What Does Jeremiah 9:9 Mean in the King James?
Shall I not visit them for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
God’s “visiting” gathers wrongdoing into account, and the verse names the reckoning as vengeance.
THE MEANING
Where deceit and betrayal wound a community, the wrong does not disappear through repetition: it remains answerable. The verse names the LORD’s own living self as engaged in vengeance against such a nation, and leaves the severity intact.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The belief that persistent betrayal carries no consequence is undone: the verse presents it as answerable.
THE ROOT
תִּתְנַקֵּם
titnaqqēm
GROWS FROM
נקם
n-q-m
To avenge; to exact vengeance.
“avenged” in this verse is titnaqqēm. The verb names vengeance directly, preserving the force of the verse’s judgment. Its grammatical subject is נַפְשִׁי (nafshi), “my living self,” so the line places the vengeance in the LORD’s own being.
ALSO GROWS
nāqam: To take vengeance.
נָקַם
This verb from the same root names the action the verse attributes to the LORD.
neqāmāh: Vengeance or retribution.
נְקָמָה
The noun makes explicit the force already carried by “be avenged.”
אֶפְקֹד
ʾepqōd
GROWS FROM
פקד
p-q-d
To attend to, take note of, muster, or call to account; here, to visit in reckoning.
The root carries more than the idea of arriving for a visit: it can also mean attending to or mustering, taking account of what is present. Here, the LORD’s visitation brings the stated wrongdoing into reckoning.
ALSO GROWS
pāqad: To visit or attend to someone or something.
פָּקַד
This is the root verb behind “visit,” with the context here giving that attention the weight of reckoning.
hafqēd: To set someone in charge.
הַפְקֵד
This form from the same root conveys oversight and responsibility, adding depth to the sense of attending to what is entrusted.
pequddīm: Those counted or enrolled.
פְּקֻדִּים
The counting branch of the root echoes the verse’s sense that wrongdoing is taken into account.
נַפְשִׁי
nafshi
GROWS FROM
נפש
n-p-sh
Living being, self, or life.
The word rendered “soul” can name a living being or the self, not merely an abstract inner part. Here, vengeance belongs to the LORD’s own living self, giving the judgment personal force.
ALSO GROWS
nephesh ḥayyāh: A living being or creature.
נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה
This phrase shows how concretely נֶפֶשׁ (nephesh) can name a living self.
nephesh: A person’s appetite or desire.
נֶפֶשׁ
The same word can reach into the concrete desires of a living self, deepening “my soul” beyond an abstract label.
THE PATTERN
Deception and wrongdoing remain answerable; what is done comes under a reckoning that reflects the deed.
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;Who will render to every man according to his deeds:Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.THE THREAD
And there shall be, like people, like priest: and I will punish them for their ways, and reward them their doings.Jeremiah’s “visit” and Hosea’s “punish” translate forms of פקד (p-q-d), a root that can mean attending to, mustering, or taking account. The English gives them different words, while the shared root connects both to the LORD’s reckoning with the ways and deeds named.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us