The Meaning of Jeremiah 14:3 Explained

Jeremiah 14:3

KJV: And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters: they came to the pits, and found no water; they returned with their vessels empty; they were ashamed and confounded, and covered their heads.

YLT: And their honourable ones have sent their little ones to the water, They have come unto ditches, They have not found water, They have turned back -- their vessels empty! They have been ashamed, And have blushed and covered their head.

Darby: And their nobles send their little ones for water: they come to the pits, they find no water; they return with their vessels empty; they are ashamed, they are confounded, and have covered their heads.

ASV: And their nobles send their little ones to the waters: they come to the cisterns, and find no water; they return with their vessels empty; they are put to shame and confounded, and cover their heads.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And their nobles  have sent  their little ones  to the waters:  they came  to the pits,  [and] found  no water;  they returned  with their vessels  empty;  they were ashamed  and confounded,  and covered  their heads. 

What does Jeremiah 14:3 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The servants who had gone to draw water returned to their masters empty-handed. The cisterns, which collected rainwater in the cities, were dry. Even the wealthy nobles could find no water, and their servants covered their heads as though to protect themselves from heaven-sent calamity.
"Covering the head is a token of deep grief turned inwards upon itself; cf2Sam. xv30; xix5." [1]

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 14:3 mean?

And their nobles have sent - their boys for water they went to the cisterns no [and] found water they returned with their vessels empty they were ashamed and confounded and covered their heads
וְאַדִּ֣רֵיהֶ֔ם שָׁלְח֥וּ [צעוריהם] (צְעִירֵיהֶ֖ם) לַמָּ֑יִם בָּ֣אוּ עַל־ גֵּבִ֞ים לֹא־ מָ֣צְאוּ מַ֗יִם שָׁ֤בוּ כְלֵיהֶם֙ רֵיקָ֔ם בֹּ֥שׁוּ וְהָכְלְמ֖וּ וְחָפ֥וּ רֹאשָֽׁם

וְאַדִּ֣רֵיהֶ֔ם  And  their  nobles 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: אַדִּיר  
Sense: great, majestic.
שָׁלְח֥וּ  have  sent 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
[צעוריהם]  - 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
(צְעִירֵיהֶ֖ם)  their  boys 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: צָעִיר  
Sense: little, insignificant, young.
לַמָּ֑יִם  for  water 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: מַיִם  
Sense: water, waters.
בָּ֣אוּ  they  went 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
גֵּבִ֞ים  the  cisterns 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: גֵּב 
Sense: pit, trench, ditch, beam, rafter.
לֹא־  no 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
מָ֣צְאוּ  [and]  found 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: מָצָא  
Sense: to find, attain to.
מַ֗יִם  water 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: מַיִם  
Sense: water, waters.
שָׁ֤בוּ  they  returned 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: שׁוּב  
Sense: to return, turn back.
כְלֵיהֶם֙  with  their  vessels 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: כְּלִי  
Sense: article, vessel, implement, utensil.
רֵיקָ֔ם  empty 
Parse: Adverb
Root: רֵיקָם  
Sense: vainly, emptily.
בֹּ֥שׁוּ  they  were  ashamed 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: בֹּושׁ 
Sense: to put to shame, be ashamed, be disconcerted, be disappointed.
וְהָכְלְמ֖וּ  and  confounded 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hofal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: כָּלַם  
Sense: to insult, shame, humiliate, blush, be ashamed, be put to shame, be reproached, be put to confusion, be humiliated.
וְחָפ֥וּ  and  covered 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: חָפָה  
Sense: to cover, overlay, wainscotted, covered with boards or panelling.
רֹאשָֽׁם  their  heads 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: רֹאשׁ 
Sense: head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning.