What is the meaning of Jeremiah 49:20? Therefore hear the plans that the LORD has drawn up against Edom “Therefore hear the plans that the LORD has drawn up against Edom” (Jeremiah 49:20). • God’s plans are settled and certain; His verdict on Edom’s longstanding hostility toward Israel is irreversible (Genesis 25:23; Psalm 137:7). • Edom’s pride, typified in its mountain strongholds, meets the God who “thwarts the plans of the peoples” (Psalm 33:10). • The command to “hear” echoes earlier calls to nations to pay attention to divine judgment (Jeremiah 6:18–19; Isaiah 34:1). and the strategies He has devised against the people of Teman Teman, a chief region of Edom, prided itself on wisdom (Jeremiah 49:7; Oba 8). • The Lord meets human strategy with His own superior counsel (Proverbs 19:21). • Eliphaz the Temanite once spoke in Job’s story; even that renowned wisdom falls silent before God’s decree (Job 15:7–9). • What appears meticulous planning by Edom is exposed as futile when measured against the Lord’s strategic purpose (Isaiah 14:24–27). Surely the little ones of the flock will be dragged away • “Little ones” can denote the weakest or, in prophetic irony, the leaders viewed as “rams” of the flock (Jeremiah 49:19). Either way, none escape. • God often describes invading armies as shepherds who snatch sheep (Jeremiah 6:3; Micah 5:8). • Similar wording is used of Babylon’s demise (Jeremiah 50:45), underscoring a pattern: the sovereign Lord can uproot any nation, great or small. certainly their pasture will be made desolate because of them • Edom’s fertile grazing lands become a wasteland, reversing the blessing of abundance (Genesis 27:39–40; Malachi 1:3). • Desolation fulfills covenant warnings that rebellion brings ruin to land and livelihood (Leviticus 26:32–33; Isaiah 34:9–15). • The phrase “because of them” shows Edom bears full responsibility; divine judgment is never arbitrary (Obadiah 15). summary Jeremiah 49:20 announces God’s irrevocable plan to humble Edom: His sovereign strategy outmaneuvers human wisdom, removes both vulnerable and mighty, and leaves once-prosperous pastures barren. The verse assures readers that the Lord’s purposes prevail, pride meets sure judgment, and accountability rests squarely on those who oppose His covenant people. |
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