Jeremiah 49:35
in Jeremiah 49This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Behold, I will shatter Elam’s bow, the mainstay of their might.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the chief of their might.
KJV
Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the chief of their might.
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This verse in Jeremiah 49
Commentary
6 notes on this verseThus saith the Lord of hosts, I will break the bow of Elam,.... The inhabitants of this country were famous for their skill in archery; See Gill on Isa 22:6; this the Lord threatens to break, so that it, should be useless, and of no more service to them to defend themselves, or annoy others.
This site's exposition
concerning Elam at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah
on Jeremiah 49:34-39
This oracle is dated to “the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah” and reaches Elam. The LORD will “shatter Elam’s bow, the mainstay of their might.” Yet verse 39 closes, “I will restore Elam from captivity,” the promise given to Egypt in 46:26, Moab in 48:47, and Ammon in 49:6.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
The Ammonites were next, both in kindred and neighbourhood, to the Moabites, and therefore are next set to the bar. Their country joined to that of the two tribes and a half, on the other side Jordan, and was but a bad neighbour; however, being a neighbour, they shall have a share in these circular predictions.
), will ruin their artillery, and then the chief of their might is gone. God often orders it so that that which we most trust to first fails us, and that which was the chief of our might proves the least of our help.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
I will break the bow of Elam - They were eminent archers; and had acquired their power and eminence by their dexterity in the use of the bow. See Isa 22:6. Strabo, Livy, and others speak of their eminence in archery.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
The bow was the national weapon of Elam, and therefore the “chief of their might,” that on which their strength in war depended.
The words behind it
11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כֹּ֤ה | koh | thus | H3541 → | 577 times |
| אָמַר֙ | ʾamar | he says | H559 → | 5305 times |
| יְהוָ֣ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| צְבָא֔וֹת | tzevaot | of hosts | H6635 → | 485 times |
| הִנְנִ֥י | hini | here I | H2005 → | 316 times |
| שֹׁבֵ֖ר | shover | [am] about to break | H7665 → | 147 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| קֶ֣שֶׁת | keshet | [the] bow of | H7198 → | 76 times |
| עֵילָ֑ם | ʾeilam | Elam | H5867 → | 28 times |
| רֵאשִׁ֖ית | reshit | [the] beginning of | H7225 → | 51 times |
| גְּבוּרָתָֽם׃ | gevuratam | strength their | H1369 → | 61 times |
כֹּ֤הthus
kohH3541 →577 times
אָמַר֙he says
ʾamarH559 →5305 times
יְהוָ֣הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
צְבָא֔וֹתof hosts
tzevaotH6635 →485 times
הִנְנִ֥יhere I
hiniH2005 →316 times
שֹׁבֵ֖ר[am] about to break
shoverH7665 →147 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
קֶ֣שֶׁת[the] bow of
keshetH7198 →76 times
עֵילָ֑םElam
ʾeilamH5867 →28 times
רֵאשִׁ֖ית[the] beginning of
reshitH7225 →51 times
גְּבוּרָתָֽם׃strength their
gevuratamH1369 →61 times
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 46:9He makes wars to cease throughout the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; He burns the shields in the fire.
it leads to
- Isaiah 2:4
Then He will judge between the nations and arbitrate for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer take up the sword against…
- Micah 4:3–4
Then He will judge between many peoples and arbitrate for strong nations far and wide. Then they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer take…
- Micah 5:10
“In that day,” declares the LORD, “I will remove your horses from among you and wreck your chariots.
- Joshua 11:9
Joshua treated them as the LORD had told him; he hamstrung their horses and burned up their chariots.
- Isaiah 60:18
No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders. But you will name your walls Salvation and your gates Praise.
- Isaiah 2:4
Through
Jeremiah 51:56For a destroyer is coming against her—against Babylon. Her warriors will be captured, and their bows will be broken, for the LORD is a God of retribution; He will repay in full.
it leads to
- Habakkuk 2:8
Because you have plundered many nations, the remnant of the people will plunder you—because of your bloodshed against man and your violence against the land, the city, and all their dwellers.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Habakkuk 2:8
Through
Jeremiah 50:14Line up in formation around Babylon, all you who draw the bow! Shoot at her! Spare no arrows! For she has sinned against the LORD.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 50:29
Summon the archers against Babylon, all who string the bow. Encamp all around her; let no one escape. Repay her according to her deeds; do to her as she has done. For she has…
- Jeremiah 50:29
Through
Jeremiah 50:29Summon the archers against Babylon, all who string the bow. Encamp all around her; let no one escape. Repay her according to her deeds; do to her as she has done. For she has…
it leads to
- Isaiah 47:10
You were secure in your wickedness; you said, ‘No one sees me.’ Your wisdom and knowledge led you astray; you told yourself, ‘I am, and there is none besides me.’
- Isaiah 47:10
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Jeremiah
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Carl Friedrich Keil, The Prophecies of Jeremiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.