Shepherds and their flocks will come against her; they will pitch their tents all around her, each tending his own portion:
Parallel translations
- WEB Shepherds with their flocks shall come to her; they shall pitch their tents against her all around; they shall feed everyone in his place.”
- KJV 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.
- NKJV The shepherds with their flocks shall come to her. They shall pitch their tents against her all around. Each one shall pasture in his own place.”
- NASB “Shepherds and their flocks will come to her, They will pitch their tents around her, They will pasture, each in his place.
- NLT Enemies will surround you, like shepherds camped around the city. Each chooses a place for his troops to devour.
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
Enemy kings and armies are pictured as shepherds bringing flocks to graze Jerusalem bare. The siege will consume the city completely and methodically.
Overview
The pastoral image is grimly ironic: instead of shepherds protecting the flock, hostile rulers come to devour the land. Each commander stakes out his portion, depicting an orderly, total occupation. It conveys the thoroughness of the coming devastation.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Luke 19:43For the days will come upon you when your enemies will barricade you and surround you and hem you in on every side.
- Jer 39:1–3In 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 Kgs 25:1–4So 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.
- Jer 12:10Many shepherds have destroyed My vineyard; they have trampled My plot of ground. They have turned My pleasant field into a desolate wasteland.
- 2 Kgs 24:10–12At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched up to Jerusalem, and the city came under siege.
- Jer 4:16–17Warn the nations now! Proclaim to Jerusalem: “A besieging army comes from a distant land; they raise their voices against the cities of Judah.
- Nah 3:18O king of Assyria, your shepherds slumber; your officers sleep. Your people are scattered on the mountains with no one to gather them.
- 2 Kgs 24:2And 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.
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 6:3 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.