Jeremiah 10:21

Geneva Bible (1560)

For the Pastours are become beasts, and haue not sought the Lorde: therefore haue they none vnderstanding: and all the flockes of their pastures are scattered.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

כִּ֤י נִבְעֲרוּ֙ הָֽרֹעִ֔ים וְאֶת־יְהוָ֖ה לֹ֣א דָרָ֑שׁוּ עַל־כֵּן֙ לֹ֣א הִשְׂכִּ֔ילוּ וְכָל־מַרְעִיתָ֖ם נָפֽוֹצָה׃

Transliteration

Kî nibʿărû hā-rōʿîm and-ʾet-YHWH not dārāšû upon-thus not hiśkîlû and-all-marʿîtām nāfôṣāh

Grammar Details

• *nibʿărû*: niphal perfect, 3rd common plural - they are brutish/stupid
• *hā-rōʿîm*: definite article + qal participle, masculine plural - the shepherds
• *dārāšû*: qal perfect, 3rd common plural - they have sought
• *hiśkîlû*: hiphil perfect, 3rd common plural - they have prospered/succeeded
• *marʿîtām*: noun, feminine singular + 3rd masculine plural suffix - their flock/pasture
• *nāfôṣāh*: niphal perfect, 3rd feminine singular - it is scattered/dispersed

Word Meanings

• *nibʿărû*: are brutish/stupid/senseless/ignorant
• *hā-rōʿîm*: the shepherds/pastors/rulers
• *dārāšû*: have sought/inquired of/consulted/investigated
• *hiśkîlû*: have prospered/succeeded/acted wisely/had insight
• *marʿîtām*: their flock/pasture/feeding place
• *nāfôṣāh*: is scattered/dispersed/spread abroad

Referenced Verses

• Jer 12:10 : 10 Many pastors haue destroyed my vineyarde, and troden my portion vnder foote: of my pleasant portion they haue made a desolate wildernesse.
• Ezek 34:2-9 : 2 Sonne of man, prophesie against the shepherdes of Israel, prophesie & say vnto them, Thus saieth the Lord God vnto the shepherds, Wo be vnto the shepherds of Israel, that feede them selues: should not the shepherds feede the flockes? 3 Yee eate the fat, and yee clothe you with the wooll: yee kill them that are fed, but ye feede not the sheepe. 4 The weake haue ye not strengthened: the sicke haue ye not healed, neither haue ye bounde vp the broken, nor brought againe that which was driuen away, neither haue yee sought that which was lost, but with crueltie, and with rigour haue yee ruled them. 5 And they were scattered without a shepherde: and when they were dispersed, they were deuoured of all the beastes of the fielde. 6 My sheepe wandred through all the mountaines, and vpon euery hie hill: yea, my flocke was scattered through al the earth, and none did seeke or search after them. 7 Therefore ye shepherds, heare the woorde of the Lord. 8 As I liue, sayeth the Lorde God, surely because my flocke was spoyled, and my sheepe were deuoured of all the beasts of the fielde, hauing no shepherde, neither did my shepherdes seeke my sheepe, but the shepherdes fedde them selues, and fedde not my sheepe, 9 Therefore, heare ye the word of the Lorde, O ye shepherds. 10 Thus saieth the Lorde God, Behold, I come against the shepherds, and will require my sheepe at their hands, and cause them to cease from feeding the sheepe: neither shall the shepherds feede them selues any more: for I wil deliuer my sheepe from their mouthes, and they shall no more deuoure them.
• Ezek 34:12 : 12 As a shepherd searcheth out his flocke, when he hath bene among his sheepe that are scattered, so wil I seeke out my sheepe and wil deliuer them out of all places, where they haue beene scattered in the cloudie and darke day,
• Zech 10:3 : 3 My wrath was kindled against the shepherdes, and I did visite the goates: but the Lord of hostes will visite his flocke the house of Iudah, and will make them as his beautifull horse in the battell.
• Zech 13:7 : 7 Arise, O sword, vpon my shepheard, and vpon the man, that is my fellow, sayth the Lord of hostes: smite the shepheard, and the sheepe shall be scattered: and I will turne mine hand vpon the litle ones.
• Jer 10:8 : 8 But, altogether they dote, and are foolish: for the stocke is a doctrine of vanitie.
• Ezek 22:25-30 : 25 There is a conspiracie of her prophets in the mids thereof like a roaring lyon, rauening the praye: they haue deuoured soules: they haue taken the riches and precious things: they haue made her many widowes in the mids thereof. 26 Her Priests haue broken my Lawe, and haue defiled mine holy things: they haue put no difference betweene the holy and prophane, neither discerned betweene the vncleane, and the cleane, and haue hid their eyes from my Sabbaths, and I am prophaned among them. 27 Her princes in the mids thereof are like wolues, rauening the praye to shed blood, and to destroy soules for their owne couetous lucre. 28 And her prophets haue dawbed them with vntempered morter, seeing vanities, and diuining lies vnto them, saying, Thus sayth the Lord God, when the Lord had not spoken. 29 The people of the land haue violently oppressed by spoyling and robbing, and haue vexed the poore and the needy: yea, they haue oppressed the stranger against right. 30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make vp the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none.
• Jer 23:1-2 : 1 Wo be vnto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheepe of my pasture, saith the Lorde. 2 Therefore thus saith the Lorde God of Israel vnto the pastors that feede my people, Yee haue scattered my flock and thrust them out, and haue not visited them: beholde, I will visite you for the wickednesse of your works, saith the Lord.
• Jer 23:9-9 : 9 Mine heart breaketh within mee, because of the prophets, all my bones shake: I am like a drunken man (and like a man whome wine hath ouercome) for the presence of the Lorde and for his holie wordes. 10 For the lande is full of adulterers, and because of othes the lande mourneth, the pleasant places of the wildernesse are dried vp, and their course is euill, and their force is not right. 11 For both the prophet and the Priest doe wickedly: and their wickednesse haue I found in mine House, saith the Lorde. 12 Wherefore their way shalbe vnto them as slipperie wayes in the darknesse: they shalbe driuen foorth and fall therein: for I will bring a plague vpon them, euen the yeere of their visitation, saith the Lorde. 13 And I haue seene foolishnesse in the prophets of Samaria, that prophecied in Baal, & caused my people Israel to erre. 14 I haue seene also in the prophets of Ierusalem filthines: they commit adulterie & walke in lies: they strengthen also the hands of the wicked that none can returne from his wickednesse: they are all vnto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorah. 15 Therefore thus saith the Lorde of hostes concerning the prophets, Beholde, I will feede them with wormewood, & make them drinke the water of gall: for from the prophets of Ierusalem is wickednesse gone forth into all the lande. 16 Thus sayth ye Lord of hosts, Heare not the wordes of the prophets that prophecie vnto you, and teach you vanitie: they speake the vision of their owne heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lorde. 17 They say still vnto them that despise mee, The Lord hath sayde, Ye shall haue peace: and they say vnto euery one that walketh after the stubbernesse of his owne heart, No euill shall come vpon you. 18 For who hath stand in the counsel of the Lord that he hath perceiued and heard his word? Who hath marked his worde and heard it? 19 Beholde, the tempest of the Lorde goeth forth in his wrath, and a violent whirlewinde shal fall downe vpon the head of the wicked. 20 The anger of the Lorde shall not returne vntill he haue executed, and till he haue perfourmed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter dayes ye shall vnderstande it plainely. 21 I haue not sent these prophets, sayth the Lord, yet they ranne; I haue not spoken to them, and yet they prophecied. 22 But if they had stande in my counsell, and had declared my words to my people, then they should haue turned them from their euill way, & from the wickednesse of their inuentions. 23 Am I a God at hande, saith the Lord, and not a God farre off? 24 Can any hide him selfe in secrete places, that I shall not see him, sayth the Lorde? Do not I fill heauen and earth, saieth the Lord? 25 I haue heard what the prophets said, that prophecie lies in my Name, saying, I haue dreamed, I haue dreamed. 26 Howe long? Doe the prophets delite to prophecie lies, euen prophecying the deceit of their owne heart? 27 Thinke they to cause my people to forget my Name by their dreames, which they tell euery man to his neyghbour, as their forefathers haue forgotten my Name for Baal? 28 The prophet that hath a dreame, let him tell a dreame, and hee that hath my worde, let him speake my worde faithfully: what is the chaffe to the wheate, sayth the Lord? 29 Is not my word euen like a fire, sayeth the Lorde? and like an hammer, that breaketh the stone? 30 Therefore beholde, I will come against the prophets, saieth the Lorde, that steale my word euerie one from his neighbour. 31 Beholde, I will come against the prophets, saith the Lord, which haue sweete tongues, & say, He saith. 32 Beholde, I will come against them that prophecie false dreames, saith the Lorde, and doe tell them, and cause my people to erre by their lies, and by their flatteries, and I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they bring no profite vnto this people, saith the Lord.
• Isa 56:10-12 : 10 Their watchmen are all blinde: they haue no knowledge: they are all dumme dogs: they can not barke: they lie and sleepe and delite in sleeping. 11 And these griedy dogs can neuer haue ynough: and these shepheards cannot vnderstand: for they all looke to their owne way, euery one for his aduantage, and for his owne purpose. 12 Come, I wil bring wine, and we wil fill our selues with strong drinke, and to morowe shalbe as this day, and much more abundant.
• Jer 2:8 : 8 The priests said not, Where is the Lorde? And they that should minister the Lawe, knewe me not: the pastours also offended against me, and the Prophets prophesied in Baal, and went after things that did not profite.
• Jer 5:31 : 31 The Prophets prophesie lies, and ye Priests receiue giftes in their handes, and my people delite therein. What will ye then doe in the ende thereof?
• Jer 8:9 : 9 The wise men are ashamed: they are afraid and taken. loe, they haue reiected the word of the Lorde, and what wisdome is in them?
• Jer 49:32 : 32 And their camels shall be a bootie, and the multitude of their cattel a spoile, and I will scatter them into all windes, and to the vtmost corners, and I will bring their destruction from al the sides thereof, sayeth the Lord.
• Jer 50:17 : 17 Israel is like scattered sheepe: the lions haue dispersed them: first the King of Asshur hath deuoured him, and last this Nebuchad-nezzar King, of Babel hath broken his bones.
• Jer 10:14 : 14 Euery man is a beast by his owne knowledge: euery founder is confounded by the grauen image: for his melting is but falsehood, and there is no breath therein.
• John 10:12-13 : 12 But an hireling, and hee which is not the shepheard, neither the sheepe are his owne, seeth the wolfe comming, and hee leaueth the sheepe, and fleeth, and the wolfe catcheth them, and scattreth the sheepe. 13 So the hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheepe.