The Meaning of Jeremiah 4:14 Explained

Jeremiah 4:14

KJV: O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?

YLT: Wash from evil thy heart, O Jerusalem, That thou mayest be saved, Till when dost thou lodge in thy heart Thoughts of thy strength?

Darby: Wash thy heart, Jerusalem, from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?

ASV: O Jerusalem, wash thy heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thine evil thoughts lodge within thee?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

O Jerusalem,  wash  thine heart  from wickedness,  that thou mayest be saved.  How long shall thy vain  thoughts  lodge  within  thee? 

What does Jeremiah 4:14 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The prophet appealed to his people to cleanse their hearts so God would be merciful to them. There was still time for repentance. The people needed to get rid of their wicked thoughts that had marked them for so long.
"Jeremiah is preeminently the prophet of the heart, for he used the word over sixty times." [1]

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 4

1  God calls Israel by his promise
3  He exhorts Judah to repentance by fearful judgments
19  A grievous lamentation for Judah

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 4:14 mean?

Wash from wickedness your heart Jerusalem that you may be saved How long shall lodge within you thoughts your evil
כַּבְּסִ֨י מֵרָעָ֤ה לִבֵּךְ֙ יְר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם לְמַ֖עַן תִּוָּשֵׁ֑עִי עַד־ מָתַ֛י תָּלִ֥ין בְּקִרְבֵּ֖ךְ מַחְשְׁב֥וֹת אוֹנֵֽךְ

כַּבְּסִ֨י  Wash 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: כָּבַס  
Sense: to wash (by treading), be washed, perform the work of a fuller.
מֵרָעָ֤ה  from  wickedness 
Parse: Preposition-m, Adjective, feminine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
לִבֵּךְ֙  your  heart 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: לֵב 
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding.
יְר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם  Jerusalem 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְרוּשָׁלַםִ  
Sense: the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split.
לְמַ֖עַן  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: לְמַעַן 
Sense: purpose, intent prep.
תִּוָּשֵׁ֑עִי  you  may  be  saved 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, second person feminine singular
Root: יָשַׁע 
Sense: to save, be saved, be delivered.
עַד־  How 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַד  
Sense: as far as, even to, until, up to, while, as far as.
מָתַ֛י  long 
Parse: Interrogative
Root: מָתַי  
Sense: when?.
תָּלִ֥ין  shall  lodge 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: לוּן 
Sense: to lodge, stop over, pass the night, abide.
בְּקִרְבֵּ֖ךְ  within  you 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: קֶרֶב  
Sense: midst, among, inner part, middle.
מַחְשְׁב֥וֹת  thoughts 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: מַחֲשָׁבָה  
Sense: thought, device.
אוֹנֵֽךְ  your  evil 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: אָוֶן 
Sense: trouble, wickedness, sorrow.