Jeremiah 4
Study sheet, King James Version, with the original-language words this chapter turns on.
The text
1If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the LORD, return unto me: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove.
2And thou shalt swear, The LORD liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.
3For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.
4Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
5Declare ye in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, Blow ye the trumpet in the land: cry, gather together, and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the defenced cities.
6Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.
7The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant.
8For this gird you with sackcloth, lament and howl: for the fierce anger of the LORD is not turned back from us.
9And it shall come to pass at that day, saith the LORD, that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder.
10Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul.
11At that time shall it be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A dry wind of the high places in the wilderness toward the daughter of my people, not to fan, nor to cleanse,
12Even a full wind from those places shall come unto me: now also will I give sentence against them.
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.
14O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?
15For a voice declareth from Dan, and publisheth affliction from mount Ephraim.
16Make ye mention to the nations; behold, publish against Jerusalem, that watchers come from a far country, and give out their voice against the cities of Judah.
17As keepers of a field, are they against her round about; because she hath been rebellious against me, saith the LORD.
18Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee; this is thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth unto thine heart.
19My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.
20Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment.
21How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet?
22For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.
23I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.
24I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly.
25I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.
26I 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.
27For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.
28For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it.
29The whole city shall flee for the noise of the horsemen and bowmen; they shall go into thickets, and climb up upon the rocks: every city shall be forsaken, and not a man dwell therein.
30And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face with painting, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life.
31For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, and the anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, that bewaileth herself, that spreadeth her hands, saying, Woe is me now! for my soul is wearied because of murderers.
Words in this chapter
Definitions are Strong's own wording from his Exhaustive Concordance (1890). Counts are how often each word appears in this chapter, from the tagged text.
- כִּיkîyH358818× in this chapter
(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed
- לֹאlôʼH380811× in this chapter
not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles
- יְהֹוָהYᵉhôvâhH30689× in this chapter
Jehovah, Jewish national name of God
- יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִםYᵉrûwshâlaimH33897× in this chapter
Jerushalaim or Jerushalem, the capital city of Palestine
- כֹּלkôlH36057× in this chapter
properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
- אָמַרʼâmarH5597× in this chapter
to say (used with great latitude)
- עַלʻalH59217× in this chapter
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
- קוֹלqôwlH69637× in this chapter
a voice or sound
- אֶרֶץʼeretsH7767× in this chapter
the earth (at large, or partitively a land)
- הִנֵּהhinnêhH20096× in this chapter
lo!
- לֵבlêbH38206× in this chapter
the heart; also used (figuratively) very widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect; likewise for the centre of anything
- עִירʻîyrH58926× in this chapter
a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the widest sense (even of a mere encampment or post)
- שָׁמַעshâmaʻH80856× in this chapter
to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.)
- אַיִןʼayinH3695× in this chapter
a non-entity; generally used as a negative particle
- רָאָהrâʼâhH72005× in this chapter
to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)
- בּוֹאbôwʼH9355× in this chapter
to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)
- הָיָהhâyâhH19614× in this chapter
to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
- יְהוּדָהYᵉhûwdâhH30634× in this chapter
Jehudah (or Judah), the name of five Israelites; also of the tribe descended from the first, and of its territory
- אֵלʼêlH4134× in this chapter
near, with or among; often in general, to
- נֶפֶשׁnepheshH53154× in this chapter
properly, a breathing creature, i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental)
- עַדʻadH57044× in this chapter
as far (or long, or much) as, whether of space (even unto) or time (during, while, until) or degree (equally with)
- עַםʻamH59714× in this chapter
a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a tribe (as those of Israel); hence (collectively) troops or attendants; figuratively, a flock
- פָּנִיםpânîymH64404× in this chapter
the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposition (before, etc.)
- שָׁדַדshâdadH77034× in this chapter
properly, to be burly, i.e. (figuratively) powerful (passively, impregnable); by implication, to ravage
- שׁוּבshûwbH77254× in this chapter
to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point); generally to retreat; often adverbial, again
- גּוֹיgôwyH14713× in this chapter
a foreign nation; hence, a Gentile; also (figuratively) a troop of animals, or a flight of locusts
- הֵםhêmH19923× in this chapter
they (only used when emphatic)
- זֹאתzôʼthH20633× in this chapter
this (often used adverb)
- יָשַׁבyâshabH34273× in this chapter
properly, to sit down (specifically as judge. in ambush, in quiet); by implication, to dwell, to remain; causatively, to settle, to marry
- אִישׁʼîyshH3763× in this chapter
a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation)
- נְאֻםnᵉʼumH50023× in this chapter
an oracle
- עָלָהʻâlâhH59273× in this chapter
to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary and secondary, literal and figurative
- עָשָׂהʻâsâhH62133× in this chapter
to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application
- רַעraʻH74513× in this chapter
bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral)
- שֶׁבֶרsheberH76673× in this chapter
a fracture, figuratively, ruin; specifically, a solution (of a dream)
- שׁוֹפָרshôwphârH77823× in this chapter
a cornet (as giving a clear sound) or curved horn
- שָׁמַיִםshâmayimH80643× in this chapter
the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies revolve)
- אֵתʼêthH8533× in this chapter
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
- בַּתbathH13232× in this chapter
a daughter (used in the same wide sense as other terms of relationship, literally and figuratively)
- דָבַרdâbarH16962× in this chapter
perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdue