I looked, and all the people were gone. All the birds of the sky had flown away.
Parallel translations
- WEB I saw, and behold, there was no man, and all the birds of the sky had fled.
- KJV I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.
- BSB I looked, and no man was left; all the birds of the air had fled.
- NKJV I beheld, and indeed there was no man, And all the birds of the heavens had fled.
- NASB I looked, and behold, there was no human, And all the birds of the sky had fled.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
In the vision there is no human being and even the birds have fled. It matters because it shows judgment emptying the land of all life.
Overview
Jeremiah beholds a world without people and without birds, a desolation total and lifeless. The vibrant creation God filled is stripped bare under judgment. Such emptiness magnifies the horror of sin's outcome and heightens longing for the restored, life-filled creation God promises (Zephaniah 1:3).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Zeph 1:2–3I will utterly sweep away everything off of the surface of the earth, says Yahweh.
- Jer 12:4How long shall the land mourn, and the herbs of the whole country wither? For the wickedness of those who dwell therein, the animals are consumed, and the birds; because they said, “He shall not see our latter end.”
- Hos 4:3Therefore the land will mourn, and everyone who dwells therein will waste away. all living things in her, even the animals of the field and the birds of the sky; yes, the fish of the sea also die.
- Jer 9:10I will weep and wail for the mountains, and lament for the pastures of the wilderness, because they are burned up, so that no one passes through; neither can men hear the voice of the livestock. Both the birds of the sky and the animals have fled. They are gone.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Against the failure of false shepherds Jeremiah promises the Righteous Branch, 'The LORD our righteousness,' and the new covenant written on the heart and sealed in the blood of Christ.
How Jeremiah 4:25 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.