The Meaning of Jeremiah 15:7 Explained

Jeremiah 15:7

KJV: And I will fan them with a fan in the gates of the land; I will bereave them of children, I will destroy my people, since they return not from their ways.

YLT: And I scatter them with a fan, in the gates the land, I bereaved, I have destroyed My people, From their ways they turned not back.

Darby: And I will fan them with a fan in the gates of the land; I will bereave of children and destroy my people: they have not returned from their ways.

ASV: And I have winnowed them with a fan in the gates of the land; I have bereaved them of children, I have destroyed my people; they returned not from their ways.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And I will fan  them with a fan  in the gates  of the land;  I will bereave  [them] of children, I will destroy  my people,  [since] they return  not from their ways. 

What does Jeremiah 15:7 Mean?

Verse Meaning

He would also scatter the people of the outlying towns, as when a farmer winnows his grain by throwing it up to the wind that blows the chaff away (cf. Matthew 3:12). Children would die because God"s people did not repent. Former winnowings, like the exile of the Northern Kingdom in722 B.C, had not brought the Judahites to repentance.
"The gates of the land are either mentioned by synecdoche for the cities, cf. Mic. Jeremiah 15:5, or are the approaches to the land (cf. Nah. iii13), its outlets and inlets." [1]

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 15

1  The utter rejection and manifold judgments of the people
10  Jeremiah, complaining of their spite, receives a promise for himself;
12  and a threatening for them
15  He prays;
19  and receives a gracious promise

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 15:7 mean?

And I will winnow them with a winnowing fan in the gates of the land I will bereave [them] of children I will destroy - My people from their ways not [Since] they do return
וָאֶזְרֵ֥ם בְּמִזְרֶ֖ה בְּשַׁעֲרֵ֣י הָאָ֑רֶץ שִׁכַּ֤לְתִּי אִבַּ֙דְתִּי֙ אֶת־ עַמִּ֔י מִדַּרְכֵיהֶ֖ם לוֹא־ שָֽׁבוּ

וָאֶזְרֵ֥ם  And  I  will  winnow  them 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular, third person masculine plural
Root: זָרָה 
Sense: to scatter, fan, cast away, winnow, disperse, compass, spread, be scattered, be dispersed.
בְּמִזְרֶ֖ה  with  a  winnowing  fan 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִזְרֶה  
Sense: pitchfork.
בְּשַׁעֲרֵ֣י  in  the  gates 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: שַׁעַר  
Sense: gate.
הָאָ֑רֶץ  of  the  land 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
שִׁכַּ֤לְתִּי  I  will  bereave  [them]  of  children 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: מְשַׁכֶּלֶת 
Sense: to be bereaved, make childless, miscarry.
אִבַּ֙דְתִּי֙  I  will  destroy 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: אָבַד  
Sense: perish, vanish, go astray, be destroyed.
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.
עַמִּ֔י  My  people 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
מִדַּרְכֵיהֶ֖ם  from  their  ways 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, common plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: דֶּרֶךְ  
Sense: way, road, distance, journey, manner.
שָֽׁבוּ  [Since]  they  do  return 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: שׁוּב  
Sense: to return, turn back.