Jeremiah 31:9

King James Version 1611 (Original)

They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

בִּבְכִ֣י יָבֹ֗אוּ וּֽבְתַחֲנוּנִים֮ אֽוֹבִילֵם֒ אֽוֹלִיכֵם֙ אֶל־נַ֣חֲלֵי מַ֔יִם בְּדֶ֣רֶךְ יָשָׁ֔ר לֹ֥א יִכָּשְׁל֖וּ בָּ֑הּ כִּֽי־הָיִ֤יתִי לְיִשְׂרָאֵל֙ לְאָ֔ב וְאֶפְרַ֖יִם בְּכֹ֥רִי הֽוּא׃ ס

Transliteration

With bəkî yābōʾû and with taḥănûnîm ʾôbîlēm; ʾôlîkēm unto-naḥălê mayim, in derek yāšār not yikkāšəlû on it; for-hāyîtî to Yiśrāʾēl for ʾāb, and ʾEprayim bəkōrî he.

Grammar Details

• *bəkî*: noun, masculine singular - weeping
• *yābōʾû*: verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural - they will come
• *taḥănûnîm*: noun, masculine plural - supplications/entreaties
• *ʾôbîlēm*: verb, hiphil imperfect, 1st person singular with 3rd person masculine plural suffix - I will lead them
• *ʾôlîkēm*: verb, hiphil imperfect, 1st person singular with 3rd person masculine plural suffix - I will cause them to walk
• *naḥălê*: noun, masculine plural construct - streams/rivers
• *mayim*: noun, masculine plural - water
• *derek*: noun, masculine singular - way/path
• *yāšār*: adjective, masculine singular - straight/right
• *yikkāšəlû*: verb, niphal imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural - they will stumble
• *hāyîtî*: verb, qal perfect, 1st person singular - I have been/become
• *Yiśrāʾēl*: proper noun - Israel
• *ʾāb*: noun, masculine singular - father
• *ʾEprayim*: proper noun - Ephraim
• *bəkōrî*: noun, masculine singular with 1st person singular suffix - my firstborn

Word Meanings

• *bəkî*: weeping/crying
• *yābōʾû*: they will come/arrive/enter
• *taḥănûnîm*: supplications/entreaties/pleas for mercy
• *ʾôbîlēm*: I will lead them/bring them/guide them
• *ʾôlîkēm*: I will cause them to walk/lead them/guide them
• *naḥălê*: streams/rivers/brooks
• *derek*: way/path/road/journey
• *yāšār*: straight/level/right/upright
• *yikkāšəlû*: they will stumble/totter/stagger
• *hāyîtî*: I have been/become/existed as
• *ʾāb*: father/ancestor/originator
• *bəkōrî*: my firstborn/my chief son

Referenced Verses

• Jer 3:4 : 4 Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou art the guide of my youth?
• Exod 4:22 : 22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:
• Jer 50:4 : 4 In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the LORD their God.
• Isa 63:13 : 13 That led them through the deep, as an horse in the wilderness, that they should not stumble?
• Jer 31:20 : 20 Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a pleasant child? for since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the LORD.
• Isa 64:8 : 8 But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.
• Zech 12:10 : 10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
• Jer 3:19 : 19 But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me.
• Ps 23:2 : 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
• Isa 35:6-8 : 6 Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. 7 And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes. 8 And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.
• Isa 40:3-4 : 3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
• Isa 41:17-19 : 17 When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. 18 I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. 19 I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together:
• Isa 43:16-19 : 16 Thus saith the LORD, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters; 17 Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow. 18 Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. 19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
• Isa 49:9-9 : 9 That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places. 10 They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them. 11 And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted.
• Isa 57:14 : 14 And shall say, Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumblingblock out of the way of my people.
• Ps 126:5-6 : 5 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. 6 He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
• Deut 32:6 : 6 Do ye thus requite the LORD, O foolish people and unwise? is not he thy father that hath bought thee? hath he not made thee, and established thee?
• 1 Chr 29:10 : 10 Wherefore David blessed the LORD before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, LORD God of Israel our father, for ever and ever.
• Isa 63:16 : 16 Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O LORD, art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting.
• Ezek 34:12-14 : 12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. 13 And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.
• Dan 9:17-18 : 17 Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake. 18 O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.
• Hos 12:4 : 4 Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him in Bethel, and there he spake with us;
• Matt 3:3 : 3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
• Matt 5:4 : 4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
• Matt 6:9 : 9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
• Luke 3:4-6 : 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; 6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
• Luke 6:21 : 21 Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.
• Rom 8:26 : 26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
• 2 Cor 6:18 : 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
• 2 Cor 7:9-9 : 9 Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. 10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. 11 For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.
• Heb 5:7 : 7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;
• Heb 12:13 : 13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
• Heb 12:23 : 23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
• Rev 7:17 : 17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.