Jeremiah 4:7

Jeremiah 4:7 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant.
• New International Version (NIV)A lion has come out of his lair; a destroyer of nations has set out. He has left his place to lay waste your land. Your towns will lie in ruins without inhabitant.
• English Standard Version (ESV)A lion has gone up from his thicket, a destroyer of nations has set out; he has gone out from his place to make your land a waste; your cities will be ruins without inhabitant.
• New King James Version (NKJV)The lion has come up from his thicket, And the destroyer of nations is on his way. He has gone forth from his place To make your land desolate. Your cities will be laid waste, Without inhabitant.

Context of Jeremiah 4:7

5The Lord said: ‘Shout this message to the people in Jerusalem and in all Judah: “Make a loud noise with trumpets in all the land!” Shout loudly, “Come together! We must all run to the cities with strong walls!” 6Lift up a flag that shows the way to Zion! Run quickly to a safe place! Do not wait! I will soon bring great trouble from the north. An enemy will destroy your country. Yes, a strong army is coming, like a lion that has left its cave. It has come out to destroy many nations. It will attack your whole land. Your cities will become heaps of stones, and nobody will live in them. 8So wear rough sackcloth! Weep and cry aloud. Say, “The Lord is still very angry with us.” ’ 9The Lord says: ‘When this happens, the king and his officers will be afraid. The priests will shake with fear. The prophets will be unable to speak.’

Jeremiah 4:7 word by word

עָלָ֤ה אַרְיֵה֙ מִֽסֻּבְּכ֔וֹ וּמַשְׁחִ֣ית גּוֹיִ֔ם נָסַ֖ע יָצָ֣א מִמְּקֹמ֑וֹ לָשׂ֤וּם אַרְצֵךְ֙ לְשַׁמָּ֔ה עָרַ֥יִךְ תִּצֶּ֖ינָה מֵאֵ֥ין יוֹשֵֽׁב׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• The lionאַרְיֵה'ărîy 'aryêh · lionH738
• is come upעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: riseH5927
• from his thicketסְבֹךְsôbek · thicketH5441
• and the destroyerשָׁחַתshâchath · to ruinH7843
• of the Gentilesגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
• is on his wayנָסַעnâsa‛ · to set outH5265
• he is gone forthיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: comeH3318
• from his placeמָקוֹםmâqôm mâqôm meqômâh meqômâh · placeH4725
• to makeשׂוּםώûm ώîym · to set: makeH7760
• thy landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• desolateשַׁמָּהshammâh · horror: destroyedH8047
• thy citiesעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
• shall be laid wasteנָצָהnâtsâh · to desolateH5327
• without an inhabitantיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427

Cross-references for Jeremiah 4:7

• Jeremiah 5:6So lions will come out of the forest to attack them. Wolves will come from the desert to destroy them. Leopards will wait outside their cities. They will kill anyone who goes outside. That will happen because the people have turned against the Lord. They have done many bad things.
• Jeremiah 25:38The Lord will come out, like a lion that comes out of its cave. He will make their land a terrible place. Cruel armies will destroy the land, because of the Lord's great anger.’
• Jeremiah 49:19‘I will attack the people of Edom and I will chase them out of their land. I will be like a lion that has been hiding in the forest. It attacks the sheep in the fields beside the Jordan River. Like that lion, I will suddenly chase Edom's people out of their country. Then I will choose a leader to rule that nation. There is nobody who is like me. Nobody can accuse me of anything. No ruler can stand against me.
• Jeremiah 50:17‘Israel's enemies have chased them away to many different places. They are like sheep that hungry lions have chased away. The first to catch them was the king of Assyria. Then King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon destroyed them, like a lion that broke their bones.’
• 2 Kings 24:1While Jehoiakim was king, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked Judah. Jehoiakim was under Nebuchadnezzar's authority for three years. But then Jehoiakim turned against Nebuchadnezzar.
• 2 Kings 25:1Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, marched with all his army to attack Jerusalem. He arrived on the 10th day of the 10th month, in the 9th year when Zedekiah had ruled Judah. His soldiers made their camp all around the city. They built heaps of earth all around Jerusalem's walls.
• Daniel 7:4The first animal seemed like a lion, but it had the wings of an eagle. As I watched, someone pulled its wings off. They lifted it up and it stood on two feet like a man. They gave a man's mind to it.
• Jeremiah 25:9So I, the Lord, tell you that I will call the nations in the north to come. I will call my servant, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, to come. I will bring them to attack this land and the people who live here. They will also attack all the nations that are around you. I will completely destroy this land, its people and all the nations around it. Their houses will become heaps of stones for ever. The land will become a terrible place. People will always see how foolish my people are.
• Jeremiah 27:8But if the people of any nation or kingdom refuse to serve King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, I will punish those people. They must agree to work for him, like oxen that have a yoke around their necks. If they refuse, I will cause the king of Babylon to punish that nation. I will destroy them with war, famine or disease.
• Ezekiel 21:19‘Son of man, make a mark on two roads for the king of Babylon to follow with his army. Both these roads must start from the same country. Put a sign at the place where the two roads go in separate directions.
• Ezekiel 26:7This is what the Almighty Lord says: Listen! I will bring King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon to attack Tyre from the north. He is a powerful king. He will bring his great army with soldiers on horses and chariots.
• Ezekiel 30:10This is what the Almighty Lord says: I will use King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon to destroy Egypt's army.
• Daniel 5:19Because God made him so great, the people in every nation, who spoke every language, were very afraid of him. If he wanted to kill someone, he could kill them. And if he wanted to save someone, he could let them live. If he wanted to make someone important, he did that. And if he wanted to make someone poor, he did that too.
• Jeremiah 2:15Their enemies have attacked them like lions. They have destroyed my people's land. They have destroyed your cities with fire. Nobody lives in them any more.
• Jeremiah 9:11The Lord replied, ‘I will make Jerusalem a heap of stones. Only wild animals will live there. I will destroy the towns of Judah so that nobody can live in them.’
• Jeremiah 26:9You should not say that you have the Lord's authority to prophesy such terrible things! You cannot say that this temple will become like Shiloh. You cannot say that this city will become a heap of stones where nobody lives!’ The whole crowd of people pushed together around Jeremiah in the yard of the temple.

Commentaries on Jeremiah 4:7

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7The lion is come up - Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. "The king (Nebuchadnezzar) is come up from his tower." - Targum. The destroyer of the Gentiles - Of the nations: of all the people who resisted his authority. He destroyed them all.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7Rather, A “lion” … a “destroyer” of nations: a metaphor descriptive of the impending calamity. A lion is just rousing himself from his lair, but no common one. It is destroyer, not of men, but of nations. Is on his way - literally, “has broken up his encampment.” Jeremiah uses a military term strictly referring to the striking of tents in preparation for the march. Without an inhabitant - The final stage of destruction, actually reached in the utter…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 5-18Verses 5-18 The fierce conqueror of the neighbouring nations was to make Judah desolate. The prophet was afflicted to see the people lulled into security by false prophets. The approach of the enemy is described. Some attention was paid in Jerusalem to outward reformation; but it was necessary that their hearts should be washed, in the exercise of true repentance and faith, from the love and pollution of sin. When lesser calamities do not rouse sinners…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7The approaching Babylonian army was like a fierce and ruthless lion (see Jeremiah 2:15). With strength and brutality, it would destroy everything, leaving houses empty and in ruins (Jeremiah 25:9, 38; 50:17; 2 Kings 24:1; Isaiah 1:7; 6:11; Ezekiel 26:7–10; Daniel 7:4).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 77. lion--Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldeans (Jr 2:15; 5:6; Da 7:14). his thicket--lair; Babylon. destroyer of the Gentiles--rather, "the nations" (Jr 25:9).Read the comment

Topics related to Jeremiah 4:7

• Condescension of God
• Israel, Prophecies Concerning
• Lion

In the dictionaries

• Bless
• Fallow
• Pain
• Wise
• Backslide
• Desolate
• Forest
• Genesis
• Jeremiah (2)
• Thicket

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