Jeremiah 6:2 — Word Study
WLCהַנָּוָה֙ וְהַמְּעֻנָּגָ֔ה דָּמִ֖יתִי בַּת־ צִיּֽוֹן׃
BSAThough she is beautifulnâʼveh [lovely, pleasant to behold] and delicateʻânag [soft] the Daughterbath [comely, delightful one, female child, or woman] of ZionTsîyôwn [the mountain in Jerusalem, God's holy city]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| הַנָּוָה֙ | the beautiful [one] | Particle |
| וְהַמְּעֻנָּגָ֔ה | and the dainty [one] | Conjunction, particle, verb pual participle (passive) feminine singular |
| דָּמִ֖יתִי | I resemble | Verb, Qal, perfect second person feminine singular |
| בַּת־ | [the] daughter of | Noun common, feminine singular construct |
| צִיּֽוֹן׃ | Zion | Noun proper |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Though she is beautiful and delicate, I will destroy the Daughter of Zion. |
| KJV | I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman. |
| ASV | The comely and delicate one, the daughter of Zion, will I cut off. |
| YLT | The comely and the delicate one I have cut off, The daughter of Zion. |
| WEB | I will cut off the beautiful and delicate one, the daughter of Zion. |
| BBE | The fair and delicate one, the daughter of Zion, will be cut off by my hand. |
All translations agree on the depiction of Zion's beauty and the warning of destruction.
The sentence begins with a contrast, leading to a decisive statement about destruction.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbבַּת
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Jeremiah 6:2
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — A Warning to Ziongenerated
Jeremiah 6:2 speaks of the beauty and delicacy of Zion, yet foretells its destruction. This verse is part of a larger warning to the people of Jerusalem, emphasizing the contrast between their perceived security and the reality of impending judgment. The surrounding verses further illustrate the call to flee and prepare for battle, highlighting the seriousness of the situation.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeremiah 4:31 | For I hear a cry like a woman in labor, a cry of anguish like one bearing her first child— the cry of the Daughter of Zion gasping for breath, stretching out her hands to say, “Woe is me, for my soul faints before the murderers!” |
| 2 | Isaiah 1:8 | And the Daughter of Zion is abandoned like a shelter in a vineyard, like a shack in a cucumber field, like a city besieged. |
| 3 | Isaiah 3:16–17 | The LORD also says: “Because the daughters of Zion are haughty— walking with heads held high and wanton eyes, prancing and skipping as they go, jingling the bracelets on their ankles— |
| 4 | Lamentations 2:1–13 | How the Lord has covered the Daughter of Zion with the cloud of His anger! He has cast the glory of Israel from heaven to earth. He has abandoned His footstool in the day of His anger. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 4 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — הַנָּוָה, ha.na.Vahgenerated
The word הַנָּוָה (na'veh) is an adjective meaning beautiful or lovely. It conveys a sense of attractiveness and is often used to describe pleasing sights or people. The parsing indicates it is a particle, suggesting it functions as a descriptor within the sentence.
In this verse, it emphasizes the beauty of Zion, creating a stark contrast with the subsequent declaration of destruction. The term evokes imagery of a delightful and appealing place, underscoring the tragedy of its fate.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
All translations agree that the verse describes the beauty of Zion and its impending destruction.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The finite verb דָּמִ֖יתִי (da.Mi.ti), meaning 'I resemble', governs the sentence, indicating the speaker's comparison. The structure includes noun phrases that describe Zion's beauty and the impending action of destruction.
The Hebrew word order places emphasis on the beauty of Zion before the declaration of destruction, highlighting the contrast between its current state and the future judgment.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint uses the Greek word γίνεται (ginetai) to translate הַנָּוָה, indicating a transformation or becoming. This choice suggests an interpretation that emphasizes the change from beauty to destruction.
The LXX does not provide a direct equivalent for all Hebrew terms, which may reflect a different understanding or emphasis in the Greek translation process.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Jeremiah 6:2 contrasts the beauty and delicacy of Zion with the prophecy of its destruction. This verse serves as a warning to the people, highlighting the seriousness of the situation they face.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
It indicates that Zion is seen as a lovely place, evoking a sense of pride and security among its inhabitants.
The destruction is a prophetic warning from God due to the people's unfaithfulness and impending judgment.
It fits within a broader context of warnings about judgment and the consequences of turning away from God.
It serves as a reminder that outward beauty does not guarantee safety or favor with God.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what ways do we sometimes overlook the seriousness of our spiritual condition because of our outward appearances?
- How can we prepare ourselves spiritually when we sense danger or judgment approaching?
- What does this verse teach us about the nature of God's judgment?
- How can we support others who may be unaware of the impending consequences of their actions?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
The early Church Father Jerome comments on this verse, likening the Daughter of Zion to a beautiful woman, emphasizing the tragic fate that awaits her.
I have likened the daughter of Zion to a beautiful and delicate woman. And the shepherds and their flocks shall come to her. They have pitched their tents around her and each one shall feed those under his hand.Early Church Fathers on Jeremiah 6 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Jeremiah 6:2 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleI have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman.
Read John Gill on Jeremiah 6 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryI have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman.
Read Robert Jamieson on Jeremiah 6 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleWoman: this supplement is not in the text; they that approve it render the epithet comely variously, for one dwelling at home, as the Hebrew nays doth also signify, ; and so the word delicate serves to explain it, as showing the reason of her tarrying at home; not as a good housewife, discreetly guiding and governing her affairs at home, as she is described, , &c.; ; but through her delicacy exposing herself to all wantonness and voluptuousness, tarrying at home to give entertainment to her paramours: or she, through her state and pride, is so delicate and nice that she will not set her foot out of door, ; possibly occasioned by the great wealth and riches that God had blessed Jerusalem…
Read Matthew Poole on Jeremiah 6 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsJeremiah 6:2 I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate [woman].Ver. 2. I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman.] Certatim amatae bucolicae puellae; some fair shepherdess, to whom the kings with their armies make love (but for no love), that they may destroy and spoil her.
Read John Trapp on Jeremiah 6 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(2) To a comely and delicate woman.—“Woman” is not in the Hebrew, and the word translated “comely” is elsewhere (Isaiah 65:10; Jeremiah 23:3; Exodus 15:13) rendered “fold” or “habitation;” and the passage should probably stand thus, I have likened the daughter of Zion to a fair pasturage, thus suggesting the imagery which is developed in the next verse. The clause is, however, rendered by some scholars as the fair and delicate one (or, the fair pasturage), the daughter of Zion, I have destroyed.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Jeremiah 6 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges2. The comely … cut off] So the MT., but it is open to suspicion, and the Versions differ much from it. With some emendation the sense may be that Zion is compared to a pasturage, upon which shepherds bring their flocks to feed, the latter denoting the enemy carrying with them devastation. The comely and delicate one] better, the pasturage, yea, the luxuriant one.
Read Cambridge on Jeremiah 6 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleThe whole verse is difficult, but should probably be translated; “to a pasturage, yea a luxuriant pasturage, have I likened (or, have reduced to silence, i. e., destroyed) the daughter of Zion.”
Read Albert Barnes on Jeremiah 6 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible2. I have likened — Rather, I have laid waste. The city is personified as a beautiful and delicately-reared woman to whom desolation has come.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Jeremiah 6 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
Though she is beautiful and delicate, I will destroy the Daughter of Zion.
I will cut off the beautiful and delicate one, the daughter of Zion.
Though she is beautiful and delicate, I will destroy the Daughter of Zion.
I will destroy Daughter Zion, who is as delicate and defenseless as a young maiden.
Tyndale line
I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman.
The comely and delicate one, the daughter of Zion, will I cut off.
The comely and delicate one, the daughter of Zion, will I cut off.
I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman .
I haue compared the daughter of Zion to a beautifull and daintie woman.
Strictly literal
The comely and delicate one do I cut off, the daughter of Zion.
The comely and the delicate one I have cut off, The daughter of Zion.
I have cut off the lovely and delicate one, || The daughter of Zion.
The comely and the delicate, the daughter of Zion do I destroy.
The daughter of Zion, the beautiful and delicate woman, will be destroyed.
From the Latin
I have likened the daughter of Sion to a beautiful and delicate woman.
Simplified
Even though she is pretty and delightful, I will destroy the Daughter of Zion.
The fair and delicate one, the daughter of Zion, will be cut off by my hand.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint largely agree in content, with four out of five words matched. The Septuagint's word order and articles differ, but the essential message remains consistent.
הַנָּוָה֙ וְהַמְּעֻנָּגָ֔ה דָּמִ֖יתִי בַּת־ צִיּֽוֹן׃
4 of the 5 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Jeremiah 6:2
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
נָאוֶה (na'veh) is an adjective meaning suitable, beautiful, or comely. It conveys a sense of attractiveness or appropriateness in appearance. The word is derived from roots that suggest beauty and suitability, but the lexicons do not provide specific verse references or significant disagreements.
נָאוֶה adj. comely, seemly
base
H5000 נָאוֶה
5000 na'veh naw-veh'
from 4998 or 5116; suitable, or beautiful:--becometh,
comely, seemly.
see HEBREW for 04998
see HEBREW for 05116
נָאוֶה (na.eh) — lovely.
1) comely, beautiful, seemly
1a) comely, beautiful
1b) seemly
Art | Adj — ParticleHTd/Aafsa
wun.
See NUMBER.
עָנֹג (anag) is a Hebrew verb meaning to be soft or delicate. It encompasses a range of meanings from being dainty or pampered to taking exquisite delight in something. The entries also note a negative connotation of making sport of someone or something. The word appears in various forms, including Pual and Hithpael, indicating different nuances of its meaning.
[עָנֹג] vb. be soft, delicate, dainty
Pu. daintily bred
Hithp.
be of dainty habit
take exquisite delight
in bad sense, make merry over, make sport of
base
H6026 עָנֹג be soft, delicate, dainty . daintily bred
. . be of dainty habit
. take exquisite delight
. in bad sense, make merry over, make sport of
6026 `anag aw-nag'
a primitive root; to be soft or pliable, i.e. (figuratively)
effeminate or luxurious:--delicate(-ness), (have) delight
(self), sport self.
עָנֹג (a.nag) — to delight.
1) to be soft, be delicate, be dainty
1a) (Pual) to be delicate
1b) (Hithpael)
1b1) to be of dainty habit, be pampered
1b2) to be happy about, take exquisite delight
1b3) to make merry over, make sport of
Conj | Art | V-Pual-Inf-c — Conjunction · particle · verb pual participle (passive) feminine singularHC/Td/VPsfsa
wun.
See NUMBER.
דָּמָה (damah) is a primitive root meaning to be like or resemble. It encompasses the ideas of comparing, imagining, and devising, with various forms indicating different nuances such as making oneself like or considering something to be similar. The entries consistently highlight its use in contexts of likeness and comparison.
דָּמָה vb. be like, resemble
Qal be like, resemble
Pi. liken, compare; imagine, think, devise
liken, i.e. consider to be like, compare
imagine, form an idea, devise
Hithp. make oneself or become like
base
H1819 דָּמָה be like, resemble .be like, resemble
. liken, compare; imagine, think, devise . liken, i.e. consider to be like, compare
. imagine, form an idea, devise
. make oneself or become like
1819 damah daw-maw'
a primitive root; to compare; by implication, to resemble,
liken, consider:--compare, devise, (be) like(-n), mean, think,
use similitudes.
דָּמָה (da.mah) — to resemble.
1) to be like, resemble
1a) (Qal) to be like, resemble
1b) (Piel)
1b1) to liken, compare
1b2) to imagine, think
1c) (Hithpael) to make oneself like
1d) (Niphal)
Aramaic equivalent: de.mah (דְּמָה "be like" H1821)
HVqp2fs — Verb · Qal · perfect second person feminine singularHVqp2fs
בַּת (bat) means 'daughter' and encompasses a range of meanings including female child, young women, and even personifications of cities or inhabitants. It can also refer to villages in certain contexts. The word is derived from a root meaning 'to build' and is used in various figurative senses, such as 'branch' or 'apple of the eye.'
בַּת 587 n.f. daughter
daughter, female child
young women, women
with name of city, land, or people, poet. personif. of that city or inhabitants
pl. = villages, after name of city
in phrases denoting character, quality, etc.
ostrich
fig.
of vine = branch
as n. relat.
base
H1323 בַּת daughter . daughter, female child
. young women, women
. with name of city, land, or people, poet. personif. of that city or inhabitants
. pl. = villages, after name of city
. in phrases denoting character, quality, etc.
. ostrich
. fig.
. of vine = branch
. as n. relat.
1323 bath bath
from 1129 (as feminine of 1121); a daughter (used in the same
wide sense as other terms of relationship, literally and
figuratively):--apple (of the eye), branch, company, daughter,
X first, X old, + owl, town, village.
see HEBREW for 01129
see HEBREW for 01121
בַּת (bat) — daughter.
: daughter
1) daughter
1a) daughter, girl, adopted daughter, daughter-in-law, sister, granddaughters, female child, cousin
1a1) as polite address
1a2) as designation of women of a particular place
2) young women, women
1a3) as personification
1a4) daughter-villages
1a5) description of character
Also means: bat (בַּת ": village" H1323H)
בַּת (bat) — daughter: village.
: village
1) daughter
1a) daughter, girl, adopted daughter, daughter-in-law, sister, granddaughters, female child, cousin
1a1) as polite address
1a2) as designation of women of a particular place
2) young women, women
1a3) as personification
1a4) daughter-villages
1a5) description of character
בַּת (bat) — Bath (Shua).
A woman living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.38.2;
daughter of: Shua (H7770); married to Judah (H3063);
mother of: Er (H6147), Onan (H0209) and Shelah (H7956)
N-fs — Noun common · feminine singular constructHNcfsc
ov:
(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.
OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]
1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.
I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.
For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.
Lamentations 3:1.
The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.
Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.
That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.
Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…
צִיּוֹן (Tsiyyôn) refers to Zion, often identified as a mountain in Jerusalem and a symbolic name for the city itself, particularly in prophetic contexts. The term is linked to the Hebrew word for Jerusalem and is noted for meaning 'parched place.' It is consistently recognized across lexicons as a proper noun.
צִיּוֹן 154 n.pr.loc. Ṣiyyôn, Zion
base
H6726 צִיּוֹן Ṣiyyôn, Zion
6726 Tsiyown tsee-yone'
the same (regularly) as 6725; Tsijon (as a permanent
capital), a mountain of Jerusalem:--Zion.
see HEBREW for 06725
צִיּוֹן (tsiy.yon) — Zion.
Zion = "parched place"
another name for Jerusalem especially in the prophetic books
Another name of ye.ru.sha.laim (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם "Jerusalem" H3389)
N-proper — Noun properHNpl
zi'-on (tsiyon; Sion):
1. Meaning of the Word
2. The Zion of the Jebusites
3. Zion of the Prophets
4. Zion in Later Poetical Writings and Apocrypha
5. Omission of Name by Some Writers
6. The Name "Zion" in Christian Times
LITERATURE
1. Meaning of the Word:
A name applied to Jerusalem, or to certain parts of it, at least since the time of David. Nothing certain is known of the meaning. Gesenius and others have derived it from a Hebrew root tsahah, "to be dry"; Delitzsch from tsiwwah, "to set up" and Wetzstein from tsin, "to protect." Gesenius finds a more hopeful suggestion in the Arabic equivalent cihw, the Arabic cahwat signifying "ridge of a mountain" or "citadel," which at any rate suitably applies to what we know to have been the original Zion (compare Smith, HGHL, under the word).
Zion
Sunny; height, one of the eminences on which Jerusalem was built. It was surrounded on all sides, except the north, by deep valleys, that of the Tyropoeon (q.v.) separating it from Moriah (q.v.), which it surpasses in height by 105 feet. It was the south-eastern hill of Jerusalem.
When David took it from the Jebusites (Josh. 15:63; 2 Sam. 5:7) he built on it a citadel and a palace, and it became “the city of David” (1 Kings 8:1; 2 Kings 19:21, 31; 1 Chr. 11:5). In the later books of the Old Testament this name was sometimes used (Ps. 87:2; 149:2;
[JERUSALEM]
monument; raised up; sepulcher