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 will our enemy continue to attack us? How long will I see their flags and hear their trumpets? 22The Lord says, ‘My people are fools. They do not know me. They are like children who do not know anything. They understand nothing. They are very clever at doing evil things. But they do not know how to do what is good.’ I looked at the earth. It had no shape and it was empty. I looked at the sky. Its light had disappeared. 24I looked at the mountains. They were shaking. All the hills were moving around. 25When I looked, I saw no people. All the birds had flown away.

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 weep for the mountains. I will cry for the fields in the wilderness. There is no grass for the animals to eat. Nobody travels through those places. There is no sound of cows and sheep. The birds and the wild animals have all disappeared.’
• Genesis 1:2The earth was without shape and it was empty. Deep water covered the earth and everywhere was dark. The Spirit of God moved above the water.
• Isaiah 24:19The earth has become broken into many pieces. It has torn apart. It is shaking powerfully.
• Revelation 20:11Then I saw a great white throne. I saw that God was sitting on it. The earth and the sky rushed away from the place where he sat. There was no longer any place for them.
• Isaiah 5:30On the day that they attack, the enemy will roar over the people that they catch. They will make a noise like a rough sea. If anyone looks across the land, it will be completely dark because of all the trouble. Clouds will make the light of day become dark.
• Isaiah 13:10When he does that, the stars in the sky will give no light. When the sun rises in the morning, it will still be dark. The moon will no longer shine.
• Ezekiel 32:7When I completely destroy you, I will cover the sky and make the stars become dark. I will cover the sun with a cloud. The moon will no longer give any light.
• Joel 2:10The earth in front of them moves. The sky itself moves. The sun and moon are dark and the stars do not give any light.
• Joel 3:15The sun and moon will become dark. The stars will not shine.
• Amos 8:9The Lord God says, ‘At that time, I will make the sun go down at noon. I will make the earth become dark in the daytime.
• Matthew 24:29Then after all these bad things have happened, “The sun will become dark. The moon will not shine any more. Stars will fall out of the sky. And the powerful things in the sky will shake.”
• Mark 13:25Stars will fall out of the sky. And the powerful things in the sky will shake.
• Luke 21:25‘You will see strange things happen to the sun and to the moon and to the stars. Down on earth, things that happen will make people in many countries very afraid. The sea will move up and down and make a lot of noise. There will be great storms.
• Acts 2:19I will cause special things to appear in the sky. I will cause special things to appear on the earth too. Those things will show how great I am. There will be blood, fire and thick dark smoke.

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