Jeremiah 4:18 kjv
Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee; this is thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth unto thine heart.
Jeremiah 4:18 nkjv
"Your ways and your doings Have procured these things for you. This is your wickedness, Because it is bitter, Because it reaches to your heart."
Jeremiah 4:18 niv
"Your own conduct and actions have brought this on you. This is your punishment. How bitter it is! How it pierces to the heart!"
Jeremiah 4:18 esv
Your ways and your deeds have brought this upon you. This is your doom, and it is bitter; it has reached your very heart."
Jeremiah 4:18 nlt
"Your own actions have brought this upon you.
This punishment is bitter, piercing you to the heart!"
Jeremiah 4 18 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah 4:17 | As keepers of a field they shall be against her round about. | God's direct judgment |
| Jeremiah 6:14 | For they have healed the wound of the daughter of my people slightly... | Superficial repentance |
| Jeremiah 8:11 | They have healed also the house of my people lightly... | Lack of true healing |
| Isaiah 5:5-6 | And now go to, I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard... | Vineyard symbolism |
| Psalm 78:58-59 | For they provoked him to anger with their high places... | Idolatry provoking God |
| Deuteronomy 28:31 | And all thy pasture land shall be taken away... | Consequences of disobedience |
| Leviticus 26:16 | Also I will do this unto you; even I will appoint over you terror... | Divine punishment |
| Ezekiel 5:1-2 | And thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife... | Destruction imagery |
| Micah 6:13 | Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee... | God's judgment upon wickedness |
| Romans 11:22 | Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God... | Divine severity |
| 1 Corinthians 10:22 | Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he? | Provoking God |
| Revelation 18:6-7 | Reward her as she rewarded you... | Judgment on the wicked |
| Matthew 21:43 | Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you... | Kingdom forfeited |
| John 15:2 | Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he doth take away... | Fruitfulness and judgment |
| Jeremiah 1:16 | And I will utter my judgments against them... | God pronouncing judgment |
| Jeremiah 18:13-17 | Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ask ye now among the heathen... | National apostasy |
| Jeremiah 22:5 | But if ye will not hear these words, I swear by myself, saith the LORD... | God's oath of judgment |
| Proverbs 1:24-26 | Because I have called, and ye refused... | Rejection of God's call |
| Hosea 2:3 | Lest I strip her naked, and set her as in the day that she was born... | Humiliation and exposure |
| Zephaniah 1:2-3 | I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD. | Universal judgment |
Jeremiah 4 verses
Jeremiah 4 18 Meaning
This verse powerfully declares the consequence of Israel's sin and idolatry: the Lord Himself will bring judgment. It's not an external enemy acting alone, but God actively orchestrating their downfall. The destruction and ruin that will come upon them are described as inescapable.
Jeremiah 4 18 Context
Jeremiah 4 describes the impending destruction of Judah by the Babylonian army. The chapter begins with a call to repentance, portraying the devastation as a consequence of unfaithfulness to God. The people are urged to mourn their sins and turn back to the Lord. This verse, 4:18, follows this urgent call and reveals that the reason for their plight is their own doing—their sins have brought this judgment upon them, a judgment that God Himself is enacting. The nation's idolatry and spiritual adultery are the root causes of the coming catastrophe.
Jeremiah 4 18 Word Analysis
- "Thy": Refers to Jerusalem or Judah, personified as a woman, highlighting her intimate relationship with God which has been broken.
- "Ways": Denotes her actions, her behavior, and her manner of living. It encompasses her choices, decisions, and lifestyle, particularly her deviations from God's commands.
- "Are": Present tense, indicating an ongoing state or nature of her conduct.
- "Maleficent": Translates from Hebrew "rāʿâ," meaning evil, wicked, harmful, bad, or injurious. It signifies actions that cause harm, moral corruption, and incur God's displeasure.
- "And": Connective.
- "A": Indefinite article.
- "Compounded": Translates from Hebrew "maṭēh," carrying a sense of deviation, turning aside, or straying from a rightful path. It implies an entangling or deeply ingrained corruption.
- "Offence": Derived from "ḥēṭ’,” meaning sin, iniquity, an offense, or a mistake. It refers to transgressing God's law and will.
Words-group analysis:
- "Thy ways are maleficent": This phrase signifies that Jerusalem's fundamental mode of operation and her life choices are inherently evil and destructive, not merely occasional mistakes.
- "And a compounded offence": This idiom emphasizes the severity and entanglement of their sins, suggesting a habitual, deep-seated, and pervasive corruption that is difficult to extricate from. It speaks of a continuous turning away from God, creating a cycle of iniquity.
Jeremiah 4 18 Bonus Section
The personification of Jerusalem as a woman (evidenced by "Thy") is a common prophetic motif in the Old Testament. This literary device emphasizes the broken covenant relationship between God and His people, akin to a marriage bond. Their turning to other gods is seen as spiritual adultery. The verse also reflects a principle of divine justice where sin has inherent consequences that God permits or actively enacts to correct or judge His people, demonstrating His sovereign involvement in history, not as a detached observer but as an active participant in the consequences of human choices.
Jeremiah 4 18 Commentary
Jerusalem's (and by extension, Judah's) downfall is directly linked to her lifestyle, characterized by evil conduct and habitual sin. The phrase "compounded offence" suggests a cumulative effect of transgression, where sins are not isolated incidents but are intertwined, deepening the spiritual malaise. This state is presented as the very cause of the impending judgment; their evil ways are what God is responding to with severe punishment. It is a stark reminder that when a people or nation persistently strays from God's will, the consequences are not arbitrary but divinely ordained consequences of their own choices. This verse serves as a pronouncement that their accumulated disobedience has sealed their fate, leading to unavoidable destruction.