And I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place; and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hands of them that seek their lives: and their carcases will I give to be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.

JEREMIAH 19:7KJV
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Jeremiah 19:7 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 19:7 mean?

Jeremiah 19:7 says that God will ruin the plans and strategies of Judah and Jerusalem in a specific place, leading to their defeat by their enemies. The verse describes a coming disaster where many people will die in battle, and their bodies will be left unburied, becoming food for birds and wild animals.

In this verse, God is speaking through the prophet Jeremiah to warn the people of Judah and Jerusalem about the consequences of their actions. The setting is a public announcement of judgment, likely near Jerusalem, where Jeremiah is delivering a message of coming destruction because the people have turned away from God. The verse uses vivid language to show the seriousness of the coming punishment and the total collapse of the community’s defenses and plans.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 19:7

  • "make void" (בָּקַע, baqaʿ): This word means to break open or shatter, not just to cancel. Here, it emphasizes that God will completely destroy the plans and advice ("counsel") of Judah and Jerusalem, leaving them helpless.
  • "counsel" (עֵצָה, ʿetsah): This word refers to advice, plans, or strategies. The verse highlights that even the best ideas or defenses of the people will be made useless.
  • "carcases" (פֶּגֶר, peger): This word is a blunt term for dead bodies, stressing the grim reality of the coming judgment.
  • "meat" (אֹכֶל, okhel): This word means food. The verse’s use of it underlines the shame and horror of the dead being left unburied, which was a sign of total defeat and disgrace in ancient times.

Why Jeremiah 19:7 matters

  • Jeremiah 19:7 makes clear that the coming disaster is not just military defeat but a total collapse of the people’s ability to protect themselves, as even their best plans will be shattered.
  • The verse connects to the larger warning in Jeremiah 19, where God uses Jeremiah to act out and announce the seriousness of the people’s unfaithfulness and the consequences that will follow.
  • The graphic detail about bodies being left for animals highlights the depth of the coming judgment and serves as a warning about the seriousness of turning away from God’s ways.

Where else these words appear

“void” Hebrew H1238 · used in 7 verses

  • Isaiah 19:3 And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.
  • Isaiah 24:3 The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word.
  • Hosea 10:1 Israel is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself: according to the multitude of his fruit he hath increased the altars; according to the goodness of his land they have made goodly images.

“meat” Hebrew H3978 · used in 29 verses

  • Genesis 2:9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
  • 1 Chronicles 12:40 Moreover they that were nigh them, even unto Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought bread on asses, and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen, and meat, meal, cakes of figs, and bunches of raisins, and wine, and oil, and oxen, and sheep abundantly: for there was joy in Israel.
  • Proverbs 6:8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.

“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!

“fowls” Hebrew H5775 · used in 70 verses

  • Genesis 1:20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
  • Leviticus 7:26 Moreover ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings.
  • Psalms 79:2 The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of the heaven, the flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth.