The Meaning of Jeremiah 12:12 Explained

Jeremiah 12:12

KJV: The spoilers are come upon all high places through the wilderness: for the sword of the LORD shall devour from the one end of the land even to the other end of the land: no flesh shall have peace.

YLT: On all high places in the plain have spoilers come in, For the sword of Jehovah is consuming, From the end of the land even unto the end of the land, There is no peace to any flesh.

Darby: Spoilers are come upon all heights in the wilderness; for the sword of Jehovah devoureth from one end of the land even to the other end of the land: no flesh hath peace.

ASV: Destroyers are come upon all the bare heights in the wilderness; for the sword of Jehovah devoureth from the one end of the land even to the other end of the land: no flesh hath peace.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The spoilers  are come  upon all high places  through the wilderness:  for the sword  of the LORD  shall devour  from the [one] end  of the land  even to the [other] end  of the land:  no flesh  shall have peace. 

What does Jeremiah 12:12 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Lord would bring "destroyers" against His people from the wilderness, who would act as His "sword" and "devour" them. The whole land would experience war.

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 12

1  Jeremiah, complaining of the prosperity of the wicked, by faith sees their ruin
5  God admonishes him of his brothers' treachery against him;
7  and laments his heritage
14  He promises to the penitent return from captivity

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 12:12 mean?

On all the desolate heights in the wilderness have come the plunderers for the sword of Yahweh shall devour and from [one] end of the land to the [other] end No shall have of the land Peace On all flesh -
עַֽל־ כָּל־ שְׁפָיִ֣ם בַּמִּדְבָּ֗ר בָּ֚אוּ שֹֽׁדְדִ֔ים כִּ֣י חֶ֤רֶב לַֽיהוָה֙ אֹֽכְלָ֔ה מִקְצֵה־ אֶ֖רֶץ וְעַד־ קְצֵ֣ה הָאָ֑רֶץ אֵ֥ין שָׁל֖וֹם לְכָל־ בָּשָֽׂר ס

שְׁפָיִ֣ם  the  desolate  heights 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: שְׁפִי  
Sense: bareness, smooth or bare height, bare place, high places, barren height.
בַּמִּדְבָּ֗ר  in  the  wilderness 
Parse: Preposition, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִדְבָּר 
Sense: wilderness.
בָּ֚אוּ  have  come 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
שֹֽׁדְדִ֔ים  the  plunderers 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: שָׁדַד  
Sense: to deal violently with, despoil, devastate, ruin, destroy, spoil.
חֶ֤רֶב  the  sword 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֶרֶב  
Sense: sword, knife.
לַֽיהוָה֙  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Preposition-m, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֹֽכְלָ֔ה  shall  devour 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, feminine singular
Root: אָכַל  
Sense: to eat, devour, burn up, feed.
מִקְצֵה־  and  from  [one]  end 
Parse: Preposition, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: קָצֶה 
Sense: end, extremity.
אֶ֖רֶץ  of  the  land 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
קְצֵ֣ה  the  [other]  end 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: קָצֶה 
Sense: end, extremity.
הָאָ֑רֶץ  No  shall  have 
Parse: Adverb
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
אֵ֥ין  of  the  land 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
שָׁל֖וֹם  Peace 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁלֹום  
Sense: completeness, soundness, welfare, peace.
לְכָל־  On  all 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
בָּשָֽׂר  flesh 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: בָּשָׂר  
Sense: flesh.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation