Jeremiah 12:12

A destructive army ¹  will come marching over the hilltops in the desert. For the Lord will use them as his destructive weapon ²  against ³  everyone from one end of the land to the other. No one will be safe. ⁴ 

Le 26:33; Isa 34:6; Isa 57:21; Isa 66:15,16; Jer 4:11-15; Jer 9:19-21; Jer 15:2; Jer 34:17; Jer 47:6; Jer 48:2; Eze 5:2; Eze 14:17; Am 9:4; Zep 2:12; Mt 24:21,22; Re 6:4; Re 19:16-21

¹ tn Heb “destroyers.”

² tn Heb “It is the Lord’s consuming sword.”

³ tn Heb “For a sword of the Lord will devour.” The sword is often symbolic for destructive forces of all kinds. Here and in Isa 34:6; Jer 47:6 it is symbolic of the enemy armies that the Lord uses to carry out destructive punishment against his enemies, hence the translation “his destructive weapon.” A similar figure is use in Isa 10:5 where the figure is more clearly identified; Assyria is the rod/club that the Lord will use to discipline unfaithful Israel.

⁴ tn Heb “There is no peace to all flesh.”