Jeremiah 5 16

Jeremiah 5:16 kjv

Their quiver is as an open sepulchre, they are all mighty men.

Jeremiah 5:16 nkjv

Their quiver is like an open tomb; They are all mighty men.

Jeremiah 5:16 niv

Their quivers are like an open grave; all of them are mighty warriors.

Jeremiah 5:16 esv

Their quiver is like an open tomb; they are all mighty warriors.

Jeremiah 5:16 nlt

Their weapons are deadly;
their warriors are mighty.

Jeremiah 5 verses

Jeremiah 5 16 Meaning

Jeremiah 5:16 paints a terrifying picture of the foreign invaders God will bring against Judah. Their weapons, represented by their quivers, are depicted as being as certain and deadly as an open grave, meaning every arrow brings death. Furthermore, the verse emphasizes the formidable nature of this invading army by declaring that all its members are mighty and skilled warriors, indicating a fearsome and unstoppable force destined to carry out God's judgment.

Jeremiah 5 16 Context

Jeremiah 5 finds Judah in deep spiritual apostasy and moral corruption. God's patience is exhausted as the prophet, Jeremiah, searches in vain for one righteous person in Jerusalem. The people, from the prophet to the priest, have consistently rejected God's warnings, practiced injustice, and engaged in idolatry. They are defiant, saying, "The LORD will not do anything; no disaster will come upon us" (Jer 5:12). Verse 16 appears as part of God's response to their complacency and denial. He explicitly declares the instrument of their impending judgment: a foreign, formidable nation from the north. This verse emphasizes the horrifying reality and the irresistible nature of the coming judgment, describing the invaders with imagery designed to instill fear and dread, signifying that Judah's destruction is not only imminent but utterly inevitable due to their sustained rebellion against God's covenant. Historically, this points towards the rise of the Neo-Babylonian Empire under Nebuchadnezzar, which served as God's divinely appointed tool to punish Judah.

Jeremiah 5 16 Word analysis

• Their (אֲשְׁפָּתוֹ / 'ashpatō)

  • Original Hebrew: The suffix 'ו' (-o) indicates "his/its" or "their" (when referring to a group collectively possessing singular item). Here, "their" quiver, implying it's a shared attribute or general characteristic of the invaders.
  • Significance: Connects the deadly implement directly to the invading force.

• quiver (אַשְׁפָּתוֹ / 'ashpatō)

  • Meaning: A case for carrying arrows, used by archers.
  • Significance: Represents the weaponry of the invaders, particularly arrows, which are instruments of long-range killing and war. The quiver holding arrows signifies readiness for battle and a capacity for mass killing.

• is like (כְּ / kə)

  • Meaning: "like," "as," "according to."
  • Significance: A comparative particle (similitude). Introduces a vivid metaphor to emphasize the lethal nature of the quiver's contents.

• an open (פָּתוּחַ / patuach)

  • Meaning: "open," "uncovered," "unlocked."
  • Significance: Not merely a grave, but an open one. This suggests a grave ready to receive bodies, emphasizing inevitability, readiness for use, and a boundless capacity for death. It removes any notion of delay or a closed, dormant threat. It signifies a continuous, unceasing process of death.

• grave (קֶבֶר / qever)

  • Meaning: "grave," "tomb," "sepulcher."
  • Significance: Represents ultimate cessation of life, death. Comparing the quiver to a grave directly links their weapons to certain death. Every arrow, metaphorically, functions as an open tomb for its victim, making death instantaneous and widespread.

• all of them (כֻּלָּם / kullām)

  • Meaning: "all of them," "everyone," "the whole of them."
  • Significance: An emphasizing term that highlights the totality. No soldier in this army is weak or ineffective; the threat is universal among their ranks. It negates any hope that only a few might be formidable, affirming that their entire force is powerful.

• are (implied)

  • Significance: The Hebrew grammar conveys this without a separate word, typical for verbless clauses that describe a state of being.

• mighty (גִּבֹּרִים / gibborim)

  • Meaning: "mighty men," "warriors," "heroes," "strong ones."
  • Significance: Denotes physical strength, military skill, prowess in battle, and formidable character. This army consists not just of soldiers, but of exceptionally capable and fearsome individuals, highly trained and effective in warfare. They are elite and dominant.

• warriors (גִּבֹּרִים / gibborim)

  • Significance: Often used in tandem with 'mighty' to stress their professional military capacity and battle readiness. These are individuals who excel in combat and instill terror.

Words-group by words-group analysis

• Their quiver is like an open grave:
  • This potent simile reveals the utterly lethal and inescapable nature of the invaders' weaponry. It’s not just that they kill, but their killing is as certain as death itself. The "open grave" suggests an insatiable appetite for death, ready to swallow countless victims without delay or capacity limits. Every arrow shot is effectively opening a grave, leaving no hope of survival or escape from the immediate prospect of burial. It foretells a massacre.
• all of them are mighty warriors:
  • This phrase accentuates the unified, overwhelming power of the invading force. It's not a ragtag army with a few strong leaders; rather, every single member possesses the strength, skill, and ferocity of a seasoned warrior. This eliminates any glimmer of hope for Judah that they might find a weak point or overpower part of the army. It presents an unstoppable, perfectly formidable force chosen by God for their judgment. This army is a concentrated force of destructive power.

Jeremiah 5 16 Bonus section

• The terrifying imagery in Jer 5:16 serves as a divine polemic against Judah's complacent trust in their own defenses or the supposed invulnerability of Jerusalem. It directly counters their belief that "no disaster will come upon us" (Jer 5:12).
• The "open grave" imagery implicitly suggests a total lack of mercy or compassion from the invaders, further emphasizing their role as instruments of uncompromising judgment. This mirrors other prophetic descriptions of God's judgment using harsh, unforgiving agents.
• The nature of the enemy described in this verse is often used by scholars and preachers to emphasize God's ultimate sovereignty even over the wicked nations, whom He raises up to execute His plans for judgment and purification.
• This verse contributes to the "Foe from the North" theme prevalent in Jeremiah, serving as a specific detail about their dreaded characteristics, intensifying the warnings about the Babylonians.

Jeremiah 5 16 Commentary

Jeremiah 5:16 is a stark declaration of the grim fate awaiting Judah, highlighting the terror and invincibility of the foreign army God is dispatching as His judgment. The metaphor "their quiver is like an open grave" is exceptionally graphic, conveying the absolute certainty and devastating scale of death. Every arrow they fire is not merely an instrument of injury, but an instrument of finality, equivalent to digging a grave for the target. It evokes an image of widespread slaughter, implying that resistance is futile and the casualties will be immense, signifying no hope of recovery. The "open" aspect intensifies this, portraying an insatiable appetite for death, ever ready to consume more lives. Complementing this, the description of "all of them are mighty warriors" leaves no doubt about the army's caliber. It’s not a disorganized mob but a well-equipped, skilled, and utterly fearsome fighting force, individually potent and collectively unstoppable. This divinely-empowered army acts as a precise, terrifying instrument of God's righteous wrath against Judah's deeply ingrained rebellion, idolatry, and covenant unfaithfulness, rendering the nation defenseless and doomed.