The Bible Says
Jeremiah 21:3-7 Meaning

Jeremiah receives a request from King Zedekiah to inquire about the siege against Jerusalem, and he responds with God’s sobering message: Then Jeremiah said to them, “You shall say to Zedekiah as follows:” (v. 3). The prophet Jeremiah, active from approximately 627 to 580 BC, stands at a crucial moment in Judah’s history, anticipating the fall of Jerusalem. Zedekiah was the last king of Judah, reigning from 597 to 586 BC, and he hoped for divine intervention against the encroaching Babylonian power. However, Jeremiah’s message will not offer the deliverance Zedekiah seeks.

He continues, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am about to turn back the weapons of war which are in your hands, with which you are warring against the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the wall; and I will gather them into the center of this city’” (v. 4). The king of Babylon at this time is Nebuchadnezzar (reigned c. 605-562 BC), and his armies are pressing in on Jerusalem. Despite the city’s defenses, God declares He will use Babylon’s might to bring judgment upon Judah. Babylon, situated in what is now modern-day Iraq, was the center of an empire that encompassed much of the Ancient Near East. Jeremiah’s words reveal that any weapons or strategies the Judeans wield will be unable to defeat this foe because the LORD Himself will reverse Judah’s efforts.

The warning intensifies: “I Myself will war against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm, even in anger and wrath and great indignation” (v. 5). This is a weighty declaration, describing God’s power as an unstoppable force. The metaphor of an outstretched hand and mighty arm (v. 5) appears often in scripture to highlight divine intervention, whether for salvation or judgment. The phrase also appears when God says He delivered Israel from Egypt with an outstretched arm (Deuteronomy 5:15), but here, by contrast, the LORD’s outstretched arm is turned against Judah’s unfaithfulness, emphasizing how grave the situation has become.

God can use his hands to either save or destroy. Thankfully, even though God is greatly to be feared, He is also a merciful God. When He gives King David, one of the first kings of Israel, the option to either be punished by the nations around him or by the LORD's own hand, David says, 

"...I am in great distress; please let me fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are very great. But do not let me fall into the hand of man"
(1 Chronicles 21:13).

Though God enacts painful discipline upon His people with His hand, it is still better to fall into His hand than any other. For the LORD is not careless or barbaric. He disciplines with purpose and always desires the best for His people. In response to God's declaration in Jeremiah 21:5, His people should fall down in repentance and receive His discipline with thankfulness and humility (Hebrews 12:7-8).

Next, Jeremiah relays the tragic reality that awaits the populace: “I will also strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast; they will die of a great pestilence” (v. 6). This indicates that warfare is not the only threat; disease will break out, showing the all-encompassing nature of the unfolding disaster. God’s protective hedge, which once guarded His people, has been withdrawn due to their persistent rebellion. The devastation the LORD proclaims here reveals that sin leads to dire consequences, a consistent theme seen throughout scripture, eventually culminating in the Gospel's promise that ultimate rescue from the destruction of sin is found in Christ alone (Romans 6:23).

The prophecy concludes with a severe final note: “Then afterward,” declares the LORD, “I will give over Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people, even those who survive in this city from the pestilence, the sword and the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their foes and into the hand of those who seek their life; and he will strike them down with the edge of the sword. He will not spare them nor have pity nor compassion” (v. 7). This grim forecast reveals that even those who endure initial calamities will eventually fall into Babylonian custody. Historically, Nebuchadnezzar’s forces devastated Jerusalem in 586 BC, leading to the deportation of many Judeans. The mention of sword and famine resonates with previous warnings given by Jeremiah, illustrating that judgment will be wide-ranging and comprehensive. 

We see in Jeremiah 21:7 that the LORD is now handing Judah over to the hand of the enemy nation of Babylon. This is exactly what David feared in 1 Chronicles 21. Judah, however, chose the practices and delights of foreign nations and their foreign gods over the commands of the one, true God. Therefore, the LORD is only giving them what they desired by leaving them in the hands of Babylon. The prophet Ezekiel describes the adultery of Judah and Israel in Ezekiel 23. He uses the imagery of a harlot named Oholibah, who willfully and eagerly offers herself to foreign nations, to represent the wayward city of Jerusalem, the capital of Judah. God says,

"Therefore, O Oholibah, thus says the LORD GOD, ‘Behold I will arouse your lovers against you, from whom you were alienated, and I will bring them against you from every side"
(Ezekiel 23:22).

God’s declaration in Jeremiah 21:3-7 reveals that without genuine repentance, Judah will not escape the coming catastrophe, and the historical record verifies that the siege ended with Jerusalem’s fall. Though this message is bleak, it also aligns with other prophets’ calls to return to God (Isaiah 31:6, Hosea 14:1-2, Joel 2:12-13), reminding later generations that the LORD desires repentance and a right relationship with His people, ultimately fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus (Luke 24:44-47).