The Meaning of Jeremiah 46:11 Explained

Jeremiah 46:11

KJV: Go up into Gilead, and take balm, O virgin, the daughter of Egypt: in vain shalt thou use many medicines; for thou shalt not be cured.

YLT: Go up to Gilead, and take balm, O virgin daughter of Egypt, In vain thou hast multiplied medicines, Healing there is none for thee.

Darby: Go up to Gilead, and fetch balm, O virgin-daughter of Egypt! In vain shalt thou multiply remedies: there is no healing for thee.

ASV: Go up into Gilead, and take balm, O virgin daughter of Egypt: in vain dost thou use many medicines; there is no healing for thee.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Go up  into Gilead,  and take  balm,  O virgin,  the daughter  of Egypt:  in vain  shalt thou use many  medicines;  [for] thou shalt not be cured. 

What does Jeremiah 46:11 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The prophet counseled the wounded Egyptians to go to Gilead to obtain healing balm (cf. Jeremiah 8:22; Jeremiah 46:11; Jeremiah 51:8; Genesis 37:25), but she would not recover from the wounds Yahweh had allowed her to sustain. It was ironic that Egypt could not heal herself, since she boasted the most advanced medical arts in antiquity. Comparing Egypt to a virgin stressed her vulnerable and pitiable condition (cf. Jeremiah 14:17; Jeremiah 18:13; Jeremiah 31:4; Jeremiah 31:21).

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 46

1  Jeremiah prophesies the overthrow of Pharaoh's army at Euphrates
13  and the conquest of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar
27  He comforts Jacob in his chastisement

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 46:11 mean?

Go up to Gilead and take balm virgin the daughter of Egypt in vain - you will use many medicines shall be cured not You
עֲלִ֤י גִלְעָד֙ וּקְחִ֣י צֳרִ֔י בְּתוּלַ֖ת בַּת־ ! מִצְרָ֑יִם לַשָּׁוְא֙ [הרביתי] (הִרְבֵּ֣ית) רְפֻא֔וֹת תְּעָלָ֖ה אֵ֥ין לָֽךְ

עֲלִ֤י  Go  up 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
גִלְעָד֙  to  Gilead 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: גִּלְעָד  
Sense: a mountainous region bounded on the west by the Jordan, on the north by Bashan, on the east by the Arabian plateau, and on the south by Moab and Ammon; sometimes called ‘Mount Gilead’ or the ‘land of Gilead’ or just ‘Gilead’.
וּקְחִ֣י  and  take 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
צֳרִ֔י  balm 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: צֳרִי  
Sense: a kind of balsam, balm, salve.
בְּתוּלַ֖ת  virgin 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: בְּתוּלָה  
Sense: virgin.
בַּת־  the  daughter 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: בַּת  
Sense: daughter.
! מִצְרָ֑יִם  of  Egypt 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִצְרַיִם  
Sense: a country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows adj Egyptians = “double straits”.
לַשָּׁוְא֙  in  vain 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁוְא  
Sense: emptiness, vanity, falsehood.
[הרביתי]  - 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, first person common singular
(הִרְבֵּ֣ית)  you  will  use  many 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, second person feminine singular
Root: הַרְבָּה 
Sense: be or become great, be or become many, be or become much, be or become numerous.
רְפֻא֔וֹת  medicines 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: רְפוּאָה  
Sense: .
תְּעָלָ֖ה  shall  be  cured 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: תְּעָלָה 
Sense: conduit, water course, trench.