The Meaning of Jeremiah 5:15 Explained

Jeremiah 5:15

KJV: Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of Israel, saith the LORD: it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest what they say.

YLT: Lo, I am bringing against you a nation from afar, O house of Israel, an affirmation of Jehovah, A nation -- strong it is, a nation -- from of old it is, A nation -- thou knowest not its tongue, Nor understandest what it speaketh.

Darby: Behold, I bring a nation upon you from afar, house of Israel, saith Jehovah: it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest thou what they say.

ASV: Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of Israel, saith Jehovah: it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest what they say.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Lo, I will bring  a nation  upon you from far,  O house  of Israel,  saith  the LORD:  it [is] a mighty  nation,  it [is] an ancient  nation,  a nation  whose language  thou knowest  not, neither understandest  what they say. 

What does Jeremiah 5:15 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Lord promised His people, called Israel here, that He would bring destruction against them by burning them up with Jeremiah"s fiery words. The destroyer would come from a distant nation whose language they did not understand; it would not come from some nearby nation (cf. Deuteronomy 28:49; Isaiah 28:11).
"Though Judah might appeal for mercy, the language barrier would prevent her cries from being heeded because they would not be understood." [1]
This enemy nation was old and enduring. Babylon traced its origins back to Babel ( Genesis 10:10; Genesis 11:1-9; Genesis 11:31).

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 5

1  The judgments of God upon the people, for their perverseness;
7  for their adultery;
10  for their impiety;
15  for their worship of idols;
19  for their contempt of God;
25  and for their great corruption in the civil state;
30  and ecclesiastical

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 5:15 mean?

Behold I will bring against you a nation from afar house of Israel says Yahweh A nation enduring it [is] nation an ancient not you do know whose language nor can you understand what they say
הִנְנִ֣י מֵבִיא֩ עֲלֵיכֶ֨ם גּ֧וֹי מִמֶּרְחָ֛ק בֵּ֥ית יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל נְאֻם־ יְהֹוָ֑ה גּ֣וֹי ׀ אֵיתָ֣ן ה֗וּא גּ֤וֹי מֵעוֹלָם֙ לֹא־ תֵדַ֣ע לְשֹׁנ֔וֹ וְלֹ֥א תִשְׁמַ֖ע מַה־ יְדַבֵּֽר

הִנְנִ֣י  Behold 
Parse: Interjection, first person common singular
Root: הֵן  
Sense: behold, lo, though hypothetical part.
מֵבִיא֩  I  will  bring 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
עֲלֵיכֶ֨ם  against  you 
Parse: Preposition, second 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.
גּ֧וֹי  a  nation 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: גֹּוי 
Sense: nation, people.
מִמֶּרְחָ֛ק  from  afar 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶרְחָק  
Sense: distant place, distance, far country.
בֵּ֥ית  house 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
נְאֻם־  says 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: נְאֻם  
Sense: (Qal) utterance, declaration (of prophet).
יְהֹוָ֑ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
גּ֣וֹי ׀  A  nation 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: גֹּוי 
Sense: nation, people.
אֵיתָ֣ן  enduring 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: אֵיתָן  
Sense: perpetual, constant, perennial, ever-flowing.
ה֗וּא  it  [is] 
Parse: Pronoun, third person masculine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
גּ֤וֹי  nation 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: גֹּוי 
Sense: nation, people.
מֵעוֹלָם֙  an  ancient 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֹולָם  
Sense: long duration, antiquity, futurity, for ever, ever, everlasting, evermore, perpetual, old, ancient, world.
תֵדַ֣ע  you  do  know 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.
לְשֹׁנ֔וֹ  whose  language 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: לָשֹׁון  
Sense: tongue.
וְלֹ֥א  nor 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
תִשְׁמַ֖ע  can  you  understand 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.
יְדַבֵּֽר  they  say 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: דָּבַר 
Sense: to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing.