The Meaning of Jeremiah 13:21 Explained

Jeremiah 13:21

KJV: What wilt thou say when he shall punish thee? for thou hast taught them to be captains, and as chief over thee: shall not sorrows take thee, as a woman in travail?

YLT: What dost thou say, when He looketh after thee? And thou -- thou hast taught them to be over thee -- leaders for head? Do not pangs seize thee as a travailing woman?

Darby: What wilt thou say when he shall visit thee, since thou thyself hast trained them to be princes in chief over thee? Shall not sorrows take thee, as a woman in travail?

ASV: What wilt thou say, when he shall set over thee as head those whom thou hast thyself taught to be friends to thee? shall not sorrows take hold of thee, as of a woman in travail?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

What wilt thou say  when he shall punish  thee? for thou hast taught  them [to be] captains,  [and] as chief  over thee: shall not sorrows  take  thee, as a woman  in travail? 

What does Jeremiah 13:21 Mean?

Verse Meaning

What would the city say when the Lord appointed other rulers over her whom the leaders of Jerusalem had cultivated, namely, the Mesopotamians? This may be a reference to King Ahaz"s earlier request for Assyrian help against Israel and Aramea ( 2 Kings 16:7; Isaiah 8:5-8). [1] However, there were many times when Judah had relied on and courted Mesopotamian powers in the past (cf. Jeremiah 4:30). Jerusalem would be in agony over this situation, like a woman in labor pains.

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 13

1  By the type of a linen belt, hidden at Euphrates,
9  God prefigures the destruction of his people
12  By the parable of bottles filled with wine he foretells their drunkenness in misery
15  He exhorts to prevent their future judgments
22  He shows their abominations are the cause thereof

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 13:21 mean?

what will you say when He punishes you for you have taught them over you [To be] chieftains to be head will not pangs seize you Like a woman in labor
מַה־ תֹּֽאמְרִי֙ כִּֽי־ יִפְקֹ֣ד עָלַ֔יִךְ וְ֠אַתְּ לִמַּ֨דְתְּ אֹתָ֥ם עָלַ֛יִךְ אַלֻּפִ֖ים לְרֹ֑אשׁ הֲל֤וֹא חֲבָלִים֙ יֹאחֱז֔וּךְ כְּמ֖וֹ אֵ֥שֶׁת ؟ לֵדָֽה

תֹּֽאמְרִי֙  will  you  say 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person feminine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
יִפְקֹ֣ד  He  punishes 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: פָּקַד 
Sense: to attend to, muster, number, reckon, visit, punish, appoint, look after, care for.
וְ֠אַתְּ  for  you 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, second person feminine singular
Root: אַתְּ 
Sense: you (second pers.
לִמַּ֨דְתְּ  have  taught 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, second person feminine singular
Root: לָמַד  
Sense: to learn. teach, exercise in.
עָלַ֛יִךְ  over  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular
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.
אַלֻּפִ֖ים  [To  be]  chieftains 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אַלּוּף 
Sense: tame, docile.
לְרֹ֑אשׁ  to  be  head 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular
Root: רֹאשׁ 
Sense: head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning.
הֲל֤וֹא  will  not 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
חֲבָלִים֙  pangs 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: חֶבֶל 
Sense: a cord, rope, territory, band, company.
יֹאחֱז֔וּךְ  seize  you 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural, second person feminine singular
Root: אָחוּז 
Sense: grasp, take hold, seize, take possession.
כְּמ֖וֹ  Like 
Parse: Preposition
Root: כְּמֹו  
Sense: like, as, the like of which conj.
אֵ֥שֶׁת  a  woman 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
؟ לֵדָֽה  in  labor 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: יָלַד 
Sense: to bear, bring forth, beget, gender, travail.