The Meaning of Jeremiah 12:17 Explained

Jeremiah 12:17

KJV: But if they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation, saith the LORD.

YLT: And if they do not hearken, Then I have plucked up that nation, Plucking up and destroying, An affirmation of Jehovah!'

Darby: And if they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation, saith Jehovah.

ASV: But if they will not hear, then will I pluck up that nation, plucking up and destroying it, saith Jehovah.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

But if they will not obey,  I will utterly  pluck up  and destroy  that nation,  saith  the LORD. 

What does Jeremiah 12:17 Mean?

Verse Meaning

If they would not respond to the Lord positively, the Lord promised to destroy these nations again (cf. Jeremiah 12:14; Zechariah 14:9; Zechariah 14:16-19).
"This passage gives us a rare glimpse into the consternation and anguish that evil causes God. The anguish is especially acute for him when his own people are responsible for it. In these verses the Lord expresses both love and hate for his people, emotions we usually consider mutually exclusive, at least for God. When the Lord opened himself up to his people in love, he also opened himself to the possibility of hurt." [1]

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 12

1  Jeremiah, complaining of the prosperity of the wicked, by faith sees their ruin
5  God admonishes him of his brothers' treachery against him;
7  and laments his heritage
14  He promises to the penitent return from captivity

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 12:17 mean?

But if not they do obey and I will pluck up - nation that utterly and destroy says Yahweh -
וְאִ֖ם לֹ֣א יִשְׁמָ֑עוּ וְנָ֨תַשְׁתִּ֜י אֶת־ הַגּ֥וֹי הַה֛וּא נָת֥וֹשׁ וְאַבֵּ֖ד נְאֻם־ יְהוָֽה ס

וְאִ֖ם  But  if 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Conjunction
Root: אִם  
Sense: if.
יִשְׁמָ֑עוּ  they  do  obey 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.
וְנָ֨תַשְׁתִּ֜י  and  I  will  pluck  up 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: נָתַשׁ  
Sense: to pull up, expel, root out, pluck up.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
הַגּ֥וֹי  nation 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: גֹּוי 
Sense: nation, people.
הַה֛וּא  that 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, third person masculine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
נָת֥וֹשׁ  utterly 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive absolute
Root: נָתַשׁ  
Sense: to pull up, expel, root out, pluck up.
וְאַבֵּ֖ד  and  destroy 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Infinitive absolute
Root: אָבַד  
Sense: perish, vanish, go astray, be destroyed.
נְאֻם־  says 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: נְאֻם  
Sense: (Qal) utterance, declaration (of prophet).
יְהוָֽה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation