O thou sword of the LORD, how long will it be ere thou be quiet? put up thyself into thy scabbard, rest, and be still.

JEREMIAH 47:6KJV
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Jeremiah 47:6 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 47:6 mean?

Jeremiah 47:6 is a cry asking when God’s judgment—pictured as a sword—will stop its work and finally rest. The verse uses the image of the LORD’s sword being told to return to its scabbard and be still, longing for an end to violence and destruction.

The prophet Jeremiah is speaking during a time when God’s judgment is falling on the Philistines. He addresses the “sword of the LORD,” which represents God’s power to bring punishment. The verse captures a moment of grief and exhaustion, as if pleading with God’s instrument of justice to pause and give relief after so much turmoil.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 47:6

  • “Sword” (חֶרֶב, cherev): This word is often used in the Old Testament as a symbol for war, destruction, or judgment. Here, it is personified as if it could be told to rest.
  • “Quiet” (שָׁקַט, shaqat): This word means to be still or at rest. The plea is for the sword to stop its activity, highlighting a desire for peace after violence.
  • “Scabbard” (תַּעֲרָהּ, ta‘arah): The scabbard is the sheath for a sword. Telling the sword to return to its scabbard is a vivid way of asking for an end to fighting and destruction.
  • “Rest” (רָפָה, raphah): This word means to relax or let go, emphasizing the longing for the sword to cease its work and for the land to experience calm again.

Why Jeremiah 47:6 matters

  • Jeremiah 47:6 shows the emotional weight of witnessing judgment and destruction, even when it is understood as God’s justice.
  • The verse highlights the idea that God’s actions in history are not random but purposeful, yet people can still long for mercy and relief.
  • This verse connects to the larger passage by showing that even prophets, who announce God’s judgment, can feel sorrow and plead for an end to suffering.

Where else these words appear

“scabbard” Hebrew H8593 · used in 13 verses

  • Numbers 6:5 All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the LORD, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.
  • Psalms 52:2 Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
  • Ezekiel 21:3 And say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth my sword out of his sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked.

“rest” Hebrew H7280 · used in 13 verses

  • Deuteronomy 28:65 And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind:
  • Isaiah 34:14 The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest.
  • Jeremiah 31:35 Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name:

“still” Hebrew H1826 · used in 29 verses

  • Exodus 15:16 Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O LORD, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased.
  • Psalms 4:4 Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.
  • Jeremiah 25:37 And the peaceable habitations are cut down because of the fierce anger of the LORD.

“quiet” Hebrew H8252 · used in 41 verses

  • Joshua 11:23 So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD said unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war.
  • 2 Chronicles 14:6 And he built fenced cities in Judah: for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years; because the LORD had given him rest.
  • Isaiah 18:4 For so the LORD said unto me, I will take my rest, and I will consider in my dwelling place like a clear heat upon herbs, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.