Jeremiah 4 5

Jeremiah 4:5 kjv

Declare ye in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, Blow ye the trumpet in the land: cry, gather together, and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the defenced cities.

Jeremiah 4:5 nkjv

Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say: "Blow the trumpet in the land; Cry, 'Gather together,' And say, 'Assemble yourselves, And let us go into the fortified cities.'

Jeremiah 4:5 niv

"Announce in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem and say: 'Sound the trumpet throughout the land!' Cry aloud and say: 'Gather together! Let us flee to the fortified cities!'

Jeremiah 4:5 esv

Declare in Judah, and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say, "Blow the trumpet through the land; cry aloud and say, 'Assemble, and let us go into the fortified cities!'

Jeremiah 4:5 nlt

"Shout to Judah, and broadcast to Jerusalem!
Tell them to sound the alarm throughout the land:
'Run for your lives!
Flee to the fortified cities!'

Jeremiah 4 verses

Jeremiah 4 5 Meaning

Jeremiah 4:5 is an urgent prophetic call to the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem, announcing an imminent and severe invasion. It commands the people to make public declarations throughout the land, sound the trumpet as an alarm, gather together in assembly, and collectively flee to the fortified cities for refuge. This verse signals the arrival of divine judgment through a powerful enemy, demanding immediate defensive action and evacuation rather than a direct military stand.

Jeremiah 4 5 Context

Jeremiah 4:5 stands at a critical juncture in the prophecy. The opening verses of Jeremiah chapter 4 present a conditional call for Judah's repentance and return to the LORD (Jer 4:1-2), offering a path to restoration. However, the tone swiftly shifts by verse 3, where the prophet addresses the need to break up "fallow ground," indicating spiritual hardness and unresponsiveness. Verse 5, therefore, is an abrupt and dramatic declaration that Judah has failed to meet the conditions for restoration, and consequently, divine judgment is now unavoidable and imminent. The "enemy from the north" (explicitly mentioned in Jer 4:6, 4:13), representing the Neo-Babylonian Empire under Nebuchadnezzar, is approaching. Historically, Jeremiah prophesied during a period of escalating idolatry, injustice, and political instability in Judah (late 7th and early 6th century BCE), making the coming Babylonian threat a direct consequence of their covenant disloyalty. The verse sets the stage for the terrifying descriptions of invasion and desolation that follow in the chapter.

Jeremiah 4 5 Word analysis

• Declare (הַגִּידוּ - haggidu): From the root nagad, meaning "to tell, announce, report." This Hifil imperative emphasizes a public and emphatic proclamation. It implies making known what was perhaps unknown or unacknowledged.
• ye in Judah (בִּיהוּדָה - bihudah): Specifies the target audience—the entire Southern Kingdom. It underscores the widespread nature of the impending crisis.
• and publish (וְהַשְׁמִיעוּ - v'hashmi'u): From the root shama', "to hear." This Hifil imperative means "cause to hear, proclaim, make public." It reinforces the previous command for widespread, audible communication, ensuring no one misses the message.
• in Jerusalem (בִּירוּשָׁלִַם - biyerushalayim): Singling out the capital city, the political and religious heart of the nation. It highlights that even the holy city is not exempt from the coming judgment.
• and say (וְאִמְרוּ - v'imru): From the root amar, "to say, speak." Introduces the specific content of the message that is to be declared and published.
• Blow ye (תִּקְעוּ - tik'u): From the root taqa', "to strike, clap, blow." Used specifically for sounding a trumpet or shofar. It's a command for an immediate, attention-grabbing sound.
• the trumpet (שׁוֹפָר - shofar): A ram's horn, used in ancient Israel not only for religious festivals but primarily as a signal for war, assembly, or alarm (e.g., Num 10:1-10; Joel 2:1). Its blast conveyed urgency and danger.
• in the land (בָּאָרֶץ - ba'aretz): Refers to the entire territory of Judah, indicating that the alarm and danger are widespread, not confined to one locality.
• cry (קִרְאוּ - qir'u): From the root qara', "to call out, summon." A loud vocal exclamation, reinforcing the audible alarm of the trumpet.
• gather together (אִסְפוּ - isfu): From the root asaf, "to gather, collect." A direct command for people to assemble quickly, indicating a state of emergency.
• and say (וְאִמְרוּ - v'imru): Introduces the next part of the verbal message, specifically to those gathered.
• Assemble yourselves (הֵאָסְפוּ - he'asfu): Nifal imperative of asaf. "Be gathered, gather yourselves." The reflexive form emphasizes the collective action of self-assembly in response to the summons. This repetition of the idea of "gathering" underlines its critical importance and urgency.
• and let us go (וְנֵלֵךְ - v'nelekh): From the root halakh, "to go, walk." A collective exhortation or suggestion for immediate movement, framed as a shared necessity.
• into the fenced cities (אֶל-עָרֵי הַמִּבְצָר - el-'arei hamivtzar): "To the cities of fortification/strongholds." These were urban centers with defensive walls and structures, providing refuge from invaders. The command implies flight and seeking protection in human-made strongholds, signaling the overwhelming nature of the approaching enemy and the lack of divine protection due to sin.

Words-group analysis

• "Declare ye in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say..." This initial grouping of verbs emphasizes a two-fold command for pervasive and public dissemination of the warning. "Declare" is a direct announcement, while "publish" signifies making it heard far and wide, ensuring the message reaches everyone, from the common person to those in the capital. The direct address to Judah and Jerusalem underscores the nation-wide and heart-of-the-kingdom nature of the threat.
• "Blow ye the trumpet in the land: cry, gather together, and say..." This sequence highlights an escalating alarm system. The impersonal yet universally recognized "trumpet" sound signals a general warning across the land. This is immediately followed by a more direct "cry" and a command to "gather together," indicating that the initial alarm necessitates a collective assembly for further instructions, conveying urgency and a need for communal response to a shared peril.
• "Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the fenced cities." This phrase concludes the series of commands by providing the specific purpose of the gathering. It's not a call to arms for battle in the open, but an imperative to collectively seek defensive refuge. The use of "let us go" indicates a shared fate and a desperate, unified movement toward what is perceived as safety, implicitly acknowledging the superior strength of the invader.

Jeremiah 4 5 Bonus section

• A Call for Collective Panic: The repeated commands for public declaration and audible alarm are designed to evoke not just awareness, but a sense of panic and urgent collective action. It's a psychological assault aimed at shaking the complacency of a people who have ignored previous, less dire warnings.
• The Irony of Human Fortifications: While practical advice in wartime, the reliance on "fenced cities" highlights a fundamental spiritual failure. Judah had placed its trust in human strength and geopolitical alliances rather than Yahweh. When God's protection is withdrawn due, these human defenses offer only temporary and ultimately insufficient security against His judgment. The true fortress for Israel was always the LORD (Ps 18:2, 91:2).
• Prophetic Warning vs. Counsel: Jeremiah is not giving military strategy advice in this verse. Rather, it is a prophetic depiction of what will happen or should happen in the face of an inevitable divine judgment, emphasizing the futility of prolonged resistance without repentance. It portrays the chaos and fear that judgment brings, a foretaste of the suffering to come.
• Divine Orchestration of Dread: God Himself, through His prophet, is orchestrating the communication of this dread. The urgency is not merely human perception, but a divine decree for His people to experience the immediate consequence of their apostasy.

Jeremiah 4 5 Commentary

Jeremiah 4:5 acts as a chilling, unequivocal declaration of impending disaster following Judah's persistent refusal to repent. It transitions from hypothetical appeals to God's immediate judgment through a foreign power. The repeated, insistent verbs – "declare," "publish," "blow," "cry," "gather," "assemble," "go" – create an atmosphere of profound urgency and desperation. The "trumpet" is the universal ancient signal of alarm and war, alerting an unprepared populace to a mortal threat. The instruction to gather and flee to "fenced cities" is not a confident call to resistance, but a pragmatic, last-resort measure for survival against an overwhelming, formidable enemy from the north. This counsel to seek human fortifications starkly illustrates the consequences of losing divine protection, revealing Judah's vulnerable state as God steps back from defending a people who have forsaken Him. The verse underscores God's sovereignty over history, even in orchestrating judgment upon His disobedient people, and the prophet's fidelity in delivering the unvarnished truth.