Jeremiah 19 9

Jeremiah 19:9 kjv

And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they shall eat every one the flesh of his friend in the siege and straitness, wherewith their enemies, and they that seek their lives, shall straiten them.

Jeremiah 19:9 nkjv

And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and everyone shall eat the flesh of his friend in the siege and in the desperation with which their enemies and those who seek their lives shall drive them to despair." '

Jeremiah 19:9 niv

I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and daughters, and they will eat one another's flesh because their enemies will press the siege so hard against them to destroy them.'

Jeremiah 19:9 esv

And I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and their daughters, and everyone shall eat the flesh of his neighbor in the siege and in the distress, with which their enemies and those who seek their life afflict them.'

Jeremiah 19:9 nlt

I will see to it that your enemies lay siege to the city until all the food is gone. Then those trapped inside will eat their own sons and daughters and friends. They will be driven to utter despair.'

Jeremiah 19 verses

Jeremiah 19 9 Meaning

The verse prophesies a dire consequence for Judah: the consumption of their own children due to extreme famine and distress caused by the coming Babylonian siege. God is declared to be the one instigating this horrifying outcome as a judgment.

Jeremiah 19 9 Context

Jeremiah 19:9 is part of a broader prophecy concerning the destruction of Jerusalem and the kingdom of Judah by the Babylonian empire. In the preceding verses (Jeremiah 19:1-8), Jeremiah was commanded to buy a potter's earthenware jar and then smash it in the Valley of Hinnom, a place associated with child sacrifice and idolatry. This action served as a powerful visual metaphor for God's judgment on Judah for their pervasive sinfulness, particularly their abandonment of God and embrace of idolatrous practices like those that occurred in Topheth (Jeremiah 19:4-6). The smashing of the jar signified the irreparable breaking of the nation. This verse specifically details the horrific outcome of the impending siege – a desperate famine so severe that people would resort to cannibalism, consuming their own children, a stark fulfillment of curses prophesied for disobedience (Deuteronomy 28:53-57). This grim prediction underscores the absolute devastation that would befall Judah as a direct consequence of their turning away from the LORD.

Jeremiah 19 9 Word Analysis

• "And I will cause them":
  • "And": Connects this consequence to the preceding action and declaration.
  • "I will cause": Emphasizes God's direct agency in bringing about this suffering. This is not merely a natural disaster, but a divinely ordained judgment. This verb, nathan (נתן), often means "to give" or "to cause." God "gives" this horrific situation to them as punishment.
• "to eat":
  • The Hebrew word is akol (אָכַל), a fundamental verb meaning "to eat," "consume," or "devour." Here it signifies a brutal, primal act driven by desperation.
• "the flesh":
  • The Hebrew word is basar (בָּשָׂר), meaning "flesh" or "meat." The term is used starkly to denote the literal human bodies of their children and neighbors, highlighting the depravity and horror of the situation.
• "of their sons":
  • Hebrew: benehem (בְּנֵיהֶם). Literally "sons of them."
• "and the flesh":
  • Repetition of basar (בָּשָׂר) for emphasis on the gruesome detail.
• "of their daughters":
  • Hebrew: ubhenoteihem (וּבְנוֹתֵיהֶם). Literally "and daughters of them."
• "and they shall eat":
  • "and": Conjunction.
  • "they shall eat": Future tense, indicating a definite outcome. The repetition of "eat" underscores the prolonged and inescapable nature of the suffering.
• "the flesh of one":
  • Hebrew: basar re'ehu (בְּשַׂר רֵעֵהוּ). "Flesh of his friend" or "neighbor."
• "of his neighbor":
  • Hebrew: re'ehu (רֵעֵהוּ), meaning "his friend" or "his neighbor." This implies a breakdown of all social bonds and familial ties under extreme duress. Even those closest would become victims.
• "in the destruction":
  • Hebrew: bemetzar (בְּצַר). This word denotes distress, anguish, constraint, or siege. It highlights the context of confinement and hardship leading to such desperate acts.
• "of his enemies":
  • Hebrew: tsarehem (צָרֵיהֶם). "Their enemies" or "their straits/adversaries." It links the cannibalism directly to the siege and the enemies pressing in. The phrase could also be interpreted as "in the destitution/enclosure of their enemies."

Words-group analysis

The phrase "eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they shall eat the flesh of everyone of his neighbor" (בָּשָׂר בְּנֵיהֶם וּבְשַׂר בְּנוֹתֵיהֶם וְאָכְלוּ אֶת־בְּשַׂר רֵעֵהוּ) powerfully depicts the absolute disintegration of society and familial love. This level of horrific cannibalism was prophesied as a curse for disobedience to God’s covenant, a consequence far more dire than mere loss of property or physical death. It represented a complete inversion of natural order and humanity, stemming from ultimate despair.

Jeremiah 19 9 Bonus Section

The Valley of Hinnom (Gehenna) where the potter’s field and Topheth were located became a symbolic representation of hell and eternal judgment in later Jewish and Christian thought. Jeremiah's action in this location amplified the weight of the judgment being proclaimed, associating the impending earthly destruction with ultimate spiritual consequence. The phrase "nor did it come to my heart" in Jeremiah 19:5, referring to God's command regarding burning children, starkly contrasts God's holy nature with the abhorrent practices of His people. This verse in Jeremiah 19:9 therefore not only prophesies future suffering but also condemns past abominations as the root cause. The consumption of one's own children represents the ultimate destruction of lineage and future, a direct reversal of God’s initial blessing of fertility upon Abraham and his descendants.

Jeremiah 19 9 Commentary

This verse is a severe and graphic illustration of the consequences of prolonged and unrepentant sin. God is not simply allowing these events to happen; He is actively bringing them about as a form of righteous judgment. The context of the smashing pottery in Jeremiah 19 powerfully links this dire prophecy to Judah's persistent idolatry, particularly their participation in or tolerance of child sacrifice (as in Topheth, Jeremiah 19:5). The verse functions as a grim fulfillment of curses laid out in the Mosaic Law for disobedience to the covenant (Leviticus 26:29, Deuteronomy 28:53-57). It speaks to the complete societal breakdown, famine, and desperate measures that will occur during the Babylonian siege. The prophet Jeremiah’s personal engagement in smashing the jar symbolizes the irreversible shattering of the nation itself due to its unfaithfulness. This prophecy finds echoes in the intense suffering described in the book of Lamentations.