The Meaning of Jeremiah 1:16 Explained

Jeremiah 1:16

KJV: And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.

YLT: And I have spoken My judgments with them concerning all their evil, in that they have forsaken Me, and make perfume to other gods, and bow themselves to the works of their own hands.

Darby: and I will pronounce my judgments against them for all their wickedness, in that they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.

ASV: And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, in that they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And I will utter  my judgments  against them touching  all their wickedness,  who have forsaken  me, and have burned incense  unto other  gods,  and worshipped  the works  of their own hands. 

What does Jeremiah 1:16 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Lord would use these invaders to judge the Judahites for their wickedness, namely: forsaking the Lord, and worshipping other gods-plus the idols they made with their own hands. These sins demonstrated Judah"s covenant unfaithfulness for which God had promised curses ( Leviticus 26:14-39; Deuteronomy 28:15-68).

Context Summary

Jeremiah 1:1-19 - Courage Promised To A Fearful Messenger
God has a distinct purpose for each life, and our one aim should be to discover and work out His plan. See Psalms 139:16; Galatians 1:15. The sanctification here referred to applies to office rather than to character, and means set apart. See John 17:19. Jeremiah was very young, and shrank from the responsibility of the great mission entrusted to him. Thus it has been with the noblest, Jeremiah 1:18-191. But that is godly fear indeed which casts us back on God. He never gives a commission without assuming the responsibility of its execution in, and with, or through, us. Powers of utterance are specially His gift, Isaiah 6:7; Acts 6:10; 1 Corinthians 1:5. The almond tree in Hebrew is the wakeful tree. It awakes from the winter sleep earlier than others, flowering in January and fruiting in March. It indicated the swiftness of God's movement. The boiling pot is the symbol of war. The promises of 1711649341_77 are very precious to all who are called to stand in the breach and charge men with their sins. [source]

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 1

1  The time
4  And the calling of Jeremiah
11  His prophetical visions of an almond rod and a seething pot
15  His heavy message against Judah
17  God encourages him with his promise of assistance

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 1:16 mean?

And I will utter My judgments Against them concerning all their wickedness because they have forsaken Me and Burned incense to gods other and worshiped the works of their own hands
וְדִבַּרְתִּ֤י מִשְׁפָּטַי֙ אוֹתָ֔ם עַ֖ל כָּל־ רָעָתָ֑ם אֲשֶׁ֣ר עֲזָב֗וּנִי וַֽיְקַטְּרוּ֙ לֵאלֹהִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֔ים וַיִּֽשְׁתַּחֲו֖וּ לְמַעֲשֵׂ֥י יְדֵיהֶֽם

וְדִבַּרְתִּ֤י  And  I  will  utter 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: דָּבַר 
Sense: to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing.
מִשְׁפָּטַי֙  My  judgments 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: מִשְׁפָּט  
Sense: judgment, justice, ordinance.
אוֹתָ֔ם  Against  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
Root: אֵת 
Sense: with, near, together with.
עַ֖ל  concerning 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
רָעָתָ֑ם  their  wickedness 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
אֲשֶׁ֣ר  because 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
עֲזָב֗וּנִי  they  have  forsaken  Me 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural, first person common singular
Root: עָזַב 
Sense: to leave, loose, forsake.
וַֽיְקַטְּרוּ֙  and  Burned  incense 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: מֻקְטָר 
Sense: .
לֵאלֹהִ֣ים  to  gods 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
אֲחֵרִ֔ים  other 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: אַחֵר  
Sense: another, other, following.
וַיִּֽשְׁתַּחֲו֖וּ  and  worshiped 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hitpael, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שָׁחָה  
Sense: to bow down.
לְמַעֲשֵׂ֥י  the  works 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: מַעֲשֶׂה  
Sense: deed, work.
יְדֵיהֶֽם  of  their  own  hands 
Parse: Noun, fdc, third person masculine plural
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.