Jeremiah 29:18

18 And I will pursue them with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence; and I will deliver them to trouble among all the kingdoms of the earth--to be a curse, an astonishment, a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations where I have driven them,

Jeremiah 29:18 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 29:18

And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine,
and with the pestilence
Or, "follow after F1 them"; such as should make their escape out of the city, and go into Egypt, or other countries, for shelter and safety, should be pursued by the vengeance of God, and should fall by sword, famine, or pestilence, in other places: and will deliver them;
such as should not perish by the above mentioned calamities: to be removed to all the kingdoms of the earth;
where they should be scattered, and live in exile: or "for a shaking to all the kingdoms of the earth" F2; who should shake and tremble at such a dreadful spectacle of vengeance; or rather they should shake and tremble at the wrath of God upon them; or else their enemies, among whom they should be, should shake their heads at them, by way of insult and triumph over them: to be a curse, and an astonishment, and an hissing, and a reproach,
among all the nations whither I have driven them;
where men shall look at them with amazement, and curse theft, and hiss at them, and reproach them, as the offscouring of the world.


FOOTNOTES:

F1 (Mhyrxa ytpdrw) "et persequar post eos", Calvin, Piscator.
F2 (hewzl) "in commotionem", Pagninus, Montanus, Schmidt.

Jeremiah 29:18 In-Context

16 therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king who sits on the throne of David, concerning all the people who dwell in this city, and concerning your brethren who have not gone out with you into captivity--
17 thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will send on them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like rotten figs that cannot be eaten, they are so bad.
18 And I will pursue them with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence; and I will deliver them to trouble among all the kingdoms of the earth--to be a curse, an astonishment, a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations where I have driven them,
19 because they have not heeded My words, says the Lord, which I sent to them by My servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; neither would you heed, says the Lord.
20 Therefore hear the word of the Lord, all you of the captivity, whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.