Lexical Summary shaas: To plunder, to spoil, to despoil Original Word: שָׁאַס Strong's Exhaustive Concordance spoil A primitive root; to plunder -- spoil. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originsee shasas. Brown-Driver-Briggs שׁאסיך Jeremiah 30:16 Kt see שׁסס, שׁסה. Topical Lexicon Biblical SettingJeremiah 30 records a divine promise to restore Israel and Judah after a season of crushing exile. Verse 16 presents a sweeping reversal: “All who devour you will be devoured; all your adversaries—all of them—will go off into exile. Those who plunder you will be plundered; all who prey upon you I will make a prey” (Jeremiah 30:16). The verb translated “plunder” captures the ruthless stripping of goods, dignity, and security that the surrounding nations inflicted on the covenant people. Its solitary appearance heightens its force—Yahweh singles out this very action to assure His people that He will personally repay it in kind. Historical Background Jeremiah ministered during the final decades of the Southern Kingdom, witnessing Babylon’s siege, deportations, and the razing of Jerusalem in 586 BC. Each invading power—Assyria in the north, Egypt intermittently in the south, and ultimately Babylon—treated Israel as spoils of war. By employing a term for pillaging, the prophet evokes the humiliating raids, tribute extractions, and forced labor exacted from Judah. The promise that plunderers will themselves be plundered directly confronted Babylon’s swagger and comforted an audience whose temple treasures and family members had been carted away (2 Kings 25:13-17; Daniel 1:2). Prophetic Reversal Scripture often frames judgment as talionic—what the oppressor metes out returns upon his own head (Obadiah 15; Habakkuk 2:8). In Jeremiah 30:16, the principle is neither abstract nor delayed: Yahweh Himself pledges to execute it. The fall of Babylon to the Medo-Persian coalition (Daniel 5:30-31) historically fulfilled this word, illustrating that divine justice moves through geopolitical events yet remains utterly personal. The nations that robbed Zion discovered they had actually robbed God (Zechariah 2:8). Theological Themes 1. Covenant Loyalty: Plundering Israel is tantamount to affronting the covenant God (Genesis 12:3). The verb underscores that assaults on God’s people never escape His notice. Intertextual Echoes While the exact Hebrew term is unique to Jeremiah 30:16, the concept threads Scripture: • Exodus 15:9-10 – Pharaoh’s intent to “plunder” Israel drowns in the sea. Each scene amplifies Jeremiah’s assurance: oppressors become the oppressed. Practical Ministry Implications Pastoral encouragement: Believers enduring exploitation can cling to God’s unerring justice. The abused, trafficked, or economically stripped are not forgotten; the One who sees promises vindication (Psalm 10:14-18). Missional sobriety: Nations, corporations, or individuals who enrich themselves through unjust gain must heed Jeremiah 30:16. Modern plunder—whether colonial extraction, fraudulent finance, or predatory lending—incurs divine accountability. Discipleship focus: The verb’s violent imagery reminds Christians that holiness includes economic righteousness. Generosity and restitution embody the kingdom ethic that contrasts starkly with plundering greed (Ephesians 4:28). Christological and Eschatological Trajectory Jesus Christ, though sinless, was “numbered with the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:12) and submitted to the ultimate plundering of the cross (Matthew 27:35). Yet through the resurrection He “disarmed the powers and authorities” (Colossians 2:15), turning the weapon of oppression into the instrument of salvation. Jeremiah’s promise therefore foreshadows the cosmic victory in which the Lamb avenges His people and inaugurates a new order where “no longer will violence be heard in your land” (Isaiah 60:18). Summary The solitary Old Testament occurrence of this vigorous Hebrew verb crystallizes a timeless truth: God decisively intervenes when His people are stripped by enemies. Jeremiah 30:16 stands as a beacon that all unrighteous plunder will face divine reversal, encouraging the faithful to endure, cautioning the oppressor to repent, and anchoring hope in the ultimate reign of the righteous King. Forms and Transliterations שֹׁאסַ֙יִךְ֙ שאסיך shoSayich šō·sa·yiḵ šōsayiḵLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Jeremiah 30:16 HEB: יֵלֵ֑כוּ וְהָי֤וּ שֹׁאסַ֙יִךְ֙ לִמְשִׁסָּ֔ה וְכָל־ KJV: into captivity; and they that spoil thee shall be a spoil, INT: will go become spoil plunder one 1 Occurrence |
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