The Meaning of Jeremiah 46:9 Explained

Jeremiah 46:9

KJV: Come up, ye horses; and rage, ye chariots; and let the mighty men come forth; the Ethiopians and the Libyans, that handle the shield; and the Lydians, that handle and bend the bow.

YLT: Go up, ye horses; and boast yourselves, ye chariots, And go forth, ye mighty, Cush and Phut handling the shield, And Lud handling -- treading the bow.

Darby: Go up, ye horses, and drive furiously, ye chariots; and let the mighty men go forth: Cush and Phut that handle the shield, and the Ludim that handle the bow and bend it.

ASV: Go up, ye horses; and rage, ye chariots; and let the mighty men go forth: Cush and Put, that handle the shield; and the Ludim, that handle and bend the bow.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Come up,  ye horses;  and rage,  ye chariots;  and let the mighty men  come forth;  the Ethiopians  and the Libyans,  that handle  the shield;  and the Lydians,  that handle  [and] bend  the bow. 

What does Jeremiah 46:9 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Egyptians and their allies-the Ethiopians, Libyans (or possibly residents of modern Somalia), and Lydians (cf. Isaiah 66:19; or North Africans, cf. Genesis 10:13; Nahum 3:9)-pressed the battle (cf. Ezekiel 30:5). Modern Somalia is east and south of Ethiopia. Libya was Egypt"s neighbor to the west, and the Lydian Kingdom was in Anatolia (modern western Turkey).

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 46:9 mean?

Come up horses and rage chariots and let come forth the mighty men Ethiopia and Libya who handle the shield and the Lydians [and] bend the bow
עֲל֤וּ הַסּוּסִים֙ וְהִתְהֹלְל֣וּ הָרֶ֔כֶב וְיֵצְא֖וּ הַגִּבּוֹרִ֑ים כּ֤וּשׁ וּפוּט֙ תֹּפְשֵׂ֣י מָגֵ֔ן וְלוּדִ֕ים דֹּ֥רְכֵי קָֽשֶׁת

עֲל֤וּ  Come  up 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
הַסּוּסִים֙  horses 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: סוּס 
Sense: swallow, swift.
וְהִתְהֹלְל֣וּ  and  rage 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hitpael, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: הָלַל 
Sense: to shine.
הָרֶ֔כֶב  chariots 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: רֶכֶב  
Sense: a team, chariot, chariotry, mill-stone, riders.
וְיֵצְא֖וּ  and  let  come  forth 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: יׄוצֵאת 
Sense: to go out, come out, exit, go forth.
הַגִּבּוֹרִ֑ים  the  mighty  men 
Parse: Article, Adjective, masculine plural
Root: גִּבֹּור  
Sense: strong, mighty.
כּ֤וּשׁ  Ethiopia 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: כּוּשׁ 
Sense: a Benjamite mentioned only in the title of Ps 7.
וּפוּט֙  and  Libya 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: פּוּט  
Sense: a nation and people of northern Africa; probably Libyans.
תֹּפְשֵׂ֣י  who  handle 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct
Root: תָּפַשׂ  
Sense: to catch, handle, lay hold, take hold of, seize, wield.
מָגֵ֔ן  the  shield 
Parse: Noun, common singular
Root: מָגֵן 
Sense: shield, buckler.
וְלוּדִ֕ים  and  the  Lydians 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine plural
Root: לוּד  
Sense: the descendants of Lud the son of Shem.
דֹּ֥רְכֵי  [and]  bend 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct
Root: דָּרַךְ  
Sense: to tread, bend, lead, march.
קָֽשֶׁת  the  bow 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: קֶשֶׁת  
Sense: bow.