The Meaning of Jeremiah 14:16 Explained

Jeremiah 14:16

KJV: And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and they shall have none to bury them, them, their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters: for I will pour their wickedness upon them.

YLT: And the people to whom they are prophesying, Are cast into out-places of Jerusalem, Because of the famine, and of the sword, And they have none burying them, Them, their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, And I have poured out upon them this evil.

Darby: and the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem, because of the famine and the sword; and there shall be none to bury them, them, their wives, and their sons, and their daughters; and I will pour their wickedness upon them.

ASV: And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and they shall have none to bury them-them, their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters: for I will pour their wickedness upon them.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the people  to whom they prophesy  shall be cast out  in the streets  of Jerusalem  because  of the famine  and the sword;  and they shall have none to bury  them,  them, their wives,  nor their sons,  nor their daughters:  for I will pour  their wickedness  upon them. 

What does Jeremiah 14:16 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The people to whom the false prophets had given their placebo promises would also die in the same ways. So many of them would die that there would not be enough people left alive to bury all the dead. This would be God"s judgment on the people for their wickedness: many unburied corpses.

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 14

1  The grievous famine,
7  causes Jeremiah to pray
10  The Lord will not be entreated for the people
13  false prophets are no excuse for them
17  Jeremiah is moved to complain for them

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 14:16 mean?

And the people to whom they prophesy to whom shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword and no one they will have to bury them them nor their wives and their sons nor their daughters for I will pour on them - their wickedness
וְהָעָ֣ם אֲשֶׁר־ הֵ֣מָּה נִבְּאִ֣ים לָהֶ֡ם יִֽהְי֣וּ מֻשְׁלָכִים֩ בְּחֻצ֨וֹת יְרוּשָׁלִַ֜ם מִפְּנֵ֣י ׀ הָרָעָ֣ב וְהַחֶ֗רֶב וְאֵ֤ין מְקַבֵּר֙ לָהֵ֔מָּה הֵ֣מָּה נְשֵׁיהֶ֔ם וּבְנֵיהֶ֖ם וּבְנֹֽתֵיהֶ֑ם וְשָׁפַכְתִּ֥י עֲלֵיהֶ֖ם אֶת־ רָעָתָֽם

וְהָעָ֣ם  And  the  people 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
אֲשֶׁר־  to  whom 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
נִבְּאִ֣ים  prophesy 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: נָבָא  
Sense: to prophesy.
לָהֶ֡ם  to  whom 
Parse: Preposition-l, Pronoun, third person masculine plural
Root: הֵם 
Sense: they, these, the same, who.
יִֽהְי֣וּ  shall  be 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
מֻשְׁלָכִים֩  cast  out 
Parse: Verb, Hofal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: שָׁלַךְ  
Sense: to throw, cast, hurl, fling.
בְּחֻצ֨וֹת  in  the  streets 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: חוּץ  
Sense: outside, outward, street, the outside.
יְרוּשָׁלִַ֜ם  of  Jerusalem 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְרוּשָׁלַםִ  
Sense: the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split.
מִפְּנֵ֣י ׀  because 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, common plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
הָרָעָ֣ב  of  the  famine 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: רָעָב  
Sense: famine, hunger.
וְהַחֶ֗רֶב  and  the  sword 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֶרֶב  
Sense: sword, knife.
וְאֵ֤ין  and  no  one 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
מְקַבֵּר֙  they  will  have  to  bury 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine singular
Root: קָבַר  
Sense: to bury.
נְשֵׁיהֶ֔ם  nor  their  wives 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
וּבְנֵיהֶ֖ם  and  their  sons 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
וּבְנֹֽתֵיהֶ֑ם  nor  their  daughters 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: בַּת  
Sense: daughter.
וְשָׁפַכְתִּ֥י  for  I  will  pour 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: שֶׂפֶק 
Sense: to pour, pour out, spill.
עֲלֵיהֶ֖ם  on  them 
Parse: Preposition, third 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.
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.
רָעָתָֽם  their  wickedness 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.