Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.

JEREMIAH 4:6KJV
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Jeremiah 4:6 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 4:6 mean?

Jeremiah 4:6 warns the people to raise a signal toward Zion and flee without delay because disaster and great destruction are coming from the north. The verse is a call for urgent action, telling the people to escape quickly as a threat approaches.

In this verse, the prophet Jeremiah is speaking to the people of Judah during a time of looming invasion. The "standard" refers to a signal flag or banner used to direct people, and "Zion" points to Jerusalem. Jeremiah urges the people not to hesitate ("retire, stay not") because God is bringing "evil" (calamity) from the north, which historically refers to invading armies like Babylon. The verse captures the urgency and seriousness of the warning.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 4:6

  • נֵס (nes, "standard"): This word means a banner or signal flag. In ancient times, it was used to rally people or direct them in times of danger, emphasizing the need for immediate attention and action.
  • צִיּוֹן (tsiyyon, "Zion"): This is the Hebrew name for Jerusalem, often used to represent the spiritual and political center of Judah. The call to head toward Zion highlights the city as a place of refuge or focus during crisis.
  • רָעָה (ra'ah, "evil"): This word often means disaster, calamity, or harm, not just moral evil. Here, it signals a coming catastrophe rather than wickedness.
  • שֶׁבֶר (shever, "destruction"): This word means a breaking or shattering, emphasizing the severity and completeness of the coming disaster.

Why Jeremiah 4:6 matters

  • Jeremiah 4:6 clarifies that the threat is not random but comes specifically "from the north," pointing to the historical context of Babylonian invasion, which helps readers understand the urgency of the warning.
  • The use of "standard" and the command to flee show that God is giving the people a clear warning and a chance to respond, rather than leaving them unaware.
  • This verse connects to the wider theme in Jeremiah of God using foreign nations as instruments of judgment, while still urging His people to take action and seek safety.

Where else these words appear

“retire” Hebrew H5756 · used in 4 verses

  • Exodus 9:19 Send therefore now, and gather thy cattle, and all that thou hast in the field; for upon every man and beast which shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die.
  • Isaiah 10:31 Madmenah is removed; the inhabitants of Gebim gather themselves to flee.
  • Jeremiah 6:1 O ye children of Benjamin, gather yourselves to flee out of the midst of Jerusalem, and blow the trumpet in Tekoa, and set up a sign of fire in Bethhaccerem: for evil appeareth out of the north, and great destruction.

“standard” Hebrew H5251 · used in 20 verses

  • Numbers 21:8 And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
  • Isaiah 11:12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
  • Isaiah 49:22 Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.

“destruction” Hebrew H7667 · used in 41 verses

  • Leviticus 21:19 Or a man that is brokenfooted, or brokenhanded,
  • Isaiah 30:26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.
  • Jeremiah 30:15 Why criest thou for thine affliction? thy sorrow is incurable for the multitude of thine iniquity: because thy sins were increased, I have done these things unto thee.

“north” Hebrew H6828 · used in 141 verses

  • Genesis 13:14 And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:
  • 1 Chronicles 26:14 And the lot eastward fell to Shelemiah. Then for Zechariah his son, a wise counsellor, they cast lots; and his lot came out northward.
  • Ezekiel 21:4 Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of his sheath against all flesh from the south to the north: