The Meaning of Jeremiah 4:3 Explained

Jeremiah 4:3

KJV: For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.

YLT: For thus said Jehovah, To the man of Judah, and to Jerusalem: Till for yourselves tillage, And do not sow unto the thorns.

Darby: For thus saith Jehovah to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: Break up for you a fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.

ASV: For thus saith Jehovah to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

For thus saith  the LORD  to the men  of Judah  and Jerusalem,  Break up  your fallow ground,  and sow  not among thorns. 

What does Jeremiah 4:3 Mean?

Verse Meaning

This message closes with a call from the Lord to each of Jeremiah"s original Jerusalemite and Judean hearers. Yahweh appealed to them with two agricultural metaphors. They needed to plow up the previously unplowed soil that symbolized their hearts (cf. Hosea 10:12; Mark 4:1-9). They needed to cultivate soft hearts that would welcome the Lord"s words. Negatively, they needed to stop investing in counterproductive ventures such as idolatry.
"Just as a farmer does not sow his seed on unplowed ground, so God does not sow His blessings in unrepentant hearts." [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 4:3 mean?

For thus says Yahweh to the men of Judah and Jerusalem Break up your fallow ground and not do sow among thorns
כִּי־ כֹ֣ה ׀ אָמַ֣ר יְהֹוָ֗ה לְאִ֤ישׁ יְהוּדָה֙ וְלִיר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם נִ֥ירוּ לָכֶ֖ם נִ֑יר וְאַֽל־ תִּזְרְע֖וּ אֶל־ קוֹצִֽים

כֹ֣ה ׀  thus 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֹּה  
Sense: thus, here, in this manner.
אָמַ֣ר  says 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
יְהֹוָ֗ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
לְאִ֤ישׁ  to  the  men 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
יְהוּדָה֙  of  Judah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהוּדָה  
Sense: the son of Jacob by Leah.
וְלִיר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם  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.
נִ֥ירוּ  Break  up 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: נִיר  
Sense: (Qal) to break up, freshly plough or till.
לָכֶ֖ם  your 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine plural
נִ֑יר  fallow  ground 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: נִיר  
Sense: tillable or untilled or fallow ground.
וְאַֽל־  and  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb
Root: אַל  
Sense: not, no, nor, neither, nothing (as wish or preference).
תִּזְרְע֖וּ  do  sow 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: זָרַע  
Sense: to sow, scatter seed.
קוֹצִֽים  thorns 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: קֹוץ 
Sense: thorn, thornbush.