Jeremiah 21 3

Jeremiah 21:3 kjv

Then said Jeremiah unto them, Thus shall ye say to Zedekiah:

Jeremiah 21:3 nkjv

Then Jeremiah said to them, "Thus you shall say to Zedekiah,

Jeremiah 21:3 niv

But Jeremiah answered them, "Tell Zedekiah,

Jeremiah 21:3 esv

Then Jeremiah said to them: "Thus you shall say to Zedekiah,

Jeremiah 21:3 nlt

Jeremiah replied, "Go back to King Zedekiah and tell him,

Jeremiah 21 verses

Jeremiah 21 3 Meaning

This verse is a direct divine judgment and prophecy of destruction against the people of Jerusalem and their king. God declares that he will give the city and its inhabitants into the hands of their enemies, leading to their defeat and death by plague, sword, and famine. There will be no mercy, and those who remain will suffer.

Jeremiah 21 3 Context

Jeremiah 21 occurs during the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Zedekiah, the king of Judah, had rebelled against Babylon, breaking his treaty. Jeremiah is sent by God with a message of doom for Jerusalem and its leadership. This chapter, specifically verses 3-7, details God's unwavering judgment against the city due to their persistent disobedience and idolatry. The prophet is tasked with delivering a prophecy that sounds like surrender and inevitable defeat.

Jeremiah 21 3 Word analysis

• "Thus": (כֹּ֥ה - koh) - Adverb meaning "so," "thus," "in this manner." It indicates a direct statement or instruction from God, highlighting the certainty of the following pronouncement.

• "says": (אָמַר - amar) - Verb meaning "to say," "to speak." It emphasizes God as the speaker, the source of this message.

• "the LORD": (יהוה - YHWH) - The covenant name of God, revealing his personal and relational nature with Israel.

• "Behold": (הִנֵּה - hinnēh) - Interjection used to call attention, to present something vividly. It emphasizes the immediacy and seriousness of what follows.

• "I will give": (נָתַתִּי - natati) - Perfect tense verb, meaning "I have given" or "I will surely give." It signifies a completed action in the divine purpose, expressing absolute certainty and divine decree.

• "this": (הַזֶּה - hazzeh) - Demonstrative pronoun pointing to something near. It specifies "this city," Jerusalem.

• "city": (עִיר - ‘îr) - Means "city." It refers to Jerusalem, the focal point of God's judgment in this context.

• "into the hand": (בְּיַד - bəyāḏ) - Idiomatic expression signifying control, possession, or power over something.

• "king": (מֶלֶךְ - meleḵ) - Means "king." It refers to Nebuchadnezzar, the instrument of God's judgment.

• "of Babylon": (בָּבֶל - Bāḇel) - Refers to the Neo-Babylonian Empire, the dominant world power at this time.

• "and": (וְ - wə) - Conjunction connecting clauses and ideas.

• "into the hand": (בְּיַד - bəyāḏ) - Again, emphasizing control.

• "his enemies": (צָרָיו - ṣārāyw) - Plural of enemy; signifies those who are hostile and opposed.

• "that": (אֲשֶׁר - ’ăšer) - Relative pronoun connecting the preceding phrase to the following action.

• "slay": (מַכֵּה - maḵḵēh) - Hiphil participle of makah (to smite, to kill). Indicates the act of killing.

• "with the sword": (בַּחֶרֶב - baḥereḇ) - Instrument of death; the sword.

• "you": (אֹתָכֶם - ’ōṯḵem) - Plural masculine pronoun, addressing the people of Jerusalem.

• "and": (וְ - wə) - Conjunction.

• "ye shall not be pitied": (וְלֹא־תֻחַם - wəlo-ṯuḥam) - Niphal passive of ḥāmam (to pity, to have compassion). Signifies an absolute lack of mercy or pity.

• "nor": (וְ - wə) - Conjunction.

• "nor": (וְ - wə) - Conjunction, strengthening the negative statement.

• "nor": (וְ - wə) - Conjunction.

• "shall you have mercy": (וְלֹא־תְחֻמָּ֑לְנָה - wəlo-ṯəḥummālənā) - Niphal plural feminine passive of ḥāmam. The plural feminine form suggests mercy being withheld from a collective group or perhaps implicitly from their hopes or aspirations. The precise grammatical choice can convey a nuance of utter abandonment, extending even to the collective sense of potential mercy.

• "and your cities burned with fire": This phrase signifies complete devastation and loss of property and habitation.

• "ye shall not be pitied, nor shall you have mercy": This twofold negative emphasizes the totality of the judgment—no compassion will be shown to the inhabitants, nor will they be in a state to show compassion to anyone else. It conveys absolute desolation.

Jeremiah 21 3 Bonus Section

The use of "I will give" (נָתַתִּי - natati) in the perfect tense often denotes a divine certainty in prophetic pronouncements, indicating that God has already determined this outcome. The phrase "into the hand of his enemies" emphasizes that the victory of the enemy is directly orchestrated by God as a form of judgment, not merely an independent act of aggression. The repeated negation "and not... nor... nor..." amplifies the comprehensive nature of the judgment – affecting the people, their land, and even the capacity for mercy. This verse reflects a consistent theme in the Old Testament where disobedience leads to severe, and sometimes inescapable, divine discipline. It's important to note that while God uses human agents (like Nebuchadnezzar) for judgment, the ultimate accountability rests with the one who decrees it. The lack of mercy points to the violation of covenant stipulations by Judah.

Jeremiah 21 3 Commentary

God pronounces a severe judgment upon Jerusalem and its people through the prophet Jeremiah. He states that the city will be delivered into the hands of its enemies, specifically the king of Babylon and his armies. This entregar signifies not just conquest, but total destruction. The people of Jerusalem will face death by the sword, and no one will show them pity. Furthermore, their cities will be consumed by fire, leaving them utterly desolate. The verse starkly illustrates God's response to persistent rebellion and disobedience. The lack of pity underscores the thoroughness of the judgment, where even basic human compassion will be absent. This prophecy was a painful reality for Judah as they faced the Babylonian siege and subsequent destruction.