The Meaning of Jeremiah 9:11 Explained

Jeremiah 9:11

KJV: And I will make Jerusalem heaps, and a den of dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant.

YLT: And I make Jerusalem become heaps, A habitation of dragons, And the cities of Judah I make a desolation, Without inhabitant.

Darby: And I will make Jerusalem heaps, a dwelling-place of jackals; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.

ASV: And I will make Jerusalem heaps, a dwelling-place of jackals; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And I will make  Jerusalem  heaps,  [and] a den  of dragons;  and I will make  the cities  of Judah  desolate,  without an inhabitant. 

What does Jeremiah 9:11 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Lord would make Jerusalem a wasteland where jackals (or wolves) would prowl freely without fear of human interference (cf. Jeremiah 10:22; Jeremiah 49:33; Jeremiah 51:37). He would also make the other cities of Judah uninhabited desolations. Jeremiah might have wanted to flee from Jerusalem to the wilderness ( Jeremiah 9:2), but God would turn the city into a wilderness.

Context Summary

Jeremiah 9:1-16 - National Perversity
Jeremiah 9:1-6
Once the voice of joy and thanksgiving had been heard in Jerusalem, but now on every side there was bloodshed, and the patriot-prophet could only weep incessantly over the slain. A lodge in the wilderness seemed preferable to the most luxurious mansion in the city. Solitude would be better than association with the ungodly perpetrators of such crimes. Yet we must not go out of the fray so long as our Captain wants us to remain in it, in dependence upon him.
Jeremiah 9:7-16
What a magnificent description of the effect of God's judgments on the land! No bird, no beast, no lowing of cattle, but jackals gamboling over the ruins of Jerusalem. However fast we shut our doors and windows, death enters our homes. Neither palace nor cottage is exempted. There is no escape for young or old from the judgments of God, except in penitence and faith. The secret of national decay and overthrow is the same in all ages. The tree is rotten at the core before it falls beneath the hurricane. Let us turn to 1 Corinthians 1:18, which belongs to this chapter, and learn how little the wisdom and might of the world can avail us in the dread hour of universal desolation. Stand with the Crucified and glory in His Cross; be content to bear His reproach and shame, that you may become a son of the Resurrection, and be accounted worthy to escape those things that must come to pass, and at last stand, before Him. [source]

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 9

1  Jeremiah laments the people for their manifold sins;
9  and for their judgment
12  Disobedience is the cause of their bitter calamity
17  He exhorts to mourn for their destruction;
23  and to trust not in themselves, but in God
25  He threatens both Jews and Gentiles

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 9:11 mean?

And I will make - Jerusalem a heap of [ruins] a den of jackals and the cities of Judah I will make desolate without an inhabitant -
וְנָתַתִּ֧י אֶת־ יְרוּשָׁלִַ֛ם לְגַלִּ֖ים מְע֣וֹן תַּנִּ֑ים וְאֶת־ עָרֵ֧י יְהוּדָ֛ה אֶתֵּ֥ן שְׁמָמָ֖ה מִבְּלִ֖י יוֹשֵֽׁב ס

וְנָתַתִּ֧י  And  I  will  make 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
יְרוּשָׁלִַ֛ם  Jerusalem 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְרוּשָׁלַםִ  
Sense: the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split.
לְגַלִּ֖ים  a  heap  of  [ruins] 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural
Root: גַּל 
Sense: heap, spring, wave, billow.
מְע֣וֹן  a  den 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מָעֹון 
Sense: dwelling, habitation, refuge.
תַּנִּ֑ים  of  jackals 
Parse: Noun, common plural
Root: תַּנִּין  
Sense: dragon, serpent, sea monster.
עָרֵ֧י  the  cities 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
יְהוּדָ֛ה  of  Judah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהוּדָה  
Sense: the son of Jacob by Leah.
אֶתֵּ֥ן  I  will  make 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
שְׁמָמָ֖ה  desolate 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: שְׁמָמָה 
Sense: devastation, waste, desolation.
מִבְּלִ֖י  without 
Parse: Preposition-m, Adverb
Root: בְּלִי 
Sense: wearing out adv of negation.
יוֹשֵֽׁב  an  inhabitant 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation