The Meaning of Jeremiah 12:7 Explained

Jeremiah 12:7

KJV: I have forsaken mine house, I have left mine heritage; I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies.

YLT: I have forsaken My house, I have left Mine inheritance, I have given the beloved of My soul Into the hand of her enemies.

Darby: I have forsaken my house, I have cast off my heritage, I have given the beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies.

ASV: I have forsaken my house, I have cast off my heritage; I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

I have forsaken  mine house,  I have left  mine heritage;  I have given  the dearly beloved  of my soul  into the hand  of her enemies. 

What does Jeremiah 12:7 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Yahweh mourned that He had forsaken the nation and abandoned His people to their captors (cf. Deuteronomy 9:29; Joel 2:17; Joel 3:2). [1] He had turned over the nation-that He had loved like a husband loving his wife-to her enemies" domination. The Hebrew verbs in this section are prophetic perfects, which view future events as already past. The "house" may refer to the people, the land, or the temple, but the meaning is the same in any case.

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 12:7 mean?

I have forsaken - My house I have left My heritage I have given the dearly beloved of My soul into the hand of her enemies
עָזַ֙בְתִּי֙ אֶת־ בֵּיתִ֔י נָטַ֖שְׁתִּי נַחֲלָתִ֑י נָתַ֛תִּי יְדִד֥וּת נַפְשִׁ֖י בְּכַ֥ף אֹיְבֶֽיהָ

עָזַ֙בְתִּי֙  I  have  forsaken 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: עָזַב 
Sense: to leave, loose, forsake.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
בֵּיתִ֔י  My  house 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
נָטַ֖שְׁתִּי  I  have  left 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: נָטַשׁ  
Sense: to leave, permit, forsake, cast off or away, reject, suffer, join, spread out or abroad, be loosed, cease, abandon, quit, hang loose, cast down, make a raid, lie fallow, let fall, forgo, draw.
נַחֲלָתִ֑י  My  heritage 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: נַחֲלָה  
Sense: possession, property, inheritance, heritage.
נָתַ֛תִּי  I  have  given 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
יְדִד֥וּת  the  dearly  beloved 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: יְדִדוּת  
Sense: one dearly loved, beloved one, object of love.
נַפְשִׁ֖י  of  My  soul 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: נֶפֶשׁ  
Sense: soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion.
בְּכַ֥ף  into  the  hand 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: כַּף  
Sense: palm, hand, sole, palm of the hand, hollow or flat of the hand.
אֹיְבֶֽיהָ  of  her  enemies 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct, third person feminine singular
Root: אֹיֵב  
Sense: (Qal) enemy.