Jeremiah 49:20

Therefore hear the plans that the LORD has drawn up against Edom and the strategies He has devised against the people of Teman: Surely the little ones of the flock will be dragged away; certainly their pasture will be made desolate because of them.

Berean Standard Bible

Follow its threads on the canvas →

Study note

Setting — The prophet Jeremiah pronounces an oracle against Edom and the people of Teman, delivered immediately after the declaration that God will chase them from their land like a lion tearing through a pasture (Jeremiah 49:19).

The words — The imperative שִׁמְעוּ (shim‘u) commands the audience to "hear" the announcement, while עֲצָת (‘etsat) specifies the exact "plan" or "counsel" Yahweh has formulated against them.

The thread — The phrasing "hear the plans that the LORD has drawn up" directly parallels Jeremiah 50:45, while the judgment on Edom and Teman aligns with Malachi 1:3 and the earlier oracle in Jeremiah 49:7.

Why it lands — The text states that God’s deliberate strategy will strip Edom of its vulnerable members and render their grazing grounds barren, requiring the listener to acknowledge that human wisdom cannot withstand divine decree.

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

Therefore hear the counsel of the Lord, that he hath taken against Edom; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the inhabitants of Teman: Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out: surely he shall make their habitations desolate with them.

Cross-references

Jeremiah 50:45 Therefore hear the plans that the LORD has drawn up against Babylon and the strategies He has devised against the land of the Chaldeans: Surely the little ones of the flock will be dragged away; certainly their pasture will be made desolate because of them.
Malachi 1:3 but Esau I have hated, and I have made his mountains a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.”
Jeremiah 49:7 Concerning Edom, this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Is there no longer wisdom in Teman? Has counsel perished from the prudent? Has their wisdom decayed?
Job 6:19 The caravans of Tema look for water; the travelers of Sheba hope to find it.
Psalms 33:11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the purposes of His heart to all generations.
Proverbs 19:21 Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the purpose of the LORD will prevail.
Isaiah 14:24 The LORD of Hosts has sworn: “Surely, as I have planned, so will it be; as I have purposed, so will it stand.
Isaiah 46:10 I declare the end from the beginning, and from ancient times what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and all My good pleasure I will accomplish.’
Jeremiah 37:10 Indeed, if you were to strike down the entire army of the Chaldeans that is fighting against you, and only wounded men remained in their tents, they would still get up and burn this city down.”
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.”