The Meaning of Jeremiah 17:18 Explained

Jeremiah 17:18

KJV: Let them be confounded that persecute me, but let not me be confounded: let them be dismayed, but let not me be dismayed: bring upon them the day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction.

YLT: Let my pursuers be ashamed, and let not me be ashamed -- me! Let them be affrighted, and let not me be affrighted -- me! Bring in on them a day of evil, And a second time with destruction destroy them.

Darby: Let them be ashamed that persecute me, but let not me be ashamed; let them be dismayed, but let not me be dismayed; bring upon them the day of evil, and break them with a double breaking.

ASV: Let them be put to shame that persecute me, but let not me be put to shame; let them be dismayed, but let not me be dismayed; bring upon them the day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Let them be confounded  that persecute  me, but let not me be confounded:  let them be dismayed,  but let not me be dismayed:  bring  upon them the day  of evil,  and destroy  them with double  destruction. 

What does Jeremiah 17:18 Mean?

Verse Meaning

He prayed for God to humiliate his persecutors but not to humiliate him (cf. Jeremiah 1:17). He asked that the Lord would punish them severely for their apostasy (cf. Jeremiah 17:4; Jeremiah 16:18; Jeremiah 20:12; Psalm 17:1-8).
"The experience Jeremiah had had in his calling seemed to contradict the truth, that trust in the Lord brings blessing ( Jeremiah 17:7 ff.); for his preaching of God"s word had brought him nothing but persecution and suffering. Therefore he prays the Lord to remove this contradiction and to verify that truth in his case also." [1]

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 17

1  The captivity of Judah for her sin
5  Trust in man is cursed;
7  in God is blessed
9  The deceitful heart cannot deceive God
12  The salvation of God
15  The prophet complains of the mockers of his prophecy
19  He is sent to renew the covenant in hallowing the Sabbath

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 17:18 mean?

let them be ashamed who persecute me but not do let be put to shame me May be dismayed they do let be dismayed Me bring on them the day of doom and with double destruction destroy them -
יֵבֹ֤שׁוּ רֹדְפַי֙ וְאַל־ אֵבֹ֣שָׁה אָ֔נִי יֵחַ֣תּוּ הֵ֔מָּה אֵחַ֖תָּה אָ֑נִי הָבִ֤יא עֲלֵיהֶם֙ י֣וֹם רָעָ֔ה וּמִשְׁנֶ֥ה שִׁבָּר֖וֹן שָׁבְרֵֽם ס

יֵבֹ֤שׁוּ  let  them  be  ashamed 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: בֹּושׁ 
Sense: to put to shame, be ashamed, be disconcerted, be disappointed.
רֹדְפַי֙  who  persecute  me 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: רָדַף  
Sense: to be behind, follow after, pursue, persecute, run after.
וְאַל־  but  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb
Root: אַל  
Sense: not, no, nor, neither, nothing (as wish or preference).
אֵבֹ֣שָׁה  do  let  be  put  to  shame 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect Cohortative, first person common singular
Root: בֹּושׁ 
Sense: to put to shame, be ashamed, be disconcerted, be disappointed.
אָ֔נִי  me 
Parse: Pronoun, first person common singular
Root: אֲנִי  
Sense: I (first pers.
יֵחַ֣תּוּ  May  be  dismayed 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: חָתַת  
Sense: to be shattered, be dismayed, be broken, be abolished, be afraid.
אֵחַ֖תָּה  do  let  be  dismayed 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect Cohortative, first person common singular
Root: חָתַת  
Sense: to be shattered, be dismayed, be broken, be abolished, be afraid.
אָ֑נִי  Me 
Parse: Pronoun, first person common singular
Root: אֲנִי  
Sense: I (first pers.
הָבִ֤יא  bring 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
עֲלֵיהֶם֙  on  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
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.
י֣וֹם  the  day 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
רָעָ֔ה  of  doom 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
וּמִשְׁנֶ֥ה  and  with  double 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִשְׁנֶה  
Sense: double, copy, second, repetition.
שִׁבָּר֖וֹן  destruction 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שִׁבָּרֹון  
Sense: destruction, breaking, shattering, crushing.
שָׁבְרֵֽם  destroy  them 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular, third person masculine plural
Root: שָׁבוּר 
Sense: to break, break in pieces.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation