Jeremiah 21:5 meaning summary explained with word-by-word analysis enriched with context, commentary and Cross References from KJV, NIV, ESV and NLT.
Jeremiah 21:5 kjv
And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath.
Jeremiah 21:5 nkjv
I Myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger and fury and great wrath.
Jeremiah 21:5 niv
I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm in furious anger and in great wrath.
Jeremiah 21:5 esv
I myself will fight against you with outstretched hand and strong arm, in anger and in fury and in great wrath.
Jeremiah 21:5 nlt
I myself will fight against you with a strong hand and a powerful arm, for I am very angry. You have made me furious!
Jeremiah 21 5 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exod 6:6 | "I am the Lord, and I will bring you out...with an outstretched arm and with great judgments." | God's power for Israel's deliverance |
| Exod 14:14 | "The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent." | God fighting on behalf of His people |
| Deut 4:34 | "...God take for himself a nation...by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and by great terrors and by signs and by wonders..." | God's powerful acts in bringing Israel out of Egypt |
| Deut 5:15 | "...the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm." | Remembrance of God's redemptive power in the Exodus |
| Lev 26:17 | "I will set My face against you, and you shall be struck down before your enemies; those who hate you shall rule over you..." | God's active opposition as a covenant judgment |
| Deut 28:49-50 | "The Lord will bring a nation against you from afar...a fierce nation, who will not show favor..." | Prophecy of an enemy nation as God's instrument of judgment |
| Judg 2:15 | "Wherever they went, the hand of the Lord was against them for harm, as the Lord had sworn..." | God's judgment manifested as adversity |
| 2 Chron 32:7-8 | "With us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles." | Assurance of God fighting for Judah (under Hezekiah) |
| Ps 136:12 | "With a strong hand and an outstretched arm, for His steadfast love endures forever." | God's powerful deliverance tied to His enduring love |
| Isa 5:25 | "Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against His people...His hand was stretched out against them, and He struck them..." | God's wrath and extended hand used in judgment for sin |
| Isa 9:12 | "For all this His anger has not turned away, and His hand is stretched out still." | Continuation of God's unyielding judgment against sin |
| Isa 63:10 | "But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; therefore He turned to be their enemy and Himself fought against them." | God actively becoming an enemy to His rebellious people |
| Lam 2:1-5 | "How the Lord in His anger has set the daughter of Zion under a cloud!...The Lord has become like an enemy; He has swallowed up Israel..." | Lament describing God as an active adversary and judge |
| Eze 7:3-8 | "Now the end is upon you...I will deal with you according to your ways...and I Myself will judge you..." | God's personal and deserved judgment for iniquity |
| Hos 5:14 | "For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear and go away..." | God's destructive and personal judgment |
| Nah 1:2, 6 | "The Lord is a jealous God and avenging...Who can stand before His indignation? Who can endure the heat of His anger?" | The formidable and consuming nature of God's wrath |
| Jer 11:11 | "Therefore thus says the Lord, Behold, I am bringing disaster upon them that they cannot escape..." | Declaration of inescapable divine judgment |
| Amos 9:4 | "And though they hide themselves on top of Carmel, I will search them out...from there." | God's inescapable judgment pursuing the rebellious |
| Rom 1:18 | "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men..." | Universal revelation of God's wrath against human sin |
| Rom 2:5-6 | "But because of your hard and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself...God will render to each one according to his works." | God's righteous judgment for impenitence |
| Eph 5:6 | "Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience." | God's wrath as a consequence for disobedience (New Testament) |
| Col 3:6 | "On account of these the wrath of God is coming." | The impending reality of God's wrath |
| Heb 12:29 | "for our God is a consuming fire." | God's nature as holy, which can manifest as judgment |
| Rev 6:16-17 | "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him...and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come..." | Eschatological culmination of divine wrath |
Jeremiah 21 verses
Jeremiah 21 5 meaning
Jeremiah 21:5 declares God's explicit intention to personally engage in combat against Judah during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem. He asserts that He, Himself, will utilize His renowned powerful attributes—represented by "an outstretched hand and a strong arm"—which historically delivered Israel, now to wage war against them. This judgment will be executed with an intensifying display of divine wrath, expressed as "anger, and fury, and great wrath," underscoring the severity and certainty of His direct and impassioned disciplinary action.
Jeremiah 21 5 Context
Jeremiah 21 is a pivotal oracle delivered by the prophet during a dire period: Nebuchadnezzar's final siege of Jerusalem, circa 588-586 BC. King Zedekiah, desperate, sends an envoy to Jeremiah hoping the Lord will miraculously intervene, similar to the deliverance under Hezekiah from Sennacherib (2 Kgs 19, Isa 37). Judah, despite repeated warnings, clung to a false security, believing God would always protect His temple and city. This chapter crushes that false hope, as God, through Jeremiah, unequivocally declares He will not fight for Judah but against them. The verse intensifies this, asserting God's personal and wrathful participation in the city's downfall, establishing the unassailable nature of divine judgment when His covenant people refuse to repent.
Jeremiah 21 5 Word analysis
- I Myself (אֲנִ֧י֙ 'aní): Hebrew for "I," used emphatically. This highlights God's direct, personal, and intentional involvement in the coming destruction. It stresses that this is not through an agent or by passive allowance, but by His own decree and power. This contrasts starkly with earlier times where God fought for Israel.
- will fight (נִלְחָ֣ם nilkham): Meaning "to wage war, do battle." This is active, military engagement. God is not merely permitting a siege but actively participating as an adversary against His own covenant people.
- against you (אֶתְכֶ֗ם et-khem): "Against you," referring to Zedekiah and the people of Jerusalem. This direct adversarial address underscores the dramatic reversal of divine alignment – from protector to antagonist.
- with an outstretched hand (בְּיָ֣ד נְטוּיָ֔ה b'yad n'tuyah): A profound anthropomorphism signifying great power and authority. Historically, it described God's acts of mighty deliverance for Israel (e.g., in Exodus). Its deployment here for judgment against them demonstrates a terrifying inversion, where the very instrument of salvation becomes an instrument of destruction.
- and with a strong arm (וּבִזְר֣וֹעַ חֲזָקָה֒ u'vizro'a khazaqah): Similar to the "outstretched hand," the "strong arm" also consistently symbolized God's irresistible power, especially in redemptive acts (e.g., freeing Israel from Egypt). Used alongside "outstretched hand," it reaffirms the total, overwhelming, and executive power God brings to bear in His judgment.
- even in anger (וּבְאַף֙ u'v'af): "Anger, wrath," stemming from divine displeasure. It indicates a righteous indignation from God, ignited by the sustained disobedience and rebellion of His people.
- and in fury (וּבְחֵמָ֖ה u'v'khemah): "Heat, burning anger, rage." A stronger term than 'af,' conveying an intensified, fervent, and passionate aspect of divine wrath, leading to devastating consequences.
- and in great wrath (וּבְקֶ֣צֶף גָּד֑וֹל u'v'qetzef gadol): "Indignation, severe wrath," often implying destruction or cutting off. The adjective "gadol" (great) amplifies this to the highest degree. This tripartite expression of divine emotion forms a crescendo, signifying the ultimate and overwhelming nature of God's holy indignation against sin, leading to complete and deserved judgment.
Words-group analysis:
- "I Myself will fight against you": Emphasizes the personal and direct nature of God's opposition, shattering any illusion that Judah's struggles are merely human conflicts or accidental misfortunes. It establishes that the divine initiative is the primary force against them.
- "with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm": These two phrases are often used together in biblical tradition to denote God's absolute, undeniable, and effective power. Here, their traditional meaning of deliverance is starkly inverted to signify destruction against His covenant people, showing the ultimate irony and tragedy of their rebellion and the seriousness of their covenant breach.
- "in anger and in fury and in great wrath": This climactic trio of terms reveals the intensifying and complete nature of God's divine judgment. It underscores that His actions are not arbitrary, but driven by a righteous and passionate response to profound and prolonged covenant unfaithfulness. The escalating language conveys the depth of His holy indignation.
Jeremiah 21 5 Bonus section
The deliberate use of anthropomorphic language ("outstretched hand," "strong arm") traditionally associated with God's salvific power highlights a profound theological reversal. These familiar images would have been particularly shocking to Jeremiah's original audience, as they signified the very acts of God that brought them into existence as a nation. Now, they represent His devastating judgment. This polemic served to dismantle Judah's presumption of inviolability due to their chosen status and the presence of the temple. It underscored that covenant blessings were conditional upon obedience, and severe disobedience would inevitably lead to severe, even existential, consequences. The verse powerfully teaches that God's consistent attributes of power and sovereignty are not fixed to a single mode of operation; they respond righteously to the fidelity or rebellion of His people, whether for their deliverance or their judgment.
Jeremiah 21 5 Commentary
Jeremiah 21:5 delivers a chilling message, an ultimate reversal of covenant expectations. While Israel fondly recalled God's "outstretched hand and strong arm" saving them from Egypt, this verse pronounces that same omnipotent power now deployed against them. This is not just a passive allowing of their downfall, but an active, personal, and zealous war waged by God Himself due to their deep-seated rebellion and false trust in superficial piety. The triple declaration of "anger, fury, and great wrath" emphasizes that this judgment is not impulsive but a settled, righteous indignation against pervasive sin and unrepentance, sealing the fate of Jerusalem. It demonstrates that God's justice is as mighty and certain as His redemptive power, making clear the severity of covenant transgression. For those in a covenant relationship with God, unfaithfulness incurs direct divine opposition, underscoring that privilege comes with responsibility and judgment starts with the house of God (1 Pet 4:17).