Jeremiah 20:4

4 For the Lord saith these things, Lo! I shall give thee and all thy friends into dread, and they shall fall down by the sword of their enemies; and thine eyes shall see; and I shall give all Judah in the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall lead them over into Babylon, and he shall smite them with sword. (For the Lord saith these things, Lo! I shall give thee and all thy friends unto terror, and they shall fall down by the sword of their enemies; and thy eyes shall see it; and I shall give all Judah into the hands, or into the power, of the king of Babylon, and he shall lead them over to Babylon, and he shall strike them down with the sword.)

Jeremiah 20:4 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 20:4

For thus saith the, Lord, behold, I will make thee a terror to
thyself, and to all thy friends
This is an interpretation of the name given, "Magormissabib": and shows that it was not a mere name he had, but that he should be in fact what that signifies; his conscience should be filled with terror at the judgments of God coming upon him for his sins; and which could not be concealed in his own breast from others, but he should be seized with such tremblings and shakings, and be such a spectacle of horror, that his own familiar friends, instead of delighting in his company, would shun it, and run away from him: unless this terror is to be understood of the Chaldean army, which should not only terrify him, but his friends, in whom he placed his confidence; these would be thrown into such a consternation, as not to be able to help him or themselves; to which the following words agree: and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and thine eyes
shall behold [it];
which would be an aggravation of the calamity, that not only he should be deprived of their assistance, but that they should fall into and by the hands of the Babylonians, and in his sight also: and I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon;
the whole land, and the inhabitants of it: and he shall carry them captive into Babylon, and shall slay them with
the sword;
being in his hands, he shall do as he pleases with them, either carry them captive, or slay them; and some he will dispose of one way, and some another.

Jeremiah 20:4 In-Context

2 And Pashur smote Jeremy, the prophet, and sent him into the stocks, that were in the higher gate of Benjamin, in the house of the Lord. (And Pashur struck the prophet Jeremiah, and then sent him into the stocks, that were at the Upper Gate of Benjamin, in the House of the Lord.)
3 And when it was clear in the morrow, Pashur led Jeremy out of the stocks. And Jeremy said to him, The Lord called not Pashur thy name, but Dread on each side. (And when the morning came, Pashur led Jeremiah out of the stocks. And Jeremiah said to him, The Lord calleth thy name not Pashur, but Magormissabib, that is, Terror let loose.)
4 For the Lord saith these things, Lo! I shall give thee and all thy friends into dread, and they shall fall down by the sword of their enemies; and thine eyes shall see; and I shall give all Judah in the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall lead them over into Babylon, and he shall smite them with sword. (For the Lord saith these things, Lo! I shall give thee and all thy friends unto terror, and they shall fall down by the sword of their enemies; and thy eyes shall see it; and I shall give all Judah into the hands, or into the power, of the king of Babylon, and he shall lead them over to Babylon, and he shall strike them down with the sword.)
5 And I shall give (them) all the chattel of this city, and all the travail thereof, and all the price; and I shall give all the treasures of the kings of Judah in(to) the hand of their enemies; and they shall ravish them, and shall take, and lead [them] forth into Babylon. (And I shall give all the substance of this city, and all the fruits of its labours, and all its things of value, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah into the hands of their enemies; yea, they shall rob them, and then they shall take these people, and lead them forth to Babylon.)
6 Forsooth thou, Pashur, and all the dwellers of thine house, shall go into captivity; and thou shalt come into Babylon, and thou shalt die there; and thou shalt be buried there, thou and all thy friends, to which thou prophesiedest leasing. (And thou, Pashur, and all the inhabitants of thy house, shall go into captivity; and thou shalt come into Babylon, and thou shalt die there; and thou shalt be buried there, thou and all thy friends, to whom thou hast prophesied many lies.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.