Discovery BoxJeremiah 4:9 
Context4:9 “When this happens,” 1 says the Lord,
“the king and his officials will lose their courage.
The priests will be struck with horror,
and the prophets will be speechless in astonishment.”
Jeremiah 18:21
Context18:21 So let their children die of starvation.
Let them be cut down by the sword. 2
Let their wives lose their husbands and children.
Let the older men die of disease 3
and the younger men die by the sword in battle.
1 tn Heb “In that day.”
2 tn Heb “be poured out to the hand [= power] of the sword.” For this same expression see Ezek 35:5; Ps 63:10 (63:11 HT). Comparison with those two passages show that it involved death by violent means, perhaps death in battle.
3 tn Heb “be slain by death.” The commentaries are generally agreed that this refers to death by disease or plague as in 15:2. Hence, the reference is to the deadly trio of sword, starvation, and disease which were often connected with war. See the notes on 15:2.
