God’s Word Translation
Jeremiah 18:21
21Now, hand their children over to famine. Pour out their ⌞blood⌟ by using your sword. Then their wives will become childless widows. Their husbands will be put to death. Their young men will be struck down in battle.
Jeremiah 18:21 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, and pour out their blood by the force of the sword; and let their wives be bereaved of their children, and be widows; and let their men be put to death; let their young men be slain by the sword in battle.
- New International Version (NIV)So give their children over to famine; hand them over to the power of the sword. Let their wives be made childless and widows; let their men be put to death, their young men slain by the sword in battle.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Therefore deliver up their children to famine; give them over to the power of the sword; let their wives become childless and widowed. May their men meet death by pestilence, their youths be struck down by the sword in battle.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, And pour out their blood By the force of the sword; Let their wives become widows And bereaved of their children. Let their men be put to death, Their young men be slain By the sword in battle.
Context of Jeremiah 18:21
19Pay attention to me, O Lord, and listen to what my accusers say. 20Good should not be paid back with evil. They dig a pit to take my life. Remember how I stood in your presence and pleaded for them in order to turn your anger away from them. Now, hand their children over to famine. Pour out their ⌞blood⌟ by using your sword. Then their wives will become childless widows. Their husbands will be put to death. Their young men will be struck down in battle. 22Make them cry out from their homes when you suddenly send troops against them, because they dug a pit to catch me and hid snares for my feet. 23But you, O Lord, know that they plan to kill me. Don’t forgive their crimes. Don’t wipe their sins out of your sight. Make them stumble in your presence. Deal with them when you get angry.
Read all of Jeremiah 18Jeremiah 18:21 word by word
לָכֵן֩ תֵּ֨ן אֶת־בְּנֵיהֶ֜ם לָרָעָ֗ב וְהַגִּרֵם֮ עַל־יְדֵי־חֶרֶב֒ וְתִֽהְיֶ֨נָה נְשֵׁיהֶ֤ם שַׁכֻּלוֹת֙ וְאַלְמָנ֔וֹת וְאַ֨נְשֵׁיהֶ֔ם יִֽהְי֖וּ הֲרֻ֣גֵי מָ֑וֶת בַּח֣וּרֵיהֶ֔ם מֻכֵּי־חֶ֖רֶב בַּמִּלְחָמָֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Therefore deliver upנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
- their childrenבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- to the famineרָעָבrâ‛âb · famineH7458
- and pour outנָגַרnâgar · to pourH5064
- by the forceיָדyâd · hand: powerH3027
- of the swordחֶ֫רֶבchereb · swordH2719
- and let their wivesאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · woman: wifeH802
- be bereavedשַׁכּוּלshakkûl shakkûl · childlessH7909
- widowsאַלְמָנָה'almânâh · widowH490
- and let their menאֱנוֹשׁ'ĕnôsh · humanH582
- be putהָרַגhârag · to killH2026
- to deathמָ֫וֶתmâveth · deathH4194
- their young menבָּחוּרbâchûr bâchûr · youthH970
- slainנָכָהnâkâh · to smiteH5221
- in battleמִלְחָמָהmilchâmâh · battleH4421
Cross-references for Jeremiah 18:21
- Jeremiah 11:20O Lord of Armies, you judge fairly and test motives and thoughts. I want to see you take revenge on them, because I’ve brought my case to you.
- Jeremiah 12:3You know me, O Lord. You see me and test my devotion to you. Drag them away like sheep to be slaughtered. Prepare them for the day of slaughter.
- Jeremiah 20:1Now the priest, Immer’s son Pashhur, the chief officer of the Lord’s temple, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things.
- Psalms 109:9“Let his children become fatherless and his wife a widow.
- 2 Timothy 4:14Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will pay him back for what he did.
- Jeremiah 15:2When they ask you where they should go, say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: Those who are destined to die will die. Those who are destined to die in wars will die in wars. Those who are destined to die in famines will die in famines. Those who are destined to die in captivity will die in captivity.’
- Jeremiah 16:3This is what the Lord says about the sons and daughters born in this place and about the mothers and fathers who have children in this land:
- Exodus 22:24I will become angry and have you killed in combat. Then your wives and children will become widows and orphans.
- Deuteronomy 32:25Foreign wars will kill off their children, and even at home there will be horrors. Young men and young women alike will die as well as nursing babies and gray-haired men.
- Lamentations 5:3We are orphans without a father. Our mothers are like widows.
- Jeremiah 9:21Death has come through our windows and entered our palaces. Death has cut down the children in the streets and the young men in the marketplaces.
- Jeremiah 11:22This is what the Lord of Armies says: I’m going to punish them. The young men will die because of war. Their sons and daughters will die because of famine.
- 2 Chronicles 36:17So he had the Babylonian king attack them and execute their best young men in their holy temple. He didn’t spare the best men or the unmarried women, the old people or the sick people. God handed all of them over to him.
- Amos 4:10I sent plagues on you as I did to Egypt. With swords I killed your best young men along with your captured horses. I made the stench from your camps fill your noses. And you still didn’t return to me, declares the Lord.
Commentaries on Jeremiah 18:21
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21Therefore deliver up their children - The execrations in these verses should be considered as simply prophetic declarations of the judgments which God was about to pour out on them. If we consider them in their grammatical meaning, then they are not directions to us to whom our Lawgiver has said, "Love your enemies."Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21Pour out sword - literally, “pour them out upon the hands of the sword, i. e., give them up to the sword.” Put to death - Rather, slain of death. The prophet‘s phrase leaves it entirely indefinite in what way the men are to die.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 18-23Verses 18-23 When the prophet called to repentance, instead of obeying the call, the people devised devices against him. Thus do sinners deal with the great Intercessor, crucifying him afresh, and speaking against him on earth, while his blood is speaking for them in heaven. But the prophet had done his duty to them; and the same will be our rejoicing in a day of evil.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 21-23In his prayer for vengeance, Jeremiah asked God to carry out the promised curses on those who broke his covenant (compare Deuteronomy 27:11–26; 28:15–68; see also the “Prayers for Vengeance” Theme Note).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2121. pour out their blood by the force of the sword--literally, "by the hands of the sword." So Eze 35:5. Maurer with Jerome translates, "deliver them over to the power of the sword." But compare Psa 63:10, Margin; Is 53:12. In this prayer he does not indulge in personal revenge, as if it were his own cause that was at stake; but he speaks under the dictation of the Spirit, ceasing to intercede, and speaking prophetically, knowing they were doomed to…Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 18:21
In the dictionaries
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
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