The Meaning of Jeremiah 51:17 Explained

Jeremiah 51:17

KJV: Every man is brutish by his knowledge; every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.

YLT: Brutish hath been every man by knowledge, Put to shame hath been every refiner by a graven image, For false is his molten image, And there is no breath in them.

Darby: Every man is become brutish, so as to have no knowledge; every founder is put to shame by the graven image, for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.

ASV: Every man is become brutish and is without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his image; for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Every man  is brutish  by [his] knowledge;  every founder  is confounded  by the graven image:  for his molten image  [is] falsehood,  and [there is] no breath  in them. 

What does Jeremiah 51:17 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 51

1  The severe judgment of God against Babylon, in revenge of Israel
59  Jeremiah delivers the book of this prophecy to Seraiah, to be cast into Euphrates,
64  in token of the perpetual sinking of Babylon

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 51:17 mean?

Is dull-hearted every Everyone without knowledge is put to shame metalsmith by the carved image for falsehood his molded image [is] and [there is] no breath in them
נִבְעַ֤ר כָּל־ אָדָם֙ מִדַּ֔עַת הֹבִ֥ישׁ צֹרֵ֖ף מִפָּ֑סֶל כִּ֛י שֶׁ֥קֶר נִסְכּ֖וֹ וְלֹא־ ר֥וּחַ בָּֽם

נִבְעַ֤ר  Is  dull-hearted 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בָּעַר 
Sense: to burn, consume, kindle, be kindled.
כָּל־  every 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
אָדָם֙  Everyone 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָדָם 
Sense: man, mankind.
מִדַּ֔עַת  without  knowledge 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine singular
Root: דַּעַת 
Sense: knowledge.
הֹבִ֥ישׁ  is  put  to  shame 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָבֵשׁ  
Sense: to make dry, wither, be dry, become dry, be dried up, be withered.
צֹרֵ֖ף  metalsmith 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: צָרַף  
Sense: to smelt, refine, test.
מִפָּ֑סֶל  by  the  carved  image 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular
Root: פֶּסֶל  
Sense: idol, image.
שֶׁ֥קֶר  falsehood 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שֶׁקֶר  
Sense: lie, deception, disappointment, falsehood.
נִסְכּ֖וֹ  his  molded  image  [is] 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: נֶסֶךְ 
Sense: drink offering, libation, molten image, something poured out.
וְלֹא־  and  [there  is]  no 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
ר֥וּחַ  breath 
Parse: Noun, common singular
Root: רוּחַ  
Sense: wind, breath, mind, spirit.
בָּֽם  in  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural