The Meaning of Jeremiah 45:5 Explained

Jeremiah 45:5

KJV: And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the LORD: but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest.

YLT: And thou -- thou seekest for thee great things -- do not seek, for lo, I am bringing in evil on all flesh -- an affirmation of Jehovah -- and I have given to thee thy life for a spoil, in all places whither thou goest.'

Darby: And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not; for behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith Jehovah; but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou shalt go.

ASV: And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not; for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith Jehovah; but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And seekest  thou great things  for thyself? seek  [them] not: for, behold, I will bring  evil  upon all flesh,  saith  the LORD:  but thy life  will I give  unto thee for a prey  in all places  whither thou goest. 

What does Jeremiah 45:5 Mean?

Verse Meaning

It was wrong, therefore, for Baruch to expect a life of comfort and ease. Baruch was an educated man whose brother was a high official under King Zedekiah ( Jeremiah 51:59). His grandfather had been the ruler of Jerusalem during Josiah"s reign (cf. Jeremiah 32:12; 2 Chronicles 34:8). He may have entertained hopes of attaining a position of distinction in the nation, but Hebrews , too, would have to participate in the fallout of Yahweh"s judgment. The Lord promised to bless Baruch by preserving his life wherever he went because of his faithful service.
"Ironically, the very suffering through which Baruch passed because of his loyalty to Jeremiah gained him honor beyond anything he could have anticipated." [1]
"A crisis doesn"t "make a person"; a crisis reveals what a person is made of." [2]
The Lord"s command not to seek great things for himself presupposes a proud motive. Seeking to serve the Lord in a significant position of ministry is not wrong in itself, provided one"s motive is to glorify God. It is seeking position for one"s own glory that is wrong.

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 45

1  Baruch being dismayed
4  Jeremiah instructs and comforts him

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 45:5 mean?

And you do seek for yourself great things not do seek [them] for behold I will bring adversity on all flesh says Yahweh but I will give to you - your life as a prize in places wherever you go there -
וְאַתָּ֛ה תְּבַקֶּשׁ־ לְךָ֥ גְדֹל֖וֹת אַל־ תְּבַקֵּ֑שׁ כִּ֡י הִנְנִי֩ מֵבִ֨יא רָעָ֤ה עַל־ כָּל־ בָּשָׂר֙ נְאֻם־ יְהוָ֔ה וְנָתַתִּ֨י לְךָ֤ אֶֽת־ נַפְשְׁךָ֙ לְשָׁלָ֔ל עַ֥ל הַמְּקֹמ֖וֹת אֲשֶׁ֥ר תֵּֽלֶךְ־ שָֽׁם ס

וְאַתָּ֛ה  And  you 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, second person masculine singular
Root: אַתְּ 
Sense: you (second pers.
תְּבַקֶּשׁ־  do  seek 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: בָּקַשׁ  
Sense: to seek, require, desire, exact, request.
לְךָ֥  for  yourself 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
גְדֹל֖וֹת  great  things 
Parse: Adjective, feminine plural
Root: גָּבֹול 
Sense: great.
תְּבַקֵּ֑שׁ  do  seek  [them] 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: בָּקַשׁ  
Sense: to seek, require, desire, exact, request.
הִנְנִי֩  behold  I 
Parse: Interjection, first person common singular
Root: הֵן  
Sense: behold, lo, though hypothetical part.
מֵבִ֨יא  will  bring 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
רָעָ֤ה  adversity 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
בָּשָׂר֙  flesh 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: בָּשָׂר  
Sense: flesh.
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: Jehovah—used primarily in the combination ‘Lord Jehovah’.
וְנָתַתִּ֨י  but  I  will  give 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
לְךָ֤  to  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
אֶֽת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
נַפְשְׁךָ֙  your  life 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: נֶפֶשׁ  
Sense: soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion.
לְשָׁלָ֔ל  as  a  prize 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁלָל  
Sense: prey, plunder, spoil, booty.
הַמְּקֹמ֖וֹת  places 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: מָקֹום  
Sense: standing place, place.
אֲשֶׁ֥ר  wherever 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
תֵּֽלֶךְ־  you  go 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation