The Meaning of Jeremiah 13:17 Explained

Jeremiah 13:17

KJV: But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the LORD'S flock is carried away captive.

YLT: And if ye do not hear it, In secret places doth my soul weep, because of pride, Yea, it weepeth sore, And the tear cometh down mine eyes, For the flock of Jehovah hath been taken captive.

Darby: And if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because Jehovah's flock is gone into captivity.

ASV: But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because Jehovah's flock is taken captive.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

But if ye will not hear  it, my soul  shall weep  in secret places  for  [your] pride;  and mine eye  shall weep  sore,  and run down  with tears,  because the LORD'S  flock  is carried away captive. 

What does Jeremiah 13:17 Mean?

Verse Meaning

If the people would not listen to the Lord"s Word, Jeremiah would weep profusely for them, because their failure to listen would signify that the people, like a flock of sheep, would be taken captive by an enemy.
"Let no one think that the good news of Jesus Christ is to be communicated in a cold "take it or leave it" manner. Evangelical preaching and Christian witnessing must not be limited merely to a correct interpretation of the doctrines of the Word. We must have a love for sinners, so great a love that we will be driven urgently to unfold to them the way of salvation, whatever the cost." [1]

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 13

1  By the type of a linen belt, hidden at Euphrates,
9  God prefigures the destruction of his people
12  By the parable of bottles filled with wine he foretells their drunkenness in misery
15  He exhorts to prevent their future judgments
22  He shows their abominations are the cause thereof

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 13:17 mean?

But if not you will hear it in secret will weep My soul for [your] pride and bitterly will weep and run down My eyes with tears because has been taken captive The flock of Yahweh -
וְאִם֙ לֹ֣א תִשְׁמָע֔וּהָ בְּמִסְתָּרִ֥ים תִּבְכֶּֽה־ נַפְשִׁ֖י מִפְּנֵ֣י גֵוָ֑ה וְדָמֹ֨עַ תִּדְמַ֜ע וְתֵרַ֤ד עֵינִי֙ דִּמְעָ֔ה כִּ֥י נִשְׁבָּ֖ה עֵ֥דֶר יְהוָֽה ס

וְאִם֙  But  if 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Conjunction
Root: אִם  
Sense: if.
תִשְׁמָע֔וּהָ  you  will  hear  it 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine plural, third person feminine singular
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.
בְּמִסְתָּרִ֥ים  in  secret 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural
Root: מִסְתָּר  
Sense: secret place, hiding place.
תִּבְכֶּֽה־  will  weep 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: בָּכָה  
Sense: to weep, bewail, cry, shed tears.
נַפְשִׁ֖י  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.
גֵוָ֑ה  [your]  pride 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: גֵּוָה  
Sense: pride, a lifting up.
וְדָמֹ֨עַ  and  bitterly 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Infinitive absolute
Root: דָּמַע  
Sense: (Qal) to weep.
תִּדְמַ֜ע  will  weep 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: דָּמַע  
Sense: (Qal) to weep.
וְתֵרַ֤ד  and  run  down 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: יָרַד  
Sense: to go down, descend, decline, march down, sink down.
עֵינִי֙  My  eyes 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct, first person common singular
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
דִּמְעָ֔ה  with  tears 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: דִּמְעָה  
Sense: tears.
כִּ֥י  because 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
נִשְׁבָּ֖ה  has  been  taken  captive 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁבָה  
Sense: to take captive.
עֵ֥דֶר  The  flock 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: עֵדֶר  
Sense: flock, herd.
יְהוָֽה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation