The Meaning of Jeremiah 4:18 Explained

Jeremiah 4:18

KJV: Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee; this is thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth unto thine heart.

YLT: Thy way and thy doings have done these to thee, This is thy vexation, for it is bitter, For it hath struck unto thy heart.

Darby: Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee; this is thy wickedness, yea, it is bitter, yea, it reacheth unto thy heart.

ASV: Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee; this is thy wickedness; for it is bitter, for it reacheth unto thy heart.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Thy way  and thy doings  have procured  these [things] unto thee; this [is] thy wickedness,  because it is bitter,  because it reacheth  unto thine heart. 

What does Jeremiah 4:18 Mean?

Verse Meaning

God"s people had brought this punishment on themselves by breaking the Mosaic Covenant. God was not acting arbitrarily. Their evil had been great, but it had not moved them to repent.

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 4:18 mean?

Your ways and your doings have procured these [things] for you this [is] your wickedness because it is bitter it reaches to your heart -
דַּרְכֵּךְ֙ וּמַ֣עֲלָלַ֔יִךְ עָשׂ֥וֹ אֵ֖לֶּה לָ֑ךְ זֹ֤את רָעָתֵךְ֙ כִּ֣י מָ֔ר נָגַ֖ע עַד־ לִבֵּֽךְ ס

דַּרְכֵּךְ֙  Your  ways 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: דֶּרֶךְ  
Sense: way, road, distance, journey, manner.
וּמַ֣עֲלָלַ֔יִךְ  and  your  doings 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct, second person feminine singular
Root: מַעֲלִיל 
Sense: deed, practice.
עָשׂ֥וֹ  have  procured 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive absolute
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
אֵ֖לֶּה  these  [things] 
Parse: Pronoun, common plural
Root: אֵהֶל 
Sense: these.
לָ֑ךְ  for  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular
זֹ֤את  this  [is] 
Parse: Pronoun, feminine singular
Root: זׄאת  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, such.
רָעָתֵךְ֙  your  wickedness 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
כִּ֣י  because 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
מָ֔ר  it  is  bitter 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: מַר 
Sense: bitter, bitterness.
נָגַ֖ע  it  reaches 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָגַע  
Sense: to touch, reach, strike.
לִבֵּֽךְ  your  heart 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: לֵב 
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation