The Meaning of Jeremiah 25:9 Explained

Jeremiah 25:9

KJV: Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations.

YLT: Lo, I am sending, and have taken all the families of the north -- an affirmation of Jehovah -- even unto Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and have brought them in against this land, and against its inhabitants, and against all these nations round about, and have devoted them, and appointed them for an astonishment, and for a hissing, and for wastes age-during.

Darby: behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith Jehovah, and I will send to Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about; and I will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and a hissing, and perpetual wastes.

ASV: behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith Jehovah, and I will send unto Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about; and I will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and a hissing, and perpetual desolations.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Behold, I will send  and take  all the families  of the north,  saith  the LORD,  and Nebuchadrezzar  the king  of Babylon,  my servant,  and will bring  them against this land,  and against the inhabitants  thereof, and against all these nations  round about,  and will utterly destroy  them, and make  them an astonishment,  and an hissing,  and perpetual  desolations. 

What does Jeremiah 25:9 Mean?

Context Summary

Jeremiah 25:1-38 - Shepherds That Mislead God's Flock
It is God's purpose to care for His people through shepherds (pastors) who are responsible to Him. Jesus our Lord is the Branch into which we may be grafted. He is our King who saves us and clothes us with His own spotless righteousness. God finds us in Him, Philippians 3:9. Because He reigns, we are saved and dwell in safety. When we are brought into contact with false shepherds, whether the failure be in doctrine or example, let us ask for the broken heart of Jeremiah 23:9.
God is everywhere present; as the latter paragraph indicates, He is near at hand to overhear the blasphemy of those who deride religion, and to be a very present help in time of trouble. If He fills heaven and earth, can He not fill thy heart? If His Word is like fire, let it cleanse thee! If it is as a hammer, let it pulverize thy pride! Let those of us who essay to teach and preach, not steal our words from our neighbors, or utter our own, but receive them from the source of all truth. [source]

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 25

1  Jeremiah, reproving the Jews' disobedience to the prophets,
8  foretells the seventy years' captivity;
12  and after that, the destruction of Babylon
15  Under the type of a cup of wine he foreshows the destruction of all nations
34  The howling of the shepherds

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 25:9 mean?

behold I will send and take - all the families of the north says Yahweh and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon My servant and will bring them against land this and against its inhabitants and against nations these all around and will utterly destroy them and make them an astonishment and a hissing and desolations perpetual
הִנְנִ֣י שֹׁלֵ֡חַ וְלָקַחְתִּי֩ אֶת־ כָּל־ מִשְׁפְּח֨וֹת צָפ֜וֹן נְאֻם־ יְהוָ֗ה וְאֶל־ נְבֽוּכַדְרֶאצַּ֣ר מֶֽלֶךְ־ בָּבֶל֮ עַבְדִּי֒ וַהֲבִ֨אֹתִ֜ים עַל־ הָאָ֤רֶץ הַזֹּאת֙ וְעַל־ יֹ֣שְׁבֶ֔יהָ וְעַ֛ל הַגּוֹיִ֥ם הָאֵ֖לֶּה סָבִ֑יב וְהַ֣חֲרַמְתִּ֔ים וְשַׂמְתִּים֙ לְשַׁמָּ֣ה וְלִשְׁרֵקָ֔ה וּלְחָרְב֖וֹת עוֹלָֽם

הִנְנִ֣י  behold  I 
Parse: Interjection, first person common singular
Root: הֵן  
Sense: behold, lo, though hypothetical part.
שֹׁלֵ֡חַ  will  send 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
וְלָקַחְתִּי֩  and  take 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
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.
מִשְׁפְּח֨וֹת  the  families 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: מִשְׁפָּחָה  
Sense: clan, family.
צָפ֜וֹן  of  the  north 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: צָפֹון  
Sense: north (of direction), northward.
נְאֻם־  says 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: נְאֻם  
Sense: (Qal) utterance, declaration (of prophet).
יְהוָ֗ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
נְבֽוּכַדְרֶאצַּ֣ר  Nebuchadnezzar 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: נְבוּכַדְנֶאצַּר 
Sense: the great king of Babylon who captured Jerusalem and carried Judah captive.
מֶֽלֶךְ־  the  king 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
בָּבֶל֮  of  Babylon 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: בָּבֶל  
Sense: Babel or Babylon, the ancient site and/or capital of Babylonia (modern Hillah) situated on the Euphrates.
עַבְדִּי֒  My  servant 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: עֶבֶד  
Sense: slave, servant.
וַהֲבִ֨אֹתִ֜ים  and  will  bring  them 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular, third person masculine plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
עַל־  against 
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.
הָאָ֤רֶץ  land 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
הַזֹּאת֙  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, feminine singular
Root: זׄאת  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, such.
וְעַל־  and  against 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, 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.
יֹ֣שְׁבֶ֔יהָ  its  inhabitants 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct, third person feminine singular
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.
וְעַ֛ל  and  against 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, 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.
הַגּוֹיִ֥ם  nations 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: גֹּוי 
Sense: nation, people.
הָאֵ֖לֶּה  these 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, common plural
Root: אֵהֶל 
Sense: these.
סָבִ֑יב  all  around 
Parse: Adverb
Root: מוּסָב 
Sense: places round about, circuit, round about adv.
וְהַ֣חֲרַמְתִּ֔ים  and  will  utterly  destroy  them 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular, third person masculine plural
Root: חָרַם 
Sense: to ban, devote, destroy utterly, completely destroy, dedicate for destruction, exterminate.
וְשַׂמְתִּים֙  and  make  them 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular, third person masculine plural
Root: שׂוּמָה 
Sense: to put, place, set, appoint, make.
לְשַׁמָּ֣ה  an  astonishment 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, feminine singular
Root: שַׁמָּה  
Sense: waste, horror, appalment.
וְלִשְׁרֵקָ֔ה  and  a  hissing 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Noun, feminine singular
Root: שְׂרֵקָה 
Sense: hissing, whistling.
וּלְחָרְב֖וֹת  and  desolations 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: חָרְבָּה  
Sense: a place laid waste, ruin, waste, desolation.
עוֹלָֽם  perpetual 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֹולָם  
Sense: long duration, antiquity, futurity, for ever, ever, everlasting, evermore, perpetual, old, ancient, world.