Jeremiah 29:18I will pursue after them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be tossed back and forth among all the kingdoms of the earth, to be an object of horror, and an astonishment, and a hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations where I have driven them;
The setting
Jerusalem, 597 BC. Jeremiah describes the coming diaspora - Jews scattered across the ancient world. Modern Middle East.
The emotion here: grief-stricken prophet forced to announce national death sentence
The original word
za'avah (זַעֲוָה) — trembling, object of horror, something that makes people shudder
Why it matters
Jews became the world's first major refugee population, scattered for 2,500 years
Read with care
What most readers miss in Jeremiah 29:18
This prophecy was fulfilled literally - Jews became refugees in every empire
Common misconceptionThis sounds like eternal punishment, but it's actually describing the temporary 70-year exile. Even in judgment, God had a restoration plan (verses 10-14).
The thread continues
Verses that echo Jeremiah 29:18
Bible Genome reading
Jeremiah 29:18 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Jeremiah 29:18 comes from the book of Jeremiah, written during the Exile period. The dominant emotion in this verse is angry, with a comfort power of 10% and a tone that is urgent. It belongs to the prophecy genre of biblical literature. Key themes include divine pursuit, scattering. Notable phrases: pursue after them; tossed back and forth. This verse contains prophecy.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same angry
“Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, 'I am strong.'”
— Joel 3:10
“You blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel!”
— Matthew 23:24
“Listen to this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who tell their husba…”
— Amos 4:1
“I hate, I despise your feasts, and I can't stand your solemn assemblies.”
— Amos 5:21
“Your eyes shall not pity; life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”
— Deuteronomy 19:21
Your reflection
What does Jeremiah 29:18 mean to you, today?
A short note. A question. A prayer. Saved privately to your Soul Garden, dated, and tied to this verse forever.
Speak your heart →Get 3 verses for "angry"
Delivered to your inbox right now. Free.