Jeremiah 6:23 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 6:23 mean?

Jeremiah 6:23 describes an approaching enemy as a serious threat to Jerusalem and its people. The attackers are armed, organized, and without mercy. The verse pictures the terror of a city facing an army prepared for battle.

Following the warning of a people coming from the north in verse 22, the verse lets Jerusalem almost hear the army’s approach: its sound is like the roaring sea. The address “daughter of Zion” speaks to Jerusalem as though the city were a person.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 6:23

• “mercy” — רָחַם (raḥam): This word carries the sense of showing compassion. Paired with “they are cruel,” it stresses that the attackers will not spare people out of pity.

• “array” — עָרַךְ (ʿarakh): This word can mean to arrange or set in order. The picture is of soldiers drawn up in battle formation, ready to attack.

• “daughter” — בַּת (bat): This word means a daughter. In “daughter of Zion,” it forms part of a way of addressing Jerusalem and its inhabitants as a single person.

Why Jeremiah 6:23 matters

• The threat is directed at Jerusalem itself. The words “against thee, O daughter of Zion” make the city the army’s target, rather than a distant observer of the conflict.

• The sound of the army adds to the picture of danger. “Their voice roareth like the sea” compares the approaching force to the loud, overwhelming sound of ocean waves.

• The passage shows how the warning affects those who hear it. In verse 24, the people respond to the report with fear and pain, describing anguish like that of a woman giving birth.