Jeremiah 6:3
in Jeremiah 6Shepherds and their flocks will come against her; they will pitch their tents all around her, each tending his own portion:
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Shepherds with their flocks shall come unto her; they shall pitch their tents against her round about; they shall feed every one in his place.
KJV
The shepherds with their flocks shall come unto her; they shall pitch their tents against her round about; they shall feed every one in his place.
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This verse in Jeremiah 6
Commentary
7 notes on this verseThe shepherds with their flocks shall come unto her,.... Kings and their armies, as the Targum paraphrases it; kings and generals are compared to shepherds, and their armies to flocks, who are under their command and direction; here they design Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, with his generals and armies, who should come up against Jerusalem, as to a good pasture: they shall pitch their tents against her round about; their military tents, in allusion to pastoral ones.
This site's exposition
blow the trumpet in Tekoa
on Jeremiah 6:1-5
Benjamin is told to flee Jerusalem itself, evacuation ordered from inside the very city under threat, while the enemy is pictured in Jeremiah's harshest irony, shepherds pitching their tents against Zion, the same word used elsewhere in the book for Israel's own careless leaders now describing a besieging army feeding on the daughter of Zion in her own place. The invaders debate their own timing, at noon, or failing the daylight, by night, an unhurried confidence the bench reads as more frightening than any battle cry, an enemy certain enough of victory to choose its hour.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Verse 2, 3.) I have likened the daughter of Zion to a beautiful and delicate woman. And the shepherds and their flocks shall come to her. They have pitched their tents around her and each one shall feed those under his hand. Prepare for battle against her. Arise and let us go up at noon. The beauty of Jerusalem is described, which is the same as Zion, indicating that the whole city and the citadel of the city are one and the same.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
), in such numbers and in such order did they come, the soldiers following their leaders as the sheep their shepherds. The daughter of Zion dwelt at home (so some read it), expecting to be courted with love, but was invaded with fury.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
The invading soldiers encourage one another to the attack on Jerusalem. Prepare--literally, "Sanctify" war, that is, Proclaim it formally with solemn rites; the invasion was solemnly ordered by God (compare Isa 13:3). at noon--the hottest part of the day when attacks were rarely made (Jer 15:8; Even at this time they wished to attack, such is their eagerness.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
The shepherds with their flocks - The chiefs and their battalions. The invading army is about to spoil and waste all the fertile fields round about the city, while engaged in the siege.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
To it shall come “shepherds with their flocks:” They have pitched upon it “their tents round about:” They have pastured each his hand, “i. e., side.” The pasture is so abundant that each feeds his flock, i. e., plunders Jerusalem, at the side of his own tent.
The words behind it
12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אֵלֶ֛יהָ | ʾeleiha | to it | H413 → | 5510 times |
| יָבֹ֥אוּ | yavou | they will come | H935 → | 2568 times |
| רֹעִ֖ים | roim | shepherds | H7462 → | 177 times |
| וְעֶדְרֵיהֶ֑ם | veedreihem | and flocks their | H5739 → | 38 times |
| תָּקְע֨וּ | takeu | they will pitch | H8628 → | 69 times |
| עָלֶ֤יהָ | ʾaleiha | at it | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| אֹהָלִים֙ | ʾohalim | tents | H168 → | 345 times |
| סָבִ֔יב | saviv | all around | H5439 → | 336 times |
| רָע֖וּ | rau | they will graze | H7462 → | 177 times |
| אִ֥ישׁ | ʾish | everyone | H376 → | 1663 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| יָדֽוֹ׃ | yado | hand his | H3027 → | 1618 times |
אֵלֶ֛יהָto it
ʾeleihaH413 →5510 times
יָבֹ֥אוּthey will come
yavouH935 →2568 times
רֹעִ֖יםshepherds
roimH7462 →177 times
וְעֶדְרֵיהֶ֑םand flocks their
veedreihemH5739 →38 times
תָּקְע֨וּthey will pitch
takeuH8628 →69 times
עָלֶ֤יהָat it
ʾaleihaH5921 →5755 times
אֹהָלִים֙tents
ʾohalimH168 →345 times
סָבִ֔יבall around
savivH5439 →336 times
רָע֖וּthey will graze
rauH7462 →177 times
אִ֥ישׁeveryone
ʾishH376 →1663 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
יָדֽוֹ׃hand his
yadoH3027 →1618 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
Luke 19:43For the days will come upon you when your enemies will barricade you and surround you and hem you in on every side.
it leads to
- Luke 21:20–24
But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, you will know that her desolation is near.
- Isaiah 29:1–4
Woe to you, O Ariel, the city of Ariel where David camped! Year upon year let your festivals recur.
- Ezekiel 26:8
He will slaughter the villages of your mainland with the sword; he will set up siege works against you, build a ramp to your walls, and raise his shields against you.
- Luke 21:20–24
Through
2 Kings 24:2And the LORD sent Chaldean, Aramean, Moabite, and Ammonite raiders against Jehoiakim in order to destroy Judah, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through His servants the prophets.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 35:11
So when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched into the land, we said: ‘Come, let us go into Jerusalem to escape the armies of the Chaldeans and the Arameans.’ So we have remained in Jerusalem.”
- 2 Kings 23:27
For the LORD had said, “I will remove Judah from My sight, just as I removed Israel. I will reject this city Jerusalem, which I chose, and the temple of which I said, ‘My…
- Jeremiah 25:9
behold, I will summon all the families of the north, declares the LORD, and I will send for My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, whom I will bring against this land, against its residents,…
- Jeremiah 35:11
Through
Nahum 3:18O king of Assyria, your shepherds slumber; your officers sleep. Your people are scattered on the mountains with no one to gather them.
it leads to
- Psalms 76:5–6
The valiant lie plundered; they sleep their last sleep. No men of might could lift a hand.
- 1 Kings 22:17
So Micaiah declared: “I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd. And the LORD said, ‘These people have no master; let each one return home in peace.’”
- Psalms 76:5–6
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
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; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Jeremiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.