God’s Word Translation
Jeremiah 20:4
4This is what the Lord says: I’m going to make you terrify yourself and all your friends. Their enemies’ swords will kill them, and you will see it with your own eyes. I will hand all of Judah over to the king of Babylon. He will take the people away as captives to Babylon or kill them with swords.
Jeremiah 20:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will make thee a terror to thyself, and to all thy friends: and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and thine eyes shall behold it: and I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall carry them captive into Babylon, and shall slay them with the sword.
- New International Version (NIV)For this is what the Lord says: ‘I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends; with your own eyes you will see them fall by the sword of their enemies. I will give all Judah into the hands of the king of Babylon, who will carry them away to Babylon or put them to the sword.
- English Standard Version (ESV)For thus says the Lord: Behold, I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends. They shall fall by the sword of their enemies while you look on. And I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon. He shall carry them captive to Babylon, and shall strike them down with the sword.
- New King James Version (NKJV)For thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends; and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and your eyes shall see it. I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall carry them captive to Babylon and slay them with the sword.
Context of Jeremiah 20:4
2Pashhur struck the prophet Jeremiah and put him in prison at Upper Benjamin Gate that was in the Lord’s temple. 3The next day when Pashhur took Jeremiah out of prison, Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord doesn’t call you Pashhur, but he calls you Terror Everywhere. This is what the Lord says: I’m going to make you terrify yourself and all your friends. Their enemies’ swords will kill them, and you will see it with your own eyes. I will hand all of Judah over to the king of Babylon. He will take the people away as captives to Babylon or kill them with swords. 5I will hand all the riches of this city over to their enemies. This will include all its produce, all its valuables, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah. Their enemies will loot them, take them away, and bring them to Babylon. 6And you, Pashhur, and all those who live in your house will go into captivity. You will go to Babylon, and you will die there. You will be buried there together with all your friends to whom you prophesied these lies.”
Read all of Jeremiah 20Jeremiah 20:4 word by word
כִּ֣י כֹ֣ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֡ה הִנְנִי֩ נֹתֶנְךָ֨ לְמָג֜וֹר לְךָ֣ וּלְכָל־אֹהֲבֶ֗יךָ וְנָֽפְל֛וּ בְּחֶ֥רֶב אֹיְבֵיהֶ֖ם וְעֵינֶ֣יךָ רֹא֑וֹת וְאֶת־כָּל־יְהוּדָ֗ה אֶתֵּן֙ בְּיַ֣ד מֶֽלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֔ל וְהִגְלָ֥ם בָּבֶ֖לָה וְהִכָּ֥ם בֶּחָֽרֶב׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- For thus saithאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- Behold, I will makeנָתַןnâthan · to give: makeH5414
- thee a terrorמָגוֹרmâgôr mâgûr · terrorH4032
- to thyself, and to all thy friendsאָהֵב'âhab 'âhêb · to love: friendH157
- and they shall fallנָפַלnâphal · to fall: killH5307
- by the swordחֶ֫רֶבchereb · swordH2719
- of their enemiesאֹיֵב'ôyêb 'ôyêb · enemyH341
- and thine eyesעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eye: seeingH5869
- shall beholdרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
- and I will giveנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
- all Judahיְהוּדָהyehûdâh · JudahH3063
- into the handיָדyâd · hand: powerH3027
- of the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- of Babylonבָּבֶ֫ל, בָּבֶלbâbel · BabylonH894
- and he shall carry them captiveגָּלָהgâlâh · to reveal: removeH1540
- and shall slayנָכָהnâkâh · to smiteH5221
Cross-references for Jeremiah 20:4
- Deuteronomy 28:65Among those nations you will find no peace, no place to call your own. There the Lord will give you an unsettled mind, failing eyesight, and despair.
- Job 18:11“Terrors suddenly pounce on him from every side and chase him every step he takes.
- Job 20:23Let that misery fill his belly. ⌞God⌟ throws his burning anger at the godless person and makes his wrath come down on him like rain.
- Psalms 73:19They are suddenly destroyed. They are completely swept away by terror!
- Ezekiel 26:17Then they will sing this funeral song for you: Tyre, you famous city, you have been destroyed. You have been shattered by the sea. You and your people ruled the sea. All your people terrified those who lived by the coast.
- Matthew 27:4He said, “I’ve sinned by betraying an innocent man.” They replied, “What do we care? That’s your problem.”
- Jeremiah 29:21This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says about Kolaiah’s son Ahab and about Maaseiah’s son Zedekiah, who prophesy lies to you in my name: I’m going to hand them over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I will kill them as you watch.
- Jeremiah 39:6The king of Babylon slaughtered Zedekiah’s sons as Zedekiah watched at Riblah. He also slaughtered all the leaders of Judah.
- Deuteronomy 28:32You will watch with your own eyes as your sons and daughters are given to another nation. You will strain your eyes looking for them all day long, but there will be nothing you can do.
- 1 Samuel 2:33Any man in your family whom I do not remove from my altar will have his eyes fail, and he will be heartbroken. And all your descendants will die in the prime of life.
- 2 Kings 25:7They slaughtered Zedekiah’s sons as he watched, and then they blinded Zedekiah. They put him in bronze shackles and took him to Babylon.
- Jeremiah 19:15“This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: I’m going to bring on this city and on all its towns the disasters that I threatened. They’ve become impossible to deal with, and they refuse to obey me.”
- Jeremiah 21:4‘This is what the Lord God of Israel says: I’m going to take your weapons away from you. You are using these weapons to fight the king of Babylon as well as the Babylonians who are now blockading you outside the wall. I will bring the Babylonians inside this city.
- Jeremiah 25:9so I’m going to send for all the families from the north. I will also send for my servant King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, declares the Lord. I will bring the families from the north to attack this land, its people, and all these surrounding nations. I’m going to destroy them and turn them into something terrible, something ridiculed, and something permanently ruined.
- Jeremiah 32:27“I am the Lord God of all humanity. Nothing is too hard for me.
Commentaries on Jeremiah 20:4
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4A terror to thyself, and to all thy friends - Jeremiah plays upon the meaning of Magormissabib saying that Pusbur would be a terror to all around. It is remarkable that he prophesies no evil of Pashur Jeremiah 20:6. His was to be the milder fate of being carried into captivity with Jehoiachin, and dying peaceably at Babylon Jeremiah 20:6, whereas his successor Zephaniah was put to death at Riblah Jeremiah 52:24, Jeremiah 52:27. His punishment probably…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4-5This is the first time Jeremiah names Babylon as the country whose armies will invade Judah and take the people into exile. The invaders will take the precious jewels, gold, and silver, leaving Judah without resources.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. terror ... to all thy friends--who have believed thy false promises (Jr 20:6). The sense must be in order to accord with "fear round about" (Jr 20:3). I will bring terror on thee and on all thy friends, that terror arising from thyself, namely, thy false prophecies. Thou and thy prophecies will be seen, to the dismay both of thee and thy dupes, to have caused their ruin and thine. Maurer's translation is therefore not needed, "I will give up thee and…Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 20:4
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Jeremiah 20
- 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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