Jeremiah 6:1
in Jeremiah 6“Run for cover, O sons of Benjamin; flee from Jerusalem! Sound the ram’s horn in Tekoa; send up a signal over Beth-haccherem, for disaster looms from the north, even great destruction.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Flee for safety, ye children of Benjamin, out of the midst of Jerusalem, and blow the trumpet in Tekoa, and raise up a signal on Beth-haccherem; for evil looketh forth from the north, and a great destruction.
KJV
O ye children of Benjamin, gather yourselves to flee out of the midst of Jerusalem, and blow the trumpet in Tekoa, and set up a sign of fire in Beth–haccerem: for evil appeareth out of the north, and great destruction.
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This verse in Jeremiah 6
Commentary
8 notes on this verse(Chapter 6, Verse 1) Take courage, sons of Benjamin, in the midst of Jerusalem; and in Thecua sound the trumpet; and on Bethacherem raise a sign (or banner), for evil has been seen (or appeared) from the North and great destruction. No one is ignorant of Jerusalem situated in the tribe of Benjamin. We also see Thecua, a village situated on a mountain and separated from Jerusalem by twelve miles, every day with our own eyes. Among these is another village, which is called Bethacherem in the Syriac and Hebrew languages, and it too is situated on a mountain.
This site's exposition
Sound the ram’s horn in Tekoa
on Jeremiah 6:1-5
Benjamin is told to “flee from Jerusalem”, so the order to leave comes from inside the city under threat. The enemy is pictured as “Shepherds and their flocks” pitching tents around Zion. The invaders set their own hour, “let us attack at noon” and then “let us attack by night”.
The record, by era
The Reformation1 voice
WE have already seen that oftentimes punishment is not only mentioned by this Prophet as being nigh at hand, but is also set as it were before our eyes; and we have shewn the reason for this, -- because men are not only deaf, but wholly thoughtless, whenever God threatens them.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
O ye children of Benjamin,....
It is common, in public frights, for the people to think any place safer than that in which they are; and therefore those in the city are for shifting into the country, in hopes there to escape out of danger, and those in the country are for shifting into the city, in hopes there to make head against the danger; but it is all in vain when evil pursues sinners with commission.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Though it was inhabited partly by Benjamites, partly by men of Judah, he addresses the former as being his own countrymen. blow . . . trumpet . . . Tekoa--Tikehu, Tekoa form a play on sounds. Beth-haccerem--meaning in Hebrew, "vineyard-house." It and Tekoa were a few miles south of Jerusalem.
O ye children of Benjamin, gather yourselves to flee - As the invading armies are fast approaching, the prophet calls on the inhabitants of Jerusalem to sound an alarm, and collect all the people to arm themselves and go against the invaders. They are called the children of Benjamin, because Jerusalem was in the tribe of Benjamin. Tekoa - Was a city about twelve miles to the south of Jerusalem. Beth-haccerem - Was the name of a small village situated on an eminence between Jerusalem and Tekoa. On this they were ordered to set up a beacon, or kindle a large fire, which might be seen at a distance, and give the people to understand that an enemy was entering the land. Out of the north - From Babylon. The Scythians. - Dahler.
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Jeremiah addresses the men of Benjamin, either as being his own tribesmen, or as a name appropriate to the people of Jerusalem, which also was situate in the tribe of Benjamin. Gather yourselves to flee - Gather your goods together to remove them to a place of safety.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
Gather the sons of Benjamin to go to their cities to guard their fortifications.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 5 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| הָעִ֣זוּ׀ | haizu | flee for refuge | H5756 → | |
| בְּנֵ֣י | benei | O people of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| בִניָמִ֗ן | vinyamin | Benjamin | H1144 → | 166 times |
| מִקֶּ֙רֶב֙ | mikerev | from [the] midst of | H7130 → | 227 times |
| יְר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם | yerushalim | Jerusalem | H3389 → | 643 times |
| וּבִתְק֙וֹעַ֙ | uvitkoa' | and in Tekoa | H8620 → | |
| תִּקְע֣וּ | tiku | blow | H8628 → | 69 times |
| שׁוֹפָ֔ר | shofar | a trumpet | H7782 → | 72 times |
| וְעַל־ | veal- | and at | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| בֵּ֥ית | beit | Beth | H1021 → | |
| הַכֶּ֖רֶם | hakerem | Hakkerem | H1021 → | |
| שְׂא֣וּ | seu | raise | H5375 → | 656 times |
| מַשְׂאֵ֑ת | maset | a signal | H4864 → | |
| כִּ֥י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| רָעָ֛ה | raah | calamity | H7451 → | 662 times |
| נִשְׁקְפָ֥ה | nishkefah | it has looked down | H8259 → | |
| מִצָּפ֖וֹן | mitzafon | from [the] north | H6828 → | 153 times |
| וְשֶׁ֥בֶר | veshever | and destruction | H7667 → | 45 times |
| גָּדֽוֹל׃ | gadol | great | H1419 → | 526 times |
הָעִ֣זוּ׀flee for refuge
haizuH5756 →
בְּנֵ֣יO people of
beneiH1121 →4930 times
בִניָמִ֗ןBenjamin
vinyaminH1144 →166 times
מִקֶּ֙רֶב֙from [the] midst of
mikerevH7130 →227 times
יְר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔םJerusalem
yerushalimH3389 →643 times
וּבִתְק֙וֹעַ֙and in Tekoa
uvitkoa'H8620 →
תִּקְע֣וּblow
tikuH8628 →69 times
שׁוֹפָ֔רa trumpet
shofarH7782 →72 times
וְעַל־and at
veal-H5921 →5755 times
בֵּ֥יתBeth
beitH1021 →
הַכֶּ֖רֶםHakkerem
hakeremH1021 →
שְׂא֣וּraise
seuH5375 →656 times
מַשְׂאֵ֑תa signal
masetH4864 →
כִּ֥יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
רָעָ֛הcalamity
raahH7451 →662 times
נִשְׁקְפָ֥הit has looked down
nishkefahH8259 →
מִצָּפ֖וֹןfrom [the] north
mitzafonH6828 →153 times
וְשֶׁ֥בֶרand destruction
vesheverH7667 →45 times
גָּדֽוֹל׃great
gadolH1419 →526 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
Judges 1:21The Benjamites, however, failed to drive out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. So to this day the Jebusites live there among the Benjamites.
it leads to
- Joshua 15:63
But the descendants of Judah could not drive out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. So to this day the Jebusites live there among the descendants of Judah.
- Joshua 18:11–28
The first lot came up for the clans of the tribe of Benjamin. Their allotted territory lay between the tribes of Judah and Joseph:
- Joshua 15:63
Through
Nehemiah 3:14The Dung Gate was repaired by Malchijah son of Rechab, ruler of the district of Beth-haccherem. He rebuilt it and installed its doors, bolts, and bars.
it leads to
- Nehemiah 2:13
So I went out at night through the Valley Gate toward the Well of the Serpent and the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that had been broken down and the…
- Nehemiah 2:13
Through
2 Chronicles 11:6He built up Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,
it leads to
- Matthew 2:5–6
“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
- Nehemiah 3:5
Next to him, the Tekoites made repairs, but their nobles did not put their shoulders to the work under their supervisors.
- 1 Chronicles 4:32
And their villages were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan—five towns—
- Judges 15:8
And he struck them ruthlessly with a great slaughter, and then went down and stayed in the cave at the rock of Etam.
- Genesis 35:19
So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).
- Matthew 2:5–6
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Jeremiah
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PlaceJerusalemJerusalemThe city David took from the Jebusites and made his capital, where Solomon built the temple, where Christ was crucified and rose,…
- PlaceJudean hill countryTekoaJudean town on the wilderness edge south of Bethlehem; home of Amos the herdman (Amos 1:1) and the wise woman of 2 Samuel 14.
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 Calvin, Commentaries; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.