New International Version I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their ancestors have known, and I will pursue them with the sword until I have made an end of them.” New Living Translation I will scatter them around the world, in places they and their ancestors never heard of, and even there I will chase them with the sword until I have destroyed them completely.” English Standard Version I will scatter them among the nations whom neither they nor their fathers have known, and I will send the sword after them, until I have consumed them.” Berean Standard Bible I will scatter them among the nations that neither they nor their fathers have known, and I will send a sword after them until I have finished them off.” Berean Literal Bible And I will scatter them among the nations that have known, neither they nor their fathers, and I will send out after them a sword, until I have put an end to them! King James Bible I will scatter them also among the heathen, whom neither they nor their fathers have known: and I will send a sword after them, till I have consumed them. New King James Version I will scatter them also among the Gentiles, whom neither they nor their fathers have known. And I will send a sword after them until I have consumed them.” New American Standard Bible I will also scatter them among the nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known; and I will send the sword after them until I have put an end to them.” NASB 1995 “I will scatter them among the nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known; and I will send the sword after them until I have annihilated them.” NASB 1977 “And I will scatter them among the nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known; and I will send the sword after them until I have annihilated them.” Legacy Standard Bible I will scatter them among the nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known; and I will send the sword after them until I have consumed them.” Amplified Bible I will [also] scatter them among nations that neither they nor their fathers have known, and I will send the sword after them until I have annihilated them.” Berean Annotated Bible I will scatter them among the nations that neither they nor their fathers have known, and I will send a sword after them until I have finished them off.” Christian Standard Bible I will scatter them among the nations that they and their ancestors have not known. I will send a sword after them until I have finished them off.” Holman Christian Standard Bible I will scatter them among the nations that they and their fathers have not known. I will send a sword after them until I have finished them off.” American Standard Version I will scatter them also among the nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them. Contemporary English Version I'll scatter them in foreign countries that they and their ancestors have never even heard of. Finally, I will send enemy soldiers to kill every last one of them. English Revised Version I will scatter them also among the nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known: and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them. GOD'S WORD® Translation I will scatter them among nations that they and their ancestors haven't heard of. I will send armies after them until I've wiped them out. Good News Translation I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their ancestors have heard about, and I will send armies against them until I have completely destroyed them." International Standard Version I'll scatter them among nations that neither they nor their ancestors have known, and I'll pursue them with the sword until I've finished them off." NET Bible I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their ancestors have known anything about. I will send people chasing after them with swords until I have destroyed them.'" New Heart English Bible I will scatter them also among the nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known; and I will send the sword after them, until I have consumed them.'" Webster's Bible Translation I will scatter them also among the heathen, whom neither they nor their fathers have known: and I will send a sword after them, till I have consumed them. Majority Text Translations Majority Standard BibleI will scatter them among the nations that neither they nor their fathers have known, and I will send a sword after them until I have finished them off.” World English Bible I will scatter them also among the nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known. I will send the sword after them, until I have consumed them.” Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionAnd I have scattered them among nations "" Which they did not know, they and their fathers, "" And have sent the sword after them, "" Until I have consumed them.” Berean Literal Bible And I will scatter them among the nations that have known, neither they nor their fathers, and I will send out after them a sword, until I have put an end to them! Young's Literal Translation And I have scattered them among nations Which they knew not, they and their fathers, And have sent after them the sword, Till I have consumed them. Smith's Literal Translation And I scattered them in the nations which they knew not, they and their fathers: and I sent after them the sword till I consumed them. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleAnd I will scatter them among the nations, which they and their fathers have not known: and I will send the sword after them till they be consumed. Catholic Public Domain Version And I will disperse them among nations, which they and their fathers have not known. And I will send the sword after them, until they are consumed.” New American Bible I will scatter them among nations whom neither they nor their ancestors have known; I will send the sword to pursue them until I have completely destroyed them. New Revised Standard Version I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their ancestors have known; and I will send the sword after them, until I have consumed them. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleI will scatter them also among the Gentiles, whom neither they nor their fathers have known; and I will send a sword after them till I have consumed them. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated And I shall scatter them among the Gentiles whom they have not known, they and their fathers, and I shall send a sword after them until I finish them OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917I will scatter them also among the nations, Whom neither they nor their fathers have known; And I will send the sword after them, Till I have consumed them. Brenton Septuagint Translation and I will scatter them among the nations, to them whom neither they nor their fathers knew; and I will send a sword upon them, until I have consumed them with it. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible (Voice ▾ Musical ▾) Context A Lament over Zion…15Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Behold, I will feed this people wormwood and give them poisoned water to drink. 16I will scatter them among the nations that neither they nor their fathers have known, and I will send a sword after them until I have finished them off.” 17This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Take note, and summon the wailing women; send for the most skillful among them.… Cross References I will scatter them among the nations Ezekiel 20:23 However, with an uplifted hand I swore to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the lands. Ezekiel 12:15 And they will know that I am the LORD, when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them throughout the countries. Deuteronomy 28:64 Then the LORD will scatter you among all the nations, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you will worship other gods, gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known. that neither they nor their fathers have known, Deuteronomy 13:6 If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you embrace, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (which neither you nor your fathers have known, Jeremiah 44:3 because of the evil they have done. They provoked Me to anger by continuing to burn incense and to serve other gods that neither they nor you nor your fathers ever knew. Deuteronomy 28:36 The LORD will bring you and the king you appoint to a nation neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you will worship other gods—gods of wood and stone. and I will send a sword after them Ezekiel 5:12 A third of your people will die by plague or be consumed by famine within you, a third will fall by the sword outside your walls, and a third I will scatter to every wind and unleash a sword behind them. Leviticus 26:25 And I will bring a sword against you to execute the vengeance of the covenant. Though you withdraw into your cities, I will send a plague among you, and you will be delivered into the hand of the enemy. Deuteronomy 32:41-42 when I sharpen My flashing sword, and My hand grasps it in judgment, I will take vengeance on My adversaries and repay those who hate Me. / I will make My arrows drunk with blood, while My sword devours flesh—the blood of the slain and captives, the heads of the enemy leaders.” until I have finished them off.” Deuteronomy 28:45 All these curses will come upon you. They will pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, since you did not obey the LORD your God and keep the commandments and statutes He gave you. Deuteronomy 28:20 The LORD will send curses upon you, confusion and reproof in all to which you put your hand, until you are destroyed and quickly perish because of the wickedness you have committed in forsaking Him. Deuteronomy 28:63 Just as it pleased the LORD to make you prosper and multiply, so also it will please Him to annihilate you and destroy you. And you will be uprooted from the land you are entering to possess. Leviticus 26:33 But I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out a sword after you as your land becomes desolate and your cities are laid waste. Ezekiel 22:15 I will disperse you among the nations and scatter you throughout the lands; I will purge your uncleanness. Amos 9:9 “For surely I will give the command, and I will shake the house of Israel among all the nations as grain is sifted in a sieve; but not a pebble will reach the ground. Isaiah 11:12 He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; He will collect the scattered of Judah from the four corners of the earth. Treasury of Scripture I will scatter them also among the heathen, whom neither they nor their fathers have known: and I will send a sword after them, till I have consumed them. scatter. Jeremiah 13:24 Therefore will I scatter them as the stubble that passeth away by the wind of the wilderness. Leviticus 26:33 And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste. Deuteronomy 4:27 And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you. and I. Jeremiah 15:2-4 And it shall come to pass, if they say unto thee, Whither shall we go forth? then thou shalt tell them, Thus saith the LORD; Such as are for death, to death; and such as are for the sword, to the sword; and such as are for the famine, to the famine; and such as are for the captivity, to the captivity… Jeremiah 24:10 And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, till they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers. Jeremiah 25:27 Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Drink ye, and be drunken, and spue, and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you. Jump to Previous Annihilated Consumed Destroyed End Fathers Heathen Nations Pursue Scatter Scattered Strange Sword WanderingJump to Next Annihilated Consumed Destroyed End Fathers Heathen Nations Pursue Scatter Scattered Strange Sword WanderingJeremiah 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. I will scatter them among the nations God had warned Israel that covenant rebellion would bring exile among foreign peoples (Leviticus 26:33; Deuteronomy 28:64). Judah’s idolatry, injustice, and refusal to heed the prophets made removal from the promised land an act of righteous judgment. Babylon carried out this judgment when Jerusalem fell in 586 B.C. Yet exile did not cancel God’s covenant purposes. The dispersion preserved a remnant and prepared the way for eventual return and restoration. Ezk 20:23 However, with an uplifted hand I swore to them… that neither they nor their fathers have known, Exile would place Judah in lands unfamiliar to them and their ancestors, far from Jerusalem, the temple, and the inherited fields of the tribes. The loss of homeland exposed the terrible cost of abandoning the Lord who had given them the land. Surrounded by pagan cultures, the exiles would experience outwardly the spiritual alienation produced by their sin. Deu 13:6 If your very own brother, or your son or daughter,… and I will send a sword after them Flight from Judah would not provide escape from God’s judgment. War, violence, and death would continue to pursue those scattered by the Babylonian invasion. God often used foreign armies as instruments of discipline against His own people, while holding those nations accountable for their cruelty and pride. The sword revealed that security cannot be found apart from obedience to the Lord. Ezk 5:12 A third of your people will die by plague… until I have finished them off.” God’s judgment would be thorough enough to end Judah’s rebellious condition and destroy the generation hardened in idolatry. The words do not overturn God’s repeated promise to preserve Israel (God contends) from total destruction (Jeremiah [Yahweh exalts] 4:27; 30:11). Divine discipline served both justice and mercy: God removed persistent evil, preserved a remnant, and promised restoration through the righteous King from David’s line. Deu 28:45 All these curses will come upon you. They will pursue you… Persons / Places / Events 1. JeremiahA prophet called by God to deliver messages of warning and judgment to the people of Judah. His ministry spanned the reigns of several kings and was marked by themes of repentance and impending judgment. 2. Judah The southern kingdom of Israel, which had turned away from God, leading to the prophetic warnings of destruction and exile. 3. Nations Refers to the foreign lands where the people of Judah would be scattered as a result of their disobedience to God. These nations were unfamiliar to them and their ancestors. 4. Sword Symbolizes the instrument of God's judgment and the violence that would pursue the people even in exile. 5. Exile The event of being forcibly removed from one's homeland, which was a significant consequence of Judah's persistent sin and rebellion against God. Teaching Points The Consequences of DisobedienceGod's warnings are not idle threats; they are serious and have real consequences. The scattering of Judah serves as a sobering reminder of the cost of turning away from God. God's Sovereignty in Judgment Even in judgment, God remains sovereign. The scattering among nations was not random but a deliberate act of God to fulfill His word and bring about repentance. The Call to Repentance The message of Jeremiah is ultimately one of repentance. Even in the face of judgment, there is an opportunity to turn back to God and seek His mercy. Hope Beyond Judgment While the immediate context is one of judgment, the broader account of Scripture reveals God's desire for restoration and redemption, offering hope beyond the present circumstances. Bible Study Questions and Answers 1. What is the meaning of Jeremiah 9:16?2. How does Jeremiah 9:16 demonstrate God's response to persistent disobedience? 3. What lessons can we learn from God's actions in Jeremiah 9:16? 4. How does Jeremiah 9:16 connect with God's justice in Deuteronomy 28:64? 5. How can we apply the warning in Jeremiah 9:16 to modern Christian life? 6. What steps can we take to avoid the consequences described in Jeremiah 9:16? 7. What does Jeremiah 9:16 reveal about God's judgment on disobedience? 8. How does Jeremiah 9:16 reflect God's sovereignty over nations? 9. What historical events align with the prophecy in Jeremiah 9:16? 10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Jeremiah 9? What Does Jeremiah 9:16 Mean I will scatter them among the nations“I will scatter them among the nations…” (Jeremiah 9:16) • God’s warning is concrete: exile. What Israel only feared in Deuteronomy 28:64 and Leviticus 26:33 has now become their near-term reality. • This scattering is not random; it is a purposeful judgment aimed at awakening repentance, much like the dispersion of the northern tribes in 2 Kings 17:6. • The Lord remains sovereign throughout, guiding even the routes of dispersion (Psalm 47:8; Acts 17:26). • History bears out the literal fulfillment—beginning with Babylon (2 Kings 25:11), continuing through later diasporas, and still testifying to God’s faithfulness to His word. that neither they nor their fathers have known “…among the nations that neither they nor their fathers have known…” (Jeremiah 9:16) • New lands mean unfamiliar languages, gods, and customs (Deuteronomy 28:49). • The loss of covenant blessings—land, temple, community—highlights the gravity of forsaking the covenant itself (Jeremiah 2:5–7). • By removing His people from inherited territory, the Lord underscores that security comes from obedience, not geography (Psalm 20:7; Proverbs 14:26). • Even so, God keeps a redemptive thread: later promises of regathering (Jeremiah 31:10; Ezekiel 36:24) shine all the brighter against this dark backdrop. and I will send a sword after them “…and I will send a sword after them…” (Jeremiah 9:16) • Judgment pursues the unrepentant; distance cannot shield from divine discipline (Amos 9:1–4). • The “sword” encompasses warfare, oppression, and personal peril (Leviticus 26:36–37; Ezekiel 5:2). • God’s justice is active, not passive—He “sends” the sword, directing events much as He raised up Assyria in Isaiah 10:5. • Yet even amid sword and exile, a remnant theology emerges (Isaiah 1:9; Romans 11:5), preserving hope. until I have finished them off “…until I have finished them off.” (Jeremiah 9:16) • “Finished” speaks of a completed disciplinary phase, not the annihilation of God’s covenant plans (Jeremiah 30:11). • The language is severe to reflect the people’s hardened rebellion (Jeremiah 7:24–26), but God’s ultimate purpose is purification (Malachi 3:2–3). • Later generations saw an end to Babylon’s dominance (Ezra 1:1), validating that God does set boundaries on judgment (Lamentations 3:31–33). • Completion of judgment clears the way for restoration: new covenant promises (Jeremiah 31:31–34) and Messiah’s coming (Luke 1:68–75). summary Jeremiah 9:16 reveals a four-fold progression of judgment: dispersion, unfamiliarity, relentless pursuit, and thorough discipline. Each clause shows God’s unwavering commitment to holiness and covenant integrity. Yet within the severity lies mercy: scattering prepares hearts, the sword corrects, and “finishing” ultimately makes room for future hope. The verse therefore stands as both a sobering warning and a crucial link in God’s larger redemptive storyline. Verse 16. I will scatter them also, etc. (comp. Deuteronomy 28:64; Leviticus 26:33). I will send a [the] sword after them. Even in the land of their captivity they shall have no rest. A special prophecy to the same effect was addressed to the Jewish fugitives in Egypt (Jeremiah 44:27). In both cases it is the unbelievers who are referred to; the nation as such was, through its Divine calling, indestructible.Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew I will scatterוַהֲפִֽצוֹתִים֙ (wa·hă·p̄i·ṣō·w·ṯîm) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular | third person masculine plural Strong's 6327: To be dispersed or scattered them among the nations בַּגּוֹיִ֔ם (bag·gō·w·yim) Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine plural Strong's 1471: A foreign nation, a Gentile, a troop of animals, a flight of locusts that אֲשֶׁר֙ (’ă·šer) Pronoun - relative Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that neither לֹ֣א (lō) Adverb - Negative particle Strong's 3808: Not, no they הֵ֖מָּה (hêm·māh) Pronoun - third person masculine plural Strong's 1992: They [nor] their fathers וַֽאֲבוֹתָ֑ם (wa·’ă·ḇō·w·ṯām) Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural Strong's 1: Father have known, יָֽדְע֔וּ (yā·ḏə·‘ū) Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural Strong's 3045: To know and I will send וְשִׁלַּחְתִּ֤י (wə·šil·laḥ·tî) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular Strong's 7971: To send away, for, out a sword הַחֶ֔רֶב (ha·ḥe·reḇ) Article | Noun - feminine singular Strong's 2719: Drought, a cutting instrument, as a, knife, sword after אַֽחֲרֵיהֶם֙ (’a·ḥă·rê·hem) Preposition | third person masculine plural Strong's 310: The hind or following part them until עַ֥ד (‘aḏ) Preposition Strong's 5704: As far as, even to, up to, until, while I have finished them off.” כַּלּוֹתִ֖י (kal·lō·w·ṯî) Verb - Piel - Infinitive construct | first person common singular Strong's 3615: To be complete, at an end, finished, accomplished, or spent Additonal Resources Jeremiah 9:16 Blue Letter BibleJeremiah 9:16 Bible Gateway Jeremiah 9:16 Bible.com Jeremiah 9:16 NIV |
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