The Meaning of Jeremiah 4:30 Explained

Jeremiah 4:30

KJV: And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face with painting, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life.

YLT: And thou, O spoiled one, what dost thou? For thou puttest on scarlet, For thou adornest thyself with ornaments of gold. For thou rendest with pain thine eyes, In vain thou dost make thyself fair, Kicked against thee have doting ones, Thy life they do seek.

Darby: And thou, wasted one, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rendest thine eyes with paint, in vain dost thou make thyself fair: thy lovers despise thee, they seek th

ASV: And thou, when thou art made desolate, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with scarlet, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou enlargest thine eyes with paint, in vain dost thou make thyself fair; thy lovers despise thee, they seek thy life.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And [when] thou [art] spoiled,  what wilt thou do?  Though thou clothest  thyself with crimson,  though thou deckest  thee with ornaments  of gold,  though thou rentest  thy face  with painting,  in vain  shalt thou make thyself fair;  [thy] lovers  will despise  thee, they will seek  thy life. 

What does Jeremiah 4:30 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Lord asked Judah what she would do then. Presently she pursued selfish interests and tried to make herself as attractive as possible, like a harlot, but the nations that pretended to love her would turn against her and attack her (cf. 2 Kings 9:30; Revelation 17). No last-minute compromise with the invaders would placate them. The unfaithful wife of Yahweh would reap judgment for the profligacy she had sown (cf. Jeremiah 3:1; Jeremiah 2:35-36).

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 4:30 mean?

And you and [when] you [are] plundered what will you do Though you clothe yourself with crimson Though you adorn [yourself] with ornaments of gold you enlarge with paint your eyes in vain you will make yourself fair will despise you [Your] lovers your life they will seek
[ואתי] (וְאַ֨תְּ) שָׁד֜וּד מַֽה־ ؟ תַּעֲשִׂ֗י כִּֽי־ תִלְבְּשִׁ֨י שָׁנִ֜י כִּי־ תַעְדִּ֣י עֲדִי־ זָהָ֗ב תִקְרְעִ֤י בַפּוּךְ֙ עֵינַ֔יִךְ לַשָּׁ֖וְא תִּתְיַפִּ֑י מָאֲסוּ־ בָ֥ךְ עֹגְבִ֖ים נַפְשֵׁ֥ךְ יְבַקֵּֽשׁוּ

[ואתי]  And  you 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, second person feminine singular
Root: אֲבִיהוּא  
Sense: a son of Aaron destroyed for sacrificing strange fire to God.
(וְאַ֨תְּ)  and  [when]  you 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, second person feminine singular
Root: אַתְּ 
Sense: you (second pers.
שָׁד֜וּד  [are]  plundered 
Parse: Verb, Qal, QalPassParticiple, masculine singular
Root: שָׁדַד  
Sense: to deal violently with, despoil, devastate, ruin, destroy, spoil.
؟ תַּעֲשִׂ֗י  will  you  do 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person feminine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
כִּֽי־  Though 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
תִלְבְּשִׁ֨י  you  clothe  yourself 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person feminine singular
Root: לָבַשׁ  
Sense: to dress, wear, clothe, put on clothing, be clothed.
שָׁנִ֜י  with  crimson 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁנִי  
Sense: scarlet, crimson.
כִּי־  Though 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
תַעְדִּ֣י  you  adorn  [yourself] 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person feminine singular
Root: עָדָה 
Sense: to pass on, advance, go on, pass by, remove.
עֲדִי־  with  ornaments 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: עֲדִי  
Sense: ornaments.
זָהָ֗ב  of  gold 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: זָהָב  
Sense: gold.
תִקְרְעִ֤י  you  enlarge 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person feminine singular
Root: קָרַע  
Sense: to tear, tear in pieces.
בַפּוּךְ֙  with  paint 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: פּוּךְ  
Sense: antimony, stibium, black paint.
עֵינַ֔יִךְ  your  eyes 
Parse: Noun, cdc, second person feminine singular
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
לַשָּׁ֖וְא  in  vain 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁוְא  
Sense: emptiness, vanity, falsehood.
תִּתְיַפִּ֑י  you  will  make  yourself  fair 
Parse: Verb, Hitpael, Imperfect, second person feminine singular
Root: יָפָה  
Sense: to be bright, be beautiful, be handsome, be fair.
מָאֲסוּ־  will  despise 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: מָאַס 
Sense: to reject, despise, refuse.
עֹגְבִ֖ים  [Your]  lovers 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: עָגַב  
Sense: (Qal) to have inordinate affection or lust.
נַפְשֵׁ֥ךְ  your  life 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: נֶפֶשׁ  
Sense: soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion.
יְבַקֵּֽשׁוּ  they  will  seek 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: בָּקַשׁ  
Sense: to seek, require, desire, exact, request.