Jeremiah 16:19

O LORD, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in the day of distress, the nations will come to You from the ends of the earth, and they will say, “Our fathers inherited nothing but lies, worthless idols of no benefit at all.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The speaker addresses Yahweh directly, shifting from the preceding judgment declaration in Jeremiah 16:18 to a prophetic vision of future repentance. The moment follows God's promise to repay idolaters double and precedes the rhetorical question in Jeremiah 16:20 about man-made gods.

The words — עֻזִּ֧ ('u.Z/i) = strength/ my and מָעֻזִּ֛ (ma.'u.Z/i) = stronghold/ my both describe God as the speaker's source of power and fortified protection.

The thread — Isaiah 25:4 and Nahum 1:7 both identify Yahweh as a refuge and stronghold during times of distress. The expectation of nations seeking Him appears in Isaiah 2:2.

Why it lands — The text states that ancestral idols yield nothing of value, so the reader must abandon inherited falsehoods and recognize Yahweh as the only secure refuge.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

יְהוָ֞הYah.wehO Yahweh עֻזִּ֧י'u.Z/istrength/ my וּמָעֻזִּ֛יu./ma.'u.Z/iand/ stronghold/ my וּמְנוּסִ֖יu./me.nu.S/iand/ place of escape/ my בְּי֣וֹםbe./Yomin/ a day of צָרָ֑הtza.Rahtrouble אֵלֶ֗יךָ'e.Lei./khato/ you גּוֹיִ֤םgo.Yimnations יָבֹ֙אוּ֙ya.Vo.'uthey will come מֵֽאַפְסֵי־me./'af.sei-from/ [the] ends of אָ֔רֶץ'A.retz[the] earth וְיֹאמְר֗וּve./yo.me.Ruso/ they may say אַךְ־'akh-surely שֶׁ֙קֶר֙she.kerfalsehood נָחֲל֣וּna.cha.Luthey possessed אֲבוֹתֵ֔ינוּ'a.vo.Tei./nuancestors/ our הֶ֖בֶלHe.velfutility וְאֵֽין־ve./'ein-and/ notבָּ֥םba/m[there was] in <the>/ themמוֹעִֽיל׃mo.'Ila [thing that] profits

King James Version

O Lord, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit.

Cross-references

Isaiah 25:4 For You have been a refuge for the poor, a stronghold for the needy in distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like rain against a wall,
Nahum 1:7 The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of distress; He cares for those who trust in Him.
Isaiah 2:2 In the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.
Jeremiah 17:17 Do not become a terror to me; You are my refuge in the day of disaster.
Psalms 18:1 For the choirmaster. Of David the servant of the LORD, who sang this song to the LORD on the day the LORD had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said: I love You, O LORD, my strength.
Psalms 86:9 All the nations You have made will come and bow before You, O Lord, and they will glorify Your name.
Psalms 91:1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
Isaiah 44:10 Who fashions a god or casts an idol which profits him nothing?
Jeremiah 2:11 Has a nation ever changed its gods? (Yet they are not gods at all.) But My people have exchanged their Glory for useless idols.
Jeremiah 10:5 Like scarecrows in a cucumber patch, their idols cannot speak. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them, for they can do no harm, and neither can they do any good.”