Jeremiah 15:3
And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith the LORD: the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and destroy.
Original Language Analysis
וּפָקַדְתִּ֨י
And I will appoint
H6485
וּפָקַדְתִּ֨י
And I will appoint
Strong's:
H6485
Word #:
1 of 20
to visit (with friendly or hostile intent); by analogy, to oversee, muster, charge, care for, miss, deposit, etc
עֲלֵיהֶ֜ם
H5921
עֲלֵיהֶ֜ם
Strong's:
H5921
Word #:
2 of 20
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
מִשְׁפָּחוֹת֙
kinds
H4940
מִשְׁפָּחוֹת֙
kinds
Strong's:
H4940
Word #:
4 of 20
a family, i.e., circle of relatives; figuratively, a class (of persons), a species (of animals) or sort (of things); by extension a tribe or people
יְהוָ֔ה
the LORD
H3068
יְהוָ֔ה
the LORD
Strong's:
H3068
Word #:
6 of 20
(the) self-existent or eternal; jeho-vah, jewish national name of god
אֶת
H853
אֶת
Strong's:
H853
Word #:
7 of 20
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
הַחֶ֣רֶב
the sword
H2719
הַחֶ֣רֶב
the sword
Strong's:
H2719
Word #:
8 of 20
drought; also a cutting instrument (from its destructive effect), as a knife, sword, or other sharp implement
וְאֶת
H853
וְאֶת
Strong's:
H853
Word #:
10 of 20
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
הַכְּלָבִ֖ים
and the dogs
H3611
הַכְּלָבִ֖ים
and the dogs
Strong's:
H3611
Word #:
11 of 20
a dog; hence (by euphemism) a male prostitute
וְאֶת
H853
וְאֶת
Strong's:
H853
Word #:
13 of 20
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
ע֧וֹף
and the fowls
H5775
ע֧וֹף
and the fowls
Strong's:
H5775
Word #:
14 of 20
a bird (as covered with feathers, or rather as covering with wings), often collectively
הַשָּׁמַ֛יִם
of the heaven
H8064
הַשָּׁמַ֛יִם
of the heaven
Strong's:
H8064
Word #:
15 of 20
the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies r
וְאֶת
H853
וְאֶת
Strong's:
H853
Word #:
16 of 20
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
בֶּהֱמַ֥ת
and the beasts
H929
בֶּהֱמַ֥ת
and the beasts
Strong's:
H929
Word #:
17 of 20
properly, a dumb beast; especially any large quadruped or animal (often collective)
Cross References
Deuteronomy 28:26And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away.Leviticus 26:16I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.Leviticus 26:22I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your high ways shall be desolate.Revelation 6:8And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.Ezekiel 14:21For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast?Leviticus 26:25And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant: and when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.Isaiah 18:6They shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains, and to the beasts of the earth: and the fowls shall summer upon them, and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them.Jeremiah 7:33And the carcases of this people shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall fray them away.
Historical Context
Mass casualties during siege and conquest often left bodies unburied, attracting scavengers. Ancient Near Eastern curse texts include similar imagery of bodies left for dogs and birds. The inability to bury dead properly represented societal collapse and greatest shame. Jeremiah 7:33, 16:4, 19:7, and 34:20 repeat this threat.
Questions for Reflection
- What does the image of unburied bodies devoured by scavengers communicate about judgment's completeness?
- How does the fourfold destruction (sword, dogs, birds, beasts) encompass both human and animal agents?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
This verse announces four kinds of destroyers: 'And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith the LORD: the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and destroy.' The Hebrew arba mishpachoth (אַרְבַּע מִשְׁפָּחוֹת, four families/kinds) are agents of destruction. The 'sword' (cherev) represents human enemies; 'dogs' (kelavim) are scavenging wild dogs; 'fowls' (oph hashamayim) are carrion birds; 'beasts' (behemoth ha'arets) are wild animals. The image is of unburied dead devoured by scavengers—ultimate dishonor, ultimate desolation. Bodies left unburied violates covenant blessing (Deuteronomy 28:26).