Jeremiah 4 15

Jeremiah 4:15 kjv

For a voice declareth from Dan, and publisheth affliction from mount Ephraim.

Jeremiah 4:15 nkjv

For a voice declares from Dan And proclaims affliction from Mount Ephraim:

Jeremiah 4:15 niv

A voice is announcing from Dan, proclaiming disaster from the hills of Ephraim.

Jeremiah 4:15 esv

For a voice declares from Dan and proclaims trouble from Mount Ephraim.

Jeremiah 4:15 nlt

Your destruction has been announced
from Dan and the hill country of Ephraim.

Jeremiah 4 verses

Jeremiah 4 15 Meaning

The verse declares that judgment is coming upon Judah from the north, heralded by the voice of God's messengers. This judgment is portrayed as a divinely ordained and unavoidable consequence for their sins. It signifies a sudden, devastating invasion, bringing destruction and terror.

Jeremiah 4 15 Context

Jeremiah chapter 4 portrays the escalating sinfulness of Judah and the inevitable divine judgment that will follow. The chapter begins with a call to repentance, urging the people to cleanse their hearts (4:1-4). However, this plea is met with continued disobedience, leading to pronouncements of destruction. Verse 15 is part of a section where Jeremiah vividly describes the approach of the conquering army, emphasizing the terror and devastation it will bring. The historical context is likely the looming threat of the Babylonian invasion, a fulfillment of God's warnings through the prophets. The audience, the people of Judah, would have understood references to "Dan" and "Ephraim's hills" as indicating the direction from which this impending doom would arrive—the north, signifying the northern invaders like the Babylonians.

Jeremiah 4 15 Word Analysis

• "For": (Hebrew: כִּי - ki) - Introduces a reason or cause.
• "a voice": (Hebrew: קוֹל - qol) - Refers to a sound, a proclamation, or a message. It can represent a spoken word, a cry, or even the sound of an army.
• "declares": (Hebrew: נָגַד - nagad) - To make known, to tell, to announce. This implies a declaration of something significant.
• "from Dan": Refers to the ancient northernmost city of Israel, often symbolizing the northern kingdom of Israel, and by extension, the direction from which enemies would come. It highlights the origin point of the announced disaster.
• "and announces": (Hebrew: וְהִשְׁמִיעַ - wehishmia) - To cause to hear, to make audible, to proclaim. Similar to "declares," emphasizing the communication of a message.
• "disaster": (Hebrew: רָעָה - ra'ah) - Evil, wickedness, calamity, misfortune, distress. Here it signifies a terrible catastrophe or affliction.
• "from the hills": (Hebrew: מֵהַרְרֵי־אֶפְרָיִם - mehărere Ephrayim) - From the mountains of Ephraim. Ephraim was the most prominent tribe of the northern kingdom of Israel. Using "hills of Ephraim" as the source of the announcement evokes a sense of divine action or a threat originating from the ancestral lands of the former northern kingdom, now under hostile control or being a source of the enemy. It signifies the wider geographical scope of the impending doom affecting the northern territories as well as the southern.

Words-group analysis:

• "voice declares from Dan": This phrase personifies the coming judgment, making it an announcement emanating from a specific, ominous location in the north, which was a common direction for invading armies threatening Judah. It carries the weight of a divine decree being made known.
• "announces disaster from the hills of Ephraim": This links the disaster to the ancestral territory of the northern kingdom, reinforcing the idea that the consequences of sin would spread and encompass former areas of Israel. It's a poetic way to indicate the comprehensive nature of the judgment that originates from the north.

Jeremiah 4 15 Bonus Section

The mention of "Dan" as a source of declaration is significant because Dan was one of the northernmost cities of Israel, a key sentinel post. Its association with this announcement of doom highlights the completeness of the judgment affecting the entire land. The phrase "hills of Ephraim" evokes the former Northern Kingdom of Israel, which had already fallen due to its sins. By referencing these regions, the prophet signifies that the same pattern of judgment that befell the North would now afflict the South, implying that Judah's sin mirrors that of its estranged northern counterpart. The imagery of a "voice" announcing disaster is consistent with prophetic literature where divine pronouncements are often described as audible declarations or proclamations that carry absolute authority.

Jeremiah 4 15 Commentary

Jeremiah 4:15 serves as a stark warning, personifying judgment as a clear announcement. The geographical references to "Dan" and "Ephraim's hills" pinpoint the north as the origin of the impending doom, symbolizing the foreign armies (primarily Babylon) that would invade and devastate Judah. This isn't just a military threat but a divinely sanctioned consequence for the nation's pervasive sin and rebellion against God. The "voice" is the divine herald of this judgment. It underscores the inevitability of God's retribution when His people turn away from Him, echoing themes of divine sovereignty in history and the consequences of unfaithfulness found throughout Scripture.