For death is come up into our windows, and is entered into our palaces, to cut off the children from without, and the young men from the streets.

JEREMIAH 9:21KJV
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Jeremiah 9:21 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 9:21 mean?

Jeremiah 9:21 describes how death has invaded every part of society in Jerusalem, entering even the most secure places and causing the loss of children and young men from the streets. The verse paints a vivid picture of inescapable disaster, showing that no one is safe from the coming judgment.

The prophet Jeremiah is speaking to the people of Judah, warning them about the consequences of their unfaithfulness to God. The verse uses strong imagery—death coming through windows and into palaces—to show that the coming destruction will reach everyone, from the most vulnerable children outside to the young men in public spaces. This is part of a larger message where Jeremiah laments the devastation that will come because the people have turned away from God.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 9:21

  • "Death" (מָוֶת, mavet): This word is not just about physical dying, but often represents total ruin or disaster. Here, it is personified as an invader.
  • "Windows" (חַלּוֹן, challon): The mention of windows suggests that even private, protected spaces are not safe from what is coming.
  • "Palaces" (אַרְמוֹן, armon): This word refers to grand houses or royal buildings, showing that even the powerful and wealthy will not escape.
  • "Children" (עוּל, ul) and "young men" (בָּחוּר, bachur): The verse singles out the most promising and vulnerable members of society, emphasizing the completeness of the coming loss.

Why Jeremiah 9:21 matters

  • Jeremiah 9:21 clears up any idea that disaster will only affect a few; the verse stresses that the coming judgment is total, reaching every home and every class of people.
  • The verse’s imagery connects to the wider passage, where Jeremiah mourns the destruction of Jerusalem and the suffering of its people, helping readers feel the weight of what is coming.
  • By naming both children and young men, Jeremiah 9:21 highlights the loss of future generations, making the warning even more serious and personal for his listeners.

Where else these words appear

“children” Hebrew H5768 · used in 20 verses

  • 1 Samuel 15:3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
  • Psalms 137:9 Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.
  • Lamentations 2:19 Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord: lift up thy hands toward him for the life of thy young children, that faint for hunger in the top of every street.

“windows” Hebrew H2474 · used in 27 verses

  • Genesis 8:6 And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made:
  • 1 Kings 6:4 And for the house he made windows of narrow lights.
  • Ezekiel 40:22 And their windows, and their arches, and their palm trees, were after the measure of the gate that looketh toward the east; and they went up unto it by seven steps; and the arches thereof were before them.

“palaces” Hebrew H759 · used in 31 verses

  • 1 Kings 16:18 And it came to pass, when Zimri saw that the city was taken, that he went into the palace of the king's house, and burnt the king's house over him with fire, and died,
  • Isaiah 34:13 And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof: and it shall be an habitation of dragons, and a court for owls.
  • Amos 1:10 But I will send a fire on the wall of Tyrus, which shall devour the palaces thereof.

“streets” Hebrew H7339 · used in 41 verses

  • Genesis 19:2 And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.
  • Esther 6:9 And let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king's most noble princes, that they may array the man withal whom the king delighteth to honour, and bring him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honour.
  • Jeremiah 5:1 Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth; and I will pardon it.