And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, till they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers.

JEREMIAH 24:10KJV
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Jeremiah 24:10 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 24:10 mean?

Jeremiah 24:10 describes God’s warning that He will send war, hunger, and disease upon the people until they are removed from the land He gave to them and their ancestors. This verse is a declaration of coming judgment, showing that the people will lose their home because of their actions.

In this verse, God is speaking through the prophet Jeremiah to the people of Judah, who have turned away from Him. The situation is one of crisis: the nation faces consequences for its unfaithfulness. The verse lists three disasters—sword (war), famine (lack of food), and pestilence (disease)—as the means by which the people will be driven out of the land promised to their forefathers.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 24:10

  • "Sword" (חֶרֶב, cherev) refers to warfare or violence. The use of this word emphasizes that military conflict will be a key part of the coming judgment.
  • "Famine" (רָעָב, ra’av) means a severe lack of food. This highlights that not only violence but also natural hardship will strike the people.
  • "Pestilence" (דֶּבֶר, dever) is often understood as deadly disease or plague. Including pestilence shows that the judgment will be broad, affecting every part of life.
  • "Consumed" (תָּמַם, tamam) means to be brought to an end or completely removed. This word stresses the completeness of the removal from the land.

Why Jeremiah 24:10 matters

  • This verse clarifies that the removal from the land is not random but a direct result of the people’s choices and God’s response to them.
  • The verse connects to the wider message of Jeremiah, where the loss of the land is a major consequence for breaking the covenant with God.
  • The specific mention of the land given to their fathers underlines the seriousness of the loss: it is not just any land, but the inheritance promised to their ancestors.

Where else these words appear

“pestilence” Hebrew H1698 · used in 48 verses

  • Exodus 5:3 And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.
  • Psalms 91:3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
  • Jeremiah 42:22 Now therefore know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go and to sojourn.

“consumed” Hebrew H8552 · used in 62 verses

  • Genesis 47:15 And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for the money faileth.
  • Joshua 5:8 And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in the camp, till they were whole.
  • Psalms 104:35 Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the LORD, O my soul. Praise ye the LORD.

“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.