The Meaning of Jeremiah 25:34 Explained

Jeremiah 25:34

KJV: Howl, ye shepherds, and cry; and wallow yourselves in the ashes, ye principal of the flock: for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions are accomplished; and ye shall fall like a pleasant vessel.

YLT: Howl, ye shepherds, and cry, And roll yourselves, ye honourable of the flock, For full have been your days, For slaughtering, and for your scatterings, And ye have fallen as a desirable vessel.

Darby: Howl, ye shepherds, and cry; and wallow yourselves in the dust, noble ones of the flock: for the days of your slaughter are accomplished, and I will disperse you; and ye shall fall like a precious vessel.

ASV: Wail, ye shepherds, and cry; and wallow in ashes , ye principal of the flock; for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions are fully come, and ye shall fall like a goodly vessel.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Howl,  ye shepherds,  and cry;  and wallow  yourselves [in the ashes], ye principal  of the flock:  for the days  of your slaughter  and of your dispersions  are accomplished;  and ye shall fall  like a pleasant  vessel. 

What does Jeremiah 25:34 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Leaders of peoples will then mourn and weep, because the day of their destruction and the dispersion of their nations had come. In this judgment, the shepherds (leaders) would die along with the sheep (followers). Like a choice piece of pottery, these nations would fall and break apart.

Context Summary

Jeremiah 25:1-38 - Shepherds That Mislead God's Flock
It is God's purpose to care for His people through shepherds (pastors) who are responsible to Him. Jesus our Lord is the Branch into which we may be grafted. He is our King who saves us and clothes us with His own spotless righteousness. God finds us in Him, Philippians 3:9. Because He reigns, we are saved and dwell in safety. When we are brought into contact with false shepherds, whether the failure be in doctrine or example, let us ask for the broken heart of Jeremiah 23:9.
God is everywhere present; as the latter paragraph indicates, He is near at hand to overhear the blasphemy of those who deride religion, and to be a very present help in time of trouble. If He fills heaven and earth, can He not fill thy heart? If His Word is like fire, let it cleanse thee! If it is as a hammer, let it pulverize thy pride! Let those of us who essay to teach and preach, not steal our words from our neighbors, or utter our own, but receive them from the source of all truth. [source]

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 25

1  Jeremiah, reproving the Jews' disobedience to the prophets,
8  foretells the seventy years' captivity;
12  and after that, the destruction of Babylon
15  Under the type of a cup of wine he foreshows the destruction of all nations
34  The howling of the shepherds

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 25:34 mean?

Wail shepherds and cry and Roll about [in the ashes] You shepherds of the flock for are fulfilled the days of your slaughter and your dispersions and You shall fall like a vessel precious
הֵילִ֨ילוּ הָרֹעִ֜ים וְזַעֲק֗וּ וְהִֽתְפַּלְּשׁוּ֙ אַדִּירֵ֣י הַצֹּ֔אן כִּֽי־ מָלְא֥וּ יְמֵיכֶ֖ם לִטְב֑וֹחַ וּתְפוֹצ֣וֹתִיכֶ֔ם וּנְפַלְתֶּ֖ם כִּכְלִ֥י חֶמְדָּֽה

הֵילִ֨ילוּ  Wail 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: יָלַל  
Sense: (Hiphil) to howl, wail, make a howling.
הָרֹעִ֜ים  shepherds 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: רָעָה 
Sense: to pasture, tend, graze, feed.
וְזַעֲק֗וּ  and  cry 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: זָעַק  
Sense: to cry, cry out, call, call for help.
וְהִֽתְפַּלְּשׁוּ֙  and  Roll  about  [in  the  ashes] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hitpael, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: פָּלַשׁ  
Sense: to roll.
אַדִּירֵ֣י  You  shepherds 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: אַדִּיר  
Sense: great, majestic.
הַצֹּ֔אן  of  the  flock 
Parse: Article, Noun, common singular
Root: צֹאן  
Sense: small cattle, sheep, sheep and goats, flock, flocks.
מָלְא֥וּ  are  fulfilled 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: מָלֵא 
Sense: to fill, be full.
יְמֵיכֶ֖ם  the  days 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine plural
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
לִטְב֑וֹחַ  of  your  slaughter 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: טָבַח  
Sense: to slaughter, slay, butcher, kill ruthlessly.
וּתְפוֹצ֣וֹתִיכֶ֔ם  and  your  dispersions 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine plural construct, second person masculine plural
Root: תְּפוּצָה  
Sense: dispersion.
וּנְפַלְתֶּ֖ם  and  You  shall  fall 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: נָפַל  
Sense: to fall, lie, be cast down, fail.
כִּכְלִ֥י  like  a  vessel 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כְּלִי  
Sense: article, vessel, implement, utensil.
חֶמְדָּֽה  precious 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֶמְדָּה  
Sense: desire, that which is desirable adj.