If I go forth into the field, then behold the slain with the sword! and if I enter into the city, then behold them that are sick with famine! yea, both the prophet and the priest go about into a land that they know not.

JEREMIAH 14:18KJV
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Jeremiah 14:18 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 14:18 mean?

Jeremiah 14:18 describes a scene of total devastation: whether outside in the fields or inside the city, people are suffering and dying—some killed by violence, others weakened by hunger. Even the spiritual leaders, prophets and priests, are lost and wandering in unfamiliar territory, unable to help.

The prophet Jeremiah is speaking to God about the disaster facing Judah during a time of drought and invasion. The verse paints a vivid picture of hopelessness: no place is safe, and even those who should guide and comfort the people are themselves confused and powerless. This highlights the depth of the nation’s crisis and the sense that God’s judgment has touched every part of society.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 14:18

  • "Slain" (חָלָל, ḥalal) refers specifically to those killed, often in battle or by violence. The word emphasizes that the destruction is not just from natural causes but from conflict.
  • "Sick" (תַּחֲלֻאִים, taḥalu'im) means stricken or diseased, often used for severe illness. Here, it points to the suffering caused by famine, not just hunger but physical wasting and sickness.
  • "Go about" (סָחוּ, sakhū) carries the sense of wandering or staggering, suggesting that the prophets and priests are not just traveling but are lost, disoriented, and helpless.
  • "Land" (אֶרֶץ, erets) in this context means a place that is foreign or unknown, highlighting the leaders’ confusion and alienation.

Why Jeremiah 14:18 matters

  • Jeremiah 14:18 shows that the crisis affects everyone, not just ordinary people but also the prophets and priests who are supposed to provide guidance and hope.
  • The verse clarifies that the suffering is both from violence ("slain with the sword") and from famine, showing the completeness of the disaster.
  • By describing the leaders as wandering in a land they do not know, Jeremiah 14:18 emphasizes the loss of direction and spiritual confusion that comes when a nation turns away from God.

Where else these words appear

“sick” Hebrew H8463 · used in 5 verses

  • Deuteronomy 29:22 So that the generation to come of your children that shall rise up after you, and the stranger that shall come from a far land, shall say, when they see the plagues of that land, and the sicknesses which the LORD hath laid upon it;
  • 2 Chronicles 21:19 And it came to pass, that in process of time, after the end of two years, his bowels fell out by reason of his sickness: so he died of sore diseases. And his people made no burning for him, like the burning of his fathers.
  • Psalms 103:3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;

“about” Hebrew H5503 · used in 20 verses

  • Genesis 23:16 And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant.
  • 2 Chronicles 1:16 And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn: the king's merchants received the linen yarn at a price.
  • Isaiah 47:15 Thus shall they be unto thee with whom thou hast laboured, even thy merchants, from thy youth: they shall wander every one to his quarter; none shall save thee.

“slain” Hebrew H2491 · used in 85 verses

  • Genesis 34:27 The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister.
  • 1 Chronicles 5:22 For there fell down many slain, because the war was of God. And they dwelt in their steads until the captivity.
  • Ezekiel 11:6 Ye have multiplied your slain in this city, and ye have filled the streets thereof with the slain.

“famine” Hebrew H7458 · used in 88 verses

  • Genesis 12:10 And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.
  • 2 Kings 25:3 And on the ninth day of the fourth month the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land.
  • Jeremiah 32:24 Behold the mounts, they are come unto the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans, that fight against it, because of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence: and what thou hast spoken is come to pass; and, behold, thou seest it.