The Meaning of Jeremiah 18:21 Explained

Jeremiah 18:21

KJV: Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, and pour out their blood by the force of the sword; and let their wives be bereaved of their children, and be widows; and let their men be put to death; let their young men be slain by the sword in battle.

YLT: Therefore, give up their sons to famine, And cause them to run on the sides of the sword, And their wives are bereaved and widows, And their men are slain by death, Their young men smitten by sword in battle,

Darby: Therefore give up their children to the famine, and deliver them over to the power of the sword; and let their wives be bereaved of children and be widows; and let their men be swept off by death, their young men be smitten by the sword in battle.

ASV: Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, and give them over to the power of the sword; and let their wives become childless, and widows; and let their men be slain of death, and their young men smitten of the sword in battle.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Therefore deliver up  their children  to the famine,  and pour out  their [blood] by the force  of the sword;  and let their wives  be bereaved  of their children, and [be] widows;  and let their men  be put  to death;  [let] their young men  [be] slain  by the sword  in battle. 

What does Jeremiah 18:21 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 18

1  Under the type of a potter is shown God's absolute power in disposing of nations
11  Judgments threatened to Judah for her strange revolt
18  Jeremiah prays against his conspirators

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 18:21 mean?

Therefore deliver up - their children to the famine and pour out their [blood] by the force of the sword and let [become] their wives bereaved of their children and widows and their men let be put to death their young men [be] slain by the sword in battle
לָכֵן֩ תֵּ֨ן אֶת־ בְּנֵיהֶ֜ם לָרָעָ֗ב וְהַגִּרֵם֮ עַל־ יְדֵי־ חֶרֶב֒ וְתִֽהְיֶ֨נָה נְשֵׁיהֶ֤ם שַׁכֻּלוֹת֙ וְאַלְמָנ֔וֹת וְאַ֨נְשֵׁיהֶ֔ם יִֽהְי֖וּ הֲרֻ֣גֵי מָ֑וֶת בַּח֣וּרֵיהֶ֔ם מֻכֵּי־ חֶ֖רֶב בַּמִּלְחָמָֽה

תֵּ֨ן  deliver  up 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
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.
בְּנֵיהֶ֜ם  their  children 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
לָרָעָ֗ב  to  the  famine 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: רָעָב  
Sense: famine, hunger.
וְהַגִּרֵם֮  and  pour  out  their  [blood] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Imperative, masculine singular, third person masculine plural
Root: נָגַר 
Sense: to pour, run, flow, pour down.
יְדֵי־  the  force 
Parse: Noun, fdc
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
חֶרֶב֒  of  the  sword 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֶרֶב  
Sense: sword, knife.
וְתִֽהְיֶ֨נָה  and  let  [become] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect, third person feminine plural
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
נְשֵׁיהֶ֤ם  their  wives 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
שַׁכֻּלוֹת֙  bereaved  of  their  children 
Parse: Adjective, feminine plural
Root: שַׁכּוּל 
Sense: childless (through bereavement).
וְאַלְמָנ֔וֹת  and  widows 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine plural
Root: אַלְמָנָה  
Sense: widow.
וְאַ֨נְשֵׁיהֶ֔ם  and  their  men 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
יִֽהְי֖וּ  let  be 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
הֲרֻ֣גֵי  put  to 
Parse: Verb, Qal, QalPassParticiple, masculine plural construct
Root: הָרַג  
Sense: to kill, slay, murder, destroy, murderer, slayer, out of hand.
מָ֑וֶת  death 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מָוֶת  
Sense: death, dying, Death (personified), realm of the dead.
בַּח֣וּרֵיהֶ֔ם  their  young  men 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: בָּחוּר 
Sense: youth, young man.
מֻכֵּי־  [be]  slain  by 
Parse: Verb, Hofal, Participle, masculine plural construct
Root: נָכָה  
Sense: to strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, kill.
חֶ֖רֶב  the  sword 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֶרֶב  
Sense: sword, knife.
בַּמִּלְחָמָֽה  in  battle 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִלְחָמָה  
Sense: battle, war.