The Meaning of Jeremiah 3:15 Explained

Jeremiah 3:15

KJV: And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.

YLT: And I have given to you shepherds According to Mine own heart, And they have fed you with knowledge and understanding.

Darby: And I will give you shepherds according to my heart, and they shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.

ASV: and I will give you shepherds according to my heart, who shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And I will give  you pastors  according to mine heart,  which shall feed  you with knowledge  and understanding. 

What does Jeremiah 3:15 Mean?

Verse Meaning

After their return, the Lord would give the truly repentant Israelites good leaders who had hearts for Himself and who would instruct them in sound "knowledge" (wisely) and "understanding" (well). Kind-hearted shepherds would provide wholesome and nourishing food for their sheep (cf. Jeremiah 23:1-4; Ezekiel 34:23; Ezekiel 37:24).

Context Summary

Jeremiah 3:11-25 - Pleading With Faithless Children
The people of the northern kingdom, to whom this appeal is especially addressed, were more excusable than Judah, because their privileges had been less. God judges us according to our opportunities. How precious the invitation and promise of Jeremiah 3:12! Confession is an essential condition that must be fulfilled by us. See 1 John 1:7. Zion shall yet be the center of a restored Israel, Jeremiah 3:14; Jeremiah 3:18. In Jeremiah 3:21-25 the voices of the people in confession and prayer mingle with Jehovah's encouraging their return. When we lie down in broken-hearted shame and penitence, we are very near to being lifted to the bosom of God. Compare Jeremiah 3:25 with Jeremiah 4:1. The return of the Chosen People to the God of their fathers will be the cause of revival and quickening throughout the earth. Compare Jeremiah 4:2 with Romans 11:12. [source]

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 3

1  God's great mercy to Judah the polluted land
6  Judah is worse than Israel
12  The promises of the gospel to the penitent
20  Israel reproved, and called by God, makes a solemn confession of their sins

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 3:15 mean?

and I will give you shepherds according to My heart and who will feed you with knowledge and understanding
וְנָתַתִּ֥י לָכֶ֛ם רֹעִ֖ים כְּלִבִּ֑י וְרָע֥וּ אֶתְכֶ֖ם דֵּעָ֥ה וְהַשְׂכֵּֽיל

וְנָתַתִּ֥י  and  I  will  give 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
רֹעִ֖ים  shepherds 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: רָעָה 
Sense: to pasture, tend, graze, feed.
כְּלִבִּ֑י  according  to  My  heart 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: לֵב 
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding.
וְרָע֥וּ  and  who  will  feed 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: רָעָה 
Sense: to pasture, tend, graze, feed.
דֵּעָ֥ה  with  knowledge 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: דֵּעָה  
Sense: knowledge (of God).
וְהַשְׂכֵּֽיל  and  understanding 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive absolute
Root: שָׂכַל 
Sense: to be prudent, be circumspect, wisely understand, prosper.