New English Translation
Jeremiah 11:16
16I, the Lord, once called you a thriving olive tree, one that produced beautiful fruit. But I will set you on fire, fire that will blaze with a mighty roar. Then all your branches will be good for nothing.
Jeremiah 11:16 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)The Lord called thy name, A green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit: with the noise of a great tumult he hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken.
- New International Version (NIV)The Lord called you a thriving olive tree with fruit beautiful in form. But with the roar of a mighty storm he will set it on fire, and its branches will be broken.
- English Standard Version (ESV)The Lord once called you 'a green olive tree, beautiful with good fruit.' But with the roar of a great tempest he will set fire to it, and its branches will be consumed.
- New King James Version (NKJV)The Lord called your name, Green Olive Tree, Lovely and of Good Fruit. With the noise of a great tumult He has kindled fire on it, And its branches are broken.
Context of Jeremiah 11:16
14So, Jeremiah, do not pray for these people. Do not cry out to me or petition me on their behalf. Do not plead with me to save them. For I will not listen to them when they call out to me for help when disaster strikes them.” 15The Lord says to the people of Judah, “What right do you have to be in my temple, my beloved people? Many of you have done wicked things. Can your acts of treachery be so easily canceled by sacred offerings that you take joy in doing evil even while you make them? I, the Lord, once called you a thriving olive tree, one that produced beautiful fruit. But I will set you on fire, fire that will blaze with a mighty roar. Then all your branches will be good for nothing. 17For though I, the Lord who rules over all, planted you in the land, I now decree that disaster will come on you because the nations of Israel and Judah have done evil and have made me angry by offering sacrifices to the god Baal.” 18The Lord gave me knowledge, that I might have understanding. Then he showed me what the people were doing.
Read all of Jeremiah 11Jeremiah 11:16 word by word
זַ֤יִת רַֽעֲנָן֙ יְפֵ֣ה פְרִי־תֹ֔אַר קָרָ֥א יְהוָ֖ה שְׁמֵ֑ךְ לְק֣וֹל׀ הֲמוּלָּ֣ה גְדֹלָ֗ה הִצִּ֥ית אֵשׁ֙ עָלֶ֔יהָ וְרָע֖וּ דָּלִיּוֹתָֽיו׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- The Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- calledקָרָאqârâ' · to call: call byH7121
- thy nameשֵׁםshêm · nameH8034
- A greenרַעֲנָןra‛ănân · luxuriantH7488
- olive treeזַ֫יִתzayith · oliveH2132
- fairיָפֶהyâpheh · beautifulH3303
- of goodlyתֹּ֫אַרtô'ar · appearanceH8389
- fruitפְּרִיperîy · fruitH6529
- with the noiseקוֹלqôl qôl · voice: soundH6963
- of a greatגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
- tumultהֲמֻלָּהhămûlâh hămûllâh · tumultH1999
- he hath kindledיָצַתyâtsath · to kindleH3341
- fireאֵשׁ'êsh · fireH784
- upon it, and the branchesדָּלִיּוֹתdâlîyâh · branchH1808
- of it are brokenרָעַעrâ‛a‛ · to shatterH7489
Cross-references for Jeremiah 11:16
- Psalms 52:8But I am like a flourishing olive tree in the house of God; I continually trust in God’s loyal love.
- Romans 11:17Now if some of the branches were broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among them and participated in the richness of the olive root,
- Psalms 80:16It is burned and cut down. They die because you are displeased with them.
- Isaiah 1:30For you will be like a tree whose leaves wither, like an orchard that is unwatered.
- Isaiah 27:11When its branches get brittle, they break; women come and use them for kindling. For these people lack understanding, therefore the one who made them has no compassion on them; the one who formed them has no mercy on them.
- Ezekiel 15:4No! It is thrown in the fire for fuel; when the fire has burned up both ends of it and it is charred in the middle, will it be useful for anything?
- Ezekiel 20:47and say to the scrub land of the Negev, ‘Hear the word of the Lord: This is what the sovereign Lord says: Look here, I am about to start a fire in you, and it will devour every green tree and every dry tree in you. The flaming fire will not be extinguished, and the whole surface of the ground from the Negev to the north will be scorched by it.
- Matthew 3:10Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
- John 15:6If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown out like a branch, and dries up; and such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire, and are burned up.
Commentaries on Jeremiah 11:16
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16The Lord called thy name, A green olive tree - That is, he made thee like a green olive - fair, flourishing, and fruitful; but thou art degenerated, and God hath given the Chaldeans permission to burn thee up.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 14-17Verses 14-17 A parenthesis. As in Jeremiah 7:16, all intercession is forbidden, and for this reason. Prayer for others for the forgiveness of their sins avails only when they also pray. The cry of the people now was that of the guilty smarting under punishment, not of the penitent mourning over sin. Jeremiah 11:15 This passage, like Isaiah 1:12, rebukes the inconsistency of Judah‘s public worship of Yahweh with their private immorality and preference for…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-17Verses 11-17 Evil pursues sinners, and entangles them in snares, out of which they cannot free themselves. Now, in their distress, their many gods and many altars stand them in no stead. And those whose own prayers will not be heard, cannot expect benefit from the prayers of others. Their profession of religion shall prove of no use. When trouble came upon them, they made this their confidence, but God has rejected it. His altar shall yield them no…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16-17During the Exodus, the Lord saw Israel as a flourishing olive tree. King David compared himself to an olive tree (Psalm 52:8), and the apostle Paul used this image to explain how non-Jews could share in the blessings of salvation (Romans 11:16–21).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. called thy name--made thee. olive--(Psa 52:8; Ro 11:17). The "olive" is chosen to represent the adoption of Judah by the free grace of God, as its oil is the image of richness (compare Psa 23:5; 104:15). with ... noise of ... tumult--or, "at the noise," &c., namely, at the tumult of the invading army (Is 13:4) [Maurer]. Or, rather, "with the sound of a mighty voice," namely, that of God, that is, the thunder; thus there is no confusion of metaphors…Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 11:16
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Jeremiah 11
- 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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