The Meaning of Jeremiah 18:15 Explained

Jeremiah 18:15

KJV: Because my people hath forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity, and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not cast up;

YLT: But My people have forgotten Me, to a vain thing they make perfume, And they cause them to stumble in their ways -- paths of old, To walk in paths -- a way not raised up,

Darby: For my people hath forgotten me: they burn incense to vanity; and they have caused them to stumble in their ways, the ancient paths, to walk in by-paths of a way not cast up;

ASV: For my people have forgotten me, they have burned incense to false gods ; and they have been made to stumble in their ways, in the ancient paths, to walk in bypaths, in a way not cast up;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Because my people  hath forgotten  me, they have burned incense  to vanity,  and they have caused them to stumble  in their ways  [from] the ancient  paths,  to walk  in paths,  [in] a way  not cast up; 

What does Jeremiah 18:15 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Israel had abandoned Yahweh and had worshipped worthless idols instead. His people had stumbled off the safe, well-established highway of God"s will that they had been traveling on, and had turned aside to walk in pathways that were not roads (cf. Jeremiah 6:16).

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 18

1  Under the type of a potter is shown God's absolute power in disposing of nations
11  Judgments threatened to Judah for her strange revolt
18  Jeremiah prays against his conspirators

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 18:15 mean?

Because have forgotten Me My people to worthless idols they have burned incense and they have caused themselves to stumble in their ways [From] the paths ancient to walk in paths in pathways and not on a highway
כִּֽי־ שְׁכֵחֻ֥נִי עַמִּ֖י לַשָּׁ֣וְא יְקַטֵּ֑רוּ וַיַּכְשִׁל֤וּם בְּדַרְכֵיהֶם֙ שְׁבִילֵ֣י עוֹלָ֔ם לָלֶ֣כֶת נְתִיב֔וֹת דֶּ֖רֶךְ לֹ֥א סְלוּלָֽה

כִּֽי־  Because 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
שְׁכֵחֻ֥נִי  have  forgotten  Me 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural, first person common singular
Root: כָּשַׁח 
Sense: to forget, ignore, wither.
עַמִּ֖י  My  people 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
לַשָּׁ֣וְא  to  worthless  idols 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁוְא  
Sense: emptiness, vanity, falsehood.
יְקַטֵּ֑רוּ  they  have  burned  incense 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: מֻקְטָר 
Sense: .
וַיַּכְשִׁל֤וּם  and  they  have  caused  themselves  to  stumble 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural, third person masculine plural
Root: כָּשַׁל  
Sense: to stumble, stagger, totter.
בְּדַרְכֵיהֶם֙  in  their  ways 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, common plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: דֶּרֶךְ  
Sense: way, road, distance, journey, manner.
שְׁבִילֵ֣י  [From]  the  paths 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: שְׁבִיל  
Sense: way, path.
עוֹלָ֔ם  ancient 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֹולָם  
Sense: long duration, antiquity, futurity, for ever, ever, everlasting, evermore, perpetual, old, ancient, world.
לָלֶ֣כֶת  to  walk 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
נְתִיב֔וֹת  in  paths 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: נָתִיב 
Sense: trodden with the feet, path, pathway.
דֶּ֖רֶךְ  in  pathways 
Parse: Noun, common singular
Root: דֶּרֶךְ  
Sense: way, road, distance, journey, manner.
לֹ֥א  and  not 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
סְלוּלָֽה  on  a  highway 
Parse: Verb, Qal, QalPassParticiple, feminine singular
Root: סָלַל 
Sense: to lift up, cast up, exalt.