The Meaning of Jeremiah 4:13 Explained

Jeremiah 4:13

KJV: Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled.

YLT: Lo, as clouds he cometh up, And as a hurricane his chariots, Lighter than eagles have been his horses, Woe to us, for we have been spoiled.

Darby: Behold, he cometh up as clouds, and his chariots are as a whirlwind; his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are destroyed.

ASV: Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots'shall be as the whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are ruined.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Behold, he shall come up  as clouds,  and his chariots  [shall be] as a whirlwind:  his horses  are swifter  than eagles.  Woe  unto us! for we are spoiled. 

What does Jeremiah 4:13 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Jeremiah reflected on the great power of God to bring judgment. He has the power to bring judgment, just as He has power to build clouds that bring rain. The approaching enemy was like a bank of storm clouds growing in the north (cf. Ezekiel 38:16). The coming tornado was like a chariot on which the Lord rode to fight (cf. Isaiah 5:28; Isaiah 66:15). He can act even faster than eagles can fly. The foe would swoop down suddenly (cf. Habakkuk 1:8). Consequently, Judah was in big trouble.

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 4:13 mean?

Behold like clouds he shall come up and like a whirlwind his chariots are swifter than eagles His horses Woe to us for we are plundered
הִנֵּ֣ה ׀ כַּעֲנָנִ֣ים יַעֲלֶ֗ה וְכַסּוּפָה֙ מַרְכְּבוֹתָ֔יו קַלּ֥וּ מִנְּשָׁרִ֖ים סוּסָ֑יו א֥וֹי לָ֖נוּ כִּ֥י שֻׁדָּֽדְנוּ

הִנֵּ֣ה ׀  Behold 
Parse: Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
כַּעֲנָנִ֣ים  like  clouds 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, masculine plural
Root: עָנָן  
Sense: cloud, cloudy, cloud-mass.
יַעֲלֶ֗ה  he  shall  come  up 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
וְכַסּוּפָה֙  and  like  a  whirlwind 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-k, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: סוּפָה 
Sense: storm-wind.
מַרְכְּבוֹתָ֔יו  his  chariots 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: מֶרְכָּבָה  
Sense: chariot.
קַלּ֥וּ  are  swifter 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: קָלַל  
Sense: to be slight, be swift, be trifling, be of little account, be light.
מִנְּשָׁרִ֖ים  than  eagles 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine plural
Root: נֶשֶׁר  
Sense: eagle, vulture, griffon-vulture.
סוּסָ֑יו  His  horses 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: סוּס 
Sense: swallow, swift.
א֥וֹי  Woe 
Parse: Interjection
Root: אֹוי  
Sense: woe! alas! oh!.
לָ֖נוּ  to  us 
Parse: Preposition, first person common plural
שֻׁדָּֽדְנוּ  we  are  plundered 
Parse: Verb, Pual, Perfect, first person common plural
Root: שָׁדַד  
Sense: to deal violently with, despoil, devastate, ruin, destroy, spoil.