The Meaning of Jeremiah 8:3 Explained

Jeremiah 8:3

KJV: And death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue of them that remain of this evil family, which remain in all the places whither I have driven them, saith the LORD of hosts.

YLT: And chosen is death rather than life By all the remnant who are left of this evil family, In all the remaining places, whither I have driven them, An affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts.

Darby: And death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue that remain of this evil family, in all the places whither I have driven those that remain, saith Jehovah of hosts.

ASV: And death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue that remain of this evil family, that remain in all the places whither I have driven them, saith Jehovah of hosts.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And death  shall be chosen  rather than life  by all the residue  of them that remain  of this evil  family,  which remain  in all the places  whither I have driven  them, saith  the LORD  of hosts. 

What does Jeremiah 8:3 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The scattered remnant who survived the invasion would consider death a more desirable alternative than life as displaced persons. They would feel this way because the portion of the living would be more miserable than that of the dead (cf. Leviticus 26:36-39; Deuteronomy 28:65-67; 2 Kings 25:5-7; Psalm 137; Revelation 9:6).
Some scholars believe that Jeremiah delivered this entire collection of speeches ( Jeremiah 7:1 to Jeremiah 8:3) at the temple (cf. Jeremiah 7:1-2). That may or may not be true. It is very difficult, if not impossible, to trace the origin of many of Jeremiah"s undated prophecies, when and where he gave them originally. [1]

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 8

1  The calamity of the Jews, both dead and alive
4  He upbraids their foolish and shameless impenitency
13  He shows their grievous judgment;
18  and bewails their desperate estate

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 8:3 mean?

And shall be chosen death rather than life by all the residue of those who remain of family evil this in all the places who remain where I have driven them there them says Yahweh of hosts -
וְנִבְחַ֥ר מָ֙וֶת֙ מֵֽחַיִּ֔ים לְכֹ֗ל הַשְּׁאֵרִית֙ הַנִּשְׁאָרִ֔ים מִן־ הַמִּשְׁפָּחָ֥ה הָֽרָעָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את בְּכָל־ הַמְּקֹמ֤וֹת הַנִּשְׁאָרִים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר הִדַּחְתִּ֣ים שָׁ֔ם נְאֻ֖ם יְהוָ֥ה צְבָאֽוֹת ס

וְנִבְחַ֥ר  And  shall  be  chosen 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Nifal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בָּחוּר 
Sense: to choose, elect, decide for.
מָ֙וֶת֙  death 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מָוֶת  
Sense: death, dying, Death (personified), realm of the dead.
מֵֽחַיִּ֔ים  rather  than  life 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine plural
Root: חַי 
Sense: living, alive.
לְכֹ֗ל  by  all 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
הַשְּׁאֵרִית֙  the  residue 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: שְׁאֵרִית  
Sense: rest, residue, remainder, remnant.
הַנִּשְׁאָרִ֔ים  of  those  who  remain 
Parse: Article, Verb, Nifal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: שָׁאַר  
Sense: to remain, be left over, be left behind.
הַמִּשְׁפָּחָ֥ה  family 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִשְׁפָּחָה  
Sense: clan, family.
הָֽרָעָ֖ה  evil 
Parse: Article, Adjective, feminine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
הַזֹּ֑את  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, feminine singular
Root: זׄאת  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, such.
בְּכָל־  in  all 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
הַמְּקֹמ֤וֹת  the  places 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: מָקֹום  
Sense: standing place, place.
הַנִּשְׁאָרִים֙  who  remain 
Parse: Article, Verb, Nifal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: שָׁאַר  
Sense: to remain, be left over, be left behind.
אֲשֶׁ֣ר  where 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
הִדַּחְתִּ֣ים  I  have  driven  them 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, first person common singular, third person masculine plural
Root: נָדַח 
Sense: to impel, thrust, drive away, banish.
שָׁ֔ם  there  them 
Parse: Adverb
Root: שָׁם  
Sense: there, thither.
נְאֻ֖ם  says 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: נְאֻם  
Sense: (Qal) utterance, declaration (of prophet).
יְהוָ֥ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
צְבָאֽוֹת  of  hosts 
Parse: Noun, common plural
Root: צָבָא 
Sense: that which goes forth, army, war, warfare, host.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation