And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they have defiled my land, they have filled mine inheritance with the carcases of their detestable and abominable things.

JEREMIAH 16:18KJV
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Jeremiah 16:18 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 16:18 mean?

Jeremiah 16:18 says that God will pay back the people of Judah for their wrongdoing and sins, giving them a double portion of punishment because they have polluted His land with detestable and offensive things. The verse emphasizes that their actions have brought serious consequences, especially because they have defiled what God considers His own inheritance.

In this verse, God is speaking through the prophet Jeremiah to the people of Judah. The situation is one of warning: the people have turned away from God and filled the land with practices and objects that are deeply offensive to Him, often linked to idol worship. The mention of "double" repayment shows the seriousness of their offenses and the certainty of coming judgment.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 16:18

  • "Recompense" (שָׁלַם, shalam): This word means to repay or make whole, often used for settling accounts. Here, it highlights that God’s response is not random but a measured repayment for what has been done.
  • "Double" (מִשְׁנֶה, mishneh): This word means "double" or "twofold." The idea is not just a simple punishment, but an intensified one, stressing the gravity of their actions.
  • "Defiled" (חָלַל, chalal): This word means to pollute or make unclean. The people’s actions have made the land—God’s special possession—unclean in a spiritual sense.
  • "Detestable" (שִׁקּוּץ, shiqquts) and "abominable things" (תּוֹעֵבָה, toʿevah): Both terms refer to things that are utterly offensive to God, usually associated with idol worship and practices forbidden in Israel.

Why Jeremiah 16:18 matters

  • Jeremiah 16:18 clarifies that God’s judgment is not arbitrary but is a direct response to specific actions—especially the pollution of the land with idolatry and offensive practices.
  • The verse shows how seriously God views the land of Israel as His inheritance, and how defiling it is seen as a personal offense against Him.
  • This verse connects to the wider message of Jeremiah, where the prophet repeatedly warns that turning away from God and embracing detestable practices will have real and severe consequences.

Where else these words appear

“detestable” Hebrew H8251 · used in 26 verses

  • Deuteronomy 29:17 And ye have seen their abominations, and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were among them:)
  • Jeremiah 7:30 For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight, saith the LORD: they have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to pollute it.
  • Ezekiel 20:8 But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me: they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt: then I said, I will pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.

“double” Hebrew H4932 · used in 34 verses

  • Genesis 41:43 And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.
  • 1 Samuel 23:17 And he said unto him, Fear not: for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee; and that also Saul my father knoweth.
  • 2 Chronicles 35:24 His servants therefore took him out of that chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had; and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died, and was buried in one of the sepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.

“carcases” Hebrew H5038 · used in 41 verses

  • Leviticus 5:2 Or if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcase of an unclean beast, or a carcase of unclean cattle, or the carcase of unclean creeping things, and if it be hidden from him; he also shall be unclean, and guilty.
  • Leviticus 11:40 And he that eateth of the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: he also that beareth the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.
  • 1 Kings 13:30 And he laid his carcase in his own grave; and they mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother!

“recompense” Hebrew H7999 · used in 107 verses

  • Genesis 44:4 And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good?
  • 1 Kings 9:25 And three times in a year did Solomon offer burnt offerings and peace offerings upon the altar which he built unto the LORD, and he burnt incense upon the altar that was before the LORD. So he finished the house.
  • Proverbs 6:31 But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.