And now therefore thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning this city, whereof ye say, It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence;

JEREMIAH 32:36KJV
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Jeremiah 32:36 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 32:36 mean?

Jeremiah 32:36 records God speaking about Jerusalem, the city that people say will be handed over to the king of Babylon through war, famine, and disease. The verse sets the stage for God’s message about the city’s coming hardship and the people’s fears about its future.

In this verse, God (“the LORD, the God of Israel”) is addressing the people of Jerusalem through the prophet Jeremiah. The people are facing a siege by Babylon, and they believe their city will fall because of violence (“the sword”), hunger (“the famine”), and sickness (“the pestilence”). This statement acknowledges their situation and prepares for what God will say next about hope and restoration.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 32:36

  • LORD (יְהוָה, Yahweh): This is the personal name of God, used here to emphasize God’s authority and faithfulness to Israel.
  • God (אֱלֹהִים, Elohim): This word highlights God’s power and sovereignty, reminding the people that He is not only their covenant God but also the Creator.
  • city (עִיר, ‘ir): Refers specifically to Jerusalem, grounding the message in a real, historical place that the people care about deeply.
  • delivered (נָתַן, nathan): This word means “to give” or “to hand over,” stressing that the city’s fall is not just by Babylon’s might but allowed by God’s decision.
  • sword (חֶרֶב, cherev), famine (רָעָב, ra’av), pestilence (דֶּבֶר, dever): These three words describe the main disasters facing Jerusalem, showing the totality of the crisis and the seriousness of the judgment.

Why Jeremiah 32:36 matters

  • Jeremiah 32:36 clarifies that the coming destruction of Jerusalem is not just a political or military event but something God Himself is allowing, which would have challenged the people’s assumptions about their security.
  • The verse connects the people’s fears (“ye say”) with God’s perspective, setting up the contrast between human despair and God’s plans for restoration in the following verses.
  • Understanding the specific disasters mentioned—war, famine, and pestilence—helps readers grasp the depth of suffering Jerusalem faced and the seriousness of the warning Jeremiah delivered.

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.

“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 29:18 And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be removed to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, and an astonishment, and an hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations whither I have driven them: