They come to fight with the Chaldeans, but it is to fill them with the dead bodies of men, whom I have slain in mine anger and in my fury, and for all whose wickedness I have hid my face from this city.

JEREMIAH 33:5KJV
Know the Bible

Jeremiah 33:5 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 33:5 mean?

Jeremiah 33:5 describes how the people of Jerusalem try to fight against the Chaldeans (Babylonians), but their efforts only result in the city being filled with the dead bodies of those whom God has struck down in anger because of their wickedness. God says He has turned His face away from the city because of the people's wrongdoing.

In this verse, God is speaking through the prophet Jeremiah to the people of Jerusalem during the Babylonian siege. The verse paints a grim picture: instead of defending the city successfully, the resistance leads to more death and destruction. The language emphasizes that the disaster is not just from human enemies, but also a result of God's anger at the people's persistent evil.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 33:5

  • "Chaldeans" (כַּשְׂדִּים, kasdîm): This word refers specifically to the Babylonians, highlighting the real historical threat facing Jerusalem at the time.
  • "Fill" (מָלֵא, male'): The idea is not just that there are casualties, but that the city becomes full—overwhelmed—with dead bodies, stressing the scale of the judgment.
  • "Anger" (אַף, 'af) and "fury" (חֵמָה, chemah): These words show the intensity of God's response, using terms for deep, burning anger to explain why He allows such devastation.
  • "Hid" (סָתַר, satar) "face" (פָּנִים, panim): The phrase means God has withdrawn His favor and presence from Jerusalem, a sign of severe disapproval and abandonment because of the people's wickedness.

Why Jeremiah 33:5 matters

  • Jeremiah 33:5 clarifies that the suffering in Jerusalem is not just from war, but is also a result of God's judgment on the people's persistent wrongdoing.
  • The verse shows that human efforts to resist the Babylonians are futile when God Himself has turned away from the city.
  • This verse sets up the contrast for the rest of the chapter, where God later promises restoration and hope after judgment, making the message of mercy even more striking.

Where else these words appear

“bodies” Hebrew H6297 · used in 21 verses

  • Genesis 15:11 And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.
  • 2 Kings 19:35 And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
  • Jeremiah 31:40 And the whole valley of the dead bodies, and of the ashes, and all the fields unto the brook of Kidron, unto the corner of the horse gate toward the east, shall be holy unto the LORD; it shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more for ever.

“Chaldeans” Hebrew H3778 · used in 80 verses

  • Genesis 11:28 And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.
  • Jeremiah 32:4 And Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes;
  • Jeremiah 50:1 The word that the LORD spake against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet.

“hid” Hebrew H5641 · used in 80 verses

  • Genesis 4:14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.
  • Psalms 10:11 He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it.
  • Proverbs 27:12 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished.

“fury” Hebrew H2534 · used in 117 verses

  • Genesis 27:44 And tarry with him a few days, until thy brother's fury turn away;
  • Psalms 106:23 Therefore he said that he would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, to turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them.
  • Lamentations 4:11 The LORD hath accomplished his fury; he hath poured out his fierce anger, and hath kindled a fire in Zion, and it hath devoured the foundations thereof.