Jeremiah 4:27
New International Version
This is what the LORD says: “The whole land will be ruined, though I will not destroy it completely.

New Living Translation
This is what the LORD says: “The whole land will be ruined, but I will not destroy it completely.

English Standard Version
For thus says the LORD, “The whole land shall be a desolation; yet I will not make a full end.

Berean Standard Bible
For this is what the LORD says: “The whole land will be desolate, but I will not finish its destruction.

King James Bible
For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.

New King James Version
For thus says the LORD: “The whole land shall be desolate; Yet I will not make a full end.

New American Standard Bible
For this is what the LORD says: “The whole land shall be a desolation, Yet I will not execute a complete destruction.

NASB 1995
For thus says the LORD, “The whole land shall be a desolation, Yet I will not execute a complete destruction.

NASB 1977
For thus says the LORD, “The whole land shall be a desolation, Yet I will not execute a complete destruction.

Legacy Standard Bible
For thus says Yahweh, “The whole land shall be a desolation, Yet I will not execute a complete destruction.

Amplified Bible
Therefore says the LORD, “The whole land shall be a desolation, Yet I will not cause total destruction.

Christian Standard Bible
For this is what the LORD says: “The whole land will be a desolation, but I will not finish it off.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
For this is what the LORD says: The whole land will be a desolation, but I will not finish it off.

American Standard Version
For thus saith Jehovah, The whole land shall be a desolation; yet will I not make a full end.

English Revised Version
For thus saith the LORD, The whole land shall be a desolation; yet will I not make a full end.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
This is what the LORD says: The whole earth will be ruined, although I will not destroy it completely.

Good News Translation
The LORD has said that the whole earth will become a wasteland, but that he will not completely destroy it.)

International Standard Version
For this is what the LORD says: "The entire land will be devastated, but I won't completely destroy it.

Majority Standard Bible
For this is what the LORD says: ?The whole land will be desolate, but I will not finish its destruction.

NET Bible
All this will happen because the LORD said, "The whole land will be desolate; however, I will not completely destroy it.

New Heart English Bible
For thus says the LORD, "The whole land shall be a desolation; yet I will not make a full end.

Webster's Bible Translation
For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.

World English Bible
For Yahweh says, “The whole land will be a desolation; yet I will not make a full end.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
For thus said YHWH: “All the land is a desolation, but I do not make a completion.

Young's Literal Translation
For thus said Jehovah: All the land is a desolation, but a completion I make not.

Smith's Literal Translation
For thus said Jehovah, All the earth shall be a desert; and I will not make a completion.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
For thus saith the Lord: All the land shall be desolate, but yet I will not utterly destroy.

Catholic Public Domain Version
For thus says the Lord: “All the earth will be desolate, but I will not yet bring about its consummation.

New American Bible
For thus says the LORD: The whole earth shall be waste, but I will not wholly destroy it.

New Revised Standard Version
For thus says the LORD: The whole land shall be a desolation; yet I will not make a full end.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
For thus says the LORD God, The whole land shall be desolate; yet I will not make a full end.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Because thus says LORD JEHOVAH: all the land will be for destruction, and I shall not make the end
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
For thus saith the LORD: The whole land shall be desolate; Yet will I not make a full end.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Thus saith the Lord, The whole land shall be desolate; but I will not make a full end.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Lamentation for Judah
26I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert. All its cities were torn down before the LORD, before His fierce anger. 27For this is what the LORD says: “The whole land will be desolate, but I will not finish its destruction. 28Therefore the earth will mourn and the heavens above will grow dark. I have spoken, I have planned, and I will not relent or turn back.”…

Cross References
Isaiah 24:1-3
Behold, the LORD lays waste the earth and leaves it in ruins. He will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants— / people and priest alike, servant and master, maid and mistress, buyer and seller, lender and borrower, creditor and debtor. / The earth will be utterly laid waste and thoroughly plundered. For the LORD has spoken this word.

Ezekiel 6:14
I will stretch out My hand against them, and wherever they live I will make the land a desolate waste, from the wilderness to Diblah. Then they will know that I am the LORD.’”

Zephaniah 1:2-3
“I will completely sweep away everything from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD. / “I will sweep away man and beast; I will sweep away the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, and the idols with their wicked worshipers. I will cut off mankind from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD.

Isaiah 6:11-12
Then I asked: “How long, O Lord?” And He replied: “Until the cities lie ruined and without inhabitant, until the houses are left unoccupied and the land is desolate and ravaged, / until the LORD has driven men far away and the land is utterly forsaken.

Amos 5:3
This is what the Lord GOD says: “The city that marches out a thousand strong will have but a hundred left, and the one that marches out a hundred strong will have but ten left in the house of Israel.”

Isaiah 13:9
Behold, the Day of the LORD is coming—cruel, with fury and burning anger—to make the earth a desolation and to destroy the sinners within it.

Ezekiel 33:27-29
Tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘As surely as I live, those in the ruins will fall by the sword, those in the open field I will give to be devoured by wild animals, and those in the strongholds and caves will die by plague. / I will make the land a desolate waste, and the pride of her strength will come to an end. The mountains of Israel will become desolate, so that no one will pass through. / Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I have made the land a desolate waste because of all the abominations they have committed.’

Micah 7:13
Then the earth will become desolate because of its inhabitants, as the fruit of their deeds.

Isaiah 1:7-9
Your land is desolate; your cities are burned with fire. Foreigners devour your fields before you—a desolation demolished by strangers. / And the Daughter of Zion is abandoned like a shelter in a vineyard, like a shack in a cucumber field, like a city besieged. / Unless the LORD of Hosts had left us a few survivors, we would have become like Sodom, we would have resembled Gomorrah.

Hosea 4:3
Therefore the land mourns, and all who dwell in it will waste away with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air; even the fish of the sea disappear.

Matthew 24:21-22
For at that time there will be great tribulation, unseen from the beginning of the world until now, and never to be seen again. / If those days had not been cut short, nobody would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.

Revelation 18:8
Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and grief and famine—and she will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.”

Isaiah 10:22-23
Though your people, O Israel, be like the sand of the sea, only a remnant will return. Destruction has been decreed, overflowing with righteousness. / For the Lord GOD of Hosts will carry out the destruction decreed upon the whole land.

Romans 9:27-28
Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the Israelites is like the sand of the sea, only the remnant will be saved. / For the Lord will carry out His sentence on the earth thoroughly and decisively.”

Isaiah 17:9
In that day their strong cities will be like forsaken thickets and summits, abandoned to the Israelites and to utter desolation.


Treasury of Scripture

For thus has the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.

The.

Jeremiah 4:7
The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant.

Jeremiah 7:34
Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride: for the land shall be desolate.

Jeremiah 12:11
They have made it desolate, and being desolate it mourneth unto me; the whole land is made desolate, because no man layeth it to heart.

yet.

Jeremiah 5:10,18
Go ye up upon her walls, and destroy; but make not a full end: take away her battlements; for they are not the LORD'S…

Jeremiah 30:11
For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.

Jeremiah 46:28
Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the LORD: for I am with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure; yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished.

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Jeremiah 4
1. God calls Israel by his promise
3. He exhorts Judah to repentance by fearful judgments
19. A grievous lamentation for Judah














For this is what the LORD says
This phrase underscores the authority and divine origin of the message. The Hebrew term for "LORD" is "YHWH," the sacred and personal name of God, emphasizing His covenant relationship with Israel. This introduction serves as a reminder that the words following are not merely Jeremiah's, but are divinely inspired, carrying the weight and certainty of God's own voice. In the historical context, this is a period of impending judgment, and the use of "LORD" assures the people that the message is both authoritative and trustworthy.

The whole land
The Hebrew word for "land" is "eretz," which can refer to the earth, a country, or a specific territory. Here, it specifically refers to the land of Judah. This phrase indicates the comprehensive nature of the coming judgment. Historically, this was a time when the Babylonian Empire was rising, and the threat to Judah was imminent. The phrase serves as a stark warning that no part of the land will be spared from the consequences of the nation's sins.

will be desolate
The Hebrew root for "desolate" is "shamem," which means to be appalled, devastated, or laid waste. This word paints a vivid picture of the aftermath of divine judgment. Archaeological evidence from the period shows cities and towns that were indeed left in ruins, confirming the historical accuracy of such prophecies. Spiritually, this desolation is a result of the people's persistent idolatry and rebellion against God, serving as a call to repentance and a return to covenant faithfulness.

but I will not finish it off
The phrase "I will not finish it off" reflects God's mercy amidst judgment. The Hebrew root "kalah" means to complete or bring to an end. While God allows the land to be desolate as a consequence of sin, He promises not to utterly destroy it. This is consistent with God's character throughout Scripture, where judgment is often tempered with mercy. Historically, this points to the eventual return and restoration of the remnant of Israel, a theme that runs throughout the prophetic books. It serves as a reminder of hope and redemption, even in the darkest times, highlighting God's enduring commitment to His people and His ultimate plan for their restoration.

(27) Yet will I not make a full end.--The thought is echoed from Amos 9:8; Isaiah 6:13; Isaiah 10:21, and repeated in Jeremiah 5:18. There was then hope in the distance. The destruction, terrible as it seemed, was not final. The penalty was a discipline. (Comp. Leviticus 26:44.)

Verse 27. - The vision breaks off, and the prophet emphasizes its truthfulness by the announcement of the Divine decree. "Desolation, and yet not a full end," is its burden. This is the same doctrine of the" remnant" which formed so important a part of the prophetic message of Isaiah and his contemporaries. However severe the punishment of Judah may be, there will be a "remnant" which shall escape, and become the seed of a holier nation (Amos 9:8; Isaiah 4:2; Isaiah 6:13; Isaiah 10:20; Isaiah 11:11; Hosea 6:1, 2).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
For
כִּי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

this is what
כֹה֙ (ḵōh)
Adverb
Strong's 3541: Like this, thus, here, now

the LORD
יְהוָ֔ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

says:
אָמַ֣ר (’ā·mar)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“The whole
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

land
הָאָ֑רֶץ (hā·’ā·reṣ)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

will be
תִהְיֶ֖ה (ṯih·yeh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

desolate,
שְׁמָמָ֥ה (šə·mā·māh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8077: Devastation, astonishment

but I will not
לֹ֥א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

finish its destruction.
וְכָלָ֖ה (wə·ḵā·lāh)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 3617: Completion, complete destruction, consumption, annihilation


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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 4:27 For thus says Yahweh The whole land (Jer.)
Jeremiah 4:26
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