Jeremiah 16:4
in Jeremiah 16“They will die from deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buried, but will lie like dung on the ground. They will be finished off by sword and famine, and their corpses will become food for the birds of the air and beasts of the earth.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
They shall die grievous deaths: they shall not be lamented, neither shall they be buried; they shall be as dung upon the face of the ground; and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and their dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the heavens, and for the beasts of the earth.
KJV
They shall die of grievous deaths; they shall not be lamented; neither shall they be buried; but they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth: and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and their carcases shall be meat for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.
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This verse in Jeremiah 16
Commentary
7 notes on this verseThey shall die of grievous deaths,.... Such as the sword, famine, and pestilence. The Targum particularly adds famine. It may be rendered, "deaths of diseases, or sicknesses" (u); such as are brought on by long sickness and lingering distempers; by which a man consumes gradually, as by famine, and is not snatched away at once; and which are very grievous to bear.
This site's exposition
Then the word of the LORD came to me
on Jeremiah 16:1-4
The command “You must not marry or have sons or daughters in this place” makes Jeremiah’s own life a sign of a ruin. The children born here will die of diseases, unmourned and unburied, their corpses “food for the birds of the air and beasts of the earth”.
This site's exposition
They will die from deadly diseases
Gill reads them as sicknesses that waste a man slowly. Adam Clarke links the dung on the ground to 8:2 and the food for the birds to 7:33. Calvin asks whether Jeremiah stayed unmarried and answers that the command may have come to him in a vision.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Verses 3-4) For thus says the Lord concerning the sons and daughters who are born in this place, and concerning their mothers who bore them, and concerning their fathers, from whose lineage they were born in this land, they shall die by the deaths of sickness: they shall not be mourned, nor shall they be buried; they shall be like dung on the face of the earth. They shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, and their corpses shall be food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.
The Reformation1 voice
This is the import of this prophecy. It may however be asked, whether the Prophet was unmarried? But this has nothing to do with the subject, for he received this command in a vision; and though he might not have been unmarried, he might still have proclaimed this prophecy, that God had forbidden him to marry and to beget children.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
As for those that have wives and children, 1. They will have such a clog upon them that they cannot flee from those deaths. A single man may make his escape and shift for his own safety, when he that has a wife and children can neither find means to convey with them nor find in his heart to go and leave them behind him.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
They shall die of grievous deaths - All prematurely; see Jer 14:16. As dung upon the face of the earth - See Jer 8:2. Be meat for the fowls - See Jer 7:33.
The words behind it
22 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| מְמוֹתֵ֨י | memotei | deaths of | H4463 → | |
| תַחֲלֻאִ֜ים | tachaluim | diseases | H8463 → | |
| יָמֻ֗תוּ | yamutu | they will die | H4191 → | 839 times |
| לֹ֤א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יִסָּֽפְדוּ֙ | yisafedu | they will be mourned | H5594 → | 30 times |
| וְלֹ֣א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יִקָּבֵ֔רוּ | yikaveru | they will be buried | H6912 → | 133 times |
| לְדֹ֛מֶן | ledomen | <into> dung | H1828 → | 6 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| פְּנֵ֥י | penei | [the] surface of | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| הָאֲדָמָ֖ה | haadamah | the ground | H127 → | 225 times |
| יִֽהְי֑וּ | yihyu | they will become | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| וּבַחֶ֤רֶב | uvacherev | and by the sword | H2719 → | 413 times |
| וּבָֽרָעָב֙ | uvaraav | and by <the> famine | H7458 → | 101 times |
| יִכְל֔וּ | yikhlu | they will come to an end | H3615 → | 208 times |
| וְהָיְתָ֤ה | vehayetah | and it will become | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| נִבְלָתָם֙ | nivlatam | corpse[s] their | H5038 → | 48 times |
| לְמַאֲכָ֔ל | lemaakhal | <into> food | H3978 → | 30 times |
| לְע֥וֹף | leof | for [the] bird[s] of | H5775 → | 71 times |
| הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם | hashamayim | the heavens | H8064 → | 421 times |
| וּלְבֶהֱמַ֥ת | ulevehemat | and for [the] animal[s] of | H929 → | 190 times |
| הָאָֽרֶץ׃ ס | haaretz | the earth | H776 → | 2504 times |
מְמוֹתֵ֨יdeaths of
memoteiH4463 →
תַחֲלֻאִ֜יםdiseases
tachaluimH8463 →
יָמֻ֗תוּthey will die
yamutuH4191 →839 times
לֹ֤אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
יִסָּֽפְדוּ֙they will be mourned
yisafeduH5594 →30 times
וְלֹ֣אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
יִקָּבֵ֔רוּthey will be buried
yikaveruH6912 →133 times
לְדֹ֛מֶן<into> dung
ledomenH1828 →6 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
פְּנֵ֥י[the] surface of
peneiH6440 →2123 times
הָאֲדָמָ֖הthe ground
haadamahH127 →225 times
יִֽהְי֑וּthey will become
yihyuH1961 →3559 times
וּבַחֶ֤רֶבand by the sword
uvacherevH2719 →413 times
וּבָֽרָעָב֙and by <the> famine
uvaraavH7458 →101 times
יִכְל֔וּthey will come to an end
yikhluH3615 →208 times
וְהָיְתָ֤הand it will become
vehayetahH1961 →3559 times
נִבְלָתָם֙corpse[s] their
nivlatamH5038 →48 times
לְמַאֲכָ֔ל<into> food
lemaakhalH3978 →30 times
לְע֥וֹףfor [the] bird[s] of
leofH5775 →71 times
הַשָּׁמַ֖יִםthe heavens
hashamayimH8064 →421 times
וּלְבֶהֱמַ֥תand for [the] animal[s] of
ulevehematH929 →190 times
הָאָֽרֶץ׃ סthe earth
haaretzH776 →2504 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
Jeremiah 25:33Those slain by the LORD on that day will be spread from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned, gathered, or buried. They will be like dung lying…
it leads to
- Jeremiah 8:2
They will be exposed to the sun and moon, and to all the host of heaven which they have loved, served, followed, consulted, and worshiped. Their bones will not be gathered up or buried,…
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Isaiah 66:16
For by fire and by His sword, the LORD will execute judgment on all flesh, and many will be slain by the LORD.
- Isaiah 5:25
Therefore the anger of the LORD burns against His people; His hand is raised against them to strike them down. The mountains quake, and the corpses lay like refuse in the streets. Despite all…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 79:3
They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there is no one to bury the dead.
- Jeremiah 8:2
Through
Zephaniah 1:17I will bring such distress on mankind that they will walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the LORD. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their flesh like dung.
it leads to
- Psalms 83:10
who perished at Endor and became like dung on the ground.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Revelation 3:17
You say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.
- Psalms 83:10
Through
Psalms 83:10who perished at Endor and became like dung on the ground.
it leads to
- Zephaniah 1:17
I will bring such distress on mankind that they will walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the LORD. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their flesh like dung.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Zephaniah 1:17
Through
Jeremiah 9:22Declare that this is what the LORD says: “The corpses of men will fall like dung upon the open field, like newly cut grain behind the reaper, with no one to gather it.”
it leads to
- Jeremiah 25:33
Those slain by the LORD on that day will be spread from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned, gathered, or buried. They will be like dung lying…
- Jeremiah 25:33
About Jeremiah
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Carl Friedrich Keil, The Prophecies of Jeremiah; Jerome, Commentary on Jeremiah; John Calvin, Commentaries; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.