The Meaning of Jeremiah 28:8 Explained

Jeremiah 28:8

KJV: The prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied both against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence.

YLT: The prophets who have been before me, and before thee, from of old, even they prophesy concerning many lands, and concerning great kingdoms, of battle, and of evil, and of pestilence.

Darby: The prophets that have been before me and before thee of old, prophesied also concerning many countries and concerning great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence.

ASV: The prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The prophets  that have been before  me and before  thee of old  prophesied  both against many  countries,  and against great  kingdoms,  of war,  and of evil,  and of pestilence. 

What does Jeremiah 28:8 Mean?

Context Summary

Jeremiah 28:1-17 - Shepherds That Mislead God's Flock
It is God's purpose to care for His people through shepherds (pastors) who are responsible to Him. Jesus our Lord is the Branch into which we may be grafted. He is our King who saves us and clothes us with His own spotless righteousness. God finds us in Him, Philippians 3:9. Because He reigns, we are saved and dwell in safety. When we are brought into contact with false shepherds, whether the failure be in doctrine or example, let us ask for the broken heart of Jeremiah 23:9.
God is everywhere present; as the latter paragraph indicates, He is near at hand to overhear the blasphemy of those who deride religion, and to be a very present help in time of trouble. If He fills heaven and earth, can He not fill thy heart? If His Word is like fire, let it cleanse thee! If it is as a hammer, let it pulverize thy pride! Let those of us who essay to teach and preach, not steal our words from our neighbors, or utter our own, but receive them from the source of all truth. [source]

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 28

1  Hananiah prophesies falsely the return of the vessels, and of Jeconiah
3  and there continue until the day of visitation
5  Jeremiah, wishing it to be true, shows that the event will declare the true prophets
10  Hananiah breaks Jeremiah's yoke
12  Jeremiah tells of an iron yoke;
15  and foretells Hananiah's death

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 28:8 mean?

the prophets who have been before me and before you of old and prophesied against countries many and kingdoms great of war and disaster and pestilence
הַנְּבִיאִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֨ר הָי֧וּ לְפָנַ֛י וּלְפָנֶ֖יךָ מִן־ הָֽעוֹלָ֑ם וַיִּנָּ֨בְא֜וּ אֶל־ אֲרָצ֤וֹת רַבּוֹת֙ וְעַל־ מַמְלָכ֣וֹת גְּדֹל֔וֹת לְמִלְחָמָ֖ה וּלְרָעָ֥ה וּלְדָֽבֶר

הַנְּבִיאִ֗ים  the  prophets 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: נָבִיא  
Sense: spokesman, speaker, prophet.
הָי֧וּ  have  been 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
לְפָנַ֛י  before  me 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
וּלְפָנֶ֖יךָ  and  before  you 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Noun, common plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
הָֽעוֹלָ֑ם  old 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֹולָם  
Sense: long duration, antiquity, futurity, for ever, ever, everlasting, evermore, perpetual, old, ancient, world.
וַיִּנָּ֨בְא֜וּ  and  prophesied 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Nifal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: נָבָא  
Sense: to prophesy.
אֶל־  against 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
אֲרָצ֤וֹת  countries 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
רַבּוֹת֙  many 
Parse: Adjective, feminine plural
Root: רַב 
Sense: much, many, great.
מַמְלָכ֣וֹת  kingdoms 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: מַמְלָכָה  
Sense: kingdom, dominion, reign, sovereignty.
גְּדֹל֔וֹת  great 
Parse: Adjective, feminine plural
Root: גָּבֹול 
Sense: great.
לְמִלְחָמָ֖ה  of  war 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִלְחָמָה  
Sense: battle, war.
וּלְרָעָ֥ה  and  disaster 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Adjective, feminine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
וּלְדָֽבֶר  and  pestilence 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular
Root: דֶּבֶר 
Sense: pestilence, plague.