The Meaning of Jeremiah 4:7 Explained

Jeremiah 4:7

KJV: The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant.

YLT: Gone up hath a lion from his thicket, And a destroyer of nations hath journeyed, He hath come forth from his place To make thy land become a desolation, Thy cities are laid waste, without inhabitant.

Darby: The lion is come up from his thicket, the destroyer of the nations is on his way; he is gone forth from his place, to make thy land desolate; thy cities shall be laid waste, without inhabitant.

ASV: A lion is gone up from his thicket, and a destroyer of nations; he is on his way, he is gone forth from his place, to make thy land desolate, that thy cities be laid waste, without inhabitant.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The lion  is come up  from his thicket,  and the destroyer  of the Gentiles  is on his way;  he is gone forth  from his place  to make  thy land  desolate;  [and] thy cities  shall be laid waste,  without an inhabitant. 

What does Jeremiah 4:7 Mean?

Verse Meaning

A lion-like enemy had left its home to desolate Judah and its cities, and this enemy would succeed in driving out the inhabitants of these towns (cf. 1 Peter 5:8). As noted previously, one of the symbols of Babylon was the lion. [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 4:7 mean?

Has come up the lion from his thicket and the destroyer of nations is on his way He has gone forth from his place to make your land desolate Your cities will be laid waste without inhabitant
עָלָ֤ה אַרְיֵה֙ מִֽסֻּבְּכ֔וֹ וּמַשְׁחִ֣ית גּוֹיִ֔ם נָסַ֖ע יָצָ֣א מִמְּקֹמ֑וֹ לָשׂ֤וּם אַרְצֵךְ֙ לְשַׁמָּ֔ה עָרַ֥יִךְ תִּצֶּ֖ינָה מֵאֵ֥ין יוֹשֵֽׁב

עָלָ֤ה  Has  come  up 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
אַרְיֵה֙  the  lion 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲרִי 
Sense: lion.
מִֽסֻּבְּכ֔וֹ  from  his  thicket 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: סְבֹךְ  
Sense: thicket.
וּמַשְׁחִ֣ית  and  the  destroyer 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine singular construct
Root: שָׁחַת  
Sense: to destroy, corrupt, go to ruin, decay.
גּוֹיִ֔ם  of  nations 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: גֹּוי 
Sense: nation, people.
נָסַ֖ע  is  on  his  way 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָסַע  
Sense: to pull out, pull up, set out, journey, remove, set forward, depart.
יָצָ֣א  He  has  gone  forth 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יׄוצֵאת 
Sense: to go out, come out, exit, go forth.
מִמְּקֹמ֑וֹ  from  his  place 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: מָקֹום  
Sense: standing place, place.
לָשׂ֤וּם  to  make 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: שׂוּמָה 
Sense: to put, place, set, appoint, make.
אַרְצֵךְ֙  your  land 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
לְשַׁמָּ֔ה  desolate 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, feminine singular
Root: שַׁמָּה  
Sense: waste, horror, appalment.
עָרַ֥יִךְ  Your  cities 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, second person feminine singular
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
תִּצֶּ֖ינָה  will  be  laid  waste 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine plural
Root: נָצָה 
Sense: (Qal) to fly.
מֵאֵ֥ין  without 
Parse: Preposition-m, Adverb
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
יוֹשֵֽׁב  inhabitant 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.