Jeremiah 4 · Verse 17

Jeremiah 4:17

As keepers of a field, are they against her round about; because she hath been rebellious against me, saith the Lord.
Jeremiah 4:17, King James Version

Jeremiah 4:17 in other translations

BSBThey surround her like men guarding a field, because she has rebelled against Me,” declares the LORD.
WEBAs keepers of a field, they are against her all around, because she has been rebellious against me,’” says the LORD.
ASVAs keepers of a field are they against her round about, because she hath been rebellious against me, saith Jehovah.
YLTAs the keepers of a field They have been against her round about, For with Me she hath been rebellious, An affirmation of Jehovah.'
DARBYAs keepers of a field are they against her round about; for she hath been rebellious against me, saith Jehovah.
BBELike keepers of a field they are against her on every side; because she has been fighting against me, says the Lord.
WebsterAs keepers of a field they are against her on all sides; because she hath been rebellious against me, saith the LORD.

What does Jeremiah 4:17 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
17. keepers of a field--metaphor from those who watch a field, to frighten away the wild beasts.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 17 As keepers of a field - In the eastern countries grain is often sown in the open country; and, when nearly ripe, guards are placed at different distances round about it to preserve it from being plundered. Jerusalem was watched, like one of these fields, by guards all round about it; so that none could enter to give assistance, and none who wished to escape were permitted to go out.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Jeremiah 4:5-18

The fierce conqueror of the neighbouring nations was to make Judah desolate. The prophet was afflicted to see the people lulled into security by false prophets. The approach of the enemy is described. Some attention was paid in Jerusalem to outward reformation; but it was necessary that their hearts should be washed, in the exercise of true repentance and faith, from the love and pollution of sin. When lesser…

Read the full comment on Jeremiah 4:5-18 →

Jeremiah 4:17 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

כְּשֹׁמְרֵ֣יke.sho.me.Reilike [those who] guardH8104
שָׂדַ֔יsa.Dai<of> a fieldH7704
הָי֥וּha.Yuthey areH1961
עָלֶ֖יהָ'a.Lei.haon itH5921
מִסָּבִ֑יבmi.sa.Vivfrom round aboutH5439
כִּי\־ki-forH3588
אֹתִ֥י'o.Ti<obj.> meH853
מָרָ֖תָהma.Ra.tahit has been rebellious againstH4784
נְאֻם\־ne.'um-[the] utterance ofH5002
יְהוָֽה\׃Yah.wehYahwehH3068

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Jeremiah 4:17

  • Jeremiah 5:23

    But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone.

  • 2 Kings 25:1-4

    And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he, and all his host, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they built forts against it round about. And the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah. And on the ninth day of the fourth month the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land. And the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between two walls, which is by the king’s garden: (now the Chaldees were against the city round about:) and the king went the way toward the plain.

  • Ezekiel 2:3-7

    And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day. For they are impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God. And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them. And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. …

  • Luke 19:43-44

    For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

  • Isaiah 30:9

    That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord:

  • Isaiah 1:20-23

    But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers. Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water: Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.

  • Luke 21:20-24

    And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. …

  • Lamentations 1:8

    Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; therefore she is removed: all that honoured her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness: yea, she sigheth, and turneth backward.

  • Nehemiah 9:26

    Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations.

  • Nehemiah 9:30

    Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands.

  • Daniel 9:7-19

    O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee. O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee. To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him; Neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. …

  • Lamentations 1:18

    The Lord is righteous; for I have rebelled against his commandment: hear, I pray you, all people, and behold my sorrow: my virgins and my young men are gone into captivity.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
keepers.
6:2,3; 2Ki 25:1-4; Isa 1:8; Lu 19:43,44; 21:20-24
because.
5:23; Ne 9:26,30; Isa 1:20-23; 30:9; La 1:8,18; Eze 2:3-7
Da 9:7-19

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Jeremiah 4:16

    Make ye mention to the nations; behold, publish against Jerusalem, that watchers come from a far country, and give out their voice against the cities of Judah.

  • Jeremiah 4:17

    As keepers of a field, are they against her round about; because she hath been rebellious against me, saith the Lord.

  • Jeremiah 4:18

    Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee; this is thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth unto thine heart.

Read all of Jeremiah 4

Jeremiah 4:17 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Como las guardas de las heredades, estuvieron sobre ella en derredor, porque se rebeló contra mí, dice Jehová.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Ils sont tout autour d’elle comme ceux qui gardent un champ; car elle s’est rebellée contre moi, dit l’ Éternel.
German
Elberfelder 1871
wie Feldwächter sind sie ringsumher wider dasselbe. Denn gegen mich ist es widerspenstig gewesen, spricht Jehova.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
quasi custodes agrorum facti sunt super eam in gyro, quia me ad iracundiam provocavit, dicit Dominus.