Grammar Analysis: Jeremiah 25:15-29¶
Overview¶
Jeremiah receives a prophetic-symbolic commission: take the "wine-cup of this fury" from YHWH's hand and make all the nations drink. The passage moves from direct divine command (v. 15) through a catalog of recipient nations (vv. 18-26) to a closing warning aimed at those who might refuse the cup (vv. 27-29). Grammatically the unit is built on three hinges: the imperative + weqatal pair in v. 15 that commissions the act, the wayyiqtol narrative of v. 17 in which Jeremiah executes the commission, and the imperfect + infinitive-absolute emphatics of vv. 28-29 that seal the judgment.
Text¶
KJV (Jer 25:15-29):
15 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it. 16 And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them. 17 Then took I the cup at the LORD'S hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom the LORD had sent me: 18 [To wit], Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, an hissing, and a curse; as [it is] this day; 19 Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people; 20 And all the mingled people, and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Azzah, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod, 21 Edom, and Moab, and the children of Ammon, 22 And all the kings of Tyrus, and all the kings of Zidon, and the kings of the isles which [are] beyond the sea, 23 Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all [that are] in the utmost corners, 24 And all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mingled people that dwell in the desert, 25 And all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes, 26 And all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another, and all the kingdoms of the world, which [are] upon the face of the earth: and the king of Sheshach shall drink after them. 27 Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Drink ye, and be drunken, and spue, and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you. 28 And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ye shall certainly drink. 29 For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the LORD of hosts.
Word-by-Word Parsing¶
v. 15 — The commission¶
Hebrew: כִּ֣י כֹה֩ אָמַ֨ר יְהוָ֜ה אֱלֹהֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ אֵלַ֔י קַ֠ח אֶת־כֹּ֨וס הַיַּ֧יִן הַחֵמָ֛ה הַזֹּ֖את מִיָּדִ֑י וְהִשְׁקִיתָ֤ה אֹתֹו֙ אֶת־כָּל־הַגֹּויִ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֧ר אָנֹכִ֛י שֹׁלֵ֥חַ אֹותְךָ֖ אֲלֵיהֶֽם׃
| # | Word | Lemma | Parsing | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | כִּי | כי | Conj | for / that |
| 2 | כֹה | כה | Adv | thus |
| 3 | אָמַר | אמר | Verb.Qal.Perf.3ms | (he) said |
| 4 | יְהוָה | יהוה | PropN.ms | YHWH |
| 5 | אֱלֹהֵי | אלהים | Noun.mp.Cst | God of |
| 6 | יִשְׂרָאֵל | ישׂראל | PropN | Israel |
| 7 | אֵלַי | אל | Prep.+1cs | to me |
| 8 | קַח | לקח | Verb.Qal.Impv.2ms | take! |
| 9 | אֶת | את | obj-marker | — |
| 10 | כֹּוס | כוס | Noun.fs.Cst | cup of |
| 11 | הַיַּיִן | יין | Art + Noun.ms | the wine |
| 12 | הַחֵמָה | חמה | Art + Noun.fs | the fury/heat |
| 13 | הַזֹּאת | זאת | Art + DemPron.fs | this |
| 14 | מִיָּדִי | יד | Prep + Noun.+1cs | from my hand |
| 15 | וְהִשְׁקִיתָה | שׁקה | Verb.Hiphil.Perf(weqatal).2ms | and you shall make drink |
| 16 | אֹתוֹ | את | obj-marker.+3ms | it |
| 17 | אֶת־כָּל־הַגּוֹיִם | גוי | obj-marker + Noun.mp | all the nations |
| 18 | אֲשֶׁר | אשׁר | Relative | whom |
| 19 | אָנֹכִי | אנכי | PersPron.1cs | I |
| 20 | שֹׁלֵחַ | שׁלח | Verb.Qal.Ptcp.ms | am sending |
| 21 | אוֹתְךָ | את | obj-marker.+2ms | you |
| 22 | אֲלֵיהֶם | אל | Prep.+3mp | to them |
v. 16 — The predicted effect¶
Hebrew: וְשָׁת֕וּ וְהִֽתְגֹּֽעֲשׁ֖וּ וְהִתְהֹלָ֑לוּ מִפְּנֵ֣י הַחֶ֔רֶב אֲשֶׁ֛ר אָנֹכִ֥י שֹׁלֵ֖חַ בֵּינֹתָֽם׃
| # | Word | Lemma | Parsing | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | וְשָׁתוּ | שׁתה | Verb.Qal.Perf(weqatal).3cp | and they shall drink |
| 2 | וְהִתְגֹּעֲשׁוּ | געשׁ | Verb.Hithpolel.Perf(weqatal).3cp | and they shall stagger/reel |
| 3 | וְהִתְהֹלָלוּ | הלל | Verb.Hithpael.Perf(weqatal).3cp | and they shall act mad |
| 4 | מִפְּנֵי | מן + פנה | Prep + Noun.Cst | from before |
| 5 | הַחֶרֶב | חרב | Art + Noun.fs | the sword |
| 6 | אֲשֶׁר | אשׁר | Relative | which |
| 7 | אָנֹכִי שֹׁלֵחַ | — | PersPron + Qal.Ptcp | I am sending |
| 8 | בֵּינֹתָם | בין | Noun.+3mp | among them |
v. 17 — Jeremiah's execution of the command¶
Hebrew: וָאֶקַּ֥ח אֶת־הַכֹּ֖וס מִיַּ֣ד יְהוָ֑ה וָֽאַשְׁקֶה֙ אֶת־כָּל־הַגֹּויִ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־שְׁלָחַ֥נִי יְהוָ֖ה אֲלֵיהֶֽם׃
| # | Word | Lemma | Parsing | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | וָאֶקַּח | לקח | Verb.Qal.Wayyiqtol.1cs | and I took |
| 2 | אֶת־הַכּוֹס | כוס | obj + Art + Noun.fs | the cup |
| 3 | מִיַּד יְהוָה | יד | Prep + Cst + PropN | from YHWH's hand |
| 4 | וָאַשְׁקֶה | שׁקה | Verb.Hiphil.Wayyiqtol.1cs | and I made drink |
| 5 | אֶת־כָּל־הַגּוֹיִם | גוי | obj + Noun.mp | all the nations |
| 6 | אֲשֶׁר־שְׁלָחַנִי | שׁלח | Relative + Qal.Perf.3ms + 1cs suf | whom he sent me |
| 7 | יְהוָה | יהוה | PropN | YHWH |
| 8 | אֲלֵיהֶם | אל | Prep.+3mp | to them |
v. 18 — The first recipient: Judah¶
Hebrew: אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלִַ֨ם֙ וְאֶת־עָרֵ֣י יְהוּדָ֔ה וְאֶת־מְלָכֶ֖יהָ אֶת־שָׂרֶ֑יהָ לָתֵ֨ת אֹתָ֜ם לְחָרְבָּ֧ה לְשַׁמָּ֛ה לִשְׁרֵקָ֥ה וְלִקְלָלָ֖ה כַּיֹּ֥ום הַזֶּֽה׃
| # | Word | Lemma | Parsing | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלִַם | ירושׁלם | obj + PropN | Jerusalem |
| 2 | וְאֶת־עָרֵי יְהוּדָה | עיר / יהודה | obj + Noun.fp.Cst + PropN | and the cities of Judah |
| 3 | וְאֶת־מְלָכֶיהָ | מלך | obj + Noun.mp.+3fs | and her kings |
| 4 | אֶת־שָׂרֶיהָ | שׂר | obj + Noun.mp.+3fs | her princes |
| 5 | לָתֵת | נתן | Prep + Verb.Qal.InfCon | to make / to give |
| 6 | אֹתָם | את | obj.+3mp | them |
| 7 | לְחָרְבָּה | חרבה | Prep + Noun.fs | to a ruin |
| 8 | לְשַׁמָּה | שׁמה | Prep + Noun.fs | to a horror |
| 9 | לִשְׁרֵקָה | שׁרקה | Prep + Noun.fs | to a hissing |
| 10 | וְלִקְלָלָה | קללה | Prep + Noun.fs | and to a curse |
| 11 | כַּיּוֹם הַזֶּה | יום / זה | Prep + Art + Noun + DemPron | as this day |
v. 27 — The command to drink¶
Hebrew: וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵיהֶ֡ם ס כֹּֽה־אָמַר֩ יְהוָ֨ה צְבָאֹ֜ות אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל שְׁת֤וּ וְשִׁכְרוּ֙ וּקְי֔וּ וְנִפְל֖וּ וְלֹ֣א תָק֑וּמוּ מִפְּנֵ֣י הַחֶ֔רֶב אֲשֶׁ֛ר אָנֹכִ֥י שֹׁלֵ֖חַ בֵּינֵיכֶֽם׃
| # | Word | Lemma | Parsing | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | וְאָמַרְתָּ | אמר | Verb.Qal.Perf(weqatal).2ms | and you shall say |
| 2 | אֲלֵיהֶם | אל | Prep.+3mp | to them |
| 3 | כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת | — | messenger-formula | thus said YHWH of hosts |
| 4 | אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל | — | Cst + PropN | God of Israel |
| 5 | שְׁתוּ | שׁתה | Verb.Qal.Impv.2mp | drink! |
| 6 | וְשִׁכְרוּ | שׁכר | Verb.Qal.Impv.2mp | and be drunk! |
| 7 | וּקְיוּ | קיה | Verb.Qal.Impv.2mp | and vomit! |
| 8 | וְנִפְלוּ | נפל | Verb.Qal.Impv.2mp | and fall! |
| 9 | וְלֹא תָקוּמוּ | קום | Neg + Verb.Qal.Impf.2mp | and you shall not rise |
| 10 | מִפְּנֵי הַחֶרֶב | — | Prep + Art + Noun.fs | from before the sword |
| 11 | אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי שֹׁלֵחַ | — | Rel + PersPron + Qal.Ptcp | which I am sending |
| 12 | בֵּינֵיכֶם | בין | Noun.+2mp | among you |
v. 28 — If they refuse¶
Hebrew: וְהָיָ֗ה כִּ֧י יְמָאֲנ֛וּ לָקַֽחַת־הַכֹּ֥וס מִיָּדְךָ֖ לִשְׁתֹּ֑ות וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵיהֶ֗ם כֹּ֥ה אָמַ֛ר יְהוָ֥ה צְבָאֹ֖ות שָׁתֹ֥ו תִשְׁתּֽוּ׃
| # | Word | Lemma | Parsing | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | וְהָיָה | היה | Verb.Qal.Perf(weqatal).3ms | and it shall be |
| 2 | כִּי | כי | Conj | when/if |
| 3 | יְמָאֲנוּ | מאן | Verb.Piel.Impf.3mp | they refuse |
| 4 | לָקַחַת | לקח | Prep + Verb.Qal.InfCon | to take |
| 5 | הַכּוֹס | כוס | Art + Noun.fs | the cup |
| 6 | מִיָּדְךָ | יד | Prep + Noun.+2ms | from your hand |
| 7 | לִשְׁתּוֹת | שׁתה | Prep + Verb.Qal.InfCon | to drink |
| 8 | וְאָמַרְתָּ | אמר | Verb.Qal.Perf(weqatal).2ms | and you shall say |
| 9 | אֲלֵיהֶם | אל | Prep.+3mp | to them |
| 10 | כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת | — | messenger-formula | thus said YHWH of hosts |
| 11 | שָׁתוֹ | שׁתה | Verb.Qal.InfAbs | drink (emph.) |
| 12 | תִשְׁתּוּ | שׁתה | Verb.Qal.Impf.2mp | you shall drink |
v. 29 — The a fortiori warning¶
Hebrew: כִּי֩ הִנֵּ֨ה בָעִ֜יר אֲשֶׁ֧ר נִֽקְרָא־שְׁמִ֣י עָלֶ֗יהָ אָֽנֹכִי֙ מֵחֵ֣ל לְהָרַ֔ע וְאַתֶּ֖ם הִנָּקֵ֣ה תִנָּק֑וּ לֹ֣א תִנָּק֔וּ כִּ֣י חֶ֗רֶב אֲנִ֤י קֹרֵא֙ עַל־כָּל־יֹשְׁבֵ֣י הָאָ֔רֶץ נְאֻ֖ם יְהוָ֥ה צְבָאֹֽות׃
| # | Word | Lemma | Parsing | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | כִּי הִנֵּה | — | Conj + Interj | for behold |
| 2 | בָעִיר | עיר | Prep + Art + Noun.fs | in the city |
| 3 | אֲשֶׁר | אשׁר | Relative | which |
| 4 | נִקְרָא | קרא | Verb.Niphal.Perf.3ms | is called |
| 5 | שְׁמִי | שׁם | Noun + 1cs suf | my name |
| 6 | עָלֶיהָ | על | Prep.+3fs | upon it |
| 7 | אָנֹכִי | אנכי | PersPron.1cs | I |
| 8 | מֵחֵל | חלל | Verb.Hiphil.Ptcp.ms | (am) beginning |
| 9 | לְהָרַע | רעע | Prep + Verb.Hiphil.InfCon | to do evil |
| 10 | וְאַתֶּם | אתם | Conj + PersPron.2mp | and you |
| 11 | הִנָּקֵה | נקה | Verb.Niphal.InfAbs | being acquitted (emph.) |
| 12 | תִנָּקוּ | נקה | Verb.Niphal.Impf.2mp | shall you go unpunished? |
| 13 | לֹא תִנָּקוּ | נקה | Neg + Verb.Niphal.Impf.2mp | you shall not go unpunished |
| 14 | כִּי חֶרֶב | חרב | Conj + Noun.fs | for a sword |
| 15 | אֲנִי קֹרֵא | קרא | PersPron + Verb.Qal.Ptcp | I am calling |
| 16 | עַל־כָּל־יֹשְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ | ישׁב | Prep + Noun.Cst + Art + Noun | upon all inhabitants of the earth |
| 17 | נְאֻם יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת | — | Cst + PropN | declaration of YHWH of hosts |
Key Grammatical Features¶
1. Qal imperative קַח ("take!") + weqatal וְהִשְׁקִיתָה ("and you shall make drink") — v. 15¶
- Form: קַח is a 2ms Qal imperative of לקח; וְהִשְׁקִיתָה is a Hiphil weqatal (perfect prefixed with
waw) 2ms of שׁקה. - Significance: This is the classic command-plus-weqatal chain in which the weqatal continues the force of the imperative. The effect is: "Take… and [having taken, then] cause to drink." The weqatal is not a simple coordinate past; it projects the imperative's volitional force onto the second action, making the whole a single compound commission. The Hiphil stem of שׁקה is causative: Jeremiah is not the one drinking, he is the agent who forces others to drink — a courier of divine wrath, not a participant.
- Grammar references:
- imperative-mood
- stem-hiphil
2. Construct chain כּוֹס הַיַּיִן הַחֵמָה הַזֹּאת — v. 15¶
- Form: A construct chain where the head noun כּוֹס is in construct, followed by articular absolutes. The awkward-looking "the-wine the-fury" is best read as a complex nominal with חֵמָה in apposition or as a qualifying genitive — "the cup of the wine, (which is) this fury" or idiomatically "this wine-cup of fury."
- Significance: חֵמָה ("heat, wrath") recasts the wine: the liquid in the cup is not Bacchic revelry but divine burning anger (cf. word study on חֵמָה). The demonstrative הַזֹּאת closes the chain and points deictically to a concrete object YHWH is handing over. The construct binds "cup," "wine," and "fury" into a single referent: the cup is the wine is the fury.
- Grammar reference: construct-state
- Word studies:
- H3563-kowc (cup)
- H2534-chemah (fury)
- TR-chemah-thymos (wrath translation)
3. Weqatal chain of drunkenness-verbs: שָׁתוּ / הִתְגֹּעֲשׁוּ / הִתְהֹלָלוּ — v. 16¶
- Form: Three 3cp weqatal perfects in sequence: Qal שׁתה "drink," Hithpolel געשׁ "stagger/reel," Hithpael הלל "act mad/deranged." The two reflexive-reciprocal stems (Hithpolel and Hithpael) are notable: the Hithpolel of געשׁ is rare, a pilpel-reflexive of "shake," conveying convulsive staggering; the Hithpael of הלל (normally "praise") means "behave as a madman."
- Significance: The triad is a deliberately escalating picture of intoxication-as-judgment: they drink, they reel, they go insane. The weqatal after an imperative + weqatal in v. 15 continues the projected-future force: this is what YHWH has declared will happen, not what Jeremiah could describe. The Hithpael/Hithpolel stems foreground what the drunk nations do to themselves — judgment is not only poured on them, it expresses itself through them.
- Grammar reference: (new entry needed: hithpolel stem; hithpael as behavior-stem)
4. Wayyiqtol narrative execution: וָאֶקַּח … וָאַשְׁקֶה — v. 17¶
- Form: Two 1cs wayyiqtols in sequence: Qal wayyiqtol of לקח ("and I took") and Hiphil wayyiqtol of שׁקה ("and I made drink"). Wayyiqtol is the standard Hebrew narrative past, chaining sequential actions.
- Significance: The grammatical shift from v. 15's commissioning imperatives/weqatals to v. 17's wayyiqtols marks the shift from divine speech to prophetic report. The parallelism between v. 15 (קַח… וְהִשְׁקִיתָה) and v. 17 (וָאֶקַּח… וָאַשְׁקֶה) is exact — command and obedient execution match verb for verb. The prophetic act is presented as already accomplished, which is characteristic of Jeremiah's symbolic-action oracles: the vision of the deed carries the same weight as the deed itself.
- Grammar reference: (new entry could be built: wayyiqtol-command-execution-parallelism)
5. Imperative cascade of self-destruction: שְׁתוּ וְשִׁכְרוּ וּקְיוּ וְנִפְלוּ — v. 27¶
- Form: Four coordinated 2mp Qal imperatives: "drink, be drunk, vomit, fall" — followed by וְלֹא תָקוּמוּ, a negated imperfect ("and you shall not rise").
- Significance: This is an imperative of judgment, not permission. YHWH commands the nations to undergo the very process that will destroy them. The shift from the fourth imperative (נִפְלוּ "fall!") to the imperfect (לֹא תָקוּמוּ "you shall not rise") is grammatically deliberate: rising would be the natural next-step of a fallen drunk, and the imperfect with לֹא blocks it as a future state. The cascade mimics intoxication's own trajectory — drink → drunk → vomit → fall → stay down — compressed into a single rhetorical breath.
- Grammar reference: imperative-mood
- Word studies:
- H8354-shathah (drink)
- H7937-shakar (be drunk)
6. Infinitive absolute + finite verb for emphasis: שָׁתֹה תִשְׁתּוּ and הִנָּקֵה תִנָּקוּ — vv. 28-29¶
- Form: Two classic paronomastic infinitive-absolute constructions:
- v. 28: שָׁתֹה (Qal InfAbs of שׁתה) + תִשְׁתּוּ (Qal Impf 2mp of שׁתה) = "drinking you shall drink" → "you shall surely drink."
- v. 29: הִנָּקֵה (Niphal InfAbs of נקה) + תִנָּקוּ (Niphal Impf 2mp of נקה) = "being-acquitted shall you be acquitted?" — here in a rhetorical question followed by לֹא תִנָּקוּ, "you shall not go unpunished."
- Significance: The infinitive-absolute-plus-finite-verb construction intensifies the verb. In v. 28 the emphatic is flat certainty: there is no refusing the cup. In v. 29 the same construction is deployed ironically: would the guilty really be "thoroughly acquitted"? The rhetorical force is crushed by the immediate answer: לֹא תִנָּקוּ. The two emphatic constructions frame the section — v. 28 establishes that drinking is inevitable; v. 29 establishes that escape is impossible.
- Grammar reference: infinitive-absolute-intensification
7. Niphal נִקְרָא שְׁמִי עָלֶיהָ — v. 29¶
- Form: Niphal Perfect 3ms of קרא, with שְׁמִי as grammatical subject and עָלֶיהָ as complement: "my name is called upon her." The Niphal is the mediopassive stem; here clearly passive.
- Significance: This is a fixed covenantal idiom — "the city upon which my name is called" = Jerusalem, the place bearing YHWH's name because of temple and election. The grammatical passivity of נִקְרָא is theologically loaded: Jerusalem did not name herself after YHWH; the name was placed upon her. If YHWH is now beginning (מֵחֵל, Hiphil Ptcp of חלל "begin") to bring calamity on the city that bears his name, then the a fortiori argument of the second half of v. 29 follows: the nations without that covenantal protection cannot escape.
- Grammar references:
- stem-niphal
- stem-hiphil (for מֵחֵל)
8. Piel of מאן — v. 28¶
- Form: יְמָאֲנוּ is Piel Imperfect 3mp of מאן "refuse." The verb מאן exists only in the Piel stem in Biblical Hebrew — it is a "Piel-only" verb, so the Piel does not intensify a base-Qal meaning; it simply is the verb.
- Significance: The conditional frame "וְהָיָה כִּי יְמָאֲנוּ" ("and it shall be, if they refuse") is standard case-law protasis syntax. It sets up the apodosis in the weqatal וְאָמַרְתָּ: "and [then] you shall say." The point is that refusal is not an exit ramp — it triggers a further word of judgment, not a reprieve.
- Grammar reference: (piel as Piel-only verbs would be a helpful new entry)
Clause Structure (selected verses)¶
v. 15 — Four clauses¶
- xQtX — messenger formula: "For thus said YHWH God of Israel to me"
- ZIm0 — bare imperative: "Take the cup of the wine of this fury from my hand"
- WQt0 — weqatal continuation: "and you shall make all the nations drink it"
- Ptcp — relative participial clause: "whom I am sending you to"
The shape is: messenger-formula → command → projected continuation → participial relative defining the recipients. The participial אָנֹכִי שֹׁלֵחַ ("I am sending") is the present-tense commissioning frame that makes the command active.
v. 28 — Seven clauses¶
- MSyn — וְהָיָה as stand-alone macro-syntactic signal ("and it shall be")
- xYq0 — protasis "if they refuse"
- InfC — purpose infinitive "to take the cup from your hand"
- InfC — purpose infinitive "to drink"
- WQt0 — apodosis weqatal "and you shall say to them"
- xQtX — messenger formula "thus said YHWH of hosts"
- xYq0 — the emphatic oracle "drinking you shall drink"
The nested infinitive clauses (3–4) depend on the verb "refuse" in clause 2; clauses 5–7 form the main apodosis and its quoted oracle. The structure is a classic conditional: protasis (they refuse) → apodosis (you speak YHWH's word) → oracle (they drink anyway).
v. 29 — Seven clauses¶
- Ptcp — "behold, in the city … I am beginning"
- xQtX — relative "whom my name is called upon"
- InfC — "to do evil"
- WXYq — emphatic "and you — being-acquitted shall you be acquitted?"
- xYq0 — negated answer "you shall not be acquitted"
- Ptcp — "for a sword I am calling upon all inhabitants of the earth"
- MSyn — signature formula "declaration of YHWH of hosts"
The fronted וְאַתֶּם in clause 4 (subject before the emphatic construction) marks the contrastive pivot: "as for you — be cleared? no."
Discourse Architecture¶
- vv. 15-16 — Direct divine command (imperative + weqatals) with projected future effects.
- v. 17 — Prophetic execution in wayyiqtol narrative, echoing v. 15 verb-for-verb.
- vv. 18-26 — Catalog of recipient nations, chained by waw-conjunction without any finite verb: Judah first (v. 18, with a purpose-infinitive לָתֵת framing the result), then Egypt, Philistia, Edom/Moab/Ammon, Tyre/Sidon, Arabia, Elam/Media, "all the kings of the north," and finally Sheshach. The list is constructed as noun phrases dangling from v. 17's "all the nations," making the geographic scope function as a single extended direct object.
- vv. 27-29 — Second oracle within the oracle: an imperative cascade (v. 27), a conditional for refusers (v. 28) with an infinitive-absolute emphatic, and an a fortiori warning (v. 29) with a second infinitive-absolute emphatic.
The grammatical center of gravity is the cup itself — הַכּוֹס appears six times in the passage, always either being taken (from YHWH's hand, from Jeremiah's hand) or being refused, or being the implicit object of drinking-verbs. The syntax treats the cup as a moving object that passes from divine to prophetic to international hands.
Cross-References¶
Grammar library¶
- imperative-mood — for קַח (v. 15), שְׁתוּ וְשִׁכְרוּ וּקְיוּ וְנִפְלוּ (v. 27)
- stem-hiphil — for וְהִשְׁקִיתָה, וָאַשְׁקֶה (causative "make drink"), מֵחֵל, לְהָרַע
- stem-niphal — for נִקְרָא, הִנָּקֵה/תִנָּקוּ (v. 29)
- infinitive-absolute-intensification — for שָׁתֹה תִשְׁתּוּ (v. 28), הִנָּקֵה תִנָּקוּ (v. 29)
- construct-state — for כּוֹס הַיַּיִן הַחֵמָה (v. 15)
- syntax-waw-conjunction — for the long nation-catalog of vv. 18-26
Word studies¶
- H3563-kowc (cup)
- H2534-chemah (fury/heat)
- H8354-shathah (drink)
- H7937-shakar (be drunk)
- TR-chemah-thymos (Hebrew-Greek wrath terminology)
Passage parallels¶
- jer-25-11-12-seventy-years — same chapter, immediately preceding oracle of 70-year exile; the cup oracle (vv. 15-29) extends the judgment from Judah outward to all nations.
- jer-18-7-10 — parallel language of YHWH's power to "pluck up and destroy" nations (רָעַע / Hiphil) as in Jer 25:29's לְהָרַע.
Gaps Noted for Future Library Expansion¶
- Hithpolel / Hithpael as "behavior" stem — ready for an entry; v. 16 has two rare instances (הִתְגֹּעֲשׁוּ, הִתְהֹלָלוּ).
- Piel-only verbs — e.g., מאן (v. 28); would help future Jeremiah passages.
- Weqatal after imperative — commissioning-then-continuation pattern; a dedicated entry would pay off across prophetic literature.
- כֹּה אָמַר YHWH messenger formula — used three times in this passage (vv. 15, 27, 28).
- נְאֻם יְהוָה signature formula — v. 29.