The Meaning of Jeremiah 49:28 Explained

Jeremiah 49:28

KJV: Concerning Kedar, and concerning the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon shall smite, thus saith the LORD; Arise ye, go up to Kedar, and spoil the men of the east.

YLT: Concerning Kedar, and concerning the kingdoms of Hazor, that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath smitten: 'Thus said Jehovah: Arise ye, go ye up unto Kedar, And spoil the sons of the east.

Darby: Concerning Kedar, and concerning the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon smote. Thus saith Jehovah: Arise, go up to Kedar, and spoil the men of the east.

ASV: Of Kedar, and of the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon smote. Thus saith Jehovah: Arise ye, go up to Kedar, and destroy the children of the east.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Concerning Kedar,  and concerning the kingdoms  of Hazor,  which Nebuchadrezzar  king  of Babylon  shall smite,  thus saith  the LORD;  Arise  ye, go up  to Kedar,  and spoil  the men  of the east. 

What does Jeremiah 49:28 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Nebuchadnezzar also defeated Kedar, a prominent Arab tribe ( Jeremiah 2:10; Genesis 25:13; Isaiah 21:16-17; Isaiah 42:11; Isaiah 60:7; Ezekiel 27:21; et al.), and the tribes around "Hazor," a place in the eastern desert (not the town in northern Galilee). The past tense in this title verse may have been added after Nebuchadnezzar"s invasion, but the oracle is a promise of future destruction. Or, this may be a Hebrew prophetic perfect, in which case the prophet spoke of the future as past because it was certain to happen. Yahweh ordered the Babylonian king to devastate these eastern Arabs (cf. Judges 6:3).

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 49:28 mean?

Against Kedar and against the kingdoms of Hazor which shall strike Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon thus says Yahweh Arise go up to Kedar and devastate - the men of the East
לְקֵדָ֣ר ׀ וּֽלְמַמְלְכ֣וֹת חָצ֗וֹר אֲשֶׁ֤ר הִכָּה֙ [נבוכדראצור] (נְבֽוּכַדְרֶאצַּ֣ר) מֶֽלֶךְ־ בָּבֶ֔ל כֹּ֖ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֑ה ק֚וּמוּ עֲל֣וּ אֶל־ קֵדָ֔ר וְשָׁדְד֖וּ אֶת־ בְּנֵי־ קֶֽדֶם

לְקֵדָ֣ר ׀  Against  Kedar 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: קֵדָר  
Sense: a son of Ishmael.
וּֽלְמַמְלְכ֣וֹת  and  against  the  kingdoms 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: מַמְלָכָה  
Sense: kingdom, dominion, reign, sovereignty.
חָצ֗וֹר  of  Hazor 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: חָצֹור 
Sense: a royal city of northern Palestine allotted to Naphtali.
הִכָּה֙  shall  strike 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָכָה  
Sense: to strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, kill.
[נבוכדראצור]  Nebuchadnezzar 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
(נְבֽוּכַדְרֶאצַּ֣ר)  Nebuchadnezzar 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר  
Sense: the great king of Babylon who captured Jerusalem and carried Judah captive.
מֶֽלֶךְ־  king 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
בָּבֶ֔ל  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.
כֹּ֖ה  thus 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֹּה  
Sense: thus, here, in this manner.
אָמַ֣ר  says 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
יְהוָ֑ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
ק֚וּמוּ  Arise 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: קוּם 
Sense: to rise, arise, stand, rise up, stand up.
עֲל֣וּ  go  up 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
קֵדָ֔ר  Kedar 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: קֵדָר  
Sense: a son of Ishmael.
וְשָׁדְד֖וּ  and  devastate 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: שָׁדַד  
Sense: to deal violently with, despoil, devastate, ruin, destroy, spoil.
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.
בְּנֵי־  the  men 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
קֶֽדֶם  of  the  East 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: קֶדֶם 
Sense: east, antiquity, front, that which is before, aforetime.