The Meaning of Jeremiah 29:17 Explained

Jeremiah 29:17

KJV: Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will send upon them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile figs, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.

YLT: Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, Lo, I am sending among them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and I have given them up as figs that are vile, that are not eaten for badness.

Darby: thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Behold, I will send against them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like the vile figs, that cannot be eaten for badness.

ASV: thus saith Jehovah of hosts; Behold, I will send upon them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile figs, that cannot be eaten, they are so bad.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Thus saith  the LORD  of hosts;  Behold, I will send  upon them the sword,  the famine,  and the pestilence,  and will make  them like vile  figs,  that cannot be eaten,  they are so evil. 

What does Jeremiah 29:17 Mean?

Context Summary

Jeremiah 29:1-32 - 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 29

1  Jeremiah sends a letter to the captives in Babylon to be quiet there,
8  and not to believe the dreams of their prophets;
10  and that they shall return with grace after seventy years
15  He foretells the destruction of the rest for their disobedience
20  He shows the fearful end of Ahab and Zedekiah, two false prophets
24  Shemaiah writes a letter against Jeremiah
30  Jeremiah foretells his doom

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 29:17 mean?

thus says Yahweh of hosts behold I will send on them - the sword the famine and the pestilence and will make them like figs rotten that cannot be eaten they are so bad
כֹּ֤ה אָמַר֙ יְהוָ֣ה צְבָא֔וֹת הִנְנִי֙ מְשַׁלֵּ֣חַ בָּ֔ם אֶת־ הַחֶ֖רֶב הָרָעָ֣ב וְאֶת־ הַדָּ֑בֶר וְנָתַתִּ֣י אוֹתָ֗ם כַּתְּאֵנִים֙ הַשֹּׁ֣עָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־ תֵאָכַ֖לְנָה מֵרֹֽעַ

כֹּ֤ה  thus 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֹּה  
Sense: thus, here, in this manner.
אָמַר֙  says 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
יְהוָ֣ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
צְבָא֔וֹת  of  hosts 
Parse: Noun, common plural
Root: צָבָא 
Sense: that which goes forth, army, war, warfare, host.
הִנְנִי֙  behold  I 
Parse: Interjection, first person common singular
Root: הֵן  
Sense: behold, lo, though hypothetical part.
מְשַׁלֵּ֣חַ  will  send 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine singular
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
בָּ֔ם  on  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
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.
הַחֶ֖רֶב  the  sword 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֶרֶב  
Sense: sword, knife.
הָרָעָ֣ב  the  famine 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: רָעָב  
Sense: famine, hunger.
הַדָּ֑בֶר  the  pestilence 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: דֶּבֶר 
Sense: pestilence, plague.
וְנָתַתִּ֣י  and  will  make 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
כַּתְּאֵנִים֙  like  figs 
Parse: Preposition-k, Article, Noun, feminine plural
Root: שֹׁעָר  
Sense: horrid, disgusting, vile, offensive.
הַשֹּׁ֣עָרִ֔ים  rotten 
Parse: Article, Adjective, masculine plural
Root: תְּאֵנָה  
Sense: fig, fig tree.
אֲשֶׁ֥ר  that 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
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.