Jeremiah 16:6 kjv
Both the great and the small shall die in this land: they shall not be buried, neither shall men lament for them, nor cut themselves, nor make themselves bald for them:
Jeremiah 16:6 nkjv
Both the great and the small shall die in this land. They shall not be buried; neither shall men lament for them, cut themselves, nor make themselves bald for them.
Jeremiah 16:6 niv
"Both high and low will die in this land. They will not be buried or mourned, and no one will cut themselves or shave their head for the dead.
Jeremiah 16:6 esv
Both great and small shall die in this land. They shall not be buried, and no one shall lament for them or cut himself or make himself bald for them.
Jeremiah 16:6 nlt
Both the great and the lowly will die in this land. No one will bury them or mourn for them. Their friends will not cut themselves in sorrow or shave their heads in sadness.
Jeremiah 16 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah 16:6 | "Great shall be the slain of thee; they shall not be lamented; neither shall they be buried; but they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth: and their carcases shall be consumed by the fowls of heaven, and by the beasts of the earth; and no man shall save them." | Eze 6:12-13 (judgment on Israel) |
| Isaiah 5:13 | "Therefore is my people gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their nobles were famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst." | Isa 5:13 (captivity due to lack of knowledge) |
| Isaiah 14:22 | "For I will rise up against them, saith the LORD of hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and son, and nephew, saith the LORD." | Isa 14:22 (judgment and cutting off a people) |
| Isaiah 17:13 | "The nations shall rage, like the raging of the sea; and the people shall murmur like the murmurings of mighty waters." | Isa 17:13 (nations raging) |
| Isaiah 18:6 | "They shall all of them be left to the ravenous bird of the mountains, and to the beasts of the field; and summer birds shall be upon them all winter; and none shall frighten them away." | Isa 18:6 (carcasses left for birds and beasts) |
| Jeremiah 7:33 | "And the carcases of this people shall be meat unto the fowls of the heaven, and unto the beasts of the earth; and none shall fray them away." | Jer 7:33 (carcasses as meat for animals) |
| Jeremiah 15:3 | "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." | Jer 15:3 (instruments of judgment) |
| Jeremiah 34:20 | "And I will give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life: and their dead bodies shall be for meat unto the fowls of heaven, and to the beasts of the earth;" | Jer 34:20 (enemies, dead bodies for consumption) |
| Jeremiah 36:30 | "Therefore thus saith the LORD of evil concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah; He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David: and his dead body shall be cast out in the day time to the heat, and in the night to the frost." | Jer 36:30 (judgment on Jehoiakim) |
| Ezekiel 5:10 | "Therefore the fathers shall eat the sons in the midst of thee, and the sons shall eat the fathers; and I will execute judgments in thee, and the remnant of all thy tribes will I scatter unto all the winds." | Eze 5:10 (cannibalism and scattering as judgment) |
| Ezekiel 14:21 | "For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast?" | Eze 14:21 (four sore judgments) |
| Hosea 9:7 | "The days of visitation are come, the days of recompence are come; Israel shall know it: the prophet is a fool, the spiritual man is mad, for the multitude of thine iniquity, and the great hatred." | Hos 9:7 (days of visitation/recompense) |
| Amos 5:1-2 | "Hear ye this word which I take up against you, even a lamentation, O house of Israel. Thespraak hath fallen; she shall be no more raised: O virgin of Israel, she is cast upon her land; there is none to cause her to be raised up." | Amo 5:1-2 (lamentation, Israel fallen) |
| Revelation 11:18 | "And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth." | Rev 11:18 (wrath and judgment of nations) |
| Psalm 50:22 | "Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver." | Ps 50:22 (God tearing in pieces, none to deliver) |
| Leviticus 26:31 | "And I will bring the land into desolation, and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it." | Lev 26:31 (land desolation) |
| Deuteronomy 28:52 | "And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, throughout all thy land: and he shall bring thee down at thy gates, wherein thy strong holds doth trust, in all thy land: and he shall give thee into thine hands, and into the hands of thy enemies." | Deut 28:52 (siege and enemies taking cities) |
| 1 Samuel 30:18 | "And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives." | 1 Sam 30:18 (contrast to total loss in Jeremiah) |
| Proverbs 31:4 | "It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink." | Prov 31:4 (prohibition on drink) |
| Song of Solomon 3:7 | "Behold his bed was of Solomon; threescore valiant men about it, of the valiant of Israel." | Song 3:7 (image of marital procession) |
Jeremiah 16 verses
Jeremiah 16 6 Meaning
This verse describes a profound mourning and cessation of normal activities due to a divine judgment. It signifies a period of extreme sorrow and public display of grief, where even common comforts and signs of life like feasting, rejoicing, marriage, and carrying food to mourn were forbidden as Israel faced severe consequences for their disobedience.
Jeremiah 16 6 Context
Jeremiah chapter 16 portrays God’s absolute decree against the people of Judah for their persistent idolatry and wickedness. The chapter is part of a larger prophetic discourse where Jeremiah is commanded to live a life of solitude and abstinence from normal societal practices. This particular verse highlights the devastating consequences of their sin—a complete breakdown of society, evidenced by the immense death toll, lack of proper burial, and public desecration of the dead. The backdrop is the impending Babylonian invasion, a severe judgment intended to cleanse the land and people of their spiritual adultery. The nation’s covenant with God was broken, leading to these dire pronouncements.
Jeremiah 16 6 Word Analysis
- Likewise (Hebrew: gam chen, גַּם־כֵּן): A conjunction indicating that what follows is a parallel or additional decree of judgment.
- shall (Hebrew: hayah, הָיָה): Often expresses a future certainty, the inescapable outcome of God's judgment.
- great (Hebrew: gadol, גָּדוֹל): Signifies a large number, magnitude, or severity.
- slain (Hebrew: halal, הָלַל - but used here as participle of harag, הָרַג): Refers to those killed or murdered, emphasizing the violent nature of the judgment.
- of thee (Hebrew: mimmennu, מִמֶּנּוּ - literally "from him/it" but referring to the plural "thee"): Indicates those who will fall by death inflicted upon them, the slain from Judah.
- they shall not be (Hebrew: lo yi-həyū, לֹא יִהְיוּ): A strong negative, declaring a lack of something specific that is normally expected.
- lamented (Hebrew: misped, מִסְפֵּד - noun related to wailing/mourning, used here to express the action): Means to be mourned over with great sorrow, usually involving public expressions of grief.
- neither (Hebrew: wə-lo, וְלֹא): A conjunction introducing another prohibition or negative statement.
- shall they be (Hebrew: yi-həyū, יִהְיוּ): The verb for "to be."
- buried (Hebrew: qābar, קָבַר): The act of putting a dead body into the earth for burial, a customary and respectful final resting place.
- but (Hebrew: kī / ’ak, כִּי / אַךְ): A strong adversative, contrasting what will happen with the expected normal practice.
- they shall be (Hebrew: yi-həyū, יִהְיוּ): Indicates their state or condition.
- for dung (Hebrew: cidah, סִידָה - from cid): Literally meaning "excrement," "offal," or "dung," a term of utmost degradation and worthlessness.
- upon the face (Hebrew: ’al-pənē, עַל־פְּנֵי): Across the surface, in plain sight.
- of the earth (Hebrew: ha-’āreṣ, הָאָרֶץ): The land, the ground itself.
- and their carcases (Hebrew: wə-nebelāh, וּנְבֵלָה): Refers to their dead bodies, often specifically a carcass of an animal left unburied, emphasizing their ignoble state.
- shall be consumed (Hebrew: lē-’aḵalāh, לֵאָכְלָה - literally "for eating"): Will be eaten or devoured.
- by the fowls (Hebrew: ’eth ha-ʿōph, אֶת־הָעוֹף): Birds of any kind.
- of heaven (Hebrew: ha-ššāmayim, הַשָּׁמַיִם): Celestial birds.
- and by the beasts (Hebrew: wə-bə-bəhēmōth, וּבִבְהֵמוֹת): Animals, beasts of the field or livestock.
- of the earth (Hebrew: ha-’āreṣ, הָאָרֶץ): Creatures of the ground.
- and no man (Hebrew: wə-’ên-’iys, וְאֵין־אִישׁ): And no person whatsoever.
- shall save (Hebrew: yaṣṣīl, יַצִּיל): To rescue, to deliver from peril or death.
- them (Hebrew: ’ōtām, אֹתָם): Them, the slain or their carcasses.
Words group by words-group analysis:
- "great shall be the slain of thee": This emphasizes the immense scale of the coming destruction, more significant than previous defeats or casualties.
- "they shall not be lamented; neither shall they be buried": These are connected prohibitions showing a total abandonment of respect for the dead. Lamenting was a ritual of mourning; burial was the final act of dignity. Both are denied.
- "but they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth": This is a strong indictment of utter worthlessness and revulsion. Dung is cast aside, spread out, and trampled underfoot. It implies defilement and lack of any remaining value.
- "and their carcases shall be consumed by the fowls of heaven, and by the beasts of the earth": This further illustrates the abandonment and the natural, ignoble process of decay that will occur without human intervention. This is a picture of total exposure and predation of the dead.
- "and no man shall save them": This final clause highlights the complete helplessness and absence of any rescue or preservation effort, signifying ultimate abandonment by humanity and, by implication, from any earthly succor.
Jeremiah 16 6 Bonus Section
The concept of "no man shall save them" echoes themes of utter helplessness and divine abandonment, which contrasts with instances where individuals or groups are saved or deliver others, such as David rescuing his family (1 Sam 30:18) or the assurance of God’s intervention for His faithful. The imagery of carcasses for birds and beasts is not unique to Jeremiah but is a consistent prophetic warning of judgment across the Old Testament (Jer 7:33, 15:3, 34:20; Eze 5:10, 14:21; Isa 18:6). This underscores the severity and totality of the judgment that will befall disobedient Israel, leaving them without hope of human intervention. It serves as a stark warning against turning away from God’s covenant commands.
Jeremiah 16 6 Commentary
Jeremiah 16:6 paints a grim picture of divine judgment. The prophet conveys that the destruction of Judah will be so widespread that the slain will not receive the honor of mourning or burial. Instead, their bodies will lie unburied, exposed to the elements, and will become food for scavengers like birds and wild animals. This fate represents the ultimate degradation for a people who were God's covenant chosen, signifying their utter rejection due to their sins. It emphasizes that no one will be left to even collect or bury the dead. This extreme judgment is a consequence of severe spiritual infidelity, illustrating the terrifying finality of God's wrath when His people persistently turn away from Him. The prophet's personal life—refraining from marriage and mourning—is a lived-out message mirroring this collective doom.