The Meaning of Jeremiah 24:3 Explained

Jeremiah 24:3

KJV: Then said the LORD unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the evil, very evil, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.

YLT: And Jehovah saith unto me, 'What art thou seeing, Jeremiah?' and I say, 'Figs, the good figs are very good, and the bad are very bad, that are not eaten for badness.'

Darby: And Jehovah said unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs: the good figs very good; and the bad very bad, which cannot be eaten for badness.

ASV: Then said Jehovah unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the bad, very bad, that cannot be eaten, they are so bad.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then said  the LORD  unto me, What seest  thou, Jeremiah?  And I said,  Figs;  the good  figs,  very  good;  and the evil,  very  evil,  that cannot be eaten,  they are so evil. 

What does Jeremiah 24:3 Mean?

Context Summary

Jeremiah 24:1-10 - Two Baskets Of Figs
These two baskets represent the different, fates that overlook the people at the fall of Jerusalem. The good figs in the first were those who were taken to Babylon with Jeremiah. It was for their good that they were transplanted, Jeremiah 24:5. How often we are led into captivity for the same reason. With bitter regrets we turn our backs on our early home, the scenes of our youth, and the faces we have loved. Sometimes we are carried into a strange land, where we find it impossible to sing the Lord's song. But in the absence of all creature aid we find God drawing near to substitute restoration for destruction, building up for pulling down, and planting for uprooting.
Have we profited by our discipline? If so we are as the ripe figs of June, sweet to the taste of the owner who searches beneath the leaves of profession. Let those who congratulate themselves on their immunity from the troubles that have overtaken others, ponder Jeremiah 24:8-10. In the light of Hebrews 12:9, immunity from chastisement is not to be sought after. The residue of the Jews drifted to their hurt. See Jeremiah 41:1-18; Jeremiah 42:1-22. [source]

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 24

1  Under the type of good and bad figs,
4  he foreshows the restoration of those who were in captivity;
8  and the desolation of Zedekiah and the rest

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 24:3 mean?

And said Yahweh to me what you do see Jeremiah and I said Figs the figs good good very and the bad bad which cannot be eaten they are so bad -
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֜ה אֵלַ֗י מָֽה־ אַתָּ֤ה רֹאֶה֙ ؟ יִרְמְיָ֔הוּ וָאֹמַ֖ר תְּאֵנִ֑ים הַתְּאֵנִ֤ים הַטֹּבוֹת֙ טֹב֣וֹת מְאֹ֔ד וְהָֽרָעוֹת֙ רָע֣וֹת אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־ תֵאָכַ֖לְנָה מֵרֹֽעַ פ

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר  And  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
יְהוָ֜ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֵלַ֗י  to  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
רֹאֶה֙  do  see 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
؟ יִרְמְיָ֔הוּ  Jeremiah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִרְמְיָה 
Sense: the major prophet, son of Hilkiah of the priestly family in Anathoth; author of the prophetic book bearing his name.
וָאֹמַ֖ר  and  I  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
תְּאֵנִ֑ים  Figs 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: תְּאֵנָה  
Sense: fig, fig tree.
הַתְּאֵנִ֤ים  the  figs 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine plural
Root: תְּאֵנָה  
Sense: fig, fig tree.
הַטֹּבוֹת֙  good 
Parse: Article, Adjective, feminine plural
Root: טָבַב 
Sense: good, pleasant, agreeable.
טֹב֣וֹת  good 
Parse: Adjective, feminine plural
Root: טָבַב 
Sense: good, pleasant, agreeable.
מְאֹ֔ד  very 
Parse: Adverb
Root: מְאֹד  
Sense: exceedingly, much subst.
וְהָֽרָעוֹת֙  and  the  bad 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Adjective, feminine plural
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
רָע֣וֹת  bad 
Parse: Adjective, feminine plural
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
לֹא־  cannot 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
תֵאָכַ֖לְנָה  be  eaten 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, third person feminine plural
Root: אָכַל  
Sense: to eat, devour, burn up, feed.
מֵרֹֽעַ  they  are  so  bad 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular
Root: רֹעַ  
Sense: badness, evil.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation