The Meaning of Jeremiah 6:21 Explained

Jeremiah 6:21

KJV: Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will lay stumblingblocks before this people, and the fathers and the sons together shall fall upon them; the neighbour and his friend shall perish.

YLT: Therefore thus said Jehovah: Lo, I do give to this people stumbling blocks, And stumbled against them have fathers and sons together, The neighbour and his friend do perish.

Darby: Therefore thus saith Jehovah: Behold, I will lay stumbling-blocks before this people, and the fathers and the sons together shall fall over them; the neighbour and his friend shall perish.

ASV: Therefore thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will lay stumbling-blocks before this people; and the fathers and the sons together shall stumble against them; the neighbor and his friend shall perish.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Therefore thus saith  the LORD,  Behold, I will lay  stumblingblocks  before this people,  and the fathers  and the sons  together  shall fall  upon them; the neighbour  and his friend  shall perish. 

What does Jeremiah 6:21 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Because of this hypocrisy, the Lord would trip His people up. He would humiliate them and interrupt their progress, probably with their own sins and with the coming invader. This would include all generations and involve people in all relationships (cf. Jeremiah 6:11).

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 6

1  The enemies sent against Judah,
4  encourage themselves
6  God sets them on work because of their sins
9  The prophet laments the judgments of God because of their sins
18  He proclaims God's wrath
26  He calls the people to mourn for the judgment on their sins

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 6:21 mean?

Therefore thus says Yahweh behold I will lay before people this stumbling blocks and shall fall on them the fathers and the sons together the neighbor and his friend - shall perish -
לָכֵ֗ן כֹּ֚ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה הִנְנִ֥י נֹתֵ֛ן אֶל־ הָעָ֥ם הַזֶּ֖ה מִכְשֹׁלִ֑ים וְכָ֣שְׁלוּ בָ֠ם אָב֨וֹת וּבָנִ֥ים יַחְדָּ֛ו שָׁכֵ֥ן וְרֵע֖וֹ [יאבדו] (וְאָבָֽדוּ) פ

כֹּ֚ה  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.
יְהוָ֔ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
הִנְנִ֥י  behold 
Parse: Interjection, first person common singular
Root: הֵן  
Sense: behold, lo, though hypothetical part.
נֹתֵ֛ן  I  will  lay 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
אֶל־  before 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
הָעָ֥ם  people 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
הַזֶּ֖ה  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
מִכְשֹׁלִ֑ים  stumbling  blocks 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: מִכְשֹׁול  
Sense: a stumbling, means or occasion of stumbling, stumbling block.
וְכָ֣שְׁלוּ  and  shall  fall 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: כָּשַׁל  
Sense: to stumble, stagger, totter.
בָ֠ם  on  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
אָב֨וֹת  the  fathers 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
וּבָנִ֥ים  and  the  sons 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
יַחְדָּ֛ו  together 
Parse: Adverb
Root: יַחַד 
Sense: union, unitedness adv.
שָׁכֵ֥ן  the  neighbor 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁכֵן  
Sense: inhabitant, neighbour.
וְרֵע֖וֹ  and  his  friend 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: רֵעַ  
Sense: friend, companion, fellow, another person.
[יאבדו]  - 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
(וְאָבָֽדוּ)  shall  perish 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: אָבַד  
Sense: perish, vanish, go astray, be destroyed.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation