Jeremiah 20 16

Jeremiah 20:16 kjv

And let that man be as the cities which the LORD overthrew, and repented not: and let him hear the cry in the morning, and the shouting at noontide;

Jeremiah 20:16 nkjv

And let that man be like the cities Which the LORD overthrew, and did not relent; Let him hear the cry in the morning And the shouting at noon,

Jeremiah 20:16 niv

May that man be like the towns the LORD overthrew without pity. May he hear wailing in the morning, a battle cry at noon.

Jeremiah 20:16 esv

Let that man be like the cities that the LORD overthrew without pity; let him hear a cry in the morning and an alarm at noon,

Jeremiah 20:16 nlt

Let him be destroyed like the cities of old
that the LORD overthrew without mercy.
Terrify him all day long with battle shouts,

Jeremiah 20 verses

Jeremiah 20 16 Meaning

Jeremiah 20:16 expresses the prophet Jeremiah’s deep despair, a curse upon the person who announced his birth. He wishes for this messenger, and by extension his own existence, to face a destruction as absolute and merciless as the cities overthrown by the LORD without pity. This state of irreversible judgment should be accompanied by constant terror, manifesting as a "cry" of distress in the morning and a "trumpet alarm" of imminent disaster at noon, symbolizing a relentless, pervasive fear throughout the day.

Jeremiah 20 16 Context

Jeremiah 20:16 is part of Jeremiah's personal lament, often referred to as his "Fifth Confession" (Jer 20:7-18). This raw outpouring of despair follows directly after his public humiliation and suffering at the hands of Pashhur the priest, who beat him and put him in the stocks for prophesying Judah's doom. Overwhelmed by the constant persecution and the crushing burden of God's word, which has become a source of ridicule and pain, Jeremiah wishes he had never been born. This verse is the climax of his personal curse, extending the agony to the very moment his existence was announced, desiring for it the most extreme form of divine judgment – constant, unrelenting terror akin to Sodom and Gomorrah's destruction. This intense personal suffering underscores the difficulty of prophetic ministry during Judah's apostasy and impending collapse under Babylonian threat.

Jeremiah 20 16 Word analysis

• וְהָיָה (wəhāyāh): "Let that man be." A jussive, expressing a strong wish or command for a future state. It signifies a fervent desire for the cursed fate to come to pass, reflecting Jeremiah's intense emotional state. The root היה (hayah) means "to be" or "to become."
• הָאִישׁ (hā'îš): "the man." Refers back to the anonymous messenger mentioned in Jeremiah 20:15, "the man who brought news to my father." This "man" represents the very moment or the cause of Jeremiah's birth, which he now perceives as the origin of his unbearable suffering.
• כָּעָרִים (kāʿārîm): "like the cities." The prefix "כ" (kā) means "like" or "as." This crucial comparison sets the standard of the desired judgment. It immediately brings to mind infamous biblical examples of complete, devastating destruction by God.
• אֲשֶׁר (ʾăšer): "that/which." A relative pronoun connecting the cities to the subsequent action.
• הָפַךְ (hāfak): "overthrew," "overturned," "annihilated." This verb signifies a violent, irreversible inversion or destruction, not merely a defeat. It evokes the divine action against Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19:21, 25), Admah, and Zeboiim (Deut 29:23), highlighting total desolation.
• יְהוָה (YHWH): "the LORD." The sacred personal name of God, indicating that the destructive judgment is not by human hands but by divine, ultimate authority. It emphasizes the absolute nature of the curse and the sovereign power behind it.
• וְלֹא נִחָם (wəlōʾ niḥām): "and did not repent" or "without pity/compassion." This is a key phrase. "לֹא" (lōʾ) means "not." "נִחָם" (niḥām) is from the Niphal stem of the verb נחם (naḥam), which means "to comfort," "to be sorry," or "to show pity/relent." In this context, it unequivocally means God acted without changing His mind, without showing remorse, and crucially, without pity or compassion, resulting in an unmitigated and irreversible judgment.
• וְשָׁמַע (wəšāmaʿ): "and let him hear." A jussive form, indicating a continuous, future state. The wish is for perpetual rather than momentary terror.
• זְעָקָה (zəʿāqāh): "a cry," "a shout." This term denotes a loud cry of distress, pain, or lament, often associated with a city under siege, experiencing disaster, or imminent attack (e.g., Exod 11:6). It's a sound of suffering and panic.
• בַבֹּקֶר (babbōqer): "in the morning." "בּ" (ba) means "in." בֹּקֶר (bōqer) means "morning," typically a time for awakening, fresh beginnings, or security. For terror to greet one in the morning suggests an abrupt, inescapable disruption of peace from the start of the day.
• וּתְרוּעָה (ûṯərûʿāh): "and an alarm," "a battle cry," "a trumpet blast." "וּ" (û) means "and." תְרוּעָה (tərûʿāh) is a loud, resounding sound, often a signal for war, a military alarm, or a shout of warning (e.g., Num 10:5-6; Amos 2:2). It denotes imminent danger and hostile action.
• בַּצָּהֳרָיִם (baṣṣōhŏrāyim): "at noon." "בּ" (ba) means "at." צָהֳרַיִם (ṣōhŏrāyim) means "noon" or "midday." This time is often associated with the height of the day, perhaps activity or, paradoxically, a quiet respite from early morning work. For an alarm to sound at noon suggests an unending, all-day presence of terror, not just in the initial hours.

Words-group analysis:

• "Let that man be as the cities that the LORD overthrew without pity": This powerful phrase establishes the ultimate curse. By comparing the individual to "cities," Jeremiah invokes a societal, comprehensive destruction rather than merely a personal one. The act of "overthrowing" by the "LORD" highlights the divine, absolute, and inescapable nature of this judgment. The phrase "without pity" further intensifies this, denoting an unyielding divine decree that offers no reprieve or mercy, a fate worse than mere death – total, irredeemable destruction. It's the most severe condemnation remembered in Israel's history, typically reserved for profound wickedness (e.g., Sodom and Gomorrah).
• "Let him hear a cry in the morning and an alarm at noon": This illustrates the experience of the desired judgment. It depicts an existence of ceaseless, pervading terror. The "cry" of distress at morning, when hope usually dawns, signifies that the day begins with anguish. The "alarm" or "battle cry" at noon, when the day is at its peak, demonstrates that there is no respite or peace even during typical working or settled hours. This combination conveys a state of perpetual fear, the sound of impending doom constantly ringing, suggesting life itself becomes an unending siege or prelude to total disaster.

Jeremiah 20 16 Bonus section

• Polemics against false security: Jeremiah’s curse highlights a profound contrast with the false security preached by contemporary false prophets who promised peace (Jer 6:14; 8:11) amidst Judah's impending doom. By invoking a state of "cry" and "alarm" day-long, Jeremiah ironically curses the very 'peace' that his adversaries falsely offered.
• A Theologically Complex Lament: While reflecting immense personal suffering, this lament also reveals a deeper theological struggle. For Jeremiah to wish God to act "without pity" implies a deep understanding of God's capacity for absolute justice, though expressed here in a context of personal exasperation rather than righteous indignation for God's glory. It is a moment where human emotion grapples with the awesome severity of divine judgment.
• Foreboding of Jerusalem's Fate: The vivid imagery of a city's complete overthrow "without pity" and constant cries of alarm inadvertently foreshadows the very fate that Jeremiah so painfully prophesied for Jerusalem itself. The agony he wishes upon his own genesis eerily mirrors the terror that awaited the inhabitants of Judah (cf. Lam 2:20-22; 4:11).

Jeremiah 20 16 Commentary

Jeremiah 20:16 stands as a stark testament to the profound spiritual and psychological torment of the prophet. His personal anguish, caused by ridicule and persecution for faithfully delivering God’s unwelcome messages, boils over into a desperate wish for cosmic justice to consume his very existence. This verse moves beyond merely cursing the day of his birth to condemning the agent (metaphorically, his own being) to a fate matching the most extreme biblical examples of divine judgment – the absolute annihilation of cities like Sodom and Gomorrah, where God executed His wrath "without pity." The accompanying image of ceaseless terror, a "cry" at dawn and an "alarm" at midday, paints a picture of unrelenting dread that transforms life into a perpetual state of fear and imminent destruction. It underscores the human cost of divine service, revealing a prophet at his breaking point, deeply wrestling with the overwhelming burden of his calling while retaining his commitment to speaking God’s truth amidst immense personal pain. This lament highlights the intense emotional landscape within a man wholly dedicated to the Lord, even as his humanity struggles with its cross.