The Meaning of Jeremiah 4:9 Explained

Jeremiah 4:9

KJV: And it shall come to pass at that day, saith the LORD, that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder.

YLT: And it hath come to pass, in that day, An affirmation of Jehovah: 'Perish doth the heart of the king, And the heart of the princes, And astonished have been the priests, And the prophets do wonder.'

Darby: And it shall come to pass in that day, saith Jehovah, that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall be amazed.

ASV: And it shall come to pass at that day, saith Jehovah, that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And it shall come to pass at that day,  saith  the LORD,  [that] the heart  of the king  shall perish,  and the heart  of the princes;  and the priests  shall be astonished,  and the prophets  shall wonder. 

What does Jeremiah 4:9 Mean?

Verse Meaning

When this enemy invaded, all the people, represented by their various groups of leaders, would be terrified (cf. Jeremiah 2:8; Jeremiah 2:26). False prophets had created the illusion that peace would continue indefinitely (cf. Jeremiah 6:13-14; Jeremiah 14:13-14; Jeremiah 23:16-17).

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 4:9 mean?

And it shall come to pass in day that says Yahweh [That] shall perish the heart of the king and the heart of the princes and shall be astonished the priests and the prophets shall wonder
וְהָיָ֤ה בַיּוֹם־ הַהוּא֙ נְאֻם־ יְהוָ֔ה יֹאבַ֥ד לֵב־ הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ וְלֵ֣ב הַשָּׂרִ֑ים וְנָשַׁ֙מּוּ֙ הַכֹּ֣הֲנִ֔ים וְהַנְּבִיאִ֖ים יִתְמָֽהוּ

וְהָיָ֤ה  And  it  shall  come  to  pass 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
בַיּוֹם־  in  day 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
הַהוּא֙  that 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, third person masculine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
נְאֻם־  says 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: נְאֻם  
Sense: (Qal) utterance, declaration (of prophet).
יְהוָ֔ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
יֹאבַ֥ד  [That]  shall  perish 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָבַד  
Sense: perish, vanish, go astray, be destroyed.
לֵב־  the  heart 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: לֵב 
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding.
הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ  of  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
וְלֵ֣ב  and  the  heart 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: לֵב 
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding.
הַשָּׂרִ֑ים  of  the  princes 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: סָרַר 
Sense: prince, ruler, leader, chief, chieftain, official, captain.
וְנָשַׁ֙מּוּ֙  and  shall  be  astonished 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Nifal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: שָׁמֵם  
Sense: to be desolate, be appalled, stun, stupefy.
הַכֹּ֣הֲנִ֔ים  the  priests 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: כֹּהֵן  
Sense: priest, principal officer or chief ruler.
וְהַנְּבִיאִ֖ים  and  the  prophets 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: נָבִיא  
Sense: spokesman, speaker, prophet.
יִתְמָֽהוּ  shall  wonder 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: תָּמַהּ  
Sense: to be astounded, be stunned, be amazed, be dumbfounded.