Bible Strands
Jeremiah 49:13
For by Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, that Bozrah will become a desolation, a disgrace, a ruin, and a curse, and all her cities will be in ruins forever.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Yahweh speaks through the prophet concerning Bozrah, delivering a final decree after warning the city it must drink the cup of wrath and before commanding the nations to assemble for battle.
The words — נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי (nishba'ti) means "I swear," and לְשַׁמָּה (le-shammah) translates "into a desolation," binding the divine oath directly to irreversible ruin.
The thread — The pattern of Yahweh swearing by Himself appears in Genesis 22:16, Bozrah is identified as a historical city in Genesis 36:33, and the imagery of total devastation aligns with the judgment described in Isaiah 34:6.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to recognize that Yahweh’s self-attested oath guarantees permanent desolation for Bozrah and her cities, eliminating any expectation of preservation or reversal.
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
King James Version
For I have sworn by myself, saith the Lord, that Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse; and all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes.
Cross-references
- Genesis 22:16 saying, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your only son,
- Genesis 36:33 When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah reigned in his place.
- Isaiah 34:6 The sword of the LORD is bathed in blood. It drips with fat—with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah, a great slaughter in the land of Edom.
- Isaiah 34:9 Edom’s streams will be turned to tar, and her soil to sulfur; her land will become a blazing pitch.
- Isaiah 45:23 By Myself I have sworn; truth has gone out from My mouth, a word that will not be revoked: Every knee will bow before Me, every tongue will swear allegiance.
- Isaiah 63:1 Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah with crimson-stained garments? Who is this robed in splendor, marching in the greatness of His strength? “It is I, proclaiming vindication, mighty to save.”
- Jeremiah 44:26 Nevertheless, hear the word of the LORD, all you people of Judah living in Egypt: Behold, I have sworn by My great name, says the LORD, that never again will any man of Judah living in the land of Egypt invoke My name or say, ‘As surely as the Lord GOD lives.’
- Jeremiah 49:22 Look! An eagle will soar and swoop down, spreading its wings over Bozrah. In that day the hearts of Edom’s mighty men will be like the heart of a woman in labor.
- Amos 1:12 So I will send fire upon Teman to consume the citadels of Bozrah.”
- Amos 6:8 The Lord GOD has sworn by Himself—the LORD, the God of Hosts, has declared: “I abhor Jacob’s pride and detest his citadels, so I will deliver up the city and everything in it.”