The Meaning of Jeremiah 5:9 Explained

Jeremiah 5:9

KJV: Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

YLT: For these do I not lay a charge? An affirmation of Jehovah, And on a nation such as this, Doth not My soul avenge itself?

Darby: Shall I not visit for these things? saith Jehovah, and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

ASV: Shall I not visit for these things? saith Jehovah; and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Shall I not visit  for these [things]? saith  the LORD:  and shall not my soul  be avenged  on such a nation  as this? 

What does Jeremiah 5:9 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Was it not just for Yahweh to punish such a people and to take vengeance on them for their sins (cf. Jeremiah 5:7)? It certainly was just, as Jeremiah 5:7-8 amply demonstrated (cf. Ephesians 5:5; Hebrews 13:4). Questions frame Jeremiah 5:7-9.

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 5:9 mean?

Shall for these [things] not I punish [them] says Yahweh and on a nation such as this not shall avenge I Myself -
הַֽעַל־ אֵ֥לֶּה לוֹא־ אֶפְקֹ֖ד נְאֻם־ יְהֹוָ֑ה וְאִם֙ בְּג֣וֹי אֲשֶׁר־ ؟ כָּזֶ֔ה לֹ֥א תִתְנַקֵּ֖ם נַפְשִֽׁי ס

הַֽעַל־  Shall  for 
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.
אֵ֥לֶּה  these  [things] 
Parse: Pronoun, common plural
Root: אֵהֶל 
Sense: these.
אֶפְקֹ֖ד  I  punish  [them] 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: פָּקַד 
Sense: to attend to, muster, number, reckon, visit, punish, appoint, look after, care for.
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.
בְּג֣וֹי  on  a  nation 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular
Root: גֹּוי 
Sense: nation, people.
אֲשֶׁר־  such 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
؟ כָּזֶ֔ה  as  this 
Parse: Preposition-k, Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
תִתְנַקֵּ֖ם  shall  avenge 
Parse: Verb, Hitpael, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: נָקַם  
Sense: to avenge, take vengeance, revenge, avenge oneself, be avenged, be punished.
נַפְשִֽׁי  I  Myself 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: נֶפֶשׁ  
Sense: soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation