Jeremiah 5 10

Jeremiah 5:10 kjv

Go ye up upon her walls, and destroy; but make not a full end: take away her battlements; for they are not the LORD's.

Jeremiah 5:10 nkjv

"Go up on her walls and destroy, But do not make a complete end. Take away her branches, For they are not the LORD's.

Jeremiah 5:10 niv

"Go through her vineyards and ravage them, but do not destroy them completely. Strip off her branches, for these people do not belong to the LORD.

Jeremiah 5:10 esv

"Go up through her vine rows and destroy, but make not a full end; strip away her branches, for they are not the LORD's.

Jeremiah 5:10 nlt

"Go down the rows of the vineyards and destroy the grapevines,
leaving a scattered few alive.
Strip the branches from the vines,
for these people do not belong to the LORD.

Jeremiah 5 10 Cross References

VerseTextReference
Jer 4:27For thus says the Lord: "The whole land shall be a desolation; Yet I will not make a complete end."Limited destruction.
Jer 30:11For I am with you, declares the Lord, to save you; For I will make a full end of all the nations... But I will not make a full end of you; I will discipline you only in just measure.God disciplines His people with restraint.
Jer 46:28Fear not, O Jacob my servant... for I am with you; I will make a full end of all the nations... but I will not make a full end of you.God's promise of remnant for Israel.
Lam 3:22The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;God's enduring mercy despite judgment.
Isa 6:13And though a tenth remain in it, it will again be laid waste. But as the terebinth and oak leave stumps when they are cut down, so the holy seed will be the stump in the land.Preservation of a holy remnant.
Isa 10:21A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.Prophecy of a returning remnant.
Isa 10:22For though your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return.Numerical limitation of the remnant.
Isa 27:8In measure, by expulsion, you contended with them; he removed them with his fierce breath in the day of the east wind.God's judgment is measured.
Deut 28:20The Lord will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration... until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin, because of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken me.Consequences of covenant unfaithfulness.
Lev 26:30-33And I will destroy your high places and cut down your incense altars and cast your dead bodies upon the dead bodies of your idols... And your land shall be a desolation.God's promised judgment for idolatry.
Ezek 5:11Therefore, as I live, declares the Lord God, surely, because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your detestable things... I will withdraw. My eye will not look on you with pity, nor will I spare.God's withdrawing His presence due to defilement.
Hos 10:1Israel is a luxuriant vine that yields its fruit. The more his fruit increased, the more altars he built...Israel as an unfaithful, fruit-bearing vine for self.
Ps 80:8-16You brought a vine out of Egypt... You cleared the ground for it; it took deep root and filled the land... The boar from the forest ravages it, and all that move in the field feed on it.Israel as God's planted vine facing devastation.
Isa 5:1-7My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill... He looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes...Judah as God's vineyard, expected fruit but yielded sin.
Jer 2:21Yet I planted you a choice vine, wholly of pure seed. How then has begun to you a wild vine of alien stock?Israel's spiritual degeneration despite God's care.
Ezek 15:2-6Son of man, how is the wood of a vine better than any wood?... If it is thrown into the fire as fuel, and the fire consumes both ends of it and the middle of it is charred, is it useful for anything?Vine (Jerusalem) as useless wood, fit for burning.
Matt 21:33-44Listen to another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard... When the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir...' They seized him and threw him out.Parable of wicked tenants in the vineyard, indicating judgment.
John 15:1-8I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.The concept of fruitful branches being "His" and pruned or cut off if unfruitful.
Rom 11:1-2I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means!... God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew.God's faithfulness to Israel despite their unbelief, with a remnant.
Rom 11:25...a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.Explains the current state of Israel's partial blindness.
Heb 12:5-6My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord... For the Lord disciplines the one he loves.Divine judgment as loving discipline.
Rev 14:19So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.Final judgment likened to grape harvest.

Jeremiah 5 verses

Jeremiah 5 10 Meaning

Jeremiah 5:10 declares God's command for an invading force to devastate Judah, represented as a vineyard. The instruction is to destroy its metaphorical "vine rows" and "branches," signifying widespread judgment upon the nation and its people. Crucially, the verse includes a divine limitation: "but do not make a complete end." This signifies that while severe destruction will occur, it will not be utter annihilation, leaving room for a future remnant or restoration. The reason for this judgment is stated explicitly: "for they are not the Lord's," meaning Judah, by its apostasy and disobedience, had forfeited its privileged relationship and identity as God's faithful possession.

Jeremiah 5 10 Context

Jeremiah chapter 5 depicts Judah's profound moral and spiritual corruption. God sends Jeremiah to observe Jerusalem, seeking even one righteous person (v. 1), but finds none. The nation is characterized by widespread injustice, idolatry (v. 7), adultery, and dishonesty (v. 8). They have abandoned the Lord and become faithless to His covenant, yet they feel secure, scoffing at prophecies of judgment (v. 12). Jeremiah 5:10, therefore, is a direct response from God to this deep-seated rebellion. It describes the precise nature of the imminent divine punishment that will be brought by a foreign invader (implied, likely Babylonians as the broader context of Jeremiah suggests), depicting it as an ordered destruction upon Judah, using the potent imagery of a defiled vineyard, yet still restrained by God's enduring faithfulness.

Jeremiah 5 10 Word analysis

  • Go up (ʿalû - עֲלוּ): This imperative verb, often implying an ascent or movement into a land or onto a height, suggests an aggressive, conquering force entering Judah's territory or city, perhaps ascending walls or elevated grounds where vineyards were cultivated. It denotes an authorized military command.
  • through her vine rows (bĕšūrayikh - בְּשׁוּרֹתֶיהָ): The Hebrew šūrot refers to lines or rows, specifically indicating the carefully arranged rows of a vineyard. Judah is here personified as God's vineyard, a common biblical metaphor for Israel (e.g., Ps 80, Isa 5). This specific imagery emphasizes the organized and purposeful nature of the coming destruction, affecting even what was once tended by God.
  • and destroy (wašĕḥēṭū - וְשַׁחֲתוּ): The verb šāḥaṭ often means "to slaughter" or "to ruin/destroy." In this agricultural context, it means to break down, tear apart, or cause great damage to the vine rows. It conveys violent and systemic devastation, far beyond mere harvesting.
  • but do not make a complete end (wĕkālâ ʿāśû loʾ - וְכָלָה עָשׂוּ לֹא): This critical phrase uses kālâ which signifies utter ruin, complete destruction, or total annihilation. The divine prohibition loʾ (not) on making a "complete end" is a pivotal expression of God's restraint, demonstrating that even in judgment, His mercy endures. It preserves the possibility of a remnant and points to His covenant faithfulness which precludes Israel's total disappearance.
  • strip away her branches (kārĕtū nisrōtêhā - כָּרְת֤וּ נְצִיבֹתֶיהָ֙): kārāt means "to cut off," "cut down," or "sever." nĕṣībôt (alternatively nisrôt in some textual traditions, both meaning "branches" or "shoots") refers to the tendrils or young shoots of the vine. This command instructs to remove vital parts of the vine, signifying the loss of a significant portion of the population or the vital elements of the nation. It suggests a pruning that diminishes rather than encourages growth, a severe curtailment.
  • for they are not the Lord's (kî lōʾ layĕhwâ hēm - כִּ֛י לֹא־לַיהוָ֥ה הֵֽמָּה): This is the profound theological justification for the judgment. loʾ layĕhwâ literally means "not to Yahweh" or "not for Yahweh." It conveys two interconnected meanings: (1) Judah's actions, particularly their idolatry, unrighteousness, and rebellion, caused them to cease truly belonging to the Lord in the way they should have. They forfeited their covenant ownership. (2) They no longer lived for the Lord or bore fruit for Him; their allegiance had shifted to false gods and sinful ways. This declaration explains why divine protection is withdrawn and severe discipline becomes necessary. It functions as a polemic against the Judeans' misplaced presumption of inviolable security, stating that their practical apostasy voided their claim to divine ownership.

Jeremiah 5 10 Bonus section

The "vineyard" motif is a consistent biblical allegory used to describe Israel's relationship with God. In Isaiah 5, God nurtures a vineyard only to find it producing sour grapes, leading to its destruction. Here in Jeremiah 5:10, the instruction to devastate Judah's "vine rows" signifies that the structures and very fabric of the nation are being dismantled due to its unfaithfulness. The concept of God "cutting off" or "stripping away branches" finds parallels in the New Testament with Jesus as the "true vine" (Jn 15), where unfruitful branches are also cut off. This illustrates a consistent biblical principle that while God chose a people, their covenant standing and His active ownership were contingent on their faithfulness. When that bond was broken, severe consequences followed, though never entirely extinguishing God's long-term plan for a remnant.

Jeremiah 5 10 Commentary

Jeremiah 5:10 offers a concise, yet profound, theological explanation for the impending calamity upon Judah. God views Judah as a treasured vineyard, diligently planted and nurtured by Him. However, instead of producing good fruit (righteousness, faithfulness), this vineyard has yielded "wild grapes" (idolatry, injustice), making it deserving of demolition. The command to "go up" and "destroy" is a divine warrant for the invasion and devastation by a foreign power (Babylon), acting as God's instrument of judgment. This destruction will be extensive, affecting the very essence and structure of the nation.Crucially, God’s command includes a precise limit: "do not make a complete end." This speaks volumes of His character, highlighting His enduring covenant faithfulness and mercy. Despite the severe disciplinary action necessitated by Judah's rebellion, God will not allow utter annihilation. This ensures the survival of a remnant, upon whom His future redemptive plan will be built. The ultimate reason for this judgment, "for they are not the Lord's," powerfully conveys that Judah, through its profound unfaithfulness, idolatry, and moral decay, had effectively alienated itself from the divine ownership and protection it once enjoyed under the covenant. They stopped being truly God's people in action and devotion, thus making severe discipline a just and necessary act by their sovereign Owner.