The Meaning of Jeremiah 18:18 Explained

Jeremiah 18:18

KJV: Then said they, Come, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words.

YLT: And they say, Come, And we devise against Jeremiah devices, For law doth not perish from the priest, Nor counsel from the wise, Nor the word from the prophet, Come, and we smite him with the tongue, And we do not attend to any of his words.

Darby: And they said, Come, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; for law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor word from the prophet. Come and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words.

ASV: Then said they, Come, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then said  they, Come,  and let us devise  devices  against Jeremiah;  for the law  shall not perish  from the priest,  nor counsel  from the wise,  nor the word  from the prophet.  Come,  and let us smite  him with the tongue,  and let us not give heed  to any of his words. 

What does Jeremiah 18:18 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Some of the Judahites plotted to kill Jeremiah. They justified their action by noting that even if they killed him, the Mosaic Law and the counsel of other wise men and other prophets would still remain. Thus they rationalized their sin.
"The proverb suggests that nothing can shut up a prophet-he always has a word (the last word?)." [1]
They did not believe that their lives would change radically because of their failure to repent. They did not really believe that they were heading for exile. They believed Jeremiah"s prophecies were false.
"To disturb a complacent leadership or a misguided populace was only to invite serious repercussions. Human society in every age bears eloquent testimony to the fact." [2]

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 18:18 mean?

And they said come and let us devise against Jeremiah plans for not shall perish the law from the priest nor counsel from the wise nor the word from the prophet Come and let us attack him with the tongue and not let us give heed to any of his words
וַיֹּאמְר֗וּ לְכ֨וּ וְנַחְשְׁבָ֣ה עַֽל־ יִרְמְיָהוּ֮ מַחֲשָׁבוֹת֒ כִּי֩ לֹא־ תֹאבַ֨ד תּוֹרָ֜ה מִכֹּהֵ֗ן וְעֵצָה֙ מֵֽחָכָ֔ם וְדָבָ֖ר מִנָּבִ֑יא לְכוּ֙ וְנַכֵּ֣הוּ בַלָּשׁ֔וֹן וְאַל־ נַקְשִׁ֖יבָה אֶל־ כָּל־ דְּבָרָֽיו

וַיֹּאמְר֗וּ  And  they  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
לְכ֨וּ  come 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
וְנַחְשְׁבָ֣ה  and  let  us  devise 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative, first person common plural
Root: חָשַׁב 
Sense: to think, plan, esteem, calculate, invent, make a judgment, imagine, count.
עַֽל־  against 
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.
יִרְמְיָהוּ֮  Jeremiah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִרְמְיָה 
Sense: the major prophet, son of Hilkiah of the priestly family in Anathoth; author of the prophetic book bearing his name.
מַחֲשָׁבוֹת֒  plans 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: מַחֲשָׁבָה  
Sense: thought, device.
תֹאבַ֨ד  shall  perish 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אָבַד  
Sense: perish, vanish, go astray, be destroyed.
תּוֹרָ֜ה  the  law 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: תֹּורָה  
Sense: law, direction, instruction.
מִכֹּהֵ֗ן  from  the  priest 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular
Root: כֹּהֵן  
Sense: priest, principal officer or chief ruler.
וְעֵצָה֙  nor  counsel 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular
Root: עֵצָה 
Sense: counsel, advice, purpose.
מֵֽחָכָ֔ם  from  the  wise 
Parse: Preposition-m, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: חָכָם  
Sense: wise, wise (man).
וְדָבָ֖ר  nor  the  word 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
מִנָּבִ֑יא  from  the  prophet 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular
Root: נָבִיא  
Sense: spokesman, speaker, prophet.
לְכוּ֙  Come 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
וְנַכֵּ֣הוּ  and  let  us  attack  him 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative if contextual, first person common plural, third person masculine singular
Root: נָכָה  
Sense: to strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, kill.
בַלָּשׁ֔וֹן  with  the  tongue 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, common singular
Root: לָשֹׁון  
Sense: tongue.
וְאַל־  and  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb
Root: אַל  
Sense: not, no, nor, neither, nothing (as wish or preference).
נַקְשִׁ֖יבָה  let  us  give  heed 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect Cohortative, first person common plural
Root: קָשַׁב  
Sense: to hear, be attentive, heed, incline (of ears), attend (of ears), hearken, pay attention, listen.
כָּל־  any 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
דְּבָרָֽיו  of  his  words 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.