And I will show you compassion, and he will have compassion on you and restore you to your own land.’
Parallel translations
- WEB I will grant you mercy, that he may have mercy on you, and cause you to return to your own land.
- KJV And I will shew mercies unto you, that he may have mercy upon you, and cause you to return to your own land.
- NKJV And I will show you mercy, that he may have mercy on you and cause you to return to your own land.’
- NASB I will also show you compassion, so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your own soil.
- NLT I will be merciful to you by making him kind, so he will let you stay here in your land.’
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
God promises to grant mercy so that Babylon will show them mercy and restore them. Their welfare depends on God's favor, not on flight.
Overview
The LORD pledges to incline Nebuchadnezzar's heart toward compassion, allowing the remnant to remain in their own land. This shows again that God rules the hearts of kings for His people's good (Prov 21:1). The promise reveals that true security lies in God's mercy, not in seeking safety through human schemes.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Ps 106:45–46And He remembered His covenant with them, and relented by the abundance of His loving devotion.
- Neh 1:11O Lord, may Your ear be attentive to my prayer and to the prayers of Your servants who delight to revere Your name. Give Your servant success this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” (At that time I was the cupbearer to the king.)
- Prov 16:7When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even the man’s enemies live at peace with him.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 42:12 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.