set in charge of" for a specific purpose. It signifies active divine sovereignty and deliberate ordination of the agents of judgment, not just passive allowance. God is not merely permitting these events; He is actively orchestrating them.
  • over them: Refers to the people of Judah, particularly those who will die in the judgment, highlighting the divine control over the recipients of the judgment.

• four kinds of destroyers: אַרְבַּע מִשְׁפָּחוֹת לְמַשְׁחִית (arba‘ mishpāḥōt ləmašḥîṯ).

  • four: Symbolizes completeness, totality, or universality in a grim sense here. It implies a comprehensive and inescapable judgment. This specific number might also echo covenant curses from Lev 26 and Deut 28.
  • kinds of: מִשְׁפָּחוֹת (mishpāḥōt), meaning "families" or "species/categories." Emphasizes distinct categories of agents.
  • destroyers: לְמַשְׁחִית (ləmašḥîṯ), literally "for destruction" or "to destroy." Highlights the primary function and intention of these appointed agents. They are instruments designed solely for ruin.

• declares the Lord: נְאֻם־יְהוָה (nə’um-YHWH).

  • declares: נְאֻם (ne'um) signifies a divine oracle, an authoritative declaration directly from God, lending ultimate certainty and weight to the prophecy.
  • the Lord: יְהוָה (YHWH), the covenant name of God, indicating that the faithful God of Israel is the one delivering this severe judgment upon His own covenant people for their unfaithfulness.

• the sword to kill: אֶת־הַחֶרֶב לַהֲרֹג (eṯ haḥerev lahărōg).

  • the sword: חֶרֶב (ḥerev), a common instrument of war and execution. Represents death in battle or by violence at the hands of human adversaries.
  • to kill: לַהֲרֹג (lahărōg), directly states the outcome, emphasizing swift, violent termination of life.

• the dogs to drag away: וְאֶת־הַכְּלָבִים לִסְחֹב (wə'eṯ hakklāḇîm lishōḇ).

  • the dogs: כְּלָבִים (kelāḇîm), referring to street dogs or wild dogs, often scavengers. In ancient Israelite culture, dogs consuming a human body was a profound humiliation and desecration, signifying an ignominious end.
  • to drag away: לִסְחֹב (lishōḇ), to pull, tear, or haul, specifically referring to the dismemberment and scattering of corpses. This highlights the public and grotesque defilement of the dead bodies, preventing a proper burial, which was paramount in the ancient Near East.

• the birds of heaven: וְאֶת־עוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם (wə'eṯ ‘ôph haššāmayim).

  • the birds of heaven: עוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם (oph hashama'im), meaning "birds of the sky" or "carrion birds." Another agent of public scavenging, picking clean the bones.

• and the beasts of the earth: וְאֶת־בְּהֶמֶת הָאָרֶץ (wə'eṯ bəhēmêṯ hā'āreṣ).

  • and the beasts of the earth: בְּהֶמֶת הָאָרֶץ (behemath ha'aretz), refers to wild animals, further reinforcing the consumption of bodies by scavengers.

• to devour and destroy: לֶאֱכֹל וּלְהַשְׁחִית (le’ĕḵōl ûləhašḥîṯ).

  • to devour: לֶאֱכֹל (le'eḵōl), to eat, consume.
  • and destroy: וּלְהַשְׁחִית (ulehashḥîṯ), to ruin, corrupt, lay waste. These verbs emphasize the utter and complete consumption of the corpses, leaving no recognizable remains for any kind of respectful treatment or memory. It implies an obliteration.

Words-group analysis:

• "four kinds of destroyers": This phrase signals the divine appointment of a comprehensive, multi-faceted, and inescapable judgment. It underscores that God's retribution will not be limited to a single mode but will employ diverse means to ensure a total collapse.
• "the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, the birds of heaven and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy": This is a chilling progression of the judgment. First, violent death (sword to kill). Then, the gruesome desecration of the body by scavengers (dogs to drag away). Finally, the complete annihilation and consumption of the remains by various wild creatures (birds...and beasts...to devour and destroy). This sequence depicts a complete loss of dignity, a horrific and public end, and the absolute absence of proper burial—a grave curse in ancient society, leaving the deceased without rest and the family without an honorable closure. It escalates from mere death to the utter eradication of any remnant, a form of spiritual annihilation for the deceased, according to their cultural belief.
• "declares the Lord": This phrase is strategically placed after the introduction of the agents of judgment to assert the divine origin and incontrovertible nature of the decree. It serves as an unshakeable seal of authenticity and certainty to this grim prophecy.

Jeremiah 15 3 Bonus section

• The combination of these "four kinds" reflects the comprehensive nature of the Mosaic curses against covenant-breakers. The specificity and brutality of the post-mortem treatment by wild animals amplify the severity beyond just death, attacking the social and religious values surrounding respectful burial.
• The emphasis on unburied corpses left for scavenging animals directly attacks the cultural value placed on an honorable burial and mourning rituals. To be denied burial was considered the ultimate curse, a disgrace that extended beyond death.
• The "four kinds of destroyers" resonate with similar enumerations of judgments elsewhere in the prophetic books, such as Ezekiel 14:21 ("four deadly judgments: sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence"), indicating a consistent pattern of divine retribution when the covenant is continually broken. Jeremiah focuses specifically on the gruesome fate of the physical body after death.

Jeremiah 15 3 Commentary

Jeremiah 15:3 is a grim and graphic prophetic utterance, underscoring the absolute and irrevocable nature of God's judgment against Judah. The "four kinds of destroyers" are not merely metaphorical but concrete instruments of divine wrath, systematically orchestrated by God Himself. This verse is a direct fulfillment of the covenant curses found in passages like Deuteronomy 28:26 and Leviticus 26:22, demonstrating that the Lord's patience has completely run out. The listed agents—human war (sword) combined with wild scavengers (dogs, birds, beasts)—paint a terrifying picture of the comprehensive and escalating horrors that await. The inclusion of animals as agents of judgment, specifically for dismembering and devouring, highlights the ignominious fate awaiting the unburied dead, a deep shame and spiritual wound in ancient culture. Proper burial was vital, connecting an individual's legacy and peace, and its denial was the ultimate public curse. Thus, the verse does not merely predict death but foretells a gruesome aftermath, designed to publicly dishonor and utterly erase the physical remnants of those who chose to defy God, serving as a stark warning and consequence of generations of unrepentant sin and idolatry. It signifies the end of God's protection and a return to the natural lawlessness of the land that His covenant was designed to avert.