The Meaning of Jeremiah 7:6 Explained

Jeremiah 7:6

KJV: If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt:

YLT: Sojourner, fatherless, and widow, ye oppress not, And innocent blood do not shed in this place, And after other gods do not walk, for evil to yourselves,

Darby: if ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed no innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt;

ASV: if ye oppress not the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your own hurt:

KJV Reverse Interlinear

[If] ye oppress  not the stranger,  the fatherless,  and the widow,  and shed  not innocent  blood  in this place,  neither walk  after  other  gods  to your hurt: 

What does Jeremiah 7:6 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 7

1  Jeremiah is sent to call to true repentance, to prevent the Jews' captivity
8  He rejects their vain confidence,
12  by the example of Shiloh
17  He threatens them for their idolatry
21  He rejects the sacrifices of the disobedient
29  He exhorts to mourn for their abominations in Tophet;
32  and the judgments for the same

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 7:6 mean?

the stranger the fatherless and the widow not [if] you do oppress and blood innocent not do shed in place this and after gods other or walk to hurt your
גֵּ֣ר יָת֤וֹם וְאַלְמָנָה֙ לֹ֣א תַֽעֲשֹׁ֔קוּ וְדָ֣ם נָקִ֔י אַֽל־ תִּשְׁפְּכ֖וּ בַּמָּק֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה וְאַחֲרֵ֨י אֱלֹהִ֧ים אֲחֵרִ֛ים לֹ֥א תֵלְכ֖וּ לְרַ֥ע לָכֶֽם

גֵּ֣ר  the  stranger 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: גֵּר  
Sense: sojourner.
יָת֤וֹם  the  fatherless 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: יָתֹום  
Sense: an orphan, fatherless.
וְאַלְמָנָה֙  and  the  widow 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אַלְמָנָה  
Sense: widow.
תַֽעֲשֹׁ֔קוּ  [if]  you  do  oppress 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: עָשַׁק  
Sense: to press upon, oppress, violate, defraud, do violence, get deceitfully, wrong, extort.
וְדָ֣ם  and  blood 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּם  
Sense: blood.
נָקִ֔י  innocent 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: נָקִי 
Sense: clean, free from, exempt, clear, innocent.
תִּשְׁפְּכ֖וּ  do  shed 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: שֶׂפֶק 
Sense: to pour, pour out, spill.
בַּמָּק֣וֹם  in  place 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מָקֹום  
Sense: standing place, place.
הַזֶּ֑ה  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
וְאַחֲרֵ֨י  and  after 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: אַחַר 
Sense: after the following part, behind (of place), hinder, afterwards (of time).
אֱלֹהִ֧ים  gods 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
אֲחֵרִ֛ים  other 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: אַחֵר  
Sense: another, other, following.
תֵלְכ֖וּ  walk 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
לְרַ֥ע  to  hurt 
Parse: Preposition-l, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
לָכֶֽם  your 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine plural