King James Version:
(The Lord speaking is red text)
Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.
Complete Jewish Bible:
Set up a signal toward Tziyon, head for cover without delay. For I will bring disaster from the north, yes, dire destruction.
Berean Standard Bible:
Raise a signal flag toward Zion. Seek refuge! Do not delay! For I am bringing disaster from the north, and terrible destruction.
American Standard Version:
Set up a standard toward Zion: flee for safety, stay not; for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.
KJV with Strong’s Numbers:
Set up{H5375} the standard{H5251} toward Zion{H6726}: retire{H5756}, stay{H5975} not: for I will bring{H935} evil{H7451} from the north{H6828}, and a great{H1419} destruction{H7667}.
Cross-References (KJV):
Jeremiah 50:2
- Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard; publish, [and] conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces.
Jeremiah 1:13
- And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof [is] toward the north.
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 51:27
- Set ye up a standard in the land, blow the trumpet among the nations, prepare the nations against her, call together against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashchenaz; appoint a captain against her; cause the horses to come up as the rough caterpillers.
Jeremiah 4:21
- How long shall I see the standard, [and] hear the sound of the trumpet?
Isaiah 62:10
- ¶ Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people.
Jeremiah 25:9
- Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations.
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Commentary for Jeremiah 4:6
Jeremiah 4:6, "Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction," is a part of the prophetic book of Jeremiah, which is situated in a time of great upheaval for the ancient kingdom of Judah. Jeremiah, often called the "weeping prophet," served as God's messenger during the last days of the southern kingdom before its fall to the Babylonians in 586 BCE.
In this verse, God is instructing the people to signal a warning to Jerusalem (Zion), urging them to flee and not to linger, because a formidable threat is coming from the north. The "standard" or signal would have been a visual cue such as a flag or beacon, used to gather the people's attention for an important announcement. The north is frequently mentioned in Jeremiah as the direction from which invaders would come—in this case, the Babylonian army, led by Nebuchadnezzar.
The historical context of this verse is crucial: Judah had been experiencing a period of moral and spiritual decline, marked by idolatry and injustice, despite the prophetic warnings of impending doom if they did not repent. Jeremiah's message was one of imminent judgment, but also with an undercurrent of hope for those who would heed the warning and turn back to God. The "great destruction" foretold speaks to the catastrophic consequences of the nation's disobedience, which would soon manifest in the form of military invasion, the fall of Jerusalem, and the Babylonian exile.
In summary, Jeremiah 4:6 encapsulates the urgency of the divine warning to Judah to escape the impending disaster that God would bring upon them as a result of their unfaithfulness. It is a call to recognize the gravity of their situation and to seek refuge in God's protection, highlighting the themes of divine judgment, the consequences of sin, and the importance of repentance and obedience to God's law.
*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model
Strong's Numbers and Definitions:
Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)
- Strong's Number: H5375
There are 611 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: נָשָׂא
Transliteration: nâsâʼ
Pronunciation: naw-saw'
Description: or נָסָה; (Psalm 4:6 (אֲבַד)), a primitive root; to lift, in a great variety of applications, literal and figurative, absolute and relative; accept, advance, arise, (able to, (armor), suffer to) bear(-er, up), bring (forth), burn, carry (away), cast, contain, desire, ease, exact, exalt (self), extol, fetch, forgive, furnish, further, give, go on, help, high, hold up, honorable ([phrase] man), lade, lay, lift (self) up, lofty, marry, magnify, [idiom] needs, obtain, pardon, raise (up), receive, regard, respect, set (up), spare, stir up, [phrase] swear, take (away, up), [idiom] utterly, wear, yield. - Strong's Number: H5251
There are 20 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: נֵס
Transliteration: nêç
Pronunciation: nace
Description: from נָסַס; a flag; also a sail; by implication, a flagstaff; generally a signal; figuratively, a token; banner, pole, sail, (en-) sign, standard. - Strong's Number: H6726
There are 154 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: צִיּוֹן
Transliteration: Tsîyôwn
Pronunciation: tsee-yone'
Description: the same (regularly) as צִיּוּןlemma צִיוּן missing dagesh, corrected to צִיּוּן; Tsijon (as a permanent capital), a mountain of Jerusalem; Zion. - Strong's Number: H5756
There are 4 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: עוּז
Transliteration: ʻûwz
Pronunciation: ooz
Description: a primitive root; to be strong; causatively, to stregthen, i.e. (figuratively) to save (by flight); gather (self, self to flee), retire. - Strong's Number: H5975
There are 495 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: עָמַד
Transliteration: ʻâmad
Pronunciation: aw-mad'
Description: a primitive root; to stand, in various relations (literal and figurative, intransitive and transitive); abide (behind), appoint, arise, cease, confirm, continue, dwell, be employed, endure, establish, leave, make, ordain, be (over), place, (be) present (self), raise up, remain, repair, [phrase] serve, set (forth, over, -tle, up), (make to, make to be at a, with-) stand (by, fast, firm, still, up), (be at a) stay (up), tarry. - Strong's Number: H935
There are 2307 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: בּוֹא
Transliteration: bôwʼ
Pronunciation: bo
Description: a primitive root; to go or come (in a wide variety of applications); abide, apply, attain, [idiom] be, befall, [phrase] besiege, bring (forth, in, into, to pass), call, carry, [idiom] certainly, (cause, let, thing for) to come (against, in, out, upon, to pass), depart, [idiom] doubtless again, [phrase] eat, [phrase] employ, (cause to) enter (in, into, -tering, -trance, -try), be fallen, fetch, [phrase] follow, get, give, go (down, in, to war), grant, [phrase] have, [idiom] indeed, (in-) vade, lead, lift (up), mention, pull in, put, resort, run (down), send, set, [idiom] (well) stricken (in age), [idiom] surely, take (in), way. - Strong's Number: H7451
There are 623 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: רַע
Transliteration: raʻ
Pronunciation: rah
Description: from רָעַע; bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral); adversity, affliction, bad, calamity, [phrase] displease(-ure), distress, evil((-favouredness), man, thing), [phrase] exceedingly, [idiom] great, grief(-vous), harm, heavy, hurt(-ful), ill (favoured), [phrase] mark, mischief(-vous), misery, naught(-ty), noisome, [phrase] not please, sad(-ly), sore, sorrow, trouble, vex, wicked(-ly, -ness, one), worse(-st), wretchedness, wrong. (Incl. feminine raaah; as adjective or noun.). - Strong's Number: H6828
There are 141 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: צָפוֹן
Transliteration: tsâphôwn
Pronunciation: tsaw-fone'
Description: or צָפֹן; from צָפַן; properly, hidden, i.e. dark; used only of the north as aquarter (gloomy and unknown); north(-ern, side, -ward, wind). - Strong's Number: H1419
There are 499 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: גָּדוֹל
Transliteration: gâdôwl
Pronunciation: gaw-dole'
Description: or גָּדֹל; (shortened) from גָּדַל; great (in any sense); hence, older; also insolent; [phrase] aloud, elder(-est), [phrase] exceeding(-ly), [phrase] far, (man of) great (man, matter, thing,-er,-ness), high, long, loud, mighty, more, much, noble, proud thing, [idiom] sore, ([idiom]) very. - Strong's Number: H7667
There are 41 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: שֶׁבֶר
Transliteration: sheber
Pronunciation: sheh'-ber
Description: or שֵׁבֶר; from שָׁבַר; a fracture, figuratively, ruin; specifically, a solution (of a dream); affliction, breach, breaking, broken(-footed, -handed), bruise, crashing, destruction, hurt, interpretation, vexation.