King James Version
Jeremiah 18:16 in the King James Version says “To make their land desolate, and a perpetual hissing ; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his h...” — study this verse from Jeremiah chapter 18 with commentary, cross-references, and original Hebrew word analysis.
“To make their land desolate, and a perpetual hissing ; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head.”
Jeremiah 18:16 · KJV
Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon which cometh from the rock of the field? or shall the cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken? the snow: or, my fields for a rock, or for the snow of Lebanon? shall the running waters be forsaken for the strange cold waters?
Because my people hath forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity, and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths , to walk in paths, in a way not cast up;
To make their land desolate, and a perpetual hissing ; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head.
I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will shew them the back, and not the face, in the day of their calamity.
Then said they, Come, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words. with: or, for the tongue
KJV Study — Public Domain
“To make”
H7760to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)
“and a perpetual”
H5769properly, concealed, i.e., the vanishing point; generally, time out of mind (past or future), i.e., (practically) eternity; frequentatively, adverbial
properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
“every one that passeth”
H5674to cross over; used very widely of any transition (literal or figurative; transitive, intransitive, intensive, causative); specifically, to cover (in
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
“thereby shall be astonished”
H8074to stun (or intransitively, grow numb), i.e., devastate or (figuratively) stupefy (both usually in a passive sense)
“and wag”
H5110to nod, i.e., waver; figuratively, to wander, flee, disappear; also (from shaking the head in sympathy), to console, deplore, or (from tossing the hea
“his head”
H7218the head (as most easily shaken), whether literal or figurative (in many applications, of place, time, rank, itc.)
This verse is found in the book of Jeremiah. Understanding the historical and cultural background helps illuminate its meaning for the original audience and for us today.
Jeremiah 18:16 contributes to our understanding of God's character and His relationship with humanity. Consider how this verse connects to the broader themes of Scripture.
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