Jeremiah 6:23

Jeremiah 6:23 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)They shall lay hold on bow and spear; they are cruel, and have no mercy; their voice roareth like the sea; and they ride upon horses, set in array as men for war against thee, O daughter of Zion.
• New International Version (NIV)They are armed with bow and spear; they are cruel and show no mercy. They sound like the roaring sea as they ride on their horses; they come like men in battle formation to attack you, Daughter Zion.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)They lay hold on bow and javelin; they are cruel and have no mercy; the sound of them is like the roaring sea; they ride on horses, set in array as a man for battle, against you, O daughter of Zion!"
• New King James Version (NKJV)They will lay hold on bow and spear; They are cruel and have no mercy; Their voice roars like the sea; And they ride on horses, As men of war set in array against you, O daughter of Zion.”

Context of Jeremiah 6:23

21Therefore thus saith Yhwh, Behold, I will lay stumblingblocks before this people, and the fathers and the sons together shall fall upon them; the neighbour and his friend shall perish. 22Thus saith Yhwh, Behold, a people cometh from the north country, and a great nation shall be raised from the sides of the earth. They shall lay hold on bow and spear; they are cruel, and have no mercy; their voice roareth like the sea; and they ride upon horses, set in array as men for war against thee, O daughter of Zion. 24We have heard the fame thereof: our hands wax feeble: anguish hath taken hold of us, and pain, as of a woman in travail. 25Go not forth into the field, nor walk by the way; for the sword of the enemy and fear is on every side.

Jeremiah 6:23 word by word

קֶ֣שֶׁת וְכִיד֞וֹן יַחֲזִ֗יקוּ אַכְזָרִ֥י הוּא֙ וְלֹ֣א יְרַחֵ֔מוּ קוֹלָם֙ כַּיָּ֣ם יֶהֱמֶ֔ה וְעַל־סוּסִ֖ים יִרְכָּ֑בוּ עָר֗וּךְ כְּאִישׁ֙ לַמִּלְחָמָ֔ה עָלַ֖יִךְ בַּת־צִיּֽוֹן׃Read the interlinear

• They shall lay holdחָזַקchâzaq · to strengthen: holdH2388
• on bowקֶ֫שֶׁתqesheth · bowH7198
• and spearכִּידוֹןkîydôn · javelinH3591
• cruelאַכְזָרִי'akzârîy · cruelH394
• and have no mercyרָחַםrâcham · to have compassionH7355
• their voiceקוֹלqôl qôl · voice: soundH6963
• roarethהָמָהhâmâh · to roarH1993
• like the seaיָםyâm · seaH3220
• and they rideרָכַבrâkab · to rideH7392
• upon horsesסוּסsûs sûs · horseH5483
• set in arrayעָרַךְ‛ârak · to arrangeH6186
• as menאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• for warמִלְחָמָהmilchâmâh · battleH4421
• against thee, O daughterבַּתbath · daughterH1323
• of Zionצִיּוֹןtsîyôn · ZionH6726

Cross-references for Jeremiah 6:23

• Jeremiah 5:16Their quiver is as an open sepulchre, they are all mighty men.
• Jeremiah 50:42They shall hold the bow and the lance: they are cruel, and will not shew mercy: their voice shall roar like the sea, and they shall ride upon horses, every one put in array, like a man to the battle, against thee, O daughter of Babylon.
• Isaiah 13:18Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children.
• Ezekiel 23:22Therefore, O Aholibah, thus saith the Lord Yhwh; Behold, I will raise up thy lovers against thee, from whom thy mind is alienated, and I will bring them against thee on every side;
• Habakkuk 1:6For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwellingplaces that are not theirs.
• Jeremiah 30:14All thy lovers have forgotten thee; they seek thee not; for I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, for the multitude of thine iniquity; because thy sins were increased.
• Isaiah 19:4And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, Yhwh of Armies.
• Jeremiah 4:13Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled.
• Isaiah 5:26And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly:
• Luke 21:25And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

Commentaries on Jeremiah 6:23

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 23They shall lay hold on bow and spear - Still pointing out the Chaldeans: or according to Dahler, the Scythians, who had before their invasion of Palestine overrun many parts of Asia, and had spread consternation wherever their name was heard.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 18-30Verses 18-30 God rejects their outward services, as worthless to atone for their sins. Sacrifice and incense were to direct them to a Mediator; but when offered to purchase a license to go on in sin, they provoke God. The sins of God's professing people make them an easy prey to their enemies. They dare not show themselves. Saints may rejoice in hope of God's mercies, though they see them only in the promise: sinners must mourn for fear of God's…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 22-23The Lord reminded the people that the coming invasion was real. The soldiers had actual bows and spears (Isaiah 13:18). roars like the sea: The noise from thousands of soldiers with horses and chariots must have been terrifying (Isaiah 5:27–30).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2323. like the sea--(Is 5:30). as men for war--not that they were like warriors, for they were warriors; but "arrayed most perfectly as warriors" [Maurer].Read the comment

In the dictionaries

• the sea, the Great Sea, the western sea
• Cruel
• Mount
• Reprobate
• Wallow
• Armor; Arms
• Cruel; Cruelty
• Jeremiah (2)
• Sheshach

Commentaries on Jeremiah 6

• 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