New English Translation
Jeremiah 47:2
2“Look! Enemies are gathering in the north like water rising in a river. They will be like an overflowing stream. They will overwhelm the whole country and everything in it like a flood. They will overwhelm the cities and their inhabitants. People will cry out in alarm. Everyone living in the country will cry out in pain.
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
- English Standard Version (ESV)"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.
- 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.
Context of Jeremiah 47:2
1The Lord spoke to the prophet Jeremiah about the Philistines before Pharaoh attacked Gaza. “Look! Enemies are gathering in the north like water rising in a river. They will be like an overflowing stream. They will overwhelm the whole country and everything in it like a flood. They will overwhelm the cities and their inhabitants. People will cry out in alarm. Everyone living in the country will cry out in pain. 3Fathers will hear the hoofbeats of the enemies’ horses, the clatter of their chariots and the rumbling of their wheels. They will not turn back to save their children because they will be paralyzed with fear. 4For the time has come to destroy all the Philistines. The time has come to destroy all the help that remains for Tyre and Sidon. For I, the Lord, will destroy the Philistines, that remnant that came from the island of Crete.
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 that rises like the Nile, like its streams turbulent at flood stage?
- Isaiah 8:7So look, the sovereign master is bringing up against them the turbulent and mighty waters of the Euphrates River – the king of Assyria and all his majestic power. It will reach flood stage and overflow its banks.
- Isaiah 28:17I will make justice the measuring line, fairness the plumb line; hail will sweep away the unreliable refuge, the floodwaters will overwhelm the hiding place.
- Isaiah 59:19In the west, people respect the Lord’s reputation; in the east they recognize his splendor. For he comes like a rushing stream driven on by wind sent from the Lord.
- Daniel 11:22Armies will be suddenly swept away in defeat before him; both they and a covenant leader will be destroyed.
- Amos 9:5The sovereign Lord who commands armies will do this. He touches the earth and it dissolves; all who live on it mourn. The whole earth rises like the River Nile, and then grows calm like the Nile in Egypt.
- Nahum 1:8But with an overwhelming flood he will make a complete end of Nineveh; he will drive his enemies into darkness.
- Revelation 12:15Then the serpent spouted water like a river out of his mouth after the woman in an attempt to sweep her away by a flood,
- Revelation 17:1Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke to me. “Come,” he said, “I will show you the condemnation and punishment of the great prostitute who sits on many waters,
- Jeremiah 1:14Then the Lord said, “This means destruction will break out from the north on all who live in the land.
- Jeremiah 46:6But even the swiftest cannot get away. Even the strongest cannot escape. There in the north by the Euphrates River they stumble and fall in defeat.
- Jeremiah 8:16The snorting of the enemy’s horses is already being heard in the city of Dan. The sound of the neighing of their stallions causes the whole land to tremble with fear. They are coming to destroy the land and everything in it! They are coming to destroy the cities and everyone who lives in them!”
- Psalms 24:1The Lord owns the earth and all it contains, the world and all who live in it.
- Psalms 50:12Even if I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and all it contains belong to me.
- Psalms 96:11Let the sky rejoice, and the earth be happy! Let the sea and everything in it shout!
- Psalms 98:7Let the sea and everything in it shout, along with the world and those who live 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
New English Translation — © 1996-2016 Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C.
Commentaries