Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, and pour out their blood by the force of the sword; and let their wives be bereaved of their children, and be widows; and let their men be put to death; let their young men be slain by the sword in battle.
So let their children starve from hunger, and let them be killed by the sword. Let their wives lose their children and become widows. Let their men die, and let their young men be killed in battle.
Jeremiah is asking God to bring severe judgment on those who have rejected God's message and plotted against him.
📚 Historical Context
In the historical context, Jeremiah was a prophet in ancient Judah around 600 BC, during a time when the nation faced imminent invasion by Babylon due to widespread idolatry and covenant unfaithfulness. This verse is part of Jeremiah's impassioned prayer, where he calls for divine judgment on those conspiring against him and the people, echoing the themes of God's promised consequences for sin as outlined in earlier biblical books like Deuteronomy. It reflects the cultural reality of ancient Near Eastern warfare and the prophetic role in invoking God's justice amid national crisis.
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