The Meaning of Jeremiah 16:15 Explained

Jeremiah 16:15

KJV: But, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.

YLT: But, 'Jehovah liveth, who brought up The sons of Israel out of the land of the north, And out of all the lands whither He drove them,' And I have brought them back to their land, That I gave to their fathers.

Darby: but, As Jehovah liveth, who brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them. For I will bring them again into their land, which I gave unto their fathers.

ASV: but, As Jehovah liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the countries whither he had driven them. And I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

But, The LORD  liveth,  that brought up  the children  of Israel  from the land  of the north,  and from all the lands  whither he had driven  them: and I will bring them again  into their land  that I gave  unto their fathers. 

What does Jeremiah 16:15 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Instead, they would look back on their second Exodus , from Babylon and all the other countries to which He had banished them. The Lord promised to bring His people back into the Promised Land that He had given their fathers, after He had disciplined them in those other countries (cf. Genesis 12:7; Isaiah 43:16-20; Isaiah 48:20-21; Isaiah 51:9-11).
The returns from Babylonian exile, therefore, were only part of the fulfillment of this promise. There must still be a return of the Chosen People to the Promised Land "which I gave to their fathers" from all over the world. This will be a return after the Jews have repented (cf. Isaiah 2:2-4; Isaiah 18:7; Isaiah 19:19-25; Zechariah 8:20-23; Zechariah 14:16; Malachi 1:11). [1] Therefore the present return of multitudes of Jews from all over the world to Palestine does not fulfill what God promised here.
Even though there would be deliverance for Israel in the distant future, she could count on thorough judgment in the near future ( Jeremiah 16:16-18).

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 16

1  The prophet, under the types of abstaining from marriage,
8  from houses of mourning and feasting, foreshows the utter ruin of the Jews;
10  because they were worse than their fathers
14  Their return from captivity shall be stranger than their deliverance out of Egypt
16  God will doubly recompense their idolatry

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 16:15 mean?

for but lives Yahweh who brought up - the sons of Israel from the land of the north and from all the lands where He had driven them there for I will bring them back into their land which I gave to their fathers -
כִּ֣י אִם־ חַי־ יְהוָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר הֶעֱלָ֜ה אֶת־ בְּנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ צָפ֔וֹן וּמִכֹּל֙ הָֽאֲרָצ֔וֹת אֲשֶׁ֥ר הִדִּיחָ֖ם שָׁ֑מָּה וַהֲשִֽׁבֹתִים֙ עַל־ אַדְמָתָ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר נָתַ֖תִּי לַאֲבוֹתָֽם ס

חַי־  lives 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: חַי 
Sense: living, alive.
יְהוָ֗ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
הֶעֱלָ֜ה  brought  up 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
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.
בְּנֵ֤י  the  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
יִשְׂרָאֵל֙  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
מֵאֶ֣רֶץ  from  the  land 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
צָפ֔וֹן  of  the  north 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: צָפֹון  
Sense: north (of direction), northward.
וּמִכֹּל֙  and  from  all 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
הָֽאֲרָצ֔וֹת  the  lands 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine plural
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
אֲשֶׁ֥ר  where 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
הִדִּיחָ֖ם  He  had  driven  them 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine plural
Root: נָדַח 
Sense: to impel, thrust, drive away, banish.
וַהֲשִֽׁבֹתִים֙  for  I  will  bring  them  back 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular, third person masculine plural
Root: שׁוּב  
Sense: to return, turn back.
עַל־  into 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
אַדְמָתָ֔ם  their  land 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: אֲדָמָה 
Sense: ground, land.
נָתַ֖תִּי  I  gave 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
לַאֲבוֹתָֽם  to  their  fathers 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation