Jeremiah 16:4
What does Jeremiah 16:4 mean?
A plain-English look at Jeremiah 16:4 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000They shall die grievous deaths: they shall not be lamented, neither shall they be buried; they shall be as dung upon the face of the ground; and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and their dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the heavens, and for the beasts of the earth.
KJV
King James Version · 1611They shall die of grievous deaths; they shall not be lamented; neither shall they be buried; but they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth: and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and their carcases shall be meat for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901They shall die grievous deaths: they shall not be lamented, neither shall they be buried; they shall be as dung upon the face of the ground; and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and their dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the heavens, and for the beasts of the earth.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949Death from evil diseases will overtake them; there will be no weeping for them and their bodies will not be put to rest; they will be like waste on the face of the earth: the sword and need of food will put an end to them; their dead bodies will be meat for the birds of heaven and for the beasts of the earth.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862Of painful deaths they die, They are not lamented, nor are they buried, For dung on the face of the ground they are, And by sword and by famine are consumed, And their carcase hath been for food To the fowl of the heavens, And to the beast of the earth.
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752They shall die by the death of grievous illnesses: they shall not be lamented, and they shall not be buried, they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth: and they shall be consumed with the sword, and with famine: and their carcasses shall be meat for the fowls of the air, and for the beasts of the earth.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890They shall die of painful deaths; they shall not be lamented, neither shall they be buried; they shall be as dung upon the face of the ground, and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine, and their carcases shall be food for the fowl of the heavens and for the beasts of the earth.
Context
v.3For thus saith Jehovah concerning the sons and concerning the daughters that are born in this place, and concerning their mothers that bare them, and concerning their fathers that begat them in this land:
v.4This passage
v.5For thus saith Jehovah, Enter not into the house of mourning, neither go to lament, neither bemoan them; for I have taken away my peace from this people, saith Jehovah, even lovingkindness and tender mercies.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Jeremiah 8:1
At that time, saith Jehovah, they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves;
- Ezekiel 5:12
A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee; and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; and a third part I will scatter unto all the winds, and will draw out a sword after them.
- Ezekiel 39:17
And thou, son of man, thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Speak unto the birds of every sort, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh and drink blood.
- Isaiah 18:6
They shall be left together unto the ravenous birds of the mountains, and to the beasts of the earth; and the ravenous birds shall summer upon them, and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them.
- Zephaniah 1:17
And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against Jehovah; and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as dung.
- Jeremiah 14:15
Therefore thus saith Jehovah concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land: By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed.
Related questions readers ask
Keep reading
Want to dig deeper? Explore Jeremiah 16
Hand-picked devotionals, topical studies, and pastoral answers that draw on Jeremiah 16.
Topics that quote it
Topic
Bible Verses About God as Refuge
The Bible uses the powerful imagery of refuge to describe God as our ultimate protector and safe haven in times of trouble.
Topic
Bible Verses About Idolatry
Idolatry is the worship of anything other than the one true God, a pervasive theme throughout the Bible.
Topic
Bible Verses About Singleness
The Bible speaks of singleness as a gift and a calling, offering unique opportunities for devoted service to God.
What the Bible says about…
Verses for this moment
Verses for
Bible Verses for the Fear of the Future
When tomorrow feels heavy — verses for the unknown road ahead.
Verses for
Bible Verses for When You Feel Unloved
When you can't feel anyone's love — verses for a love that doesn't depend on feeling.
Verses for
Bible Verses for After Losing Your Job
Verses for the day after the layoff — identity, provision, and what's next.