Jeremiah 4:23 kjv
I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.
Jeremiah 4:23 nkjv
I beheld the earth, and indeed it was without form, and void; And the heavens, they had no light.
Jeremiah 4:23 niv
I looked at the earth, and it was formless and empty; and at the heavens, and their light was gone.
Jeremiah 4:23 esv
I looked on the earth, and behold, it was without form and void; and to the heavens, and they had no light.
Jeremiah 4:23 nlt
I looked at the earth, and it was empty and formless.
I looked at the heavens, and there was no light.
Jeremiah 4 23 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah 4:22 | "For my people are foolish, they have not known me; they are stupid children | Destruction |
| Genesis 1:2 | "The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep" | Primordial Chaos |
| Isaiah 5:9 | "Surely many houses, which are great and beautiful, without inhabitant" | Devastation of dwellings |
| Jeremiah 5:7 | "When I fed them to the full, they committed adultery and kept by troops of harlots" | Moral Decay |
| Jeremiah 9:10 | "I will turn the cities into ruins without inhabitants" | Exile and desolation |
| Jeremiah 9:11 | "and I will make Jerusalem heaps of ruins, haunts of jackals" | Ultimate Judgment |
| Jeremiah 12:4 | "How long will the land mourn and the fields be withered" | Consequences of sin |
| Jeremiah 13:23 | "Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots?" | Inherent unrepentance |
| Jeremiah 25:11 | "This whole land shall become a ruin and an amazement" | Prophetic judgment |
| Jeremiah 25:12 | "and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years." | Babylonian Captivity |
| Lamentations 5:18 | "Mount Zion, which lies desolate; jackals roam over it." | Post-exilic desolation |
| Isaiah 24:1 | "See, the Lord is about to destroy the earth and devastate it" | Universal judgment |
| Isaiah 24:4 | "The earth dries up and withers" | Environmental ruin |
| Ezekiel 36:34 | "and the devastated land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate" | Restoration promise |
| Amos 8:3 | "The songs of the temple shall become wailings on that day," | Spiritual barrenness |
| Hosea 4:3 | "Therefore the land mourns, and all who live in it languish" | Societal breakdown |
| John 1:10 | "He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him." | Divine Presence ignored |
| Revelation 18:23 | "the light of a lamp will not shine in you anymore" | Darkness of judgment |
| Romans 11:7 | "What Israel sought, it did not find, but the elect did find it" | Spiritual blindness |
| Matthew 23:38 | "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets" | Rejection of God's messengers |
| 2 Peter 3:10 | "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar" | Divine Annihilation |
Jeremiah 4 verses
Jeremiah 4 23 Meaning
Jeremiah 4:23 describes a profound divine judgment where the land of Judah is rendered desolate and void, mirroring a state of primordial chaos. This vision signifies the complete ruin and destruction that will befall the nation as a consequence of its rebellion and unfaithfulness to God. The phrase "without inhabitant" emphasizes total emptiness, a consequence of God’s impending wrath.
Jeremiah 4 23 Context
Jeremiah chapter 4 unfolds as a solemn proclamation of judgment against Judah. The prophet laments the nation's persistent idolatry and spiritual adultery, comparing their faithlessness to the behavior of unfaithful spouses and runaway heifers. He calls the people to repent and return to God, urging them to purge evil from their hearts and to seek the Lord earnestly. Verse 23 specifically highlights the severe and comprehensive nature of the impending desolation as a consequence of their persistent refusal to heed God's warnings and turn back to Him. This judgment is understood within the historical context of Judah's deteriorating spiritual and political condition, leading up to the Babylonian conquest.
Jeremiah 4 23 Word Analysis
- רָאָה (raʾah): "I looked" – Implies a close and attentive observation, revealing the thoroughness of the divine assessment.
- וְהִנֵּה (wə·hin·nêh): "and behold" – A common biblical introductory phrase that draws attention to a significant revelation or a striking observation.
- תֹהוּ (ṯō·whū): "formless" or "void" – Directly echoes Genesis 1:2, suggesting a return to a state of uncreation, a complete reversal of God's creative order. This signifies utter chaos and emptiness.
- וָבֹהוּ (wā·ḇō·hū): "and void" or "and emptiness" – Often paired with tohu, reinforcing the sense of absolute nothingness and disorganization.
- וְהָאֹרֹת (wə·hāl·ʾō·rōṯ): "and the heavens" – Refers to the celestial expanse, indicating that the desolation is comprehensive, affecting all of creation visible to humans.
- אֵין (ʾên): "there is no" – Denotes complete absence.
- בָּהֶם (bā·hêm): "in them" – Pertaining to the heavens, emphasizing the desolation extends even to the skies.
- אוֹר (ʾōr): "light" – Represents life, order, and God’s presence. Its absence signifies spiritual darkness and divine abandonment.
Group by Words Analysis
- "I looked, and behold, the earth was formless and void": This pairing of "formless and void" (tohu and vohu) evokes the pre-creation state of the earth described in Genesis 1:2. It suggests that God's judgment will undo creation's order and bring about a return to primordial chaos in the land.
- "and the heavens had no light": The absence of light in the heavens further intensifies the depiction of desolation. Light is associated with God’s glory and sustaining power; its absence signifies God's withdrawn presence and the coming of complete darkness and judgment.
Jeremiah 4 23 Bonus Section
The imagery of the land becoming "formless and void" also anticipates a form of divine judgment akin to a reversal of creation. In creation, God brought order out of chaos. Here, judgment brings chaos and formlessness back to the land. This concept resonates with theological understandings of divine judgment not merely as punishment, but as a powerful intervention that reorders human affairs when they have fallen into severe disorder due to sin. The prophet's vision is intensely visual, designed to impress upon the people the absolute and final nature of the consequences of their disobedience.
Jeremiah 4 23 Commentary
Jeremiah 4:23 presents a stark picture of divine judgment as utter desolation. The use of "tohu" and "vohu," terms linked to the creation account, suggests that God's judgment will be a form of re-creation, but into emptiness rather than order. The land and its heavens will be stripped of life, light, and inhabitants, symbolizing a complete separation from God’s presence and blessing due to unrepented sin. This vision serves as a powerful warning about the comprehensive consequences of turning away from the Lord.