Jeremiah 18:17

Jeremiah 18:17 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will shew them the back, and not the face, in the day of their calamity.
• New International Version (NIV)Like a wind from the east, I will scatter them before their enemies; I will show them my back and not my face in the day of their disaster.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)Like the east wind I will scatter them before the enemy. I will show them my back, not my face, in the day of their calamity."
• New King James Version (NKJV)I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will show them the back and not the face In the day of their calamity.”

Context of Jeremiah 18:17

15Those things never change, but my people have forgotten me. They offer sacrifices to useless idols. Because of that, they live in a wrong way. They have left the good paths that their ancestors knew. Instead, they walk along narrow paths that nobody takes care of. 16So I will cause their land to become a terrible place. People will always see how disgusting my people are. Everybody who goes near there will be very surprised. They will shake their heads and they will insult my people. I will send enemies to attack them. They will chase my people away, like an east wind that blows away dust. I will turn away from them when that day of great trouble arrives. I will refuse to help them.’ 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.’ 19‘Please listen to me, Lord! Hear what my enemies are saying against me.

Jeremiah 18:17 word by word

כְּרֽוּחַ־קָדִ֥ים אֲפִיצֵ֖ם לִפְנֵ֣י אוֹיֵ֑ב עֹ֧רֶף וְלֹֽא־פָנִ֛ים אֶרְאֵ֖ם בְּי֥וֹם אֵידָֽם׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• I will scatterפּוּץpûts · to scatterH6327
• them as with an eastקָדִיםqâdîym qâdim · eastH6921
• windרוּחַrûach · spirit: breathH7307
• beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
• the enemyאֹיֵב'ôyêb 'ôyêb · enemyH341
• I will shewרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• them the backעֹ֫רֶף‛ôreph · neckH6203
• and not the faceפָּנֶהpânîym · faceH6440
• in the dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
• of their calamityאֵיד'êyd · calamityH343

Cross-references for Jeremiah 18:17

• Jeremiah 13:24The Lord says, ‘I will blow you away, as a hot desert wind blows away straw.
• Deuteronomy 28:25The Lord will let your enemies knock you down. You will attack them from one direction, but you will run away from them in seven directions. When the people of other nations see what has happened to you, they will see it is a terrible thing.
• Job 27:21The east wind picks them up and takes then far away. It removes them from their homes.
• Psalms 48:7You push them away, like an east wind that destroys great ships.
• Hosea 13:15Among the other nations, Israel has been successful. It has been like a plant that grows well. But now the Lord will send trouble. It will be like a strong east wind that comes from the desert. Israel's wells and springs of water will become dry. All the valuable things that Israel has stored will disappear.
• Jeremiah 2:27They worship a piece of wood, and they say, “You are my father.” They say to a stone, “You gave birth to me.” They have not turned to come to me. Instead, they have turned away from me. But when trouble comes to them, they call out to me to rescue them.
• Jeremiah 32:33They should have come to me for help, but instead they turned away from me. Many times I taught them what was right. But they would not listen to me when I warned them.
• Deuteronomy 31:17When that happens, I will be very angry with them. I will leave them. I will refuse to help them until they are destroyed. Many bad things will happen to them so that they are in great trouble. Then they will say, “These bad things have happened to us because our God is no longer with us.”
• Judges 10:13But now you have turned away from me and you worship other gods instead. So I will not rescue you again.
• Jeremiah 46:21Egypt has paid soldiers from other countries to help her. But they are like fat calves that are too weak to fight. They will not stand and fight, but they will turn and run away. Yes, the day of Egypt's punishment has arrived! Their enemy has come to destroy them.
• Proverbs 7:25Do not let that kind of woman spoil your mind. Do not let her lead you away from what is right.

Commentaries on Jeremiah 18:17

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17I will scatter them as with an east wind - It is the property of this wind, almost every where, to parch up, blast, and destroy grain and trees, and even cattle and men suffer from it. Hence the old metrical proverb: - "When the wind blows from the east, 'Tis good for neither man nor beast."Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17I will shew them the back - The hiding of God‘s face is the sure sign of His displeasure Isaiah 1:15; Isaiah 59:2.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-17Verses 11-17 Sinners call it liberty to live at large; whereas for a man to be a slave to his lusts, is the very worst slavery. They forsook God for idols. When men are parched with heat, and meet with cooling, refreshing streams, they use them. In these things men will not leave a certainty for an uncertainty; but Israel left the ancient paths appointed by the Divine law. They walked not in the highway, in which they might travel safely, but in a way in…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16-17The Lord declared judgment on Judah and Jerusalem. They have made their land a desolation...I will scatter them: Between 605 and 586 BC, Judah and Jerusalem gradually lost their residents. like the east wind: In the summer, a strong hot wind from the east can blow sand and dust from the desert into Judah. I will show them My back: The people would no longer have a covenant relationship with the Lord.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1717. as with an east wind--literally, "I will scatter them, as an east wind (scatters all before it)": a most violent wind (Job 27:21; Psa 48:7; Is 27:8). Thirty-two manuscripts read (without as), "with an east wind." I will show them the back ... not ... face--just retribution: as "they turned their back unto Me ... not their face" (Jr 2:27).Read the comment

Topics related to Jeremiah 18:17

• Church
• Israel, Prophecies Concerning
• Wicked (People)

In the dictionaries

• East wind
• Smite
• Wag
• Anathoth
• Face
• Providence

Commentaries on Jeremiah 18

• 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