Jeremiah 9:11 kjv
And I will make Jerusalem heaps, and a den of dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant.
Jeremiah 9:11 nkjv
"I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins, a den of jackals. I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant."
Jeremiah 9:11 niv
"I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins, a haunt of jackals; and I will lay waste the towns of Judah so no one can live there."
Jeremiah 9:11 esv
I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins, a lair of jackals, and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant."
Jeremiah 9:11 nlt
"I will make Jerusalem into a heap of ruins," says the LORD.
"It will be a place haunted by jackals.
The towns of Judah will be ghost towns,
with no one living in them."
Jeremiah 9 11 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 26:31-33 | I will lay your cities waste... Your land shall become a desolation... | Covenant curses for disobedience predicting desolation. |
| Deut 28:50-52 | They shall besiege you in all your towns... until your high and fortified walls... come down. | Warnings of siege and destruction as consequences for sin. |
| Deut 29:23-25 | ...the whole land burned with sulfur and salt, no sowing... because they had forsaken the covenant... | Explains why the land faces desolation – forsaking God. |
| Isa 6:11-12 | Until cities lie in ruins... and the land is utterly desolate and forsaken. | Prophecy of total land desolation and widespread exile. |
| Isa 13:20-22 | It will never again be inhabited... wild animals of the desert will lie down there. | Desolation of Babylon, parallel imagery for fallen cities. |
| Isa 24:1-3 | The LORD is about to lay waste the earth and make it empty... the earth will be utterly laid waste. | Universal judgment, echoing themes of widespread desolation. |
| Mic 3:12 | Therefore Zion shall be plowed as a field; Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins... | A strong prophetic parallel to Jeremiah's declaration. |
| Jer 7:34 | ...I will make cease from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem the voice... | Cessation of all human sounds, life, and joy due to judgment. |
| Jer 26:18 | Micah... said... "Zion shall be plowed as a field; Jerusalem a heap of ruins." | Reiteration of earlier prophecy predicting Jerusalem's fate. |
| Jer 34:22 | ...I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without inhabitant. | A direct textual parallel affirming the same judgment. |
| Jer 44:2-6 | "You yourselves have seen all the disaster... how I brought desolation..." | God recalling fulfilled prophecies of desolation. |
| Lam 1:1 | How lonely sits the city that was full of people! How like a widow has she become... | Poetic lament reflecting the desolation of Jerusalem. |
| Lam 2:2 | The Lord has swallowed up without mercy all the habitations of Jacob... | Grieving over God's destructive judgment upon their homes. |
| Ezek 6:14 | I will stretch out my hand against them and make the land a waste and a desolate place... | God's similar judgment pronounced against the whole land of Israel. |
| Zeph 1:3-6 | "I will cut off mankind from the face of the earth," declares the LORD. | Broader divine judgment leading to loss of life. |
| Amos 3:6 | Does disaster come to a city unless the LORD has done it? | Affirms God's sovereign hand in all calamities and judgments. |
| Psa 78:58-60 | They provoked him to anger... So he forsook his dwelling at Shiloh... | God abandoning His sanctuary due to the people's sin. |
| 2 Ki 25:9-12 | And he burned the house of the LORD and the king's house... broken down the walls... | Historical record of the physical destruction of Jerusalem. |
| 2 Chr 36:17-21 | ...burned the house of God and broke down the wall... to fulfill the word of the LORD by Jeremiah. | A direct account of Jeremiah's prophecy coming true. |
| Matt 23:37-38 | "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem... Your house is left to you desolate." | Jesus' lament over Jerusalem's coming desolation (70 AD), echoing OT themes. |
| Luke 13:34-35 | Similar to Matthew, Jesus warns of Jerusalem's future abandonment. | Repetition of the theme of the city's eventual spiritual emptiness. |
| Rev 18:2 | "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons..." | Prophetic judgment on a wicked city using imagery of desolation. |
Jeremiah 9 verses
Jeremiah 9 11 Meaning
God declares through Jeremiah His coming judgment upon Jerusalem and the cities of Judah due to their profound unfaithfulness. He vows to transform them into desolate ruins, inhabited only by wild beasts, completely void of human life. This statement signifies an absolute and severe consequence for their persistent sin and rejection of the covenant, confirming the nation's spiritual abandonment and the breaking of divine protection.
Jeremiah 9 11 Context
Jeremiah chapter 9 falls within the prophet's extended discourse of judgment against Judah for its widespread and persistent spiritual decay, marked by pervasive idolatry, deceit, and unrepentant rebellion against God's covenant. The preceding verses (Jer 9:3-9) detail the people's treachery, falsehood, and moral corruption, provoking God's just anger and His rhetorical question: "Shall I not punish them for these things?" (Jer 9:9). Verse 11 delivers God's concrete response, outlining the severe physical consequences that will befall their land and cities. Historically, this prophecy foretold the devastating Babylonian invasions culminating in the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple in 586 BC and the subsequent exile. This event was a direct fulfillment of the covenant curses warned in Leviticus and Deuteronomy for national apostasy.
Jeremiah 9 11 Word analysis
- And I will make: The Hebrew וְאֶתֵּן (ve'etten) literally means "and I will give/put/make." This construction emphasizes God's personal, deliberate, and sovereign agency in executing judgment, not merely predicting an event but actively orchestrating it.
- Jerusalem: יְרוּשָׁלַיִם (Yerushalaim). The capital city, regarded as sacred due to the Temple and the Davidic covenant. Its promised destruction signifies the depth of divine wrath, challenging the false security many felt due to its spiritual status.
- heaps: תֵּלִּים (tellim). The plural of תֵּל (tel), referring to an archaeological mound formed by successive layers of destroyed and rebuilt cities. This word indicates complete and irreversible ruin, leaving nothing but debris where once a vibrant city stood, effectively wiping it off the map as a functioning entity.
- and a den of: וּמְעוֹן (u-me'on). Meaning "and a dwelling place of" or "haunt of." This implies a change of inhabitants, from humans to wild animals, further underscoring utter desolation and the return of the land to a wilderness state, unfit for human habitation.
- dragons: תַּנִּים (tannim). The plural of תַּנִּין (tannin). While often translated as "dragons," "sea monsters," or "serpents" in other contexts, in this and similar prophetic passages concerning desolation, it refers to desert animals such as "jackals" or "wild dogs." Their presence vividly symbolizes abandonment, ruin, and the return of chaos, contrasting sharply with a structured human environment.
- and I will make the cities of Judah: Reiteration of divine agency extending the judgment beyond Jerusalem to the entire southern kingdom. It indicates a comprehensive, national punishment, encompassing all its populated centers.
- desolate: לְשְׁמָמָה (l'shemamah). Meaning "into a desolation" or "a waste." This term captures the essence of God's judgment—total ruin, emptiness, and loss of productivity and purpose, resulting from divine abandonment.
- without an inhabitant: מֵאֵין יוֹשֵׁב (me'ein yoshev). Literally "from no dweller," signifying the complete and absolute absence of people. It underlines the severity of the judgment: the land will not just be sparsely populated but entirely devoid of human life.
Jeremiah 9 11 Bonus section
The concept of "tel" as an archaeological mound provides a profound visual of this prophecy's fulfillment; layers of destroyed cities built upon one another signify a complete erasure of previous habitation. The symbolism of "tannim" (jackals or wild dogs) in this context is especially poignant, as these creatures were often associated with wilderness, death, and uncleanness in ancient Near Eastern thought, further intensifying the imagery of a cursed and abandoned place. This verse functions as a direct polemic against the Judeans' false sense of security derived from their possession of the Temple and their mistaken belief that God would never allow Jerusalem to fall. It reveals God's priority for spiritual integrity and covenant faithfulness over physical structures or national identity. The historical fulfillment by the Babylonian Empire demonstrated God's ability to use external forces as instruments of His righteous judgment.
Jeremiah 9 11 Commentary
Jeremiah 9:11 serves as a grim yet righteous decree from God against Judah's deep-seated apostasy. It’s a divine declaration of ultimate judgment, promising to reduce the once-glorious Jerusalem and the towns of Judah to utter devastation, fit only for wild beasts rather than bustling human life. This is not merely a forecast but a sovereign act "I will make" – highlighting God’s active involvement in justly punishing the persistent unfaithfulness of His covenant people. The use of terms like "heaps" and "den of dragons" powerfully conveys a landscape transformed into uninhabitable ruin, fulfilling the dire warnings of covenant curses. The verse stands as a stark testament to the consequences of spurning God's grace and commandments, vividly predicting the historical Babylonian exile and the desolation of the land.