· Translation: KJV

Jeremiah 5:16Their quiver is an open tomb, they are all mighty men.

The setting

Jerusalem, ~605 BC. Jeremiah describes Babylonian archers whose arrows never miss their mark. These warriors conquered from India to Egypt...

The emotion here: devastated to describe the violence coming to his own people

The original word

ashpah (אשפה) — quiver, but literally 'collection place' - their arrows are organized for maximum killing

Why it matters

Babylonian composite bows could pierce armor at 200 yards with bronze-tipped arrows

Read with care

What most readers miss in Jeremiah 5:16

Open tomb means death is their business - they don't just kill, they specialize in it

Common misconceptionThis isn't about spiritual warfare or demons - it's about literal foreign soldiers with literal weapons who will literally kill people.

Bible Genome reading

Jeremiah 5:16 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerYahweh
EraDivided Kingdom
Primary emotionanxious
Literary typeprophecy
MarkPromise of God
MarkProphecy

Emotional genome

Comfort power10%
Quotability60%
Memorability80%
Crisis relevance90%
Standalone60%
Themes:military threatdeath imageryenemy strength

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open Jeremiah 5

Jeremiah 5:16 comes from the book of Jeremiah, written during the Divided Kingdom period. These words are attributed to Yahweh. The dominant emotion in this verse is anxious, with a comfort power of 10% and a tone that is prophetic. It belongs to the prophecy genre of biblical literature. Key themes include military threat, death imagery, enemy strength. Notable phrases: Their quiver is an open tomb; they are all mighty men. This verse contains a promise of God. This verse contains prophecy.

Your reflection

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