A Message to the Royal House: Doom for Jerusalem
Jeremiah 21:1-14
Jer.21.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הדבר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- היה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- ירמיהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מאת: PREP
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- בשלח: PREP+VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אליו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- המלך: NOUN,m,sg,def
- צדקיהו: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- פשחור: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלכיה: NOUN,m,pl,abs+SUFF:3,m,sg
- ואת: CONJ
- צפניה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מעשיה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- הכהן: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
Parallels
- Jeremiah 37:3 (structural): King Zedekiah again initiates contact with Jeremiah to seek a prophetic word, paralleling the scene of royal messengers sent to the prophet.
- Jeremiah 38:14-28 (structural): Zedekiah summons Jeremiah to the palace and questions him directly; a related episode showing the king's direct dealings with the prophet later in the narrative.
- Jeremiah 38:1-6 (verbal): Officials (including Pashhur son of Malchiah and Zephaniah the priest or similar names) oppose Jeremiah and seek to imprison or silence him—same actors and hostile priestly/political response reflected here.
- Jeremiah 20:1-2 (thematic): A priest named Pashhur (here Pashhur son of Immer) assaults and punishes Jeremiah; highlights recurring priestly opposition to the prophet and the motif of conflict with temple authorities.
Alternative generated candidates
- This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur son of Melchiah and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah the priest, saying,
- The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur son of Melchiah and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah the priest, saying:
Jer.21.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- דרש: VERB,qal,ptc,ms,sg
- נא: PART
- בעדנו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- נבוכדראצר: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- בבל: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- נלחם: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,sg
- עלינו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- אולי: ADV
- יעשה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אותנו: PRON,1,pl,acc
- ככל: PREP
- נפלאתיו: NOUN,f,pl,const+PRON,3,m,sg
- ויעלה: VERB,qal,wayyiq,3,m,sg
- מעלינו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
Parallels
- 2 Kings 19:14-19 (thematic): Hezekiah pleads and prays for deliverance from a foreign king (Sennacherib); both texts are royal appeals to the LORD for miraculous rescue from an invading army.
- Isaiah 37:14-20 (thematic): Hezekiah’s request to Isaiah to intercede and the subsequent prayer for deliverance parallel Zedekiah’s sending to Jeremiah to inquire of the LORD about Babylon’s siege.
- Jeremiah 42:2 (verbal): Later Judahite leaders use almost the same petition—'pray/inquire of the LORD for us'—seeking prophetic intercession and guidance after the Babylonian threat, echoing the exact request in Jer 21:2.
- Jonah 3:8-9 (verbal): Nineveh’s plea (‘who can tell but God may turn and repent’) echoes the hopeful formula in Jer 21:2 that perhaps the LORD will work a wonder and remove his hand—expressing expectation that God may relent.
- Psalm 20:1-2 (thematic): A communal prayer for God’s help in the day of trouble—like Jer 21:2, it invokes the LORD’s intervention against enemies and seeks divine deliverance rather than human aid.
Alternative generated candidates
- “Pray for us to the LORD, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is fighting against us; perhaps the LORD will do for us according to all his wondrous deeds and remove him from us.”
- "Pray for us to the LORD; for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is fighting against us. Perhaps the LORD will do to us according to all his wondrous deeds and remove him from us."
Jer.21.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ירמיהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אליהם: PREP,3,m,pl
- כה: ADV
- תאמרן: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- אל: NEG
- צדקיהו: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Jeremiah 21:4 (structural): Immediate continuation of the same oracle—Jeremiah introduces a message to Zedekiah and the next verse records the Lord's words that Jeremiah instructs them to deliver.
- Jeremiah 38:17 (thematic): Another episode in which Jeremiah speaks directly about and to King Zedekiah; both passages feature the prophet as intermediary between God and the king.
- Isaiah 37:21-22 (structural): Isaiah sends a message to King Hezekiah using the same prophetic transmission formula ('Thus says the LORD...'), paralleling Jeremiah's act of directing intermediaries to convey a royal message.
- Jeremiah 26:12-15 (thematic): Jeremiah addresses officials and delivers a divine warning with an introductory speech formula similar to 21:3—prophetic instruction framed as words to be spoken on the prophet's behalf.
Alternative generated candidates
- Jeremiah said to them, “Say this to Zedekiah:
- And Jeremiah said to them, "Thus shall you say to Zedekiah:
Jer.21.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הנני: PRT+PRON,1,sg
- מסב: PREP
- את: PRT,acc
- כלי: NOUN,m,pl,const
- המלחמה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- בידכם: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,pl
- אשר: PRON,rel
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- נלחמים: VERB,qal,ptcp,3,m,pl
- בם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- בבל: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ואת: CONJ
- הכשדים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- הצרים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- עליכם: PREP+PRON,2mp
- מחוץ: PREP
- לחומה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,def
- ואספתי: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- אותם: PRON,3,m,pl,obj
- אל: NEG
- תוך: PREP
- העיר: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הזאת: DEM,f,sg,def
Parallels
- Jeremiah 21:9 (structural): Immediate parallel in the same oracle: Jeremiah warns that those who remain in the city will die by sword, famine or pestilence—clarifying the threat implicit in turning the besiegers' weapons inward.
- Jeremiah 21:10 (thematic): Continues the same prophecy of divine judgment on the city—God says He sets His face against it for disaster, echoing the reversal of the besiegers' weapons into a punitive instrument.
- Zechariah 14:2 (thematic): Speaks of nations being gathered against Jerusalem, the city taken and plundered—similar imagery of besieging forces being brought into the city as part of judgment and upheaval.
- Deuteronomy 28:52 (thematic): Part of the covenant curses describing being besieged in your gates and walls breached—parallels the motif of foreign arms and siege as divine punishment.
- 2 Kings 25:1-4 (structural): Narrative account of Nebuchadnezzar’s siege and the breaching of Jerusalem’s walls—historical realization of the prophetic threat that weapons and besiegers would operate against the city itself.
Alternative generated candidates
- Thus says the LORD, God of Israel: Behold, I will turn the weapons of war that are in your hands—those with which you fight the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who besiege you outside the wall—and I will gather them into this city.
- Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Behold, I will turn the weapons of war that are in your hands, with which you fight against the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans besieging you outside the wall, and I will bring them into the midst of this city.
Jer.21.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ונלחמתי: CONJ+VERB,nif,perf,1,com,sg
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- אתכם: PRT+PRON,2,m,pl
- ביד: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- נטויה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- ובזרוע: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- חזקה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- ובאף: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ובחמה: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ובקצף: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- גדול: ADJ,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Exodus 6:6 (verbal): Uses the phrase of divine action with an 'outstretched arm'/'mighty hand'—same hand/arm imagery though Exodus applies it to deliverance while Jeremiah turns it to punitive action.
- Deuteronomy 4:34 (verbal): Speaks of God's 'mighty hand' and 'stretched out arm' and 'great terribleness' in executing power—verbal and thematic overlap with Jeremiah's list of hand/arm and terror.
- Ezekiel 20:33 (verbal): Combines 'mighty hand,' 'stretched out arm,' and 'fury/poured out'—a close verbal parallel in linking divine arm/hand imagery with wrathful action.
- Isaiah 5:25 (verbal): Declares that the anger of the LORD is kindled and he 'hath stretched forth his hand against them'—same motif of God stretching out his hand in anger against the people.
- Nahum 1:2 (thematic): Emphasizes God's jealousy, vengeance, fury and wrath toward his foes—corresponds to Jeremiah's focus on divine anger, wrath, and great indignation as the motive for action.
Alternative generated candidates
- And I will fight against you with an outstretched hand, with a mighty arm, with anger and hot wrath and great indignation.
- And I will fight against you with an outstretched hand, and with a mighty arm, and with wrath, and with anger, and with great fury.
Jer.21.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והכיתי: VERB,qal,impf,1,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- יושבי: PTC,qal,ptc,mp,cons
- העיר: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הזאת: DEM,f,sg,def
- ואת: CONJ
- האדם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ואת: CONJ
- הבהמה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- בדבר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- גדול: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- ימתו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Ezek.14.21 (thematic): Lists the four calamities—sword, famine, wild beasts and pestilence—that the LORD will bring as judgment; parallels Jeremiah’s threat that both people and animals will die by a plague as divine punishment.
- Leviticus 26:25 (verbal): As part of the covenant curses God says He will 'send a pestilence among you,' with resulting death and loss of livestock—language similar to Jeremiah’s man-and-beast dying by a great pestilence.
- 2 Samuel 24:15 (thematic): God afflicts Israel with a deadly plague as punishment, causing widespread death—an instance of pestilence used by God as retributive judgment like in Jeremiah 21:6.
- Ezekiel 5:12 (verbal): Declares that a portion of the inhabitants 'shall die with pestilence' (alongside famine and sword), echoing Jeremiah’s formula of death by pestilence as divine sentence.
Alternative generated candidates
- I will strike the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast; by a great calamity they shall die.
- And I will strike the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast; they shall die by a great pestilence.
Jer.21.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואחרי: CONJ
- כן: ADV
- נאם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אתן: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- צדקיהו: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- ואת: CONJ
- עבדיו: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3ms
- ואת: CONJ
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ואת: CONJ
- הנשארים: PART,m,pl,def
- בעיר: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- הזאת: DEM,f,sg,def
- מן: PREP
- הדבר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- מן: PREP
- החרב: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ומן: CONJ+PREP
- הרעב: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ביד: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- נבוכדראצר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- בבל: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וביד: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- איביהם: NOUN,m,pl,suff_3mp
- וביד: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מבקשי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- נפשם: NOUN,f,sg,abs+3,m,pl
- והכם: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg+PRON,3,m,pl
- לפי: PREP
- חרב: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- יחוס: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- עליהם: PREP,3,m,pl
- ולא: CONJ
- יחמל: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- ירחם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Jeremiah 34:4 (verbal): Same prophetic declaration that the city (and its inhabitants) will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon—close verbal parallel about surrender to Nebuchadnezzar.
- Jeremiah 39:5-7 (thematic): Narrative fulfillment of the warning: Nebuchadnezzar's forces capture Jerusalem and deal mercilessly with Zedekiah and the survivors (no pity or mercy).
- 2 Kings 25:7 (thematic): Parallel account of Zedekiah’s capture and the killing of his sons and his blinding—historical fulfillment of Jeremiah’s message that Judah would be delivered into Babylon’s hand without mercy.
- Ezekiel 12:13 (allusion): Ezekiel uses a similar prophetic formula of God handing leaders/people over to their enemies and scattering them—comparable theme of deportation and judgment without pity.
- Isaiah 39:6-7 (thematic): Prophetic prediction that the royal house will be carried to Babylon and served there—a thematically related oracle about exile and lack of compassionate deliverance.
Alternative generated candidates
- And afterward, declares the LORD, I will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people and the remnant who remain in this city into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those seeking their lives. I will deliver them to the sword—there will be no pity, no compassion, no mercy.
- After this, declares the LORD, I will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people and the remnants in this city into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their lives. He shall strike them with the sword—he will show them no pity, spare them, nor have compassion.
Jer.21.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- תאמר: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- הנני: PRT+PRON,1,sg
- נתן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לפניכם: PREP,2,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- דרך: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- החיים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- ואת: CONJ
- דרך: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- המות: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 30:15-19 (verbal): Close verbal and thematic parallel — God sets before the people 'life and death, blessing and curse' and calls for a choice, echoing Jeremiah's presentation of 'the way of life and the way of death.'
- Ezekiel 18:30-32 (thematic): God summons Israel to repent and 'turn, and live' rather than die; the imperative to choose life rather than death closely echoes Jeremiah's dichotomy and call to decision.
- Proverbs 12:28 (verbal): Proverbial phrasing — 'in the way of righteousness is life' contrasts with the path leading to death, paralleling Jeremiah's 'way of life' versus 'way of death.'
- Matthew 7:13-14 (thematic): Jesus' teaching about two gates/ways (one leading to life, the other to destruction) echoes the biblical motif of two paths and the moral/spiritual choice between life and death presented in Jeremiah.
Alternative generated candidates
- And to this people say: Thus says the LORD, Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.
- And to this people you shall say, Thus says the LORD: Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.
Jer.21.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הישב: PTCP,qal,act,ms,sg,def
- בעיר: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- הזאת: DEM,f,sg,def
- ימות: VERB,qal,juss,3,m,sg
- בחרב: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וברעב: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ובדבר: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- והיוצא: CONJ+VERB,qal,ptc,ms
- ונפל: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- על: PREP
- הכשדים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- הצרים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- עליכם: PREP+PRON,2mp
- וחיה: VERB,qal,juss,2,m,sg
- והיתה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- נפשו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- לשלל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Jeremiah 21:8 (structural): Immediate context presenting the same choice: God sets before Jerusalem 'the way of life and the way of death,' framing surrender (life) vs resistance (calamity).
- Jeremiah 38:17-18 (verbal): Jeremiah again delivers the promise that if Zedekiah and the people surrender to the Chaldeans they will live—language and counsel parallel to 21:9's offer of life to those who leave the city.
- Jeremiah 39:4-7 (thematic): Narrative account of Jerusalem's fall—capture, slaughter and exile—illustrates the realized fate of those who remained (sword, famine, pestilence) as warned in 21:9.
- 2 Kings 25:4-7 (thematic): Description of the city's capture and the king's fate when resistance failed; thematically echoes the consequences promised for remaining and opposing the Chaldeans in Jeremiah 21:9.
Alternative generated candidates
- He who remains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; and he who goes out and falls into the Chaldeans who besiege you shall live, and his life shall be for plunder.
- He who remains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; and he who goes out and falls among the Chaldeans who besiege you shall live, and he will be taken alive as spoil.
Jer.21.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- שמתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- פני: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- בעיר: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- הזאת: DEM,f,sg,def
- לרעה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- לטובה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- נאם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ביד: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- בבל: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- תנתן: VERB,niphal,impf,3,f,sg
- ושרפה: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- באש: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Jeremiah 39:5-10 (structural): Narrative fulfillment: Babylon captures Jerusalem; the city is handed over to the king of Babylon and burned—directly echoes ‘given to the hand of the king of Babylon’ and ‘burned with fire.’
- 2 Kings 25:9 (structural): Historical report of the same event: the Babylonians burned the house of the LORD and the king’s house—concrete realization of Jeremiah’s prophecy of destruction by fire.
- Jeremiah 22:7 (thematic): Prophetic warning that the city/its inhabitants will be delivered into the hand of enemies and consumed by fire—same theme of divine judgment effected through foreign invasion.
- Ezekiel 21:2-3 (verbal): Shares the verbal/structural motif of ‘set/turn your face toward Jerusalem’ and calling for proclamation of imminent calamity—parallels Jeremiah’s formulation of God ‘setting his face’ against the city.
Alternative generated candidates
- For I have set my face against this city for evil and not for good, declares the LORD; it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.
- For I have set my face against this city for harm and not for good, declares the LORD; it shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.
Jer.21.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ולבית: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- שמעו: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,pl
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Jeremiah 22:1 (structural): Same addressee and prophetic setting — the prophet is again commanded to go to the house of the king of Judah and deliver a word from YHWH (closely parallels the address in 21:11).
- Jeremiah 7:2 (structural): Similar prophetic formula of public proclamation — the prophet is told to stand at a prominent place (the gate/temple) and 'proclaim this word', parallel in function to 'Hear the word of the LORD' addressed to Judah's leadership.
- Isaiah 1:10 (verbal): Uses the same imperative 'Hear the word of the LORD' directed to corrupt leaders ('rulers of Sodom'), paralleling Jeremiah's opening summons to Judah's royal house in tone and rhetorical purpose.
- Amos 3:1 (verbal): Begins with the formula 'Hear this word that the LORD has spoken' addressed to a covenant people ('children of Israel'), a close verbal and thematic parallel in which God summons his people/leadership to hear judgment and instruction.
Alternative generated candidates
- And to the house of the king of Judah, hear the word of the LORD.
- And to the house of the king of Judah say, Hear the word of the LORD.
Jer.21.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- דוד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- דינו: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לבקר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- משפט: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- והצילו: VERB,hif,impv,2,pl
- גזול: ADJ,m,sg
- מיד: PREP
- עושק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- פן: CONJ
- תצא: VERB,qal,impf,2,ms
- כאש: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- חמתי: NOUN,f,sg,pronominal_1cs
- ובערה: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg+PRON,3,f,sg
- ואין: CONJ+PART,exist
- מכבה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- מפני: PREP
- רע: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- מעלליכם: NOUN,m,pl,suff:2,m,pl
Parallels
- Jeremiah 22:3 (verbal): Almost identical command within Jeremiah: do justice and deliver the oppressed; a direct reprise of the prophetic injunction against mistreating the needy.
- Isaiah 1:17 (verbal): Calls Israel to seek justice, rebuke the oppressor and defend the fatherless and widow—same concrete demand to protect the vulnerable.
- Psalm 82:3-4 (thematic): Urges judges to give justice to the weak and rescue the needy from the wicked, echoing the charge to vindicate the oppressed.
- Amos 5:24 (thematic): Demands that justice and righteousness prevail (rather than empty ritual); parallels Jeremiah’s warning that failure to enact justice brings divine wrath.
- Micah 6:8 (thematic): Summarizes what God requires—act justly, love mercy—which aligns with Jeremiah’s call to judge rightly and save the oppressed.
Alternative generated candidates
- House of David, thus says the LORD: Give judgment in the morning; rescue the plundered, deliver the oppressed from the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire and burn, and there be none to quench it because of your evil deeds.
- House of David, thus says the LORD: Execute justice in the morning; deliver the plundered from the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go forth like fire and burn, with none to quench it, because of the evil of your deeds.
Jer.21.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הנני: PRT+PRON,1,sg
- אליך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- ישבת: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- העמק: NOUN,m,sg,def
- צור: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- המישר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- נאם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- האמרים: VERB,qal,ptcp,0,m,pl
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- יחת: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- עלינו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- ומי: PRON,interr
- יבוא: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- במעונותינו: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,1,pl
Parallels
- Psalm 15:1 (verbal): Same rhetorical question form—'Who shall dwell/abide?'—asking who may live in a given sacred/dominant space; Jeremiah applies it as a judgment on inhabitants, Psalm as a moral requirement for dwelling with God.
- Isaiah 33:14–15 (thematic): Rhetorical questioning of who can 'dwell' in the presence of consuming judgment (fire/everlasting burnings); parallels Jeremiah's challenge about who will remain in a place under divine wrath.
- Jeremiah 21:10 (structural): Immediate context: an adjacent proclamation against the 'inhabitant of the valley' announcing an invading enemy and judgment—directly parallels and clarifies the threat behind v.13's question.
- Ezekiel 7:26 (thematic): Pronounces sudden, inescapable disaster on the land and its people; thematically parallels Jeremiah's announcement of destruction and the implied answer to 'who shall dwell'—none who persist in sin.
Alternative generated candidates
- Behold, I am against you, O dweller of the valley, O rock and the plateau, declares the LORD—you who say, ‘Who will come down against us? Who will enter our dwellings?’
- Behold, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley, rock of the plain, declares the LORD, you who say, "Who will come against us? Who will enter our habitations?"
Jer.21.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ופקדתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,com,sg
- עליכם: PREP+PRON,2mp
- כפרי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מעלליכם: NOUN,m,pl,suff:2,m,pl
- נאם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- והצתי: VERB,hiphil,perf,1,sg
- אש: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ביערה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,f,sg
- ואכלה: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- כל: DET
- סביביה: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Ezekiel 20:47-48 (verbal): Uses nearly identical language—'I will kindle a fire...and it shall devour all around you'—the same image of a divinely kindled fire consuming the surroundings.
- Isaiah 5:24 (thematic): Compares God's judgment to fire that devours stubble/dry grass; shares the imagery of consuming destruction as divine punishment.
- Romans 2:6 (verbal): Declares that God 'will repay each person according to what they have done,' echoing Jeremiah's formula 'I will recompense you according to your deeds.'
- Psalm 62:12 (verbal): Affirms divine retribution 'to everyone according to his work,' reiterating the theme of God repaying people according to their deeds.
- Nahum 1:6 (thematic): Depicts the LORD's fury as fire that consumes and cannot be withstood, resonating with Jeremiah's portrayal of a consuming fire sent as judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- I will requite you for the fruit of your deeds, declares the LORD. I will kindle a fire in its thickets, and it will consume all that is around it.
- I will punish you according to the fruit of your deeds, declares the LORD. I will kindle a fire in her forest, and it shall devour all that is round about her.
The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur son of Melchiah and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah the priest, saying,
“Entreat the LORD on our behalf—for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is fighting against us—perhaps the LORD will do for us according to all his wondrous deeds and lift him off us.” And Jeremiah said to them, “Thus shall you say to Zedekiah: Thus says the LORD, God of Israel: Behold, I will turn the weapons of war that are in your hands—the weapons with which you fight the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans besieging you outside the wall—and I will gather them into this city.
I will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, with anger, with fury, and with great wrath.
I will strike the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast; they shall perish by a great pestilence.
Afterward, declares the LORD, I will give Zedekiah king of Judah, his servants, the people, and the survivors in this city—into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their lives. He will strike them with the edge of the sword; he will show them no mercy, compassion, or pity. And to this people you shall say: Thus says the LORD, Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.
Whoever remains in this city shall die by sword, by famine, and by pestilence; and whoever goes out and falls into the hands of the Chaldeans besieging you shall live—his life shall be for spoil.
For I have set my face against this city for evil, not for good, declares the LORD; it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.
To the house of the king of Judah: Hear the word of the LORD.
House of David, thus says the LORD: Render judgment in the morning; deliver the plundered from the hand of the oppressor, lest my wrath go forth like fire and burn with none to quench it because of your wicked deeds.
Behold, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley, rock of the plain, declares the LORD, you who say, ‘Who will come down against us? Who will enter our dwellings?’
I will repay you the fruit of your deeds, declares the LORD. I will kindle a fire in her forest, and it shall devour all that is round about her.