I will surely consume them, saith the LORD: there shall be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade; and the things that I have given them shall pass away from them.

JEREMIAH 8:13KJV
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Jeremiah 8:13 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 8:13 mean?

Jeremiah 8:13 describes God’s warning that He will bring judgment on His people, removing the blessings He once gave them—there will be no grapes, no figs, and even the leaves will wither, leaving nothing behind. This verse shows that God is declaring a complete removal of prosperity and fruitfulness because of the people’s unfaithfulness.

In this verse, the prophet Jeremiah is speaking God’s message to the people of Judah, who have turned away from God despite many warnings. The language of fruitlessness—no grapes, no figs, fading leaves—paints a picture of total loss, using familiar symbols of abundance in ancient Israel. God is saying that even the good things He provided will be taken away as a consequence of persistent disobedience.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 8:13

  • The word for “surely” (אָסֹף אָסִפֵם, ’āsōph ’āsiphēm, H622) is a doubled form, emphasizing certainty and completeness in God’s action of gathering or removing.
  • “Consume” (נָשָׁף, nāshaph, H5486) often means to sweep away or destroy, stressing that what God is doing is not partial but total.
  • “Fade” (נָבֵל, nāvēl, H5034) describes something withering or decaying, which in this context highlights how even what remains will not last.
  • “Given” (נָתַן, nāthan, H5414) and “away” (עָבַר, ’āvar, H5674) together show that what God once provided as gifts will now be taken from the people, underlining the reversal of blessing.

Why Jeremiah 8:13 matters

  • This verse clears up the idea that God’s blessings are automatic or permanent; it shows that continued disobedience can lead to their removal.
  • The use of familiar agricultural images (grapes, figs, leaves) would have made the warning very real and relatable to Jeremiah’s original audience, who depended on these for survival.
  • Jeremiah 8:13 connects to the wider chapter, where God laments the stubbornness of His people and warns of coming disaster, making this verse a turning point in the warning.

Where else these words appear

“consume” Hebrew H5486 · used in 7 verses

  • Esther 9:28 And that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their seed.
  • Isaiah 66:17 They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.
  • Zephaniah 1:2 I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD.

“leaf” Hebrew H5929 · used in 13 verses

  • Genesis 3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
  • Job 13:25 Wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro? and wilt thou pursue the dry stubble?
  • Isaiah 34:4 And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.

“grapes” Hebrew H6025 · used in 17 verses

  • Genesis 40:10 And in the vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes:
  • Numbers 13:20 And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the firstripe grapes.
  • Nehemiah 13:15 In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals.

“fade” Hebrew H5034 · used in 21 verses

  • Exodus 18:18 Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.
  • Psalms 37:2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
  • Isaiah 40:7 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.