The Meaning of Jeremiah 4:26 Explained

Jeremiah 4:26

KJV: I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger.

YLT: I have looked, and lo, The fruitful place is a wilderness, And all its cities have been broken down, Because of Jehovah, Because of the fierceness of His anger.

Darby: I beheld, and lo, the fruitful land was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down, before Jehovah, before his fierce anger.

ASV: I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful field was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of Jehovah, and before his fierce anger.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

I beheld,  and, lo, the fruitful place  [was] a wilderness,  and all the cities  thereof were broken down  at the presence  of the LORD,  [and] by his fierce  anger. 

What does Jeremiah 4:26 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Lord"s fierce anger had resulted in the land becoming wild and the cities destroyed.
"The picture is so extreme that only our present forebodings of nuclear winter may seem to come within sight of it." [1]

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 4:26 mean?

I beheld and indeed the fruitful land [was] a wilderness and all its cities were broken down at the presence of Yahweh by fierce His anger -
רָאִ֕יתִי וְהִנֵּ֥ה הַכַּרְמֶ֖ל הַמִּדְבָּ֑ר וְכָל־ עָרָ֗יו נִתְּצוּ֙ מִפְּנֵ֣י יְהוָ֔ה מִפְּנֵ֖י חֲר֥וֹן אַפּֽוֹ ס

רָאִ֕יתִי  I  beheld 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
וְהִנֵּ֥ה  and  indeed 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
הַכַּרְמֶ֖ל  the  fruitful  land  [was] 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: כַּרְמֶל 
Sense: plantation, garden-land, orchard, fruit orchard.
הַמִּדְבָּ֑ר  a  wilderness 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִדְבָּר 
Sense: wilderness.
וְכָל־  and  all 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
עָרָ֗יו  its  cities 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
נִתְּצוּ֙  were  broken  down 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: נָתַץ  
Sense: to pull down, break down, cast down, throw down, beat down, destroy, overthrow, break out (teeth).
מִפְּנֵ֣י  at  the  presence 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, common plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
יְהוָ֔ה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
חֲר֥וֹן  fierce 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: חָרֹון  
Sense: anger, heat, burning (of anger).
אַפּֽוֹ  His  anger 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אַף 
Sense: nostril, nose, face.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation