The Meaning of Jeremiah 4:31 Explained

Jeremiah 4:31

KJV: For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, and the anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, that bewaileth herself, that spreadeth her hands, saying, Woe is me now! for my soul is wearied because of murderers.

YLT: For a voice as of a sick woman I have heard, Distress, as of one bringing forth a first-born, The voice of the daughter of Zion, She bewaileth herself, she spreadeth out her hands, 'Woe to me now, for weary is my soul of slayers!'

Darby: For I hear a voice, as of a woman in travail, anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion: she moaneth, she spreadeth forth her hands, saying, Woe unto me! for my soul faileth because of murderers.

ASV: For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, the anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, that gaspeth for breath, that spreadeth her hands,'saying , Woe is me now! for my soul fainteth before the murderers.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

For I have heard  a voice  as of a woman in travail,  [and] the anguish  as of her that bringeth forth her first child,  the voice  of the daughter  of Zion,  [that] bewaileth  herself, [that] spreadeth  her hands,  [saying], Woe  [is] me now! for my soul  is wearied  because of murderers. 

What does Jeremiah 4:31 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Judah would cry out like a woman giving birth for the first time. She would be in agony because of the adversaries who had come to put her to death. Neither pretty words ( Jeremiah 4:30), nor a pitiful cry ( Jeremiah 4:31), would turn the Lord back from His decision to judge His people. [1]
". . . Jerusalem"s demise [2] would be like that of a prostitute giving birth to a firstborn bastard." [3]

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 4:31 mean?

For a voice as of a woman in labor I have heard the anguish as of her who brings forth her first child the voice of the daughter of Zion bewailing herself she spreads her hands [saying] Woe [is] now me for is weary my soul because of murderers -
כִּי֩ ק֨וֹל כְּחוֹלָ֜ה שָׁמַ֗עְתִּי צָרָה֙ כְּמַבְכִּירָ֔ה ק֧וֹל בַּת־ צִיּ֛וֹן תִּתְיַפֵּ֖חַ תְּפָרֵ֣שׂ כַּפֶּ֑יהָ אֽוֹי־ ! נָ֣א לִ֔י כִּֽי־ עָיְפָ֥ה נַפְשִׁ֖י לְהֹרְגִֽים פ

ק֨וֹל  a  voice 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: קֹול 
Sense: voice, sound, noise.
כְּחוֹלָ֜ה  as  of  a  woman  in  labor 
Parse: Preposition-k, Verb, Qal, Participle, feminine singular
Root: חָלָה 
Sense: to be or become weak, be or become sick, be or become diseased, be or become grieved, be or become sorry.
שָׁמַ֗עְתִּי  I  have  heard 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.
צָרָה֙  the  anguish 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: צָרָה 
Sense: straits, distress, trouble.
כְּמַבְכִּירָ֔ה  as  of  her  who  brings  forth  her  first  child 
Parse: Preposition-k, Verb, Hifil, Participle, feminine singular
Root: בָּכַר  
Sense: to be born first.
ק֧וֹל  the  voice 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: קֹול 
Sense: voice, sound, noise.
בַּת־  of  the  daughter 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: בַּת  
Sense: daughter.
צִיּ֛וֹן  of  Zion 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: צִיּׄון  
Sense: another name for Jerusalem especially in the prophetic books.
תִּתְיַפֵּ֖חַ  bewailing  herself 
Parse: Verb, Hitpael, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: יָפַח  
Sense: to breathe, breathe hard, puff.
תְּפָרֵ֣שׂ  she  spreads 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: פָּרַשׂ  
Sense: to spread, spread out, stretch, break in pieces.
כַּפֶּ֑יהָ  her  hands 
Parse: Noun, fdc, third person feminine singular
Root: כַּף  
Sense: palm, hand, sole, palm of the hand, hollow or flat of the hand.
אֽוֹי־  [saying]  Woe  [is] 
Parse: Interjection
Root: אֹוי  
Sense: woe! alas! oh!.
! נָ֣א  now 
Parse: Interjection
Root: נָא  
Sense: I (we) pray, now, please.
לִ֔י  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
עָיְפָ֥ה  is  weary 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: עִיף  
Sense: to be faint, be weary.
נַפְשִׁ֖י  my  soul 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: נֶפֶשׁ  
Sense: soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion.
לְהֹרְגִֽים  because  of  murderers 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: הָרַג  
Sense: to kill, slay, murder, destroy, murderer, slayer, out of hand.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation