English Standard Version
Jeremiah 47:2
2"Thus says the Lord: Behold, waters are rising out of the north, and shall become an overflowing torrent; they shall overflow the land and all that fills it, the city and those who dwell in it. Men shall cry out, and every inhabitant of the land shall wail.
Jeremiah 47:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Thus saith the Lord; Behold, waters rise up out of the north, and shall be an overflowing flood, and shall overflow the land, and all that is therein; the city, and them that dwell therein: then the men shall cry, and all the inhabitants of the land shall howl.
- New International Version (NIV)This is what the Lord says: “See how the waters are rising in the north; they will become an overflowing torrent. They will overflow the land and everything in it, the towns and those who live in them. The people will cry out; all who dwell in the land will wail
- New King James Version (NKJV)Thus says the Lord: “Behold, waters rise out of the north, And shall be an overflowing flood; They shall overflow the land and all that is in it, The city and those who dwell within; Then the men shall cry, And all the inhabitants of the land shall wail.
- New Living Translation (NLT)This is what the Lord says: “A flood is coming from the north to overflow the land. It will destroy the land and everything in it— cities and people alike. People will scream in terror, and everyone in the land will wail.
Context of Jeremiah 47:2
1The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines, before Pharaoh struck down Gaza. "Thus says the Lord: Behold, waters are rising out of the north, and shall become an overflowing torrent; they shall overflow the land and all that fills it, the city and those who dwell in it. Men shall cry out, and every inhabitant of the land shall wail. 3At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his stallions, at the rushing of his chariots, at the rumbling of their wheels, the fathers look not back to their children, so feeble are their hands, 4because of the day that is coming to destroy all the Philistines, to cut off from Tyre and Sidon every helper that remains. For the Lord is destroying the Philistines, the remnant of the coastland of Caphtor.
Read all of Jeremiah 47Jeremiah 47:2 word by word
כֹּ֣ה׀ אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֗ה הִנֵּה־מַ֜יִם עֹלִ֤ים מִצָּפוֹן֙ וְהָיוּ֙ לְנַ֣חַל שׁוֹטֵ֔ף וְיִשְׁטְפוּ֙ אֶ֣רֶץ וּמְלוֹאָ֔הּ עִ֖יר וְיֹ֣שְׁבֵי בָ֑הּ וְזָֽעֲקוּ֙ הָֽאָדָ֔ם וְהֵילִ֕ל כֹּ֖ל יוֹשֵׁ֥ב הָאָֽרֶץ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Thus saithאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- Behold, watersמַיmayim · waterH4325
- rise upעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: riseH5927
- out of the northצָפוֹןtsâphôn tsâphôn · northH6828
- and shall be an overflowingשָׁטַףshâţaph · to overflowH7857
- floodנַ֫חַלnachal nachlâh nachălâh · torrent: riverH5158
- the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- and all that is thereinמְלֹאmelô' melô' melô · fullnessH4393
- the cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
- and them that dwellיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
- therein: then the menאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
- shall cryזָעַקzâ‛aq · to cry outH2199
- shall howlיָלַלyâlal · to wailH3213
Cross-references for Jeremiah 47:2
- Jeremiah 46:7"Who is this, rising like the Nile, like rivers whose waters surge?
- Isaiah 8:7therefore, behold, the Lord is bringing up against them the waters of the River, mighty and many, the king of Assyria and all his glory. And it will rise over all its channels and go over all its banks,
- Isaiah 28:17And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plumb line; and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will overwhelm the shelter."
- Isaiah 59:19So they shall fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; for he will come like a rushing stream, which the wind of the Lord drives.
- Daniel 11:22Armies shall be utterly swept away before him and broken, even the prince of the covenant.
- Amos 9:5The Lord God of hosts, he who touches the earth and it melts, and all who dwell in it mourn, and all of it rises like the Nile, and sinks again, like the Nile of Egypt;
- Nahum 1:8But with an overflowing flood he will make a complete end of the adversaries, and will pursue his enemies into darkness.
- Revelation 12:15The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood.
- Revelation 17:1Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters,
- Jeremiah 1:14Then the Lord said to me, "Out of the north disaster shall be let loose upon all the inhabitants of the land.
- Jeremiah 46:6"The swift cannot flee away, nor the warrior escape; in the north by the river Euphrates they have stumbled and fallen.
- Jeremiah 8:16"The snorting of their horses is heard from Dan; at the sound of the neighing of their stallions the whole land quakes. They come and devour the land and all that fills it, the city and those who dwell in it.
- Psalms 24:1The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,
- Psalms 50:12"If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine.
- Psalms 96:11Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
- Psalms 98:7Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it!
Commentaries on Jeremiah 47:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2Waters rise up out of the north - Waters is a common prophetic image for a multitude of people. The north here, as in other places of this prophecy, means Chaldea.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2Waters rise up - A metaphor for the assembling of an army (compare the marginal references). Out of the north - The Chaldaean army must cross the Euphrates at Carchemish. An overflowing flood - Or, “torrent.” To understand the metaphors of the Bible we must keep the natural phenomena of the country in mind. In Palestine rivers are torrents, dashing furiously along in the rainy seasons, and dry, or nearly so, in the summer. All that is therein - The…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2an overflowing torrent: This metaphor describes the Babylonian armies moving into the coastal area. This began in 609 BC and peaked in 605 BC (compare Jeremiah 1:11–14).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. waters--(Is 8:7). The Chaldeans from the north are compared to the overwhelming waters of their own Euphrates. The smiting of Gaza was to be only the prelude of a greater disaster to the Philistines. Nebuzara-dan was left by Nebuchadnezzar, after he had taken Jerusalem, to subdue the rest of the adjoining cities and country.Read the comment
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Jeremiah 47
- 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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries