Bible Strands
Jeremiah 6:3
Shepherds and their flocks will come against her; they will pitch their tents all around her, each tending his own portion:
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jeremiah delivers this oracle from God against the Daughter of Zion during the final phase of Judah’s monarchy, positioned between a declaration of destruction and a call to immediate military preparation.
The words — תָּקְעוּ (ta.ke.'U) translates literally as "they will pitch," denoting the setting of military encampments, and סָבִ֔יב (sa.Viv) means "all around," specifying complete geographic encirclement.
The thread — The motif of hostile encirclement reappears in Luke 19:43, where enemies hem Jerusalem in, and maps directly onto the historical sieges detailed in Jeremiah 39:1 and 2 Kings 24:2.
Why it lands — The passage requires the reader to confront the concrete reality that divine judgment executes through tangible, inescapable military action rather than abstract warning.
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
The shepherds with their flocks shall come unto her; they shall pitch their tents against her round about; they shall feed every one in his place.
Cross-references
- Luke 19:43 For the days will come upon you when your enemies will barricade you and surround you and hem you in on every side.
- Jeremiah 39:1 In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his entire army and laid siege to the city.
- 2 Kings 24:2 And the LORD sent Chaldean, Aramean, Moabite, and Ammonite raiders against Jehoiakim in order to destroy Judah, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through His servants the prophets.
- 2 Kings 24:10 At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched up to Jerusalem, and the city came under siege.
- 2 Kings 25:1 So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his entire army. They encamped outside the city and built a siege wall all around it.
- Jeremiah 4:16 Warn the nations now! Proclaim to Jerusalem: “A besieging army comes from a distant land; they raise their voices against the cities of Judah.
- Jeremiah 12:10 Many shepherds have destroyed My vineyard; they have trampled My plot of ground. They have turned My pleasant field into a desolate wasteland.
- Nahum 3:18 O king of Assyria, your shepherds slumber; your officers sleep. Your people are scattered on the mountains with no one to gather them.