The Meaning of Jeremiah 37:10 Explained

Jeremiah 37:10

KJV: For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yet should they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire.

YLT: for though ye had smitten all the force of the Chaldeans who are fighting with you, and there were left of them wounded men -- each in his tent -- they rise, and have burnt this city with fire.'

Darby: For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yet should they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire.

ASV: For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yea would they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

For though ye had smitten  the whole army  of the Chaldeans  that fight  against you, and there remained  [but] wounded  men  among them, [yet] should they rise up  every man  in his tent,  and burn  this city  with fire. 

What does Jeremiah 37:10 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 37

1  The Egyptians having raised the siege of the Chaldeans,
3  king Zedekiah sends to Jeremiah to pray for the people
6  Jeremiah prophesies the Chaldeans' certain return and victory
11  He is taken for a fugitive, beaten, and put in prison
16  He assures Zedekiah of the captivity
18  Entreating for his liberty, he obtains some favor

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 37:10 mean?

For though you had defeated the whole army of the Chaldeans who fight against you and there remained among them men [only] wounded every man in his tent they would rise up and burn - city this with fire
כִּ֣י אִם־ הִכִּיתֶ֞ם כָּל־ חֵ֤יל כַּשְׂדִּים֙ הַנִּלְחָמִ֣ים אִתְּכֶ֔ם וְנִ֨שְׁאֲרוּ בָ֔ם אֲנָשִׁ֖ים מְדֻקָּרִ֑ים אִ֤ישׁ בְּאָהֳלוֹ֙ יָק֔וּמוּ וְשָֽׂרְפ֛וּ אֶת־ הָעִ֥יר הַזֹּ֖את בָּאֵֽשׁ

אִם־  though 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: אִם  
Sense: if.
הִכִּיתֶ֞ם  you  had  defeated 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: נָכָה  
Sense: to strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, kill.
כָּל־  the  whole 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
חֵ֤יל  army 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: חַיִל 
Sense: strength, might, efficiency, wealth, army.
כַּשְׂדִּים֙  of  the  Chaldeans 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine plural
Root: כַּשְׂדִּים  
Sense: a territory in lower Mesopotamia bordering on the Persian Gulf.
הַנִּלְחָמִ֣ים  who  fight 
Parse: Article, Verb, Nifal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: לָחַם 
Sense: to fight, do battle, make war.
אִתְּכֶ֔ם  against  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine plural
Root: אֵת 
Sense: with, near, together with.
וְנִ֨שְׁאֲרוּ  and  there  remained 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Nifal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: שָׁאַר  
Sense: to remain, be left over, be left behind.
בָ֔ם  among  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
אֲנָשִׁ֖ים  men 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
מְדֻקָּרִ֑ים  [only]  wounded 
Parse: Verb, Pual, Participle, masculine plural
Root: דָּקַר  
Sense: to pierce, thrust through, pierce through.
אִ֤ישׁ  every  man 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
בְּאָהֳלוֹ֙  in  his  tent 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אֹהֶל  
Sense: tent.
יָק֔וּמוּ  they  would  rise  up 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: קוּם 
Sense: to rise, arise, stand, rise up, stand up.
וְשָֽׂרְפ֛וּ  and  burn 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: שָׂרַף  
Sense: to burn.
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.
הָעִ֥יר  city 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
הַזֹּ֖את  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, feminine singular
Root: זׄאת  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, such.
בָּאֵֽשׁ  with  fire 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, common singular
Root: אֵשׁ  
Sense: fire.