Jeremiah 12:9

Jeremiah 12:9 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Mine heritage is unto me as a speckled bird, the birds round about are against her; come ye, assemble all the beasts of the field, come to devour.
• New International Version (NIV)Has not my inheritance become to me like a speckled bird of prey that other birds of prey surround and attack? Go and gather all the wild beasts; bring them to devour.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Is my heritage to me like a hyena's lair? Are the birds of prey against her all around? Go, assemble all the wild beasts; bring them to devour.
• New King James Version (NKJV)My heritage is to Me like a speckled vulture; The vultures all around are against her. Come, assemble all the beasts of the field, Bring them to devour!

Context of Jeremiah 12:9

7“I have abandoned my people, my special possession. I have surrendered my dearest ones to their enemies. 8My chosen people have roared at me like a lion of the forest, so I have treated them with contempt. My chosen people act like speckled vultures, but they themselves are surrounded by vultures. Bring on the wild animals to pick their corpses clean! 10“Many rulers have ravaged my vineyard, trampling down the vines and turning all its beauty into a barren wilderness. 11They have made it an empty wasteland; I hear its mournful cry. The whole land is desolate, and no one even cares.

Jeremiah 12:9 word by word

הַעַ֨יִט צָב֤וּעַ נַחֲלָתִי֙ לִ֔י הַעַ֖יִט סָבִ֣יב עָלֶ֑יהָ לְכ֗וּ אִסְפ֛וּ כָּל־חַיַּ֥ת הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה הֵתָ֥יוּ לְאָכְלָֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Mine heritageנַחֲלָהnachălâh · inheritanceH5159
• a speckledצָבוּעַtsâbûa‛ · variegatedH6641
• birdעַ֫יִט‛ayiţ · bird of preyH5861
• round aboutסָבִיבsâbîyb sebîybâh · aroundH5439
• against her; comeיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
• ye, assembleאָסַף'âsaph · to gatherH622
• all the beastsחַיָּהchay · living thingH2416
• of the fieldשָׂדֶהώâdeh ώâday · land: wildlifeH7704
• comeאָתָה'âthâh 'âthâ' · to comeH857
• to devourאׇכְלָה'ôklâh · foodH402

Cross-references for Jeremiah 12:9

• Jeremiah 2:15Strong lions have roared against him, and the land has been destroyed. The towns are now in ruins, and no one lives in them anymore.
• 2 Kings 24:2Then the Lord sent bands of Babylonian, Aramean, Moabite, and Ammonite raiders against Judah to destroy it, just as the Lord had promised through his prophets.
• Ezekiel 16:36This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you have poured out your lust and exposed yourself in prostitution to all your lovers, and because you have worshiped detestable idols, and because you have slaughtered your children as sacrifices to your gods,
• Ezekiel 23:22“Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will send your lovers against you from every direction—those very nations from which you turned away in disgust.
• Revelation 17:16The scarlet beast and his ten horns all hate the prostitute. They will strip her naked, eat her flesh, and burn her remains with fire.
• Jeremiah 7:33The bodies of my people will be food for the vultures and wild animals, and no one will be left to scare them away.
• Isaiah 56:9Come, wild animals of the field! Come, wild animals of the forest! Come and devour my people!
• Ezekiel 39:17“And now, son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Call all the birds and wild animals. Say to them: Gather together for my great sacrificial feast. Come from far and near to the mountains of Israel, and there eat flesh and drink blood!
• Revelation 19:17Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, shouting to the vultures flying high in the sky: “Come! Gather together for the great banquet God has prepared.

Commentaries on Jeremiah 12:9

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 9Is unto me as a speckled bird - A bird of divers colors. This is a people who have corrupted the worship of the true God with heathenish rites and ceremonies; therefore, the different nations, (see Jeremiah 12:10; whose gods and forms of worship they have adopted shall come and spoil them. As far as you have followed the surrounding nations in their worship, so far shall they prevail over your state. Every one shall take that which is his own; and…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7-9Verses 7-9 Yahweh shows that the downfall of the nation was occasioned by no want of love on His part, but by the nation‘s conduct. Left - More correctly, cast away. Jeremiah 12:8 Judah has not merely refused obedience, but become intractable and fierce, like an untamed lion. It has roared against God with open blasphemy. As His favor is life, so is His hatred death, i. e., Jerusalem‘s punishment shall be as if inflicted by one that hated her. Jeremiah…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-13Verses 7-13 God's people had been the dearly-beloved of his soul, precious in his sight, but they acted so, that he gave them up to their enemies. Many professing churches become like speckled birds, presenting a mixture of religion and the world, with its vain fashions, pursuits, and pollutions. God's people are as men wondered at, as a speckled bird; but this people had by their own folly made themselves so; and the beasts and birds are called to prey…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 9Large flocks of speckled vultures would prey on the people of Judah. Soon, wild animals would pick their bodies clean.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 99. speckled bird--Many translate, "a ravenous beast, the hyena"; the corresponding Arabic word means hyena; so the Septuagint. But the Hebrew always elsewhere means "a bird of prey." The Hebrew for "speckled" is from a root "to color"; answering to the Jewish blending together with paganism the altogether diverse Mosaic ritual. The neighboring nations, birds of prey like herself (for she had sinfully assimilated herself to them), were ready to pounce upon…Read the comment

Topics related to Jeremiah 12:9

• Birds
• Jeremiah

In the dictionaries

• Pluck
• Talk
• Birds
• Birds of Prey
• Color; Colors
• Covenant, the New
• Crime; Crimes
• Fowl
• Hyena
• Hyaena

Commentaries on Jeremiah 12

• 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