The Meaning of Jeremiah 18:8 Explained

Jeremiah 18:8

KJV: If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.

YLT: And that nation hath turned from its evil, Because I have spoken against it, Then I have repented of the evil that I thought to do to it.

Darby: if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turn from their evil, then I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.

ASV: if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

If that nation,  against whom I have pronounced,  turn  from their evil,  I will repent  of the evil  that I thought  to do  unto them. 

What does Jeremiah 18:8 Mean?

Study Notes

repent
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repented
Repentance (O.T.), Summary: In the O.T., repentance is the English word used to translate the Heb. nacham, to be "eased" or "comforted." It is used of both God and man. Notwithstanding the literal meaning of nacham, it is evident, from a study of all the passages, that the sacred writers use it in the sense of metanoia in the N.T.--a change of mind. Matthew 3:2 (See Scofield " Acts 17:30 ") . As in the N.T., such change of mind is often accompanied by contrition and self-judgment. When applied to God the word is used phenomenally according to O.T. custom. God seems to change His mind. The phenomena are such as, in the case of man, would indicate a change of mind.

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 18:8 mean?

And if turns nation that from its evil whom I have spoken against whom and I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it -
וְשָׁב֙ הַגּ֣וֹי הַה֔וּא מֵרָ֣עָת֔וֹ אֲשֶׁ֥ר דִּבַּ֖רְתִּי עָלָ֑יו וְנִֽחַמְתִּי֙ עַל־ הָ֣רָעָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר חָשַׁ֖בְתִּי לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת לֽוֹ ס

וְשָׁב֙  And  if  turns 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שׁוּב  
Sense: to return, turn back.
הַגּ֣וֹי  nation 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: גֹּוי 
Sense: nation, people.
הַה֔וּא  that 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, third person masculine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
מֵרָ֣עָת֔וֹ  from  its  evil 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
אֲשֶׁ֥ר  whom 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
דִּבַּ֖רְתִּי  I  have  spoken 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: דָּבַר 
Sense: to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing.
עָלָ֑יו  against  whom 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine 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.
וְנִֽחַמְתִּי֙  and  I  will  relent 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Nifal, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: נָחַם  
Sense: to be sorry, console oneself, repent, regret, comfort, be comforted.
הָ֣רָעָ֔ה  the  disaster 
Parse: Article, Adjective, feminine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
אֲשֶׁ֥ר  that 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
חָשַׁ֖בְתִּי  I  thought 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: חָשַׁב 
Sense: to think, plan, esteem, calculate, invent, make a judgment, imagine, count.
לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת  to  bring 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
לֽוֹ  upon  it 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation