The Meaning of Jeremiah 24:8 Explained

Jeremiah 24:8

KJV: And as the evil figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so evil; surely thus saith the LORD, So will I give Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt:

YLT: And like the bad figs, that are not eaten for badness, Surely thus said Jehovah: So do I make Zedekiah king of Judah, And his heads, and the remnant of Jerusalem, Who are left in this land, And who are dwelling in the land of Egypt,

Darby: And as the bad figs, which cannot be eaten for badness, surely, thus saith Jehovah: So will I make Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the remnant of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt.

ASV: And as the bad figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so bad, surely thus saith Jehovah, So will I give up Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt,

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And as the evil  figs,  which cannot be eaten,  they are so evil;  surely thus saith  the LORD,  So will I give  Zedekiah  the king  of Judah,  and his princes,  and the residue  of Jerusalem,  that remain  in this land,  and them that dwell  in the land  of Egypt: 

What does Jeremiah 24:8 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The bad figs corresponded to King Zedekiah, his administrators, the people who remained in Jerusalem and Judah, and the Judahites who had already fled to Egypt for safety.
"We are not told when people fled to Egypt, but those of Proverbs -Egyptian sympathies may have settled there when Jehoahaz was taken there in609 B.C. ( 2 Kings 23:34) or when Jehoiakim became Nebuchadrezzar"s vassal (cf603 B.C.) or even when Nebuchadrezzar invaded Judah in598/7 B.C." [1]

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 24:8 mean?

And as figs the bad which cannot be eaten they are so bad surely thus says Yahweh so will I give up - Zedekiah the king of Judah and his princes and the residue of Jerusalem who remain in land this and those who dwell in the land of Egypt
וְכַתְּאֵנִים֙ הָֽרָע֔וֹת אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־ תֵאָכַ֖לְנָה מֵרֹ֑עַ כִּי־ כֹ֣ה ׀ אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֗ה כֵּ֣ן אֶ֠תֵּן אֶת־ צִדְקִיָּ֨הוּ מֶֽלֶךְ־ יְהוּדָ֤ה וְאֶת־ שָׂרָיו֙ וְאֵ֣ת ׀ שְׁאֵרִ֣ית יְרוּשָׁלִַ֗ם הַנִּשְׁאָרִים֙ בָּאָ֣רֶץ הַזֹּ֔את וְהַיֹּשְׁבִ֖ים בְּאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם

וְכַתְּאֵנִים֙  And  as  figs 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-k, Article, Noun, feminine plural
Root: תְּאֵנָה  
Sense: fig, fig tree.
הָֽרָע֔וֹת  the  bad 
Parse: Article, 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.
מֵרֹ֑עַ  they  are  so  bad 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular
Root: רֹעַ  
Sense: badness, evil.
כִּי־  surely 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
כֹ֣ה ׀  thus 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֹּה  
Sense: thus, here, in this manner.
אָמַ֣ר  says 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
יְהוָ֗ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
כֵּ֣ן  so 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֵּן 
Sense: so, therefore, thus.
אֶ֠תֵּן  will  I  give  up 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common 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.
צִדְקִיָּ֨הוּ  Zedekiah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: צִדְקִיָּה 
Sense: the last king of Judah renamed from ‘Mattaniah’ by Nebuchadnezzar; son of Josiah by wife Hamutal; placed on the throne by Nebuchadnezzar when he carried his nephew Jehoiakim in captivity.
מֶֽלֶךְ־  the  king 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
יְהוּדָ֤ה  of  Judah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהוּדָה  
Sense: the son of Jacob by Leah.
שָׂרָיו֙  his  princes 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: סָרַר 
Sense: prince, ruler, leader, chief, chieftain, official, captain.
שְׁאֵרִ֣ית  the  residue 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: שְׁאֵרִית  
Sense: rest, residue, remainder, remnant.
יְרוּשָׁלִַ֗ם  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.
הַנִּשְׁאָרִים֙  who  remain 
Parse: Article, Verb, Nifal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: שָׁאַר  
Sense: to remain, be left over, be left behind.
בָּאָ֣רֶץ  in  land 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
הַזֹּ֔את  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, feminine singular
Root: זׄאת  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, such.
וְהַיֹּשְׁבִ֖ים  and  those  who  dwell 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.
בְּאֶ֥רֶץ  in  the  land 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
מִצְרָֽיִם  of  Egypt 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִצְרַיִם  
Sense: a country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows adj Egyptians = “double straits”.