The Meaning of Jeremiah 14:6 Explained

Jeremiah 14:6

KJV: And the wild asses did stand in the high places, they snuffed up the wind like dragons; their eyes did fail, because there was no grass.

YLT: And wild asses have stood on high places, They have swallowed up wind like dragons, Consumed have been their eyes, for there is no herb.

Darby: And the wild asses stand on the heights, they snuff up the wind like jackals; their eyes fail, because there is no herbage.

ASV: And the wild asses stand on the bare heights, they pant for air like jackals; their eyes fail, because there is no herbage.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the wild asses  did stand  in the high places,  they snuffed up  the wind  like dragons;  their eyes  did fail,  because [there was] no grass. 

What does Jeremiah 14:6 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Even the wild donkeys, known for their hardiness, could only stand and sniff the wind on the hills, since they could find nothing to eat. They panted and their eyes grew dim from lack of sustenance as they started to die.

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 14

1  The grievous famine,
7  causes Jeremiah to pray
10  The Lord will not be entreated for the people
13  false prophets are no excuse for them
17  Jeremiah is moved to complain for them

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 14:6 mean?

And the wild donkeys stood in the desolate heights they sniffed at the wind like jackals failed their eyes because [there was] no grass
וּפְרָאִים֙ עָמְד֣וּ עַל־ שְׁפָיִ֔ם שָׁאֲפ֥וּ ר֖וּחַ כַּתַּנִּ֑ים כָּל֥וּ עֵינֵיהֶ֖ם כִּי־ אֵ֥ין עֵֽשֶׂב

וּפְרָאִים֙  And  the  wild  donkeys 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural
Root: פֶּרֶא 
Sense: wild ass.
עָמְד֣וּ  stood 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: עָמַד  
Sense: to stand, remain, endure, take one’s stand.
שְׁפָיִ֔ם  the  desolate  heights 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: שְׁפִי  
Sense: bareness, smooth or bare height, bare place, high places, barren height.
שָׁאֲפ֥וּ  they  sniffed  at 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: שָׁאַף 
Sense: to gasp, pant, pant after, long for, breathe heavily.
ר֖וּחַ  the  wind 
Parse: Noun, common singular
Root: רוּחַ  
Sense: wind, breath, mind, spirit.
כַּתַּנִּ֑ים  like  jackals 
Parse: Preposition-k, Article, Noun, common plural
Root: תַּנִּין  
Sense: dragon, serpent, sea monster.
כָּל֥וּ  failed 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: כָּלָה  
Sense: to accomplish, cease, consume, determine, end, fail, finish, be complete, be accomplished, be ended, be at an end, be finished, be spent.
עֵינֵיהֶ֖ם  their  eyes 
Parse: Noun, cdc, third person masculine plural
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
כִּי־  because 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
אֵ֥ין  [there  was]  no 
Parse: Adverb
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
עֵֽשֶׂב  grass 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֵשֶׂב  
Sense: herb, herbage, grass, green plants.