Jeremiah 5:17 They will devour your harvest and food; they will consume your sons and daughters; they will eat up your flocks and herds; they will feed on your vines and fig trees. With the sword they will destroy the fortified cities in which you trust."

◄ Jeremiah 5:17 ►

New International Version
They will devour your harvests and food, devour your sons and daughters; they will devour your flocks and herds, devour your vines and fig trees. With the sword they will destroy the fortified cities in which you trust.

New Living Translation
They will devour the food of your harvest; they will devour your sons and daughters. They will devour your flocks and herds; they will devour your grapes and figs. And they will destroy your fortified towns, which you think are so safe.

English Standard Version
They shall eat up your harvest and your food; they shall eat up your sons and your daughters; they shall eat up your flocks and your herds; they shall eat up your vines and your fig trees; your fortified cities in which you trust they shall beat down with the sword.”

Berean Standard Bible
They will devour your harvest and food; they will consume your sons and daughters; they will eat up your flocks and herds; they will feed on your vines and fig trees. With the sword they will destroy the fortified cities in which you trust.”

King James Bible
And they shall eat up thine harvest, and thy bread, which thy sons and thy daughters should eat: they shall eat up thy flocks and thine herds: they shall eat up thy vines and thy fig trees: they shall impoverish thy fenced cities, wherein thou trustedst, with the sword.

New King James Version
And they shall eat up your harvest and your bread, Which your sons and daughters should eat. They shall eat up your flocks and your herds; They shall eat up your vines and your fig trees; They shall destroy your fortified cities, In which you trust, with the sword.

New American Standard Bible
“They will devour your harvest and your food; They will devour your sons and your daughters; They will devour your flocks and your herds; They will devour your vines and your fig trees; They will demolish your fortified cities, in which you trust, with the sword.

NASB 1995
“They will devour your harvest and your food; They will devour your sons and your daughters; They will devour your flocks and your herds; They will devour your vines and your fig trees; They will demolish with the sword your fortified cities in which you trust.

NASB 1977
“And they will devour your harvest and your food; They will devour your sons and your daughters; They will devour your flocks and your herds; They will devour your vines and your fig trees; They will demolish with the sword your fortified cities in which you trust.

Legacy Standard Bible
They will devour your harvest and your food; They will devour your sons and your daughters; They will devour your flocks and your herds; They will devour your vines and your fig trees; They will demolish with the sword your fortified cities in which you trust.

Amplified Bible
“They will consume your harvest and [eat up] your bread; They will consume your sons and your daughters; They will consume your flocks and your herds; They will consume your vines and your fig trees. With the sword they will break down and demolish your fortified cities in which you trust.

Christian Standard Bible
They will consume your harvest and your food. They will consume your sons and your daughters. They will consume your flocks and your herds. They will consume your vines and your fig trees. With the sword they will destroy your fortified cities in which you trust.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
They will consume your harvest and your food. They will consume your sons and your daughters. They will consume your flocks and your herds. They will consume your vines and your fig trees. They will destroy with the sword your fortified cities in which you trust.

American Standard Version
And they shall eat up thy harvest, and thy bread, which thy sons and thy daughters should eat; they shall eat up thy flocks and thy herds; they shall eat up thy vines and thy fig-trees; they shall beat down thy fortified cities, wherein thou trustest, with the sword.

Contemporary English Version
This nation will eat your crops and livestock; they will leave no fruit on your vines or fig trees. And although you feel safe behind thick walls, your towns will be destroyed and your children killed.

English Revised Version
And they shall eat up thine harvest and thy bread, which thy sons and thy daughters should eat: they shall eat up thy flocks and thine herds: they shall eat up thy vines and thy fig trees: they shall beat down thy fenced cities, wherein thou trustest, with the sword.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
They will devour your harvest and your food. They will devour your sons and your daughters. They will devour your flocks and your cattle. They will devour your grapevines and your fig trees. With their swords they will destroy the fortified cities you trust.

Good News Translation
They will devour your crops and your food; they will kill your sons and your daughters. They will slaughter your flocks and your herds and destroy your vines and fig trees. The fortified cities in which you trust will be destroyed by their army.

International Standard Version
"They'll devour your harvest and your food. They'll devour your sons and your daughters. They'll devour your vines and your fig trees. With their swords they'll batter down your fortified cities in which you trust.

Majority Standard Bible
They will devour your harvest and food; they will consume your sons and daughters; they will eat up your flocks and herds; they will feed on your vines and fig trees. With the sword they will destroy the fortified cities in which you trust.”

NET Bible
They will eat up your crops and your food. They will kill off your sons and your daughters. They will eat up your sheep and your cattle. They will destroy your vines and your fig trees. Their weapons will batter down the fortified cities you trust in.

New Heart English Bible
They shall eat up your harvest, and your bread, which your sons and your daughters should eat. They shall eat up your flocks and your herds. They shall eat up your vines and your fig trees. They shall beat down your fortified cities, in which you trust, with the sword.

Webster's Bible Translation
And they shall eat up thy harvest, and thy bread, which thy sons and thy daughters should eat: they shall eat up thy flocks and thy herds: they shall eat up thy vines and thy fig-trees: they shall impoverish with the sword thy fortified cities, in which thou hast trusted.

World English Bible
They will eat up your harvest and your bread, which your sons and your daughters should eat. They will eat up your flocks and your herds. They will eat up your vines and your fig trees. They will beat down your fortified cities in which you trust with the sword.

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
And it has consumed your harvest and your bread, "" They consume your sons, and your daughters, "" It consumes your flock, and your herd, "" It consumes your vine and your fig tree, "" It makes your fortified cities poor, "" In which you are trusting—by the sword.

Young's Literal Translation
And it hath consumed thy harvest and thy bread, They consume thy sons, and thy daughters, It consumeth thy flock, and thy herd, It consumeth thy vine, and thy fig-tree, It maketh poor thy fenced cities, In which thou art trusting -- by the sword.

Smith's Literal Translation
And it ate thy harvest and thy bread, that thy sons and thy daughters shall eat: it shall eat thy sheep and thine oxen: it shall eat thy vine and thy fig trees: it shall break down thy fortified cities which thou trustedst in them, with the sword.

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
And they shall eat up thy corn, and thy bread: they shall devour thy sons, and thy daughters: they shall eat up thy flocks, and thy herds: they shall eat thy vineyards, and thy figs: and with the sword they shall destroy thy strong cities, wherein thou trustest.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And they will consume your grain fields and your bread. They will devour your sons and your daughters. They will consume your flocks and your herds. They will consume your vineyards and your figs. And with the sword, they will crush your fortified cities, in which you have placed your trust.

New American Bible
They will devour your harvest and your bread, devour your sons and your daughters, Devour your sheep and cattle, devour your vines and fig trees; With their swords they will beat down the fortified cities in which you trust.

New Revised Standard Version
They shall eat up your harvest and your food; they shall eat up your sons and your daughters; they shall eat up your flocks and your herds; they shall eat up your vines and your fig trees; they shall destroy with the sword your fortified cities in which you trust.

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
And they shall eat up your harvest and your bread, which your sons and your daughters should eat; they shall eat up your flocks and your herds; they shall eat up your vines and your fig trees; they shall impoverish with the sword your fortified cities in which you trust.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
It will eat your harvest and your bread and it will eat your sons and your daughters; it will eat your sheep and your oxen, it will eat your vines and your figs; it shall impoverish by the sword the cities of your strength on which you trust

OT Translations

JPS Tanakh 1917
And they shall eat up thy harvest, and thy bread, They shall eat up thy sons and thy daughters, They shall eat up thy flocks and thy herds, They shall eat up thy vines and thy fig-trees; They shall batter thy fortified cities, Wherein thou trusteth, with the sword.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
and they shall devour you harvest, and your bread; and shall devour your sons, and your daughters; and they shall devour your sheep, and your calves, and devour your vineyards, and your fig-plantations, and your olive yards: and they shall utterly destroy your strong cities, wherein ye trusted, with the sword.

Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

Judgment Proclaimed
…16Their quivers are like open graves; they are all mighty men. 17They will devour your harvest and food; they will consume your sons and daughters; they will eat up your flocks and herds; they will feed on your vines and fig trees. With the sword they will destroy the fortified cities in which you trust.” 18“Yet even in those days,” declares the LORD, “I will not make a full end of you.…

Berean Standard Bible · Download

Cross References

Deuteronomy 28:30-33
You will be pledged in marriage to a woman, but another man will violate her. You will build a house but will not live in it. You will plant a vineyard but will not enjoy its fruit. / Your ox will be slaughtered before your eyes, but you will not eat any of it. Your donkey will be taken away and not returned to you. Your flock will be given to your enemies, and no one will save you. / Your sons and daughters will be given to another nation, while your eyes grow weary looking for them day after day, with no power in your hand. ...

Joel 1:6-7
For a nation has invaded My land, powerful and without number; its teeth are the teeth of a lion, and its fangs are the fangs of a lioness. / It has laid waste My grapevine and splintered My fig tree. It has stripped off the bark and thrown it away; the branches have turned white.

Isaiah 1:7
Your land is desolate; your cities are burned with fire. Foreigners devour your fields before you—a desolation demolished by strangers.

Lamentations 1:10
The adversary has seized all her treasures. For she has seen the nations enter her sanctuary—those You had forbidden to enter Your assembly.

Ezekiel 25:4
therefore I will indeed give you as a possession to the people of the East. They will set up their camps and pitch their tents among you. They will eat your fruit and drink your milk.

Hosea 8:7
For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind. There is no standing grain; what sprouts fails to yield flour. Even if it should produce, the foreigners would swallow it up.

Micah 6:15
You will sow but not reap; you will press olives but not anoint yourselves with oil; you will tread grapes but not drink the wine.

Habakkuk 3:17
Though the fig tree does not bud and no fruit is on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though the sheep are cut off from the fold and no cattle are in the stalls,

Zephaniah 1:13
Their wealth will be plundered and their houses laid waste. They will build houses but not inhabit them, and plant vineyards but never drink their wine.

2 Kings 17:6
In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried away the Israelites to Assyria, where he settled them in Halah, in Gozan by the Habor River, and in the cities of the Medes.

2 Chronicles 36:17-19
So He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who put their young men to the sword in the sanctuary, sparing neither young men nor young women, neither elderly nor infirm. God gave them all into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, / who carried off everything to Babylon—all the articles of the house of God, both large and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the king and his officials. / Then the Chaldeans set fire to the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem. They burned down all the palaces and destroyed every article of value.

Nehemiah 9:37
Its abundant harvest goes to the kings You have set over us because of our sins. And they rule over our bodies and our livestock as they please. We are in great distress.

Psalm 79:7
for they have devoured Jacob and devastated his homeland.

Isaiah 62:8-9
The LORD has sworn by His right hand and by His mighty arm: “Never again will I give your grain to your enemies for food, nor will foreigners drink the new wine for which you have toiled. / For those who harvest grain will eat it and praise the LORD, and those who gather grapes will drink the wine in My holy courts.”

Matthew 24:7
Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

Treasury of Scripture

And they shall eat up your harvest, and your bread, which your sons and your daughters should eat: they shall eat up your flocks and your herds: they shall eat up your vines and your fig trees: they shall impoverish your fenced cities, wherein you trusted, with the sword.

And they.

Leviticus 26:16
I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.

Deuteronomy 28:30,31,33
Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof…

Judges 6:3,4
And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them; …

they shall impoverish.

Jeremiah 1:15
For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the LORD; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah.

Jeremiah 4:7,26
The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant…

Lamentations 2:2
The Lord hath swallowed up all the habitations of Jacob, and hath not pitied: he hath thrown down in his wrath the strong holds of the daughter of Judah; he hath brought them down to the ground: he hath polluted the kingdom and the princes thereof.

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Jeremiah 5

1. The judgments of God upon the people, for their perverseness;
7. for their adultery;
10. for their impiety;
15. for their worship of idols;
19. for their contempt of God;
25. and for their great corruption in the civil state;
30. and ecclesiastical.

Berean Study Bible

They will devour
The Hebrew root for "devour" is "אָכַל" (akal), which means to eat or consume. This word conveys a sense of complete consumption, leaving nothing behind. In the context of Jeremiah, it signifies the total devastation that the invading forces will bring upon the land. Historically, this reflects the invasions by foreign powers like Babylon, which were instruments of God's judgment due to Israel's persistent disobedience.

your harvest and your food
The harvest and food represent the sustenance and blessings that God provided to His people. The loss of these essentials signifies not only physical deprivation but also spiritual consequences. In ancient Israel, the harvest was a time of joy and thanksgiving, a direct result of God's provision. The devouring of the harvest symbolizes the removal of God's favor and the dire consequences of turning away from Him.

they will consume your sons and daughters
This phrase highlights the personal and familial impact of the coming judgment. The Hebrew word for "consume" is "כָּלָה" (kalah), which implies a complete end or destruction. The loss of sons and daughters is a profound tragedy, reflecting the deep sorrow and loss that sin brings into the lives of God's people. It serves as a stark reminder of the generational impact of disobedience.

they will eat up your flocks and herds
Flocks and herds were vital to the agrarian society of ancient Israel, representing wealth, livelihood, and God's blessing. The Hebrew word for "eat up" is again "אָכַל" (akal), emphasizing the thoroughness of the destruction. This loss signifies economic ruin and the stripping away of the nation's prosperity, underscoring the severity of divine judgment.

they will feed on your vines and fig trees
Vines and fig trees are often symbols of peace and prosperity in the Bible. The imagery of enemies feeding on them indicates a reversal of fortune, where what was once a source of joy and abundance becomes a source of loss and lament. This reflects the historical reality of invading armies plundering the land, as well as the spiritual desolation that comes from forsaking God.

With the sword they will destroy
The sword is a common biblical symbol of war and judgment. The Hebrew word "חֶרֶב" (chereb) denotes a cutting instrument, often used metaphorically for divine judgment. The destruction by the sword represents the physical manifestation of God's wrath against a nation that has broken covenant with Him. It serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of sin.

the fortified cities in which you trust
Fortified cities were seen as places of safety and security. The Hebrew word for "trust" is "בָּטַח" (batach), meaning to have confidence or reliance. This phrase highlights the misplaced trust of the Israelites in their own strength and defenses rather than in God. Historically, this reflects the fall of Jerusalem and other strongholds, demonstrating that no human fortification can stand against the judgment of God. It calls believers to place their trust solely in the Lord, who is the true source of security and salvation.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(17) Which thy sons and thy daughters should eat.--There is no relative pronoun in the Hebrew, and the clause stands parallel with the others, they shall eat (i.e., destroy) thy sons and thy daughters, and is so translated in all the older versions. In the other clauses the verb is in the singular, "it (i.e., the invading army) shall eat."

Impoverish.--Better, break down, or shatter. The "sword" is used, as in Ezekiel 26:9, for "battle-axes" and other weapons used in attacking cities.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 17. - Which thy sons and thy daughters, etc.; rather, they shall eat that sons and thy daughters. In the other clauses of the verse the verb is in the singular, the subject being the hostile nation. They shall impoverish, etc.; rather, it shall batter... with weapons of war (so rightly Payne Smith); kherebh, commonly rendered "sword." is applied to any cutting instrument, such as a razor (Ezekiel 5:1), a mason's tool (Exodus 20:25), and, as here and Ezekiel 26:9, weapons of war in general.

Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

They will devour
וְאָכַ֨ל (wə·’ā·ḵal)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 398: To eat

your harvest
קְצִֽירְךָ֜ (qə·ṣî·rə·ḵā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 7105: Severed, harvest, the crop, the time, the reaper, a limb

and food;
וְלַחְמֶ֗ךָ (wə·laḥ·me·ḵā)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 3899: Food, bread, grain

they will consume
יֹאכְלוּ֙ (yō·ḵə·lū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 398: To eat

your sons
בָּנֶ֣יךָ (bā·ne·ḵā)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 1121: A son

and daughters;
וּבְנוֹתֶ֔יךָ (ū·ḇə·nō·w·ṯe·ḵā)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 1323: A daughter

they will eat up
יֹאכַ֤ל (yō·ḵal)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 398: To eat

your flocks
צֹאנְךָ֙ (ṣō·nə·ḵā)
Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 6629: Small cattle, sheep and goats, flock

and herds;
וּבְקָרֶ֔ךָ (ū·ḇə·qā·re·ḵā)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 1241: Beef cattle, ox, a herd

they will feed on
יֹאכַ֥ל (yō·ḵal)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 398: To eat

your vines
גַּפְנְךָ֖ (gap̄·nə·ḵā)
Noun - common singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 1612: A vine, the grape

and fig trees.
וּתְאֵנָתֶ֑ךָ (ū·ṯə·’ê·nā·ṯe·ḵā)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 8384: Of foreign derivation, the fig

With the sword
בֶּחָֽרֶב׃ (be·ḥā·reḇ)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2719: Drought, a cutting instrument, as a, knife, sword

they will destroy
יְרֹשֵׁ֞שׁ (yə·rō·šêš)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7567: To beat down, shatter

the fortified
מִבְצָרֶ֗יךָ (miḇ·ṣā·re·ḵā)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 4013: A fortification, castle, fortified city, a defender

cities
עָרֵ֣י (‘ā·rê)
Noun - feminine plural construct
Strong's 5892: Excitement

in which
אֲשֶׁ֥ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

you
אַתָּ֛ה (’at·tāh)
Pronoun - second person masculine singular
Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you

trust.
בּוֹטֵ֥חַ (bō·w·ṭê·aḥ)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 982: To trust, be confident, sure

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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 5:17 They shall eat up your harvest (Jer.)