For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will sling out the inhabitants of the land at this once, and will distress them, that they may find it so.

JEREMIAH 10:18KJV
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Jeremiah 10:18 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 10:18 mean?

Jeremiah 10:18 records God declaring that He will forcefully remove the people living in the land and bring them into distress so that they experience the consequences of their actions. The verse uses strong imagery to show that this removal will be sudden and difficult, leaving the people to face hardship.

In this verse, God is speaking through the prophet Jeremiah to the people of Judah, warning them about the coming judgment because of their unfaithfulness. The phrase "I will sling out the inhabitants" paints a picture of God forcefully casting the people out, much like stones from a sling, emphasizing how abrupt and unavoidable this exile will be. The distress mentioned means that the people will feel the full weight of what is happening, not just physically but emotionally and spiritually.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 10:18

  • sling (קָלַע, qālaʿ): This word means to throw or hurl, often used for slinging stones. Here, it highlights the forceful and sudden nature of the people's removal, not a gentle or gradual process.
  • distress (צָרָה, tsārāh): This word refers to trouble, anguish, or tightness. It shows that the coming hardship is not just about being moved but about real suffering and pressure.
  • find (מָצָא, matsa): This word means to encounter or experience. The verse suggests that the people will not escape or avoid what is coming; they will truly "find" or experience the consequences.

Why Jeremiah 10:18 matters

  • Jeremiah 10:18 makes clear that the coming judgment is not random or accidental but a direct action from God in response to the people's choices.
  • The verse connects to the larger warning in Jeremiah 10, where God contrasts His power with the emptiness of idols, showing that ignoring Him leads to real consequences.
  • The vivid language helps readers understand the seriousness of the situation—this is not just a warning, but a promise of real upheaval and distress for those who have turned away from God.

Where else these words appear

“sling” Hebrew H7049 · used in 7 verses

  • Judges 20:16 Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss.
  • 1 Samuel 25:29 Yet a man is risen to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul: but the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD thy God; and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out, as out of the middle of a sling.
  • 1 Kings 6:32 The two doors also were of olive tree; and he carved upon them carvings of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold, and spread gold upon the cherubims, and upon the palm trees.

“distress” Hebrew H6887 · used in 56 verses

  • Exodus 12:34 And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneadingtroughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders.
  • 2 Chronicles 6:28 If there be dearth in the land, if there be pestilence, if there be blasting, or mildew, locusts, or caterpillers; if their enemies besiege them in the cities of their land; whatsoever sore or whatsoever sickness there be:
  • Psalms 69:17 And hide not thy face from thy servant; for I am in trouble: hear me speedily.

“once” Hebrew H6471 · used in 108 verses

  • Genesis 2:23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
  • Deuteronomy 9:19 For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure, wherewith the LORD was wroth against you to destroy you. But the LORD hearkened unto me at that time also.
  • 2 Kings 5:10 And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.