Jeremiah 6:4

Jeremiah 6:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Prepare ye war against her; arise, and let us go up at noon. Woe unto us! for the day goeth away, for the shadows of the evening are stretched out.
• New International Version (NIV)“Prepare for battle against her! Arise, let us attack at noon! But, alas, the daylight is fading, and the shadows of evening grow long.
• English Standard Version (ESV)"Prepare war against her; arise, and let us attack at noon! Woe to us, for the day declines, for the shadows of evening lengthen!
• New King James Version (NKJV)“Prepare war against her; Arise, and let us go up at noon. Woe to us, for the day goes away, For the shadows of the evening are lengthening.

Context of Jeremiah 6:4

2Jerusalem is a beautiful city, like a daughter that I love. She cannot protect herself, and I will destroy her. 3Kings will come to attack the city. They will bring their armies, like shepherds with their sheep. They will make their camps all around the city. Each of them will take their own piece of land. They will say to their soldiers, ‘Get ready to attack the city! We will attack at noon!’ But if the day is almost finished, they will say, ‘It is already evening and it will soon be dark. 5So we should attack them in the night. We will destroy all their strong buildings!’ 6This will happen because Lord Almighty has said, ‘Cut down the trees around Jerusalem. Use them to build towers to the top of the city's walls. I must punish Jerusalem. It is full of cruel people.

Jeremiah 6:4 word by word

קַדְּשׁ֤וּ עָלֶ֙יהָ֙ מִלְחָמָ֔ה ק֖וּמוּ וְנַעֲלֶ֣ה בַֽצָּהֳרָ֑יִם א֥וֹי לָ֙נוּ֙ כִּי־פָנָ֣ה הַיּ֔וֹם כִּ֥י יִנָּט֖וּ צִלְלֵי־עָֽרֶב׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Prepareקָדַשׁqâdash · to consecrate: prepareH6942
• ye warמִלְחָמָהmilchâmâh · battleH4421
• against her; ariseקוּםqûm · to arise: riseH6965
• and let us go upעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: attackH5927
• at noonצֹ֫הַרtsôhar · middayH6672
• Woeאוֹי'ôy · woe!H188
• unto us! for the dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
• goeth awayפָּנָהpânâh · to turnH6437
• for the shadowsצֵלֶלtsêlel · shadowH6752
• of the eveningעֶ֫רֶב‛ereb · eveningH6153
• are stretched outנָטָהnâţâh · to stretchH5186

Cross-references for Jeremiah 6:4

• Jeremiah 5:10The Lord says this to Judah's enemies: ‘March through the vineyards of Israel and Judah, and destroy the vines. But do not destroy them completely. Pull the branches from the trees. Do this, because these people do not belong to the Lord.
• Jeremiah 51:27‘Call the nations to come and fight a battle against Babylonia. Wave a flag and make a noise with trumpets, so that these kingdoms prepare their armies to attack: Ararat, Minni and Ashkenaz. Choose a captain to lead them into battle. Send an army of soldiers on horses to attack, like a large crowd of locusts.
• Isaiah 5:26The Lord will send a message to foreign nations to come and attack. He calls to nations that are far away, and now they are already coming! Their armies march quickly to Jerusalem.
• Isaiah 13:2Lift up a sign on an empty hill. Shout aloud for an army to attack! Wave your hand! Then they will go through the city gates into the rulers' palaces.
• Joel 3:9Tell this news to the people in all the countries: Get ready for war! Shout to the soldiers. Make all the men who fight get ready to attack.
• Jeremiah 15:8There will be more widows in Judah, than there is sand on the shore of the sea. At midday I will send an enemy to destroy the young men. Their mothers will weep for them. It will happen very suddenly. Fear and terror will come!
• Zephaniah 2:4Then, the people who have lived in Gaza city and Ashkelon city will not be there. Enemies will also send away the people in Ashdod city at midday. And those enemies will destroy Ekron city.
• Jeremiah 8:20The people say, ‘We have taken in all our crops from the fields. The summer has finished. And still nobody has rescued us.’

Commentaries on Jeremiah 6:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Prepare ye war against her - The words of the invaders exciting each other to the assault, and impatient lest any time should be lost; lest the besieged should have time to strengthen themselves, or get in supplies.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Prepare ye war - Rather, Sanctify ye war against her. War in ancient times was never undertaken without religions solemnities (see Deuteronomy 20:2 note). For some of these compare Ezekiel 21:21-23. At noon - The mid-day heat is so great in the East as to be usually passed under shelter 2 Samuel 4:5; Song of Song of Solomon 1:7 . The morning-march of an army was made fasting, and was usually over by eight or nine. But so great is the impatience of the…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2-5Jeremiah described the commanding officers of the invading army as shepherds leading their soldiers to camp around the city. The initial plan was to strike the city walls at noon, when the attackers could see their work. However, the people in the city were so weakened that a night attack was just as effective (see 2 Kings 25:1–4).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 4-54-5. The invading soldiers encourage one another to the attack on Jerusalem. Prepare--literally, "Sanctify" war, that is, Proclaim it formally with solemn rites; the invasion was solemnly ordered by God (compare Is 13:3). at noon--the hottest part of the day when attacks were rarely made (Jr 15:8; 20:16). Even at this time they wished to attack, such is their eagerness. Woe unto us--The words of the invaders, mourning the approach of night which would…Read the comment

In the dictionaries

• Cruel
• Mount
• Reprobate
• Wallow
• Army
• Decline
• Even; Evening; Eventide
• Jeremiah (2)
• Sheshach
• War; Warfare

Commentaries on Jeremiah 6

• 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
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings