The Meaning of Jeremiah 35:8 Explained

Jeremiah 35:8

KJV: Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he hath charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters;

YLT: 'And we hearken to the voice of Jonadab son of Rechab, our father, to all that he commanded us, not to drink wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, and our daughters;

Darby: And we have hearkened unto the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he commanded us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, and our daughters,

ASV: And we have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, or our daughters;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Thus have we obeyed  the voice  of Jonadab  the son  of Rechab  our father  in all that he hath charged  us, to drink  no wine  all our days,  we, our wives,  our sons,  nor our daughters; 

What does Jeremiah 35:8 Mean?

Context Summary

Jeremiah 35:1-19 - A Lesson From The Rechabites
Among the refugees from the neighboring country who sought asylum within the walls of Jerusalem, was a group of Arabs, known as Rechabites. Probably they encamped in one of the open spaces. They clung tenaciously to the regulations promulgated by Jonadab some three hundred years before. See Judges 1:16; 2 Kings 10:15; 1 Chronicles 2:55. They drank no wine, did not cultivate the ground, and lived in tents. We do well not to touch alcohol; not to strike our roots two deeply into this world, where we are pilgrims and strangers; and to cultivate the pilgrim spirit, which looks for and travels toward the city that hath foundations. Israel had not been as true to the divine precepts as the Rechabites to those of their founder. Therefore the Chosen People would be dispossessed and scattered; while the Rechabites have preserved their independence to the present day. Obedience is the only source of permanence. "He that doeth the will of God abideth forever." [source]

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 35

1  By the obedience of the Rechabites,
12  Jeremiah condemns the disobedience of the Jews
18  God blesses the Rechabites for their obedience

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 35:8 mean?

Thus we have obeyed the voice of Jonadab son of Rechab our father in all that he charged us to no drink wine all our days we our wives our sons or our daughters
וַנִּשְׁמַ֗ע בְּק֨וֹל יְהוֹנָדָ֤ב בֶּן־ רֵכָב֙ אָבִ֔ינוּ לְכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֣ר צִוָּ֑נוּ לְבִלְתִּ֤י שְׁתֽוֹת־ יַ֙יִן֙ כָּל־ יָמֵ֔ינוּ אֲנַ֣חְנוּ נָשֵׁ֔ינוּ בָּנֵ֖ינוּ וּבְנֹתֵֽינוּ

וַנִּשְׁמַ֗ע  Thus  we  have  obeyed 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common plural
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.
בְּק֨וֹל  the  voice 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: קֹול 
Sense: voice, sound, noise.
יְהוֹנָדָ֤ב  of  Jonadab 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהֹונָדָב  
Sense: a son of Rechab, chief of the Rechabites, in the time of Jehu and Ahab.
בֶּן־  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
רֵכָב֙  of  Rechab 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: רֵכָב 
Sense: father of Jehonadab in the time of king Jehu of the northern kingdom of Israel.
אָבִ֔ינוּ  our  father 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common plural
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
לְכֹ֖ל  in  all 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
אֲשֶׁ֣ר  that 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
צִוָּ֑נוּ  he  charged  us 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person masculine singular, first person common plural
Root: צָוָה  
Sense: to command, charge, give orders, lay charge, give charge to, order.
לְבִלְתִּ֤י  to  no 
Parse: Preposition-l
Root: בִּלְתִּי  
Sense: not, except adv.
שְׁתֽוֹת־  drink 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: שָׁתָה  
Sense: to drink.
יַ֙יִן֙  wine 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: יַיִן  
Sense: wine.
יָמֵ֔ינוּ  our  days 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common plural
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
נָשֵׁ֔ינוּ  our  wives 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, first person common plural
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
בָּנֵ֖ינוּ  our  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common plural
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
וּבְנֹתֵֽינוּ  or  our  daughters 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine plural construct, first person common plural
Root: בַּת  
Sense: daughter.