The Meaning of Jeremiah 16:18 Explained

Jeremiah 16:18

KJV: And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they have defiled my land, they have filled mine inheritance with the carcases of their detestable and abominable things.

YLT: And I have recompensed a first -- A second time -- their iniquity and their sin, Because of their polluting My land, With the carcase of their detestable things, Yea, their abominable things have filled Mine inheritance.

Darby: But first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double, because they have profaned my land with the carcases of their detestable things, and with their abominations have they filled mine inheritance.

ASV: And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double, because they have polluted my land with the carcasses of their detestable things, and have filled mine inheritance with their abominations.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And first  I will recompense  their iniquity  and their sin  double;  because they have defiled  my land,  they have filled  mine inheritance  with the carcases  of their detestable  and abominable things. 

What does Jeremiah 16:18 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Yahweh would pay them back double for polluting His land (cf. Isaiah 40:2)-which He had given them as an inheritance-with their iniquities and sins, and with the dead bodies of their idols and abominable objects of worship. "Paying back double" may be an expression indicating proportionate payment, making the punishment equivalent to the crime, or it may be hyperbole for full payment (cf. Job 11:6; Isaiah 40:2). [1]
The next pericope returns to the note of hope in the distant future ( Jeremiah 16:14-15), but it promises blessing for the nations as well as Israel then ( Jeremiah 16:19-21).

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 16

1  The prophet, under the types of abstaining from marriage,
8  from houses of mourning and feasting, foreshows the utter ruin of the Jews;
10  because they were worse than their fathers
14  Their return from captivity shall be stranger than their deliverance out of Egypt
16  God will doubly recompense their idolatry

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 16:18 mean?

And I will repay first double for their iniquity and their sin because they have defiled - My land with the carcasses of their detestable and abominable idols They have filled My inheritance -
וְשִׁלַּמְתִּ֣י רִֽאשׁוֹנָ֗ה מִשְׁנֵ֤ה עֲוֺנָם֙ וְחַטָּאתָ֔ם עַ֖ל חַלְּלָ֣ם אֶת־ אַרְצִ֑י בְּנִבְלַ֤ת שִׁקּֽוּצֵיהֶם֙ וְתוֹעֲב֣וֹתֵיהֶ֔ם מָלְא֖וּ נַחֲלָתִֽי ס

וְשִׁלַּמְתִּ֣י  And  I  will  repay 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: שָׁלֵם  
Sense: .
רִֽאשׁוֹנָ֗ה  first 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular
Root: רִאשֹׁון  
Sense: first, primary, former.
מִשְׁנֵ֤ה  double  for 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מִשְׁנֶה  
Sense: double, copy, second, repetition.
עֲוֺנָם֙  their  iniquity 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: עָוֹן  
Sense: perversity, depravity, iniquity, guilt or punishment of iniquity.
וְחַטָּאתָ֔ם  and  their  sin 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: חַטָּאָה 
Sense: sin, sinful.
עַ֖ל  because 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
חַלְּלָ֣ם  they  have  defiled 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Infinitive construct, third person masculine plural
Root: חָלַל 
Sense: to profane, defile, pollute, desecrate, begin.
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.
אַרְצִ֑י  My  land 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
בְּנִבְלַ֤ת  with  the  carcasses 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: נְבֵלָה  
Sense: carcass, corpse.
שִׁקּֽוּצֵיהֶם֙  of  their  detestable 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: שִׁקּוּץ  
Sense: detestable thing or idol, abominable thing, abomination, idol, detested thing.
וְתוֹעֲב֣וֹתֵיהֶ֔ם  and  abominable  idols 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: תֹּועֵבָה  
Sense: a disgusting thing, abomination, abominable.
מָלְא֖וּ  They  have  filled 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: מָלֵא 
Sense: to fill, be full.
נַחֲלָתִֽי  My  inheritance 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: נַחֲלָה  
Sense: possession, property, inheritance, heritage.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation