New Living Translation
Jeremiah 18:21
21So let their children starve! Let them die by the sword! Let their wives become childless widows. Let their old men die in a plague, and let their young men be killed in battle!
Jeremiah 18:21 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, and pour out their blood by the force of the sword; and let their wives be bereaved of their children, and be widows; and let their men be put to death; let their young men be slain by the sword in battle.
- New International Version (NIV)So give their children over to famine; hand them over to the power of the sword. Let their wives be made childless and widows; let their men be put to death, their young men slain by the sword in battle.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Therefore deliver up their children to famine; give them over to the power of the sword; let their wives become childless and widowed. May their men meet death by pestilence, their youths be struck down by the sword in battle.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, And pour out their blood By the force of the sword; Let their wives become widows And bereaved of their children. Let their men be put to death, Their young men be slain By the sword in battle.
Context of Jeremiah 18:21
19Lord, hear me and help me! Listen to what my enemies are saying. 20Should they repay evil for good? They have dug a pit to kill me, though I pleaded for them and tried to protect them from your anger. So let their children starve! Let them die by the sword! Let their wives become childless widows. Let their old men die in a plague, and let their young men be killed in battle! 22Let screaming be heard from their homes as warriors come suddenly upon them. For they have dug a pit for me and have hidden traps along my path. 23Lord, you know all about their murderous plots against me. Don’t forgive their crimes and blot out their sins. Let them die before you. Deal with them in your anger.
Read all of Jeremiah 18Jeremiah 18:21 word by word
לָכֵן֩ תֵּ֨ן אֶת־בְּנֵיהֶ֜ם לָרָעָ֗ב וְהַגִּרֵם֮ עַל־יְדֵי־חֶרֶב֒ וְתִֽהְיֶ֨נָה נְשֵׁיהֶ֤ם שַׁכֻּלוֹת֙ וְאַלְמָנ֔וֹת וְאַ֨נְשֵׁיהֶ֔ם יִֽהְי֖וּ הֲרֻ֣גֵי מָ֑וֶת בַּח֣וּרֵיהֶ֔ם מֻכֵּי־חֶ֖רֶב בַּמִּלְחָמָֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Therefore deliver upנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
- their childrenבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- to the famineרָעָבrâ‛âb · famineH7458
- and pour outנָגַרnâgar · to pourH5064
- by the forceיָדyâd · hand: powerH3027
- of the swordחֶ֫רֶבchereb · swordH2719
- and let their wivesאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · woman: wifeH802
- be bereavedשַׁכּוּלshakkûl shakkûl · childlessH7909
- widowsאַלְמָנָה'almânâh · widowH490
- and let their menאֱנוֹשׁ'ĕnôsh · humanH582
- be putהָרַגhârag · to killH2026
- to deathמָ֫וֶתmâveth · deathH4194
- their young menבָּחוּרbâchûr bâchûr · youthH970
- slainנָכָהnâkâh · to smiteH5221
- in battleמִלְחָמָהmilchâmâh · battleH4421
Cross-references for Jeremiah 18:21
- Jeremiah 11:20O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, you make righteous judgments, and you examine the deepest thoughts and secrets. Let me see your vengeance against them, for I have committed my cause to you.
- Jeremiah 12:3But as for me, Lord, you know my heart. You see me and test my thoughts. Drag these people away like sheep to be butchered! Set them aside to be slaughtered!
- Jeremiah 20:1Now Pashhur son of Immer, the priest in charge of the Temple of the Lord, heard what Jeremiah was prophesying.
- Psalms 109:9May his children become fatherless, and his wife a widow.
- 2 Timothy 4:14Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm, but the Lord will judge him for what he has done.
- Jeremiah 15:2And if they say to you, ‘But where can we go?’ tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says: “‘Those who are destined for death, to death; those who are destined for war, to war; those who are destined for famine, to famine; those who are destined for captivity, to captivity.’
- Jeremiah 16:3For this is what the Lord says about the children born here in this city and about their mothers and fathers:
- Exodus 22:24My anger will blaze against you, and I will kill you with the sword. Then your wives will be widows and your children fatherless.
- Deuteronomy 32:25Outside, the sword will bring death, and inside, terror will strike both young men and young women, both infants and the aged.
- Lamentations 5:3We are orphaned and fatherless. Our mothers are widowed.
- Jeremiah 9:21For death has crept in through our windows and has entered our mansions. It has killed off the flower of our youth: Children no longer play in the streets, and young men no longer gather in the squares.
- Jeremiah 11:22So this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says about them: “I will punish them! Their young men will die in battle, and their boys and girls will starve to death.
- 2 Chronicles 36:17So the Lord brought the king of Babylon against them. The Babylonians killed Judah’s young men, even chasing after them into the Temple. They had no pity on the people, killing both young men and young women, the old and the infirm. God handed all of them over to Nebuchadnezzar.
- Amos 4:10“I sent plagues on you like the plagues I sent on Egypt long ago. I killed your young men in war and led all your horses away. The stench of death filled the air! But still you would not return to me,” says the Lord.
Commentaries on Jeremiah 18:21
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21Therefore deliver up their children - The execrations in these verses should be considered as simply prophetic declarations of the judgments which God was about to pour out on them. If we consider them in their grammatical meaning, then they are not directions to us to whom our Lawgiver has said, "Love your enemies."Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21Pour out sword - literally, “pour them out upon the hands of the sword, i. e., give them up to the sword.” Put to death - Rather, slain of death. The prophet‘s phrase leaves it entirely indefinite in what way the men are to die.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 18-23Verses 18-23 When the prophet called to repentance, instead of obeying the call, the people devised devices against him. Thus do sinners deal with the great Intercessor, crucifying him afresh, and speaking against him on earth, while his blood is speaking for them in heaven. But the prophet had done his duty to them; and the same will be our rejoicing in a day of evil.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 21-23In his prayer for vengeance, Jeremiah asked God to carry out the promised curses on those who broke his covenant (compare Deuteronomy 27:11–26; 28:15–68; see also the “Prayers for Vengeance” Theme Note).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2121. pour out their blood by the force of the sword--literally, "by the hands of the sword." So Eze 35:5. Maurer with Jerome translates, "deliver them over to the power of the sword." But compare Psa 63:10, Margin; Is 53:12. In this prayer he does not indulge in personal revenge, as if it were his own cause that was at stake; but he speaks under the dictation of the Spirit, ceasing to intercede, and speaking prophetically, knowing they were doomed to…Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 18:21
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Jeremiah 18
- 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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