Jeremiah 18:23
in Jeremiah 18But You, O LORD, know all their deadly plots against me. Do not wipe out their guilt or blot out their sin from Your sight. Let them be overthrown before You; deal with them in the time of Your anger.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Yet, Jehovah, thou knowest all their counsel against me to slay me; forgive not their iniquity, neither blot out their sin from thy sight; but let them be overthrown before thee; deal thou with them in the time of thine anger.
KJV
Yet, Lord, thou knowest all their counsel against me to slay me: forgive not their iniquity, neither blot out their sin from thy sight, but let them be overthrown before thee; deal thus with them in the time of thine anger.
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This verse in Jeremiah 18
Commentary
7 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Yet, Lord - Better, But, Lord. They conceal their plots, but God knows, and therefore must punish. Neither blot out ... - Or, “blot not out their sin from before Thy face that they may be made to stumble before Thee.” Thus - Omit this word. Since there is an acceptable time and a day of salvation, so there is a time of anger, and Jeremiah’s prayer is that God would deal with his enemies at such a time, and when therefore no mercy would be shown. On imprecations such as these, see Ps. 109 introductory note.
This site's exposition
Attend to me, O LORD. Hear
on Jeremiah 18:19-23
Jeremiah’s harshest recorded prayer asks God to “hand their children over to famine” because “they have dug a pit for me.” He reminds God how he “stood before You to speak good on their behalf, to turn Your wrath from them.”
This site's exposition
But You, O LORD, know all
The plotters hide their schemes, Albert Barnes notes, yet God knows them and so must judge. Barnes reads the time of Your anger as a set season of wrath, the reverse of the day of salvation, and points to Psalm 109. They hunted a precious life, Matthew Henry notes.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Vers. 22, 23.) For he brings upon them suddenly a robber, because they dug a pit to capture me, and hid snares for my feet. But you, Lord, know all their counsel against me to bring about my death. Do not forgive their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from your sight. Let them be overthrown (or let them stumble) before you; in the time of your anger, deal with them (or do to them).
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
5 Then the word of the L ORD came to me, saying, 6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the L ORD . Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. 7 At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it;
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:94%@v5-7
): All their counsel against me is to slay me. They hunt for the precious life; and a precious life indeed it was that they hunted for. Long was this Jerusalem's wretched character, Thou that killedst many of the prophets, and wouldst have killed them all.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
Yet, Lord, thou knowest all their counsel against me to slay me,....
The words behind it
23 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאַתָּ֣ה | veatah | and you | H859 → | 1094 times |
| יְ֠הוָה | yahweh | O Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| יָדַ֜עְתָּ | yada'ta | you know | H3045 → | 945 times |
| אֶֽת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| עֲצָתָ֤ם | ʾatzatam | plan their | H6098 → | 89 times |
| עָלַי֙ | ʾalai | on me | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| לַמָּ֔וֶת | lamavet | for <the> death | H4194 → | 156 times |
| אַל־ | ʾal- | may not | H408 → | 724 times |
| תְּכַפֵּר֙ | tekhaper | you atone | H3722 → | |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| עֲוֹנָ֔ם | ʾavonam | iniquity their | H5771 → | 233 times |
| וְחַטָּאתָ֖ם | vechatatam | and sin their | H2403 → | 295 times |
| מִלְּפָנֶ֣יךָ | milefaneikha | from to before you | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| אַל־ | ʾal- | may not | H408 → | 724 times |
| תֶּ֑מְחִי | temchi | you wipe out | H4229 → | |
| וְיִהְי֤וּ | vehayu | and let them be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| מֻכְשָׁלִים֙ | mukhshalim | overthrown | H3782 → | 62 times |
| לְפָנֶ֔יךָ | lefaneikha | <to> before you | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| בְּעֵ֥ת | beet | in [the] time of | H6256 → | 296 times |
| אַפְּךָ֖ | ʾapekha | anger your | H639 → | 276 times |
| עֲשֵׂ֥ה | ʾaseh | do | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| בָהֶֽם׃ ס | vahem | with <the> them |
וְאַתָּ֣הand you
veatahH859 →1094 times
יְ֠הוָהO Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
יָדַ֜עְתָּyou know
yada'taH3045 →945 times
אֶֽת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
עֲצָתָ֤םplan their
ʾatzatamH6098 →89 times
עָלַי֙on me
ʾalaiH5921 →5755 times
לַמָּ֔וֶתfor <the> death
lamavetH4194 →156 times
אַל־may not
ʾal-H408 →724 times
תְּכַפֵּר֙you atone
tekhaperH3722 →
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
עֲוֹנָ֔םiniquity their
ʾavonamH5771 →233 times
וְחַטָּאתָ֖םand sin their
vechatatamH2403 →295 times
מִלְּפָנֶ֣יךָfrom to before you
milefaneikhaH6440 →2123 times
אַל־may not
ʾal-H408 →724 times
תֶּ֑מְחִיyou wipe out
temchiH4229 →
וְיִהְי֤וּand let them be
vehayuH1961 →3559 times
מֻכְשָׁלִים֙overthrown
mukhshalimH3782 →62 times
לְפָנֶ֔יךָ<to> before you
lefaneikhaH6440 →2123 times
בְּעֵ֥תin [the] time of
beetH6256 →296 times
אַפְּךָ֖anger your
ʾapekhaH639 →276 times
עֲשֵׂ֥הdo
ʾasehH6213 →2628 times
בָהֶֽם׃ סwith <the> them
vahem
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 35:4May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame; may those who plan to harm me be driven back and confounded.
it leads to
- Psalms 70:2–3
May those who seek my life be ashamed and confounded; may those who wish me harm be repelled and humiliated.
- Psalms 35:26
May those who gloat in my distress be ashamed and confounded; may those who exalt themselves over me be clothed in shame and reproach.
- Jeremiah 46:5
Why am I seeing this? They are terrified, they are retreating; their warriors are defeated, they flee in haste without looking back; terror is on every side!” declares the LORD.
- Psalms 38:12
Those who seek my life lay snares; those who wish me harm speak destruction, plotting deceit all day long.
- Psalms 31:17–18
O LORD, let me not be ashamed, for I have called on You. Let the wicked be put to shame; let them lie silent in Sheol.
- Psalms 70:2–3
Through
Isaiah 2:9So mankind is brought low, and man is humbled—do not forgive them!
it leads to
- Isaiah 5:15
So mankind will be brought low, and each man humbled; the arrogant will lower their eyes.
- Nehemiah 4:5
Do not cover up their iniquity or let their sin be blotted out from Your sight, for they have provoked the builders.
- Romans 3:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
- Isaiah 5:15
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies3
About Jeremiah
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jerome, Commentary on Jeremiah; John Calvin, Commentary on Jeremiah and Lamentations; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.