The Meaning of Jeremiah 4:10 Explained

Jeremiah 4:10

KJV: Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul.

YLT: And I say, 'Ah, Lord Jehovah, Surely thou hast entirely forgotten this people and Jerusalem, saying, Peace is for you, And struck hath a sword unto the soul!'

Darby: And I said, Alas, Lord Jehovah! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul.

ASV: Then said I, Ah, Lord Jehovah! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the life.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then said  I, Ah,  Lord  GOD!  surely  thou hast greatly  deceived  this people  and Jerusalem,  saying,  Ye shall have peace;  whereas the sword  reacheth  unto the soul. 

What does Jeremiah 4:10 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Jeremiah reacted to this Revelation , by objecting that the sovereign Lord had misled His people-by telling them that they would have peace when really they would have war. The basis of his charge seems to be that God had allowed false prophets to predict peace. [1] Even though Jeremiah announced this judgment, he took no personal delight in it, because it meant the destruction of his own people.
"At first glance Jeremiah"s comments appear to be blasphemous.... Rather must we see in such an utterance not so much a considered judgment, but the spontaneous reaction of a man who felt deeply about the tragedies of life, whether his own or those of others." [2]

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 4

1  God calls Israel by his promise
3  He exhorts Judah to repentance by fearful judgments
19  A grievous lamentation for Judah

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 4:10 mean?

And I said Ah Lord GOD surely greatly You have deceived people this and Jerusalem Saying peace shall have You and Whereas reaches the sword to the heart
וָאֹמַ֞ר אֲהָ֣הּ ׀ אֲדֹנָ֣י ! יְהוִ֗ה אָכֵן֩ הַשֵּׁ֨א הִשֵּׁ֜אתָ לָעָ֤ם הַזֶּה֙ וְלִירוּשָׁלִַ֣ם לֵאמֹ֔ר שָׁל֖וֹם יִהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֑ם וְנָגְעָ֥ה חֶ֖רֶב עַד־ הַנָּֽפֶשׁ

וָאֹמַ֞ר  And  I  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֲהָ֣הּ ׀  Ah 
Parse: Interjection
Root: אֲהָהּ  
Sense: alas!, oh!, ah!.
אֲדֹנָ֣י  Lord 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲדֹנָי  
Sense: my lord, lord.
! יְהוִ֗ה  GOD 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: Jehovah—used primarily in the combination ‘Lord Jehovah’.
אָכֵן֩  surely 
Parse: Adverb
Root: אָכֵן 
Sense: surely, truly, indeed.
הַשֵּׁ֨א  greatly 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Infinitive absolute
Root: נָשָׁא  
Sense: to beguile, deceive.
הִשֵּׁ֜אתָ  You  have  deceived 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: נָשָׁא  
Sense: to beguile, deceive.
לָעָ֤ם  people 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
הַזֶּה֙  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
וְלִירוּשָׁלִַ֣ם  and  Jerusalem 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, 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.
לֵאמֹ֔ר  Saying 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
שָׁל֖וֹם  peace 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁלֹום  
Sense: completeness, soundness, welfare, peace.
יִהְיֶ֣ה  shall  have 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
וְנָגְעָ֥ה  and  Whereas  reaches 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: נָגַע  
Sense: to touch, reach, strike.
חֶ֖רֶב  the  sword 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֶרֶב  
Sense: sword, knife.
הַנָּֽפֶשׁ  the  heart 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: נֶפֶשׁ  
Sense: soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion.