Jeremiah 11:19

Jeremiah 11:19 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But I was like a lamb or an ox that is brought to the slaughter; and I knew not that they had devised devices against me, saying, Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered.
• New International Version (NIV)I had been like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter; I did not realize that they had plotted against me, saying, “Let us destroy the tree and its fruit; let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name be remembered no more.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. I did not know it was against me they devised schemes, saying, "Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name be remembered no more."
• New King James Version (NKJV)But I was like a docile lamb brought to the slaughter; and I did not know that they had devised schemes against me, saying, “Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be remembered no more.”

Context of Jeremiah 11:19

17I, the Lord Almighty, planted you in the land, like a tree. But now you have caused me to be angry. You nations of Israel and Judah have done evil things. And you have offered sacrifices to Baal. So now I have decided to punish you with great trouble.’ 18The Lord showed me what the people were doing. He helped me to understood what was really happening. Before that, I did not know about their plans to kill me. I was like a lamb that men were taking away to kill it. I did not know that they were saying, ‘We should cut down this tree and destroy its fruit! Jeremiah must not continue to live in this world. Then people will forget all about him.’ 20So I said, ‘Lord Almighty, you judge people in a fair way. You know what people are thinking. You understand how they feel. I trust you to show that I have not done anything that is wrong. So please punish these people. Pay them back for their sins.’ 21The Lord told me that some men in Anathoth wanted to kill me. They said to me, ‘Stop telling us messages from the Lord! If you do not stop, we will kill you.’

Jeremiah 11:19 word by word

וַאֲנִ֕י כְּכֶ֥בֶשׂ אַלּ֖וּף יוּבַ֣ל לִטְב֑וֹחַ וְלֹֽא־יָדַ֜עְתִּי כִּֽי־עָלַ֣י׀ חָשְׁב֣וּ מַחֲשָׁב֗וֹת נַשְׁחִ֨יתָה עֵ֤ץ בְּלַחְמוֹ֙ וְנִכְרְתֶ֙נּוּ֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ חַיִּ֔ים וּשְׁמ֖וֹ לֹֽא־יִזָּכֵ֥ר עֽוֹד׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• like a lambכֶּ֫בֶשׂkebeώ · lambH3532
• an oxאַלּוּף'alûph 'allûph · tameH441
• is broughtיָבַלyâbal · to conductH2986
• to the slaughterטָבַחţâbach · to slaughterH2873
• and I knewיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
• not that they had devisedחָשַׁבchâshab · to devise: deviseH2803
• devicesמַחֲשָׁבָהmachăshâbâh machăshebeth · plotH4284
• Let us destroyשָׁחַתshâchath · to ruinH7843
• the treeעֵץ‛êts · treeH6086
• with the fruitלֶ֫חֶםlechem · foodH3899
• thereof, and let us cut him offכָּרַתkârath · to cut: eliminateH3772
• from the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• of the livingחַיchay · aliveH2416
• that his nameשֵׁםshêm · nameH8034
• may be no more rememberedזָכַרzâkar · to rememberH2142

Cross-references for Jeremiah 11:19

• Proverbs 7:22Suddenly he hurried to follow her! He went like an ox that men are leading to its death. He went like a deer that is running towards a trap.
• Isaiah 53:7People were cruel to him, and he received much pain. But he did not say anything to complain. He was like a lamb that people were leading away to kill. He was like a sheep when they are cutting off its wool, but it makes no noise. In the same way, he did not say anything.
• Jeremiah 18:18Then some people said, ‘We must find a way to stop Jeremiah. We do not need him. The priests will still be here to teach us. Wise men will still be here to give us advice. The prophets will still be here to give us God's messages. We should speak bad things against Jeremiah. Then we will not have to listen to him any more.’
• Jeremiah 20:10I hear what people are saying against me. They say, ‘Terror is all around him! We should tell the officers what he is saying.’ All my friends want me to make a mistake so that they can accuse me. They say, ‘Perhaps we can cause him to say something wrong. Then we will have power over him. We will pay him back for the trouble he has given us.’
• Psalms 31:13I hear what many people are saying against me. News from everywhere makes me afraid. They are deciding together how to kill me.
• Psalms 35:15But when I had troubles myself, they were happy. They stood together and they laughed at me. Even strangers attacked me and they would not stop.
• Psalms 37:32Evil people wait for a chance to kill righteous people.
• Isaiah 32:7Cruel people do evil things to deceive others. They think of ways that they can cheat their friends. They tell lies to give trouble to poor people. So poor people do not receive the justice that they deserve.
• Matthew 26:3Then the leaders of the priests and the important Jews met together in the house of the most important priest. His name was Caiaphas.
• Psalms 83:4They say, ‘Come now! We will destroy them. They will no longer be a nation. Nobody will remember the name of Israel any more.’
• Isaiah 53:8They spoke lies to accuse him in court. Then they led him away to kill him. And nobody at that time said that it was wrong. His life in this world quickly came to an end. And it was the sins of our own people that caused him to die.
• Daniel 9:26After the 62 weeks have passed, people will kill the ruler that God had chosen. He will have nothing. Then a foreign ruler and his army will attack the city and the temple. He will destroy them quickly, like a flood of water. War and terrible trouble will continue until the end that God has decided.
• Luke 20:10At the time for the harvest, the man sent a servant to speak to the farmers. He wanted them to give him some fruit from the garden. But the farmers hit the servant with sticks and they sent him away with nothing.
• Job 28:13Humans do not understand the value of wisdom. They cannot find it in this world where people live.
• Psalms 27:13But I surely believe that I will see how good the Lord is! I will know his love while I still live in this world.
• Psalms 52:5But God will knock you down, and he will break you into pieces. He will take you away from your home. He will remove you from this world where people live. Selah.

Commentaries on Jeremiah 11:19

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 19I was like a lamb or an ox - Dahler translates, "I was like a fattened lamb that is led to the slaughter." Blayney, "I was like a tame lamb that is led to slaughter." The word אלוף alluph, which we translate ox, is taken by both as an adjective, qualifying the noun כבש kebes, a lamb. It may probably signify a lamb brought up in the house-fed at home, (אלוף alluph ), instructed or nourished at home; perfectly innocent and unsuspecting, while leading to the…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 19Like a lamb or an ox - Rather, “like a tame lamb.” Jeremiah had lived at Anathoth as one of the family, never suspecting that, like a tame lamb, the time would come for him to be killed. The tree with the fruit thereof - The words are those of a proverb or dark saying. All the Churches agree in understanding that under the person of Jeremiah these things are said by Christ.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 18-23Verses 18-23 The prophet Jeremiah tells much concerning himself, the times he lived in being very troublesome. Those of his own city plotted how they might cause his death. They thought to end his days, but he outlived most of his enemies; they thought to blast his memory, but it lives to this day, and will be blessed while time lasts. God knows all the secret designs of his and his people's enemies, and can, when he pleases, make them known. God's…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 18-19The Lord warned Jeremiah during his commissioning (Jeremiah 1:19) that opposition would threaten his life. Jeremiah felt like a lamb led to slaughter, powerless to resist. This opposition happened before Jeremiah's trial in the Temple courtyard, early in Jehoiakim's reign (between 608 and 605 BC; see Jeremiah 26). Some scholars think this verse foreshadows Christ's death, similar to the suffering servant in Isaiah 53:7.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 18-1918-19. Jeremiah here digresses to notice the attempt on his life plotted by his townsmen of Anathoth. He had no suspicion of it, until Jehovah revealed it to him (Jr 12:6). the Lord ... thou--The change of person from the third to the second accords with the excited feelings of the prophet. then--when I was in peril of my life. their doings--those of the men of Anathoth. His thus alluding to them, before he has mentioned their name, is due to his…Read the comment

Topics related to Jeremiah 11:19

• Conspiracy
• Israel, Prophecies Concerning
• Persecution

In the dictionaries

• Prophesy
• Covenant, the New
• Gentleness
• Lamb of God
• Zedekiah (2)
• lamb, Lamb of God

Commentaries on Jeremiah 11

• 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