The Meaning of Jeremiah 46:22 Explained

Jeremiah 46:22

KJV: The voice thereof shall go like a serpent; for they shall march with an army, and come against her with axes, as hewers of wood.

YLT: Its voice as a serpent goeth on, For with a force they go, And with axes they have come in to her, As hewers of trees.

Darby: Her voice shall go like a serpent's; for they shall march with an army, and come against her with axes, as hewers of wood.

ASV: The sound thereof shall go like the serpent; for they shall march with an army, and come against her with axes, as hewers of wood.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The voice  thereof shall go  like a serpent;  for they shall march  with an army,  and come  against her with axes,  as hewers  of wood. 

What does Jeremiah 46:22 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The enemy would advance against Egypt as relentlessly as an army of lumberjacks with axes, but Egypt would only be able to hiss like a snake at the foe. The snake was important in Egyptian religion and was a symbol of Pharaoh and the nation.

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 46

1  Jeremiah prophesies the overthrow of Pharaoh's army at Euphrates
13  and the conquest of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar
27  He comforts Jacob in his chastisement

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 46:22 mean?

Her noise like a serpent shall go for with an army they shall march and with axes come against her Like those who chop wood
קוֹלָ֖הּ כַּנָּחָ֣שׁ יֵלֵ֑ךְ כִּֽי־ בְחַ֣יִל יֵלֵ֔כוּ וּבְקַרְדֻּמּוֹת֙ בָּ֣אוּ לָ֔הּ כְּחֹטְבֵ֖י עֵצִֽים

קוֹלָ֖הּ  Her  noise 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: קֹול 
Sense: voice, sound, noise.
כַּנָּחָ֣שׁ  like  a  serpent 
Parse: Preposition-k, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: נָחָשׁ  
Sense: serpent, snake.
יֵלֵ֑ךְ  shall  go 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
בְחַ֣יִל  with  an  army 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular
Root: חַיִל 
Sense: strength, might, efficiency, wealth, army.
יֵלֵ֔כוּ  they  shall  march 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
וּבְקַרְדֻּמּוֹת֙  and  with  axes 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, feminine plural
Root: קַרְדֹּם  
Sense: axe.
בָּ֣אוּ  come 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
לָ֔הּ  against  her 
Parse: Preposition, third person feminine singular
כְּחֹטְבֵ֖י  Like  those  who  chop 
Parse: Preposition-k, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct
Root: חָטַב  
Sense: to cut, gather.
עֵצִֽים  wood 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: עֵץ  
Sense: tree, wood, timber, stock, plank, stalk, stick, gallows.