The Meaning of Jeremiah 13:20 Explained

Jeremiah 13:20

KJV: Lift up your eyes, and behold them that come from the north: where is the flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock?

YLT: Lift up your eyes, and see those coming in from the north, Where is the drove given to thee, thy beautiful flock?

Darby: Lift up your eyes, and behold them that come from the north. Where is the flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock?

ASV: Lift up your eyes, and behold them that come from the north: where is the flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Lift up  your eyes,  and behold  them that come  from the north:  where [is] the flock  [that] was given  thee, thy beautiful  flock? 

What does Jeremiah 13:20 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Lord beckoned Jerusalem to look north and she would see people coming. [1] The city was about to lose the flock of special people over whom the Lord had made her responsible, namely, His people of Judah.

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 13:20 mean?

- Lift up your eyes - and see Those who come from the north Where [is] the flock [that] was given to you sheep Your beautiful
[שאי] (שְׂא֤וּ) עֵֽינֵיכֶם֙ [וראי] (וּרְא֔וּ) הַבָּאִ֖ים מִצָּפ֑וֹן אַיֵּ֗ה הָעֵ֙דֶר֙ נִתַּן־ לָ֔ךְ צֹ֖אן ؟ תִּפְאַרְתֵּֽךְ

[שאי]  - 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: אֲבַטִּיחַ  
Sense: watermelon, Egyptian fruit.
(שְׂא֤וּ)  Lift  up 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: נָשָׂא  
Sense: to lift, bear up, carry, take.
עֵֽינֵיכֶם֙  your  eyes 
Parse: Noun, cdc, second person masculine plural
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
[וראי]  - 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, feminine singular
(וּרְא֔וּ)  and  see 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
הַבָּאִ֖ים  Those  who  come 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
מִצָּפ֑וֹן  from  the  north 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine singular
Root: צָפֹון  
Sense: north (of direction), northward.
אַיֵּ֗ה  Where  [is] 
Parse: Interrogative
Root: אַיֵּה  
Sense: where?.
הָעֵ֙דֶר֙  the  flock 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֵדֶר  
Sense: flock, herd.
נִתַּן־  [that]  was  given 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
לָ֔ךְ  to  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular
צֹ֖אן  sheep 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct
Root: צֹאן  
Sense: small cattle, sheep, sheep and goats, flock, flocks.
؟ תִּפְאַרְתֵּֽךְ  Your  beautiful 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: תִּפְאֶרֶת  
Sense: beauty, splendour, glory.