Jeremiah 24:3

KJV1611 – Modern English

Then the LORD said to me, What do you see, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the bad, very bad, that cannot be eaten, they are so bad.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֜ה אֵלַ֗י מָֽה־אַתָּ֤ה רֹאֶה֙ יִרְמְיָ֔הוּ וָאֹמַ֖ר תְּאֵנִ֑ים הַתְּאֵנִ֤ים הַטֹּבוֹת֙ טֹב֣וֹת מְאֹ֔ד וְהָֽרָעוֹת֙ רָע֣וֹת מְאֹ֔ד אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־תֵאָכַ֖לְנָה מֵרֹֽעַ׃ פ

Transliteration

wayyōʾmer YHWH to-me māh-ʾattāh rōʾeh Yirməyāhû wāʾōmar təʾēnîm hattəʾēnîm haṭṭōḇôt ṭôḇôt məʾōd wə-hārāʿôt rāʿôt məʾōd which not-tēʾāḵalnāh from-rōaʿ.

Grammar Details

• *wayyōʾmer*: Qal imperfect with waw consecutive, 3rd masculine singular - and he said
• *māh*: interrogative - what
• *ʾattāh*: 2nd masculine singular pronoun - you
• *rōʾeh*: Qal participle, masculine singular - seeing
• *wāʾōmar*: Qal imperfect with waw consecutive, 1st singular - and I said
• *təʾēnîm*: feminine plural - figs
• *hattəʾēnîm*: feminine plural with definite article - the figs
• *haṭṭōḇôt*: feminine plural adjective with definite article - the good ones
• *ṭôḇôt*: feminine plural adjective - good
• *məʾōd*: adverb - very/exceedingly
• *wə-hārāʿôt*: conjunction + feminine plural adjective with definite article - and the bad ones
• *rāʿôt*: feminine plural adjective - bad/evil
• *tēʾāḵalnāh*: Niphal imperfect, 3rd feminine plural - they could be eaten
• *rōaʿ*: masculine singular - badness/evil

Word Meanings

• *rōʾeh*: seeing/perceiving/observing
• *rōaʿ*: badness/evil/poor quality

Other Translations

• Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

  Then the LORD said to me, "What do you see, Jeremiah?" And I answered, "Figs. The good figs are very good, but the bad ones are so bad they cannot be eaten."

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  Then said the LORD unto me, What seest thou, emiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the evil, very evil, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  Then said Jehovah unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the bad, very bad, that cannot be eaten, they are so bad.

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  Then said the LORD unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the evil, very evil, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  Then sayde the LORDE vnto me: what seist thou Ieremy? I sayde: fyges, where of some be very good, and some so euel, that no man maye eate them.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  Then saide the Lorde vnto mee, What seest thou, Ieremiah? And I said, Figges: ye good figges verie good, & the naughtie verie naughtie, which cannot be eaten, they are so euill.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  Then sayd the Lord vnto me: What seest thou Ieremie? I sayde, figges, whereof some be very good, and some so euyll that no man may eate them.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  Then said the LORD unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the evil, very evil, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  Then said Yahweh to me, What see you, Jeremiah? I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the bad, very bad, that can't be eaten, they are so bad.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  And Jehovah saith unto me, `What art thou seeing, Jeremiah?' and I say, `Figs, the good figs `are' very good, and the bad `are' very bad, that are not eaten for badness.'

• American Standard Version (1901)

  Then said Jehovah unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the bad, very bad, that cannot be eaten, they are so bad.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  Then said Jehovah unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the bad, very bad, that cannot be eaten, they are so bad.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  Then the Lord said to me, What do you see, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs are very good, and the bad very bad, and of no use for food, they are so bad.

• World English Bible (2000)

  Then Yahweh said to me, What do you see, Jeremiah? I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the bad, very bad, that can't be eaten, they are so bad.

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  The LORD said to me,“What do you see, Jeremiah?” I answered,“I see figs. The good ones look very good. But the bad ones look very bad, so bad that they cannot be eaten.”

Referenced Verses

• Amos 8:2 : 2 And He said, Amos, what do you see? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then the LORD said to me, The end has come upon my people Israel; I will not pass by them anymore.
• Zech 4:2 : 2 And said to me, What do you see? And I said, I have looked, and behold, a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl on top of it, and its seven lamps on it, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are on top of it:
• Jer 1:11-14 : 11 Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Jeremiah, what do you see? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree. 12 Then the LORD said to me, You have seen well: for I will hasten My word to perform it. 13 And the word of the LORD came to me the second time, saying, What do you see? And I said, I see a boiling pot; and its face is toward the north. 14 Then the LORD said to me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.
• Matt 25:32-33 : 32 All nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And he will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
• 1 Sam 9:9 : 9 (Previously in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he said thus, Come, let us go to the seer: for he who is now called a Prophet was previously called a Seer.)
• Zech 5:5-9 : 5 Then the angel who talked with me went forth, and said to me, Lift up now your eyes, and see what this is that goes forth. 6 And I said, What is it? And he said, This is an ephah that goes forth. He said moreover, This is their resemblance throughout the earth. 7 And, behold, there was lifted up a lead cover: and this is a woman sitting in the midst of the ephah. 8 And he said, This is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon its opening. 9 Then I lifted up my eyes, and looked, and behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heavens. 10 Then I said to the angel who talked with me, Where do they carry the ephah? 11 And he said to me, To build it a house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon its own base.
• Amos 7:8 : 8 And the LORD said to me, Amos, what do you see? And I said, A plumbline. Then the Lord said, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel: I will not pass by them anymore:
• Zech 5:2 : 2 And he said to me, What do you see? And I answered, I see a flying scroll; its length is twenty cubits, and its width ten cubits.