And said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the LORD thy God, even for all this remnant;(for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us:)

JEREMIAH 42:2KJV
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Jeremiah 42:2 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 42:2 mean?

Jeremiah 42:2 describes a group of people coming to Jeremiah and earnestly asking him to pray to the LORD on their behalf, hoping their request will be favorably received, because only a small remnant of them remains. The people recognize their desperate situation, seeing themselves as just a few survivors from what was once a much larger group.

The speakers are the leaders and people left in Judah after most had been taken away or killed during the Babylonian invasion. They approach Jeremiah, the prophet, with humility, calling their request a "supplication" and asking him to intercede for them before God. The verse highlights their sense of loss and vulnerability, as they point out to Jeremiah that he can see for himself how few of them are left.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 42:2

  • "Supplication" (תְּחִנָּה, teḥinnah) refers to an earnest, humble plea, not just a casual request. This word emphasizes the deep need and humility of the people as they approach Jeremiah.
  • "Remnant" (שְׁאֵרִית, she'erit) means those who are left behind after a disaster or judgment. Here, it underscores the idea that only a small, surviving group remains, which is central to their plea.
  • "Few" (מְעָט, me'at) and "many" (רַב, rav) are set in contrast to show the drastic reduction in their numbers, highlighting the severity of their situation and why they feel so desperate.

Why Jeremiah 42:2 matters

  • This verse clarifies that the people left in Judah were aware of their small numbers and the seriousness of their situation, which sets the emotional tone for the rest of the chapter.
  • The request for Jeremiah to pray shows that the people still recognized his role as a true prophet and mediator with God, even after so much loss.
  • The verse connects to the wider passage by showing the humility and dependence of the remnant on God’s guidance, which becomes a key theme in the following verses.

Where else these words appear

“supplication” Hebrew H8467 · used in 24 verses

  • Joshua 11:20 For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, and that they might have no favour, but that he might destroy them, as the LORD commanded Moses.
  • 1 Kings 8:54 And it was so, that when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto the LORD, he arose from before the altar of the LORD, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven.
  • Psalms 6:9 The LORD hath heard my supplication; the LORD will receive my prayer.

“remnantfor” Hebrew H7611 · used in 66 verses

  • Genesis 45:7 And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
  • Jeremiah 15:9 She that hath borne seven languisheth: she hath given up the ghost; her sun is gone down while it was yet day: she hath been ashamed and confounded: and the residue of them will I deliver to the sword before their enemies, saith the LORD.
  • Ezekiel 11:13 And it came to pass, when I prophesied, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then fell I down upon my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel?

“pray” Hebrew H6419 · used in 82 verses

  • Genesis 20:7 Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.
  • 1 Kings 13:6 And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Intreat now the face of the LORD thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the LORD, and the king's hand was restored him again, and became as it was before.
  • Job 42:8 Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job.

“few” Hebrew H4592 · used in 92 verses

  • Genesis 18:4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:
  • 1 Samuel 14:29 Then said Jonathan, My father hath troubled the land: see, I pray you, how mine eyes have been enlightened, because I tasted a little of this honey.
  • Proverbs 6:10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: