Jeremiah 4:23

Jeremiah 4:23 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.
• New International Version (NIV)I looked at the earth, and it was formless and empty; and at the heavens, and their light was gone.
• English Standard Version (ESV)I looked on the earth, and behold, it was without form and void; and to the heavens, and they had no light.
• New King James Version (NKJV)I beheld the earth, and indeed it was without form, and void; And the heavens, they had no light.

Context of Jeremiah 4:23

21How long [O Lord] must I see the banner [marking the way for flight] And hear the sound of the trumpet [urging the people to run for safety]? 22“For My people are stupid and foolish,” [says the Lord to Jeremiah]; “They do not know Me; They are foolish children And have no understanding. They are shrewd [enough] to do evil, But they do not know [how] to do good.” I looked at the earth [in my vision], and behold, it was [as at the time of creation] formless and void; And to the heavens, and they had no light. 24I looked at the mountains, and behold, they were trembling, And all the hills moved back and forth. 25I looked, and behold, there was no man, And all the birds of the air had fled.

Jeremiah 4:23 word by word

רָאִ֙יתִי֙ אֶת־הָאָ֔רֶץ וְהִנֵּה־תֹ֖הוּ וָבֹ֑הוּ וְאֶל־הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ין אוֹרָֽם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• I beheldרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• without formתֹּ֫הוּtôhû · formlessnessH8414
• and voidבֹּהוּbôhû · voidH922
• and the heavensשָׁמַיִםshâmayim shâmeh · heavenH8064
• no lightאוֹר'ôr · lightH216

Cross-references for Jeremiah 4:23

• Jeremiah 9:10“I will take up a weeping and wailing for the mountains, And a [funeral] dirge for the pastures of the wilderness, Because they are burned up and desolated so that no one passes through [them]; Nor can anyone hear the lowing of cattle. Both the birds of the air and the beasts have fled; they are gone.
• Genesis 1:2The earth was formless and void or a waste and emptiness, and darkness was upon the face of the deep [primeval ocean that covered the unformed earth]. The Spirit of God was moving (hovering, brooding) over the face of the waters.
• Isaiah 24:19The earth is broken completely apart, The earth is split apart, The earth is shaken violently.
• Revelation 20:11And I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them [for this heaven and earth are passing away].
• Isaiah 5:30And in that day they will roar against them (Judah) like the roaring of the sea. And if one looks to the land, in fact, there is darkness and distress; Even the light will be darkened by its clouds.
• Isaiah 13:10For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not flash with their light; The sun will be dark when it rises, And the moon will not shed its light.
• Ezekiel 32:7And when I extinguish you, I will cover the heavens [of Egypt] and darken their stars; I will cover the sun with a cloud And the moon will not give its light.
• Joel 2:10The earth quakes before them, The heavens tremble, The sun and the moon grow dark And the stars lose their brightness.
• Joel 3:15The sun and the moon grow dark And the stars lose their brightness.
• Amos 8:9It shall come about in that day,” says the Lord God, “That I shall cause the sun to go down at noon, And I shall darken the earth in broad daylight.
• Matthew 24:29“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not provide its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
• Mark 13:25and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken.
• Luke 21:25“There will be signs (attesting miracles) in the sun and moon and stars; and on the earth [there will be] distress and anguish among nations, in perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea and the waves,
• Acts 2:19And I will bring about wonders in the sky above And signs (attesting miracles) on the earth below, Blood and fire and smoking vapor.

Commentaries on Jeremiah 4:23

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 23I beheld the earth, (the land), and lo it was without form and void - ובהו תהו tohu vabohu ; the very words used in Genesis to denote the formless state of the chaotic mass before God had brought it into order.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 23-26Verses 23-26 In four verses each beginning with “I beheld,” the prophet sees in vision the desolate condition of Judaea during the Babylonian captivity. Jeremiah 4:23 Without form, and void - Desolate and void (see Genesis 1:2 note). The land has returned to a state of chaos (marginal reference note). And the heavens - And upward to the heavens. The imagery is that of the last day of judgment. To Jeremiah‘s vision all was as though the day of the Lord had…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 19-31Verses 19-31 The prophet had no pleasure in delivering messages of wrath. He is shown in a vision the whole land in confusion. Compared with what it was, every thing is out of order; but the ruin of the Jewish nation would not be final. Every end of our comforts is not a full end. Though the Lord may correct his people very severely, yet he will not cast them off. Ornaments and false colouring would be of no avail. No outward privileges or profession, no…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 23-26In Jeremiah's vision, the Lord's intense anger was more important than his creative love (Jeremiah 10:10; 12:4; Isaiah 5:25; 24:19; Ezekiel 38:20; Zephaniah 1:3). He was reversing the order of creation (see Genesis 1:2–3).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2323. Graphic picture of the utter desolation about to visit Palestine. "I beheld, and lo!" four times solemnly repeated, heightens the awful effect of the scene (compare Is 24:19; 34:11). without form and void--reduced to the primeval chaos (Ge 1:2).Read the comment

Topics related to Jeremiah 4:23

• Condescension of God
• Darkness
• Israel, Prophecies Concerning
• War

In the dictionaries

• Bless
• Fallow
• Pain
• Wise
• Backslide
• Form
• Genesis
• Jeremiah (2)

Commentaries on Jeremiah 4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings