Jeremiah 19 7

Jeremiah 19:7 kjv

And I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place; and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hands of them that seek their lives: and their carcases will I give to be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.

Jeremiah 19:7 nkjv

And I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place, and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hands of those who seek their lives; their corpses I will give as meat for the birds of the heaven and for the beasts of the earth.

Jeremiah 19:7 niv

"?'In this place I will ruin the plans of Judah and Jerusalem. I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies, at the hands of those who want to kill them, and I will give their carcasses as food to the birds and the wild animals.

Jeremiah 19:7 esv

And in this place I will make void the plans of Judah and Jerusalem, and will cause their people to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hand of those who seek their life. I will give their dead bodies for food to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the earth.

Jeremiah 19:7 nlt

"'For I will upset the careful plans of Judah and Jerusalem. I will allow the people to be slaughtered by invading armies, and I will leave their dead bodies as food for the vultures and wild animals.

Jeremiah 19 verses

Jeremiah 19 7 Meaning

Jeremiah 19:7 is a pronouncement of severe divine judgment against Judah and Jerusalem. It declares that God will nullify their human strategies and deliver them to their enemies, leading to their slaughter. This judgment includes the dire consequence of their unburied dead bodies becoming food for scavengers, symbolizing extreme dishonor and a complete lack of proper burial, a severe curse in ancient cultures for their persistent idolatry and wickedness.

Jeremiah 19 7 Context

Jeremiah 19 unfolds a powerful symbolic act orchestrated by the LORD. Jeremiah is commanded to take an earthenware flask, gather the elders and priests, and go to the Valley of Ben Hinnom, specifically to Topheth. This valley, notorious for the idolatrous practice of child sacrifice to Molech, served as the backdrop for Jeremiah's stark prophecy. The breaking of the flask before the leaders (Jer 19:10-11) vividly symbolized God's complete and irreversible shattering of Judah and Jerusalem due to their profound sin. Verse 7 specifically details the elements of this impending judgment: the divine frustration of their plans, their defeat in battle, and the ultimate ignominy of unburied bodies. The historical context is Judah on the brink of Babylonian invasion, clinging to futile alliances and false security rather than repenting and returning to God. The absence of proper burial, promised here, was a profound cultural curse, stripping the dead of honor and demonstrating utter desolation in ancient Israel.

Jeremiah 19 7 Word analysis

• And I will make void (וּבַקֹּתִי - u·ḇaq·qo·ṯî): From the root bāqaq, meaning "to empty out," "to make void," "to devastate." It signifies God's deliberate act of rendering ineffective and fruitless all the human plans and efforts of Judah.
• the counsel (עֲצַת - ‘ă·ṣaṯ): Refers to the collective plans, strategies, wisdom, and political decisions made by the leaders and people of Judah and Jerusalem. It encompasses human attempts to secure their future without God.
• of Judah and Jerusalem: Identifies the direct recipients of this judgment, encompassing the entire kingdom, its leadership, and its populace.
• in this place: Specifically refers to the Valley of Ben Hinnom (Topheth), where the prophecy is being delivered. It directly links the location of their abomination (child sacrifice) with the manifestation of God's judgment against their wicked counsel.
• and I will cause them to fall (וְהִפַּלְתִּי - wə·hip·pal·tî): From nāphal, "to fall," here in a causative sense. God Himself is the active agent in their defeat, indicating His direct orchestration of their downfall.
• by the sword (בַּחֶרֶב - ba·ḥe·reḇ): The instrument of war, symbolizing violent death in battle.
• before their enemies (לִפְנֵי אֹיְבֵיהֶם - li·p̄nê ’ō·yə·ḇê·hem): Denotes a public, undeniable defeat at the hands of those hostile to them.
• and by the hand of those who seek their lives (וּבְיַד מְבַקְשֵׁי נַפְשָׁם - ū·ḇə·yaḏ mə·ḇaq·šê nap̄·šām): Emphasizes the deadly and relentless intent of their foes, portraying the invaders as instruments of God's wrath focused on their total destruction.
• I will give their dead bodies (אֶת־נִבְלָתָם - ’eṯ-niḇ·lā·ṯām): Nīḇlāh means "corpse" or "carcass." The act of "giving" implies a complete disregard for human dignity, delivering them over to a cursed fate.
• to be food (לְמַאֲכָל - lə·ma’·ă·ḵāl): Implies providing sustenance. Here, it denotes utter desecration and the dehumanization of the deceased.
• for the birds of the air (לְעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם - lə·‘ō·w p̄ haš·šā·ma·yim): Refers to scavenger birds, like vultures and ravens. Being left unburied and consumed by such creatures was the ultimate sign of disgrace and divine curse.
• and for the beasts of the earth (וּלְבֶהֱמַת הָאָרֶץ - ū·lə·ḇe·hĕ·maṯ hā·’ā·reṣ): Wild predatory animals that would also feed on unattended corpses. This compounds the image of desolation, abandonment, and utter lack of human respect or burial.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "And I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place": This phrase asserts God's ultimate control over all human endeavors. It means that all the strategic plans, diplomatic efforts, and internal wisdom of Judah's leaders, irrespective of their perceived shrewdness, would be rendered absolutely futile and ineffective. The specific mention of "in this place" underscores a judicial irony, connecting the nullification of their flawed human wisdom directly to the site where their most heinous acts of idolatry (child sacrifice) were committed, as a visible sign of God's judgment on their apostate counsel.
• "and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hand of those who seek their lives": This section articulates the inevitable military defeat and violent death that await the people. The repetition of "I will cause" and "by the hand of" stresses that God is the primary agent behind their defeat, using the Babylonian invaders as instruments of His righteous judgment. "By the sword before their enemies" paints a vivid picture of brutal public slaughter and national humiliation, demonstrating that all their self-reliant defense strategies will utterly fail, leading to their complete subjugation and death at the hands of a merciless foe.
• "I will give their dead bodies to be food for the birds of the air and for the beasts of the earth": This final and most graphic statement signifies the apex of disgrace and divine wrath. In ancient Israelite culture, an unburied body was a profound curse and dishonor, denoting complete societal collapse, spiritual abandonment, and God's severe judgment. It speaks to a land utterly devastated by war, with so many dead that proper burial rites are impossible, leaving their corpses to be scavenged. This imagery dramatically portrays the complete loss of dignity, a state of ultimate shame, and a definitive end to their lineage and honor, fulfilling the dire warnings of the Mosaic covenant curses.

Jeremiah 19 7 Bonus section

The specific location for this prophecy and its fulfillment—the Valley of Ben Hinnom, also known as Topheth—is critically significant. It was the very place where Judah offered their children to Molech, epitomizing their religious apostasy. Thus, "in this place" means not only "here" where the flask is broken, but "here," in the symbolic locus of their deepest rebellion. This ensures that their profound sin and equally profound judgment are inextricably linked in the historical and prophetic narrative. This prophecy also served to re-contextualize "Topheth" from a site of abhorrent pagan worship to a place of utter desecration and burial grounds for the wicked, eventually lending its name (Gehenna) in later traditions as a symbol for ultimate damnation.

Jeremiah 19 7 Commentary

Jeremiah 19:7 powerfully articulates God's decisive and multifaceted judgment against Judah and Jerusalem. It highlights divine sovereignty by declaring the absolute frustration of all human plans and wisdom that contradict God's will. Their attempts at self-preservation and political maneuvering would prove utterly worthless, leading directly to a divinely orchestrated military defeat. The gruesome prophecy of unburied corpses becoming food for wild animals serves as the ultimate expression of desecration, public shame, and societal breakdown, a fate far more terrifying in ancient consciousness than death itself. This curse underscores the profound violation of the covenant through idolatry, particularly the abhorrent practice of child sacrifice in Topheth, linking the specific site of their sin to the nature of their punishment. The verse ultimately warns that reliance on human strength or cunning, divorced from God's righteousness, leads only to inescapable destruction and profound dishonor, with God Himself ensuring the judgment's full and terrifying execution.