The Meaning of Jeremiah 49:16 Explained

Jeremiah 49:16

KJV: Thy terribleness hath deceived thee, and the pride of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest the height of the hill: though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the LORD.

YLT: Thy terribleness hath lifted thee up, The pride of thy heart, O dweller in clefts of the rock, Holding the high place of the height, For thou makest high as an eagle thy nest, From thence I bring thee down, An affirmation of Jehovah.

Darby: Thy terribleness, the pride of thy heart, hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest the height of the hill. Though thou shouldest make thy nest high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith Jehovah.

ASV: As for thy terribleness, the pride of thy heart hath deceived thee, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest the height of the hill: though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith Jehovah.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Thy terribleness  hath deceived  thee, [and] the pride  of thine heart,  O thou that dwellest  in the clefts  of the rock,  that holdest  the height  of the hill:  though thou shouldest make thy nest  as high  as the eagle,  I will bring thee down  from thence, saith  the LORD. 

What does Jeremiah 49:16 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Edom had deceived herself by thinking that other nations would be too afraid of her apparently impregnable location to attack her. But the Lord promised to bring her down and to humble her arrogance (cf. Obadiah 1:1-4). "The rock" is a translation of Sela, a site near the city carved out of rock near Bozrah, later called Petra (in Greek).

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 49

1  The judgment of the Ammonites
6  Their restoration
7  The judgment of Edom
23  of Damascus
28  of Kedar
30  of Hazor
34  and of Elam
39  The restoration of Elam

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 49:16 mean?

Your fierceness has deceived you the pride of your heart you who dwell in the clefts of the rock who hold the height of the hill Though you make as high as the eagle your nest from there I will bring you down says Yahweh
תִּֽפְלַצְתְּךָ֞ הִשִּׁ֤יא אֹתָךְ֙ זְד֣וֹן לִבֶּ֔ךָ שֹֽׁכְנִי֙ בְּחַגְוֵ֣י הַסֶּ֔לַע תֹּפְשִׂ֖י מְר֣וֹם גִּבְעָ֑ה כִּֽי־ תַגְבִּ֤יהַ כַּנֶּ֙שֶׁר֙ קִנֶּ֔ךָ מִשָּׁ֥ם אֽוֹרִידְךָ֖ נְאֻם־ יְהוָֽה

תִּֽפְלַצְתְּךָ֞  Your  fierceness 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: תִּפְלֶצֶת  
Sense: shuddering, horror.
הִשִּׁ֤יא  has  deceived 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָשָׁא  
Sense: to beguile, deceive.
זְד֣וֹן  the  pride 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: זָדֹון  
Sense: pride, insolence, presumptuousness, arrogance.
לִבֶּ֔ךָ  of  your  heart 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: לֵב 
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding.
שֹֽׁכְנִי֙  you  who  dwell 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular construct
Root: שָׁכַן  
Sense: to settle down, abide, dwell, tabernacle, reside.
בְּחַגְוֵ֣י  in  the  clefts 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: חָגוּ  
Sense: clefts, places of concealment, retreats.
הַסֶּ֔לַע  of  the  rock 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: סֶלַע  
Sense: crag, cliff, rock.
תֹּפְשִׂ֖י  who  hold 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular construct
Root: תָּפַשׂ  
Sense: to catch, handle, lay hold, take hold of, seize, wield.
מְר֣וֹם  the  height 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מָרֹום  
Sense: height.
גִּבְעָ֑ה  of  the  hill 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: גִּבְעָה  
Sense: hill.
כִּֽי־  Though 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
תַגְבִּ֤יהַ  you  make  as  high 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: גָּבַהּ  
Sense: to be high, be exalted.
כַּנֶּ֙שֶׁר֙  as  the  eagle 
Parse: Preposition-k, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: נֶשֶׁר  
Sense: eagle, vulture, griffon-vulture.
קִנֶּ֔ךָ  your  nest 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: קֵן  
Sense: nest.
מִשָּׁ֥ם  from  there 
Parse: Preposition-m, Adverb
Root: שָׁם  
Sense: there, thither.
אֽוֹרִידְךָ֖  I  will  bring  you  down 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, first person common singular, second person masculine singular
Root: יָרַד  
Sense: to go down, descend, decline, march down, sink down.
נְאֻם־  says 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: נְאֻם  
Sense: (Qal) utterance, declaration (of prophet).
יְהוָֽה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.