New International Version
Jeremiah 4:26
26I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert; all its towns lay in ruins before the Lord, before his fierce anger.
Jeremiah 4:26 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by his fierce anger.
- English Standard Version (ESV)I looked, and behold, the fruitful land was a desert, and all its cities were laid in ruins before the Lord, before his fierce anger.
- New King James Version (NKJV)I beheld, and indeed the fruitful land was a wilderness, And all its cities were broken down At the presence of the Lord, By His fierce anger.
- New Living Translation (NLT)I looked, and the fertile fields had become a wilderness. The towns lay in ruins, crushed by the Lord’s fierce anger.
Context of Jeremiah 4:26
24I looked at the mountains, and they were quaking; all the hills were swaying. 25I looked, and there were no people; every bird in the sky had flown away. I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert; all its towns lay in ruins before the Lord, before his fierce anger. 27This is what the Lord says: “The whole land will be ruined, though I will not destroy it completely. 28Therefore the earth will mourn and the heavens above grow dark, because I have spoken and will not relent, I have decided and will not turn back.”
Read all of Jeremiah 4Jeremiah 4:26 word by word
רָאִ֕יתִי וְהִנֵּ֥ה הַכַּרְמֶ֖ל הַמִּדְבָּ֑ר וְכָל־עָרָ֗יו נִתְּצוּ֙ מִפְּנֵ֣י יְהוָ֔ה מִפְּנֵ֖י חֲר֥וֹן אַפּֽוֹ׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- I beheldרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
- and, lo, the fruitful placeכַּרְמֶלkarmel · plantationH3759
- a wildernessמִדְבָּרmidbâr · wildernessH4057
- and all the citiesעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
- thereof were broken downנָתַץnâthats · to tearH5422
- at the presenceפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
- of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- by his fierceחָרוֹןchârôn chârôn · burning angerH2740
- angerאַף'aph · face: angerH639
Cross-references for Jeremiah 4:26
- Jeremiah 12:4How long will the land lie parched and the grass in every field be withered? Because those who live in it are wicked, the animals and birds have perished. Moreover, the people are saying, “He will not see what happens to us.”
- Jeremiah 14:2“Judah mourns, her cities languish; they wail for the land, and a cry goes up from Jerusalem.
- Deuteronomy 29:23The whole land will be a burning waste of salt and sulfur—nothing planted, nothing sprouting, no vegetation growing on it. It will be like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboyim, which the Lord overthrew in fierce anger.
- Psalms 76:7It is you alone who are to be feared. Who can stand before you when you are angry?
- Psalms 107:34and fruitful land into a salt waste, because of the wickedness of those who lived there.
- Isaiah 5:9The Lord Almighty has declared in my hearing: “Surely the great houses will become desolate, the fine mansions left without occupants.
- Isaiah 7:20In that day the Lord will use a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates River—the king of Assyria—to shave your heads and private parts, and to cut off your beards also.
- Micah 3:12Therefore because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets.
Commentaries on Jeremiah 4:26
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 23-26Verses 23-26 In four verses each beginning with “I beheld,” the prophet sees in vision the desolate condition of Judaea during the Babylonian captivity. Jeremiah 4:23 Without form, and void - Desolate and void (see Genesis 1:2 note). The land has returned to a state of chaos (marginal reference note). And the heavens - And upward to the heavens. The imagery is that of the last day of judgment. To Jeremiah‘s vision all was as though the day of the Lord had…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 19-31Verses 19-31 The prophet had no pleasure in delivering messages of wrath. He is shown in a vision the whole land in confusion. Compared with what it was, every thing is out of order; but the ruin of the Jewish nation would not be final. Every end of our comforts is not a full end. Though the Lord may correct his people very severely, yet he will not cast them off. Ornaments and false colouring would be of no avail. No outward privileges or profession, no…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 23-26In Jeremiah's vision, the Lord's intense anger was more important than his creative love (Jeremiah 10:10; 12:4; Isaiah 5:25; 24:19; Ezekiel 38:20; Zephaniah 1:3). He was reversing the order of creation (see Genesis 1:2–3).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2626. fruitful place--Hebrew, Carmel. a wilderness--Hebrew, "the wilderness," in contrast to "the fruitful place"; the great desert, where Carmel was, there is now the desert of Arabia [Maurer]. cities--in contrast to the fruitful place or field.Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 4:26
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Jeremiah 4
- 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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