Jeremiah 5 6

Jeremiah 5:6 kjv

Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities: every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, and their backslidings are increased.

Jeremiah 5:6 nkjv

Therefore a lion from the forest shall slay them, A wolf of the deserts shall destroy them; A leopard will watch over their cities. Everyone who goes out from there shall be torn in pieces, Because their transgressions are many; Their backslidings have increased.

Jeremiah 5:6 niv

Therefore a lion from the forest will attack them, a wolf from the desert will ravage them, a leopard will lie in wait near their towns to tear to pieces any who venture out, for their rebellion is great and their backslidings many.

Jeremiah 5:6 esv

Therefore a lion from the forest shall strike them down; a wolf from the desert shall devastate them. A leopard is watching their cities; everyone who goes out of them shall be torn in pieces, because their transgressions are many, their apostasies are great.

Jeremiah 5:6 nlt

So now a lion from the forest will attack them;
a wolf from the desert will pounce on them.
A leopard will lurk near their towns,
tearing apart any who dare to venture out.
For their rebellion is great,
and their sins are many.

Jeremiah 5 verses

Jeremiah 5 6 Meaning

Jeremiah 5:6 vividly describes the inevitable and severe judgment awaiting the unfaithful people of Judah, specifically Jerusalem, as a direct consequence of their numerous and persistent transgressions and backslidings. God declares that ferocious wild beasts—a lion, a desert wolf, and a leopard—will be unleashed as instruments of divine wrath. These predators symbolize different aspects of destructive judgment: the lion representing brute force and overwhelming power, the wolf for its ravenous hunger and destruction, and the leopard for its stealth, swiftness, and inescapable attack. No one who ventures outside their cities will escape this violent end; they will be torn apart, emphasizing the totality and horror of the impending desolation. This is not arbitrary cruelty, but a righteous divine response to their deep-seated rebellion against God.

Jeremiah 5 6 Context

Jeremiah chapter 5 immediately follows God's despair over Judah's widespread corruption and His search for anyone righteous. Verses 1-2 reveal God challenging Jeremiah to find even one person who acts justly and seeks truth in Jerusalem; finding none, the divine response in verses 3-5 recounts God's futile attempts to chasten and enlighten them. The rich, the poor, all levels of society are deeply steeped in rebellion, breaking their vows and stubbornly refusing to return to the LORD. They scoff at warnings, feeling immune. The direct context for verse 6, therefore, is God's reasoned explanation for the severe judgment, attributing it explicitly to their multiplied transgressions. Historically, Judah stood at the precipice of Babylonian invasion, a time when moral and spiritual decay had reached its peak, rendering them ripe for the discipline of exile prophesied by Jeremiah. This verse portrays the very real and terrifying consequences of God's holy patience running out.

Jeremiah 5 6 Word analysis

• לָכֵן (lakhen): Therefore. This serves as a strong logical connector, directly linking the divine judgment pronounced here to the preceding verses (Jer 5:1-5) which describe the pervasive unrighteousness, refusal to repent, and spiritual adultery of Judah. It signals the inevitable consequence of their persistent sin.
• אַרְיֵה ('aryeh): A lion.
  • Word: The common Hebrew term for a lion.
  • Significance: Symbolizes power, ferocity, overwhelming force, and brutal destruction. Biblically, lions are often used to represent mighty, destructive nations (e.g., Babylon/Assyria) or even God's own judgmental wrath (Hos 13:7; Lam 3:10). Its attack is sudden, powerful, and decisive.
• מִיַּעַר (miy-ya'ar): from the forest.
  • Word: The Hebrew preposition min (from) + ya'ar (forest/wooded area).
  • Significance: Indicates a place of wildness, untamed danger, and concealment. A lion emerging from the forest signifies an unexpected, fierce, and relentless threat from an unseen, formidable force. It suggests a hunter's territory, making the people prey.
• יַכֵּם (yakem): shall slay them.
  • Word: The root nakah, meaning "to strike, hit, smite, kill." The causative form emphasizes direct, fatal action.
  • Significance: A clear, violent pronouncement of death. It implies a direct, undeniable blow, leaving no room for survival.
• וּזְאֵב (u-ze'ev): And a wolf.
  • Word: ze'ev, meaning "wolf." The conjunction waw (and) adds another predator to the scene.
  • Significance: Wolves are known for their cunning, pack hunting, and ravenous hunger. They are destructive to flocks (Jn 10:12; Ezek 22:27) and often represent deceitful, destructive enemies or corrupt leaders. Their attack often entails tearing apart, laying waste.
• עֲרָבוֹת ('aravot): of the desert / plains.
  • Word: Refers to arid, barren, uncultivated regions, wilderness or desolate plains.
  • Significance: Contrasts with the "forest," showing that destruction will come from various quarters and environments, encompassing all territories. The wolf of the desert reinforces an image of hunger, desolation, and merciless predation. It symbolizes threats from various angles.
• יְשָׁדְדֵם (yeshad'dem): shall destroy them / lay them waste.
  • Word: The root shadad, meaning "to violently deal with, destroy, devastate, plunder."
  • Significance: This is a stronger word than "slay." It speaks of complete ruination, stripping bare, leaving nothing behind. It implies total desolation and refers to the complete devastation by God's instruments.
• נָמֵר (namer): A leopard.
  • Word: namer, meaning "leopard."
  • Significance: Known for its stealth, agility, swiftness, and ability to lie in wait, then strike suddenly. Biblically, leopards symbolize sudden, swift, and unavoidable judgment (Hos 13:7; Dan 7:6). Their spots (Jer 13:23) often represent unchangeable sin.
• שֹׁקֵד עַל עָרֵיהֶם (shoked 'al 'areyhem): shall watch over their cities / lie in wait for their cities.
  • Word: shoqed (from shaqad): "to watch, be watchful, attend closely to, lie in wait for." 'al (over/upon) + 'areyhem (their cities).
  • Significance: This is a particularly chilling image. Unlike the other beasts that act with brute force, the leopard's characteristic is patient, stealthy, and persistent ambush. It signifies inescapable judgment; the cities are effectively under siege by an unseen, deadly force, making escape impossible. This imagery highlights God's diligent attention to bringing about His determined judgment.
• כָּל־הַיּוֹצֵא מֵהֵנָּה (kol hay-yotze' mehennah): Everyone who goes out from them / Any one that issues from them.
  • Word: kol (all/every) + hay-yotze' (the one going out/issuing) + mehennah (from them, referring to the cities).
  • Significance: Universal and inescapable. No place is safe; even venturing out of what seems to be a secure location (the city) results in certain death. This paints a picture of complete blockade and widespread danger. It underscores the severity that spares no one.
• יִטָּרֵף (yit-taref): shall be torn in pieces / shall be mangled.
  • Word: The passive form of taraf, meaning "to tear, rend, consume, prey on."
  • Significance: A gruesome, brutal fate, reinforcing the violence and terror of the judgment. It's not just death, but a violent, humiliating end, symbolic of utter destruction. This term is often used for a beast preying on its victim.
• כִּי־רָבּוּ פִשְׁעֵיהֶם (ki rabbu fish'eihem): because their transgressions are many.
  • Word: ki (because) + rabbu (they are many/increased) + pish'eihem (their transgressions/rebellions).
  • Significance: This provides the explicit divine rationale for the severity of the judgment. "Transgressions" (pesha'im) implies rebellion, revolt against divine authority. The multitude (rabbu) signifies not isolated acts but pervasive, abundant, and persistent defiance of God's covenant. This confirms the judgment is just and merited.
• עָצְמוּ מְשׁוּבֹתֵיהֶם ('atzmu meshuvoteihem): and their backslidings are increased / grown strong.
  • Word: 'atzmu (they are mighty/strong/powerful/increased) + meshuvoteihem (their backslidings/apostasies/turnings away).
  • Significance: "Backslidings" (meshuvot) refers to turning away from God, unfaithfulness, apostasy. "Grown strong" or "increased" emphasizes the deeply ingrained and habitual nature of their turning away. It indicates a hardening of heart and a firm, persistent commitment to their rebellious path. It is not just casual error but entrenched apostasy, making repentance seem impossible.

Words-group Analysis:

• A lion from the forest, a wolf of the desert, a leopard...: The progression of predators highlights the multi-faceted nature of divine judgment. They come from different habitats (forest, desert, "over their cities"), implying attacks from all directions and circumstances. Each animal embodies distinct, relentless, and deadly qualities: overwhelming force, destructive hunger, stealth, and inescapable ambush. Together, they represent the complete encirclement and total destruction awaiting Judah.
• shall slay them, shall destroy them, shall watch over their cities, shall be torn in pieces: This sequence describes escalating degrees of judgment and varied forms of destruction. From immediate killing to comprehensive devastation, and finally to gruesome dismemberment, the verbs paint a picture of inescapable and brutal divine punishment that affects every aspect of life and leaves nothing intact.
• because their transgressions are many, their backslidings are increased: This phrase explicitly attributes the severity of the judgment to the persistent, profound, and widespread unfaithfulness of the people. It emphasizes the justice of God's actions; the punishment perfectly matches the enormity of their sin and their resolute turning away from Him. It highlights a long history of rebellion that has now reached its critical point.

Jeremiah 5 6 Bonus section

The imagery of beasts in Jeremiah 5:6 goes beyond a literal threat. Biblically, wild animals frequently serve as metaphors for destructive powers, whether they are invading armies (like Babylon, often depicted as a lion or bear), wicked rulers, or even spiritual forces. The choice of lion, wolf, and leopard is highly deliberate, drawing on common perceptions of these animals' hunting strategies and ferocity, communicating a comprehensive and inescapable destruction from various angles and with different methods (brute force, ravenous hunger, cunning ambush). This use of natural elements as agents of judgment reinforces God's sovereign control over all creation to execute His will, even through what might appear to be merely 'natural' occurrences. It is a powerful example of how God uses the ordinary and formidable elements of His creation to achieve extraordinary judgments.

Jeremiah 5 6 Commentary

Jeremiah 5:6 is a potent declaration of God's just wrath, vividly personifying divine judgment through three ferocious beasts. These creatures are not mere coincidences of nature but are divinely appointed agents of punishment. The lion from the forest, the wolf of the desert, and the leopard that stealthily watches over the cities, symbolize distinct yet combined aspects of the impending devastation—overwhelming power, insatiable destruction, and inescapable, sudden assault. This triple imagery underscores the totality and inevitability of the judgment, showing that there will be no safe refuge within or outside the cities.

The underlying cause for such dire consequences is made explicit: their "transgressions are many" and their "backslidings are increased." This indicates not isolated acts of sin but a persistent, widespread, and entrenched pattern of rebellion and spiritual adultery against the LORD. It reveals a people hardened in their apostasy, having refused all opportunities for repentance. God's holiness demands a response to such flagrant disregard for His covenant. The verse therefore functions as a chilling reminder that divine justice, though patient, is ultimately uncompromising when a nation continually rejects His call. This judgment can manifest through natural calamities, the ruthless armies of invading nations, or indeed, the breaking of social order as individuals prey on one another—all ordained or permitted by God.