The Meaning of Jeremiah 4:4 Explained

Jeremiah 4:4

KJV: Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.

YLT: Be circumcised to Jehovah, And turn aside the foreskins of your heart, O man of Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, Lest My fury go out as fire, and hath burned, And there is none quenching, Because of the evil of your doings.

Darby: Circumcise yourselves for Jehovah, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my fury come forth like fire and burn, and there be none to quench it, because of the evil of your doings.

ASV: Circumcise yourselves to Jehovah, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn so that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Circumcise  yourselves to the LORD,  and take away  the foreskins  of your heart,  ye men  of Judah  and inhabitants  of Jerusalem:  lest my fury  come forth  like fire,  and burn  that none can quench  [it], because  of the evil  of your doings. 

What does Jeremiah 4:4 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Changing the figure, they should make a radical and permanent change in their commitments, a change that sprang from their innermost being (cf. Jeremiah 9:25-26; Deuteronomy 10:16; Deuteronomy 30:6; Romans 2:28-29). Removing the foreskins of the heart means removing the evil lusts and longings of the heart. [1] Unless they did this, they could count on God"s judgment-that would burn and consume them like unquenchable fire-because their deeds were so evil. Breaking the covenant carried very serious consequences.
By repenting as the Lord and His prophet urged, Judah could have experienced a postponement of divine judgment. But Isaiah , over a century earlier, had announced that the Southern Kingdom would fall to Babylon sometime in the future. The Lord had revealed to him that Judah would not repent.
This sermon clarifies that the essence of repentance is turning.
". . . the key to life is to be found in the direction in which one faces; if that direction is wrong, one must turn to seek the true direction and walk in that path of life." [2]
Gary Yates saw Jeremiah 2:1 to Jeremiah 4:4 as a single message.
"The opening message in Jeremiah 2:1 to Jeremiah 4:4 portrays Israel as an unfaithful wife, and the remainder of the book explores how Yahweh will ultimately restore that broken relationship." [3]

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 4:4 mean?

Circumcise yourselves to Yahweh and take away the foreskins of your hearts You men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem lest come forth like fire My fury and burn so that no one can quench [it] because of the evil of your doings
הִמֹּ֣לוּ לַיהֹוָ֗ה וְהָסִ֙רוּ֙ עָרְל֣וֹת לְבַבְכֶ֔ם אִ֥ישׁ יְהוּדָ֖ה וְיֹשְׁבֵ֣י יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם פֶּן־ תֵּצֵ֨א כָאֵ֜שׁ חֲמָתִ֗י וּבָעֲרָה֙ וְאֵ֣ין מְכַבֶּ֔ה מִפְּנֵ֖י רֹ֥עַ מַעַלְלֵיכֶֽם

הִמֹּ֣לוּ  Circumcise  yourselves 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: מוּל 
Sense: to circumcise, let oneself be circumcised, cut, be cut off.
לַיהֹוָ֗ה  to  Yahweh 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
וְהָסִ֙רוּ֙  and  take  away 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: סוּר 
Sense: to turn aside, depart.
עָרְל֣וֹת  the  foreskins 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: הָעֲרָלֹות 
Sense: foreskin, uncircumcised.
לְבַבְכֶ֔ם  of  your  hearts 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine plural
Root: לֵבָב  
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, soul, understanding.
אִ֥ישׁ  You  men 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
יְהוּדָ֖ה  of  Judah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהוּדָה  
Sense: the son of Jacob by Leah.
וְיֹשְׁבֵ֣י  and  inhabitants 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.
יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם  of  Jerusalem 
Parse: 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.
פֶּן־  lest 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: פֶּן  
Sense: lest, not, beware lest adv.
תֵּצֵ֨א  come  forth 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: יׄוצֵאת 
Sense: to go out, come out, exit, go forth.
כָאֵ֜שׁ  like  fire 
Parse: Preposition-k, Article, Noun, common singular
Root: אֵשׁ  
Sense: fire.
חֲמָתִ֗י  My  fury 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: חֵמָא 
Sense: heat, rage, hot displeasure, indignation, anger, wrath, poison, bottles.
וּבָעֲרָה֙  and  burn 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: בָּעַר 
Sense: to burn, consume, kindle, be kindled.
וְאֵ֣ין  so  that  no  one 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
מְכַבֶּ֔ה  can  quench  [it] 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine singular
Root: כָּבָה  
Sense: to quench, put out, be put out, be quenched, be extinguished.
מִפְּנֵ֖י  because 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, common plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
רֹ֥עַ  of  the  evil 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: רֹעַ  
Sense: badness, evil.
מַעַלְלֵיכֶֽם  of  your  doings 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine plural
Root: מַעֲלִיל 
Sense: deed, practice.