King James Version

Jeremiah 13:16

Give glory to the LORD your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.

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Hebrew

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תְּנוּ֩tenvgiveנָתַןverb, qal, imperative, 2nd person, masculine, plural — “give”, a commandH5414to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.)add, apply, appoint, ascribe, assign, [idiom] avenge, [idiom] be (healed), bestow, bring (forth, hither), cast, cause, charge, come, commit, consider, count, [phrase] cry, deliver (up), direct, distribute, do, [idiom] doubtless, [idiom] wi…לַיהוָ֨הlayhvahto Jehovahיְהֹוָהpreposition, noun, proper name — “to Jehovah”H3068Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodJehovah, the Lord. Compare H3050 (יָהּ), H3069 (יְהֹוִה).אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֤םeloheykhemGodאֱלֹהִיםnoun, common, masculine, plural, construct, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, masculine, plural — “God”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH430gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlativeangels, [idiom] exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), [idiom] (very) great, judges, [idiom] mighty.כָּבוֹד֙kavodgloriousכָּבוֹדnoun, common, both genders, singular, absolute — “glorious”, the ordinary formH3519properly, weight, but only figuratively in a good sense, splendor or copiousnessglorious(-ly), glory, honour(-able).בְּטֶ֣רֶםbeteremin beforeטֶרֶםpreposition, adverb — “in before”H2962properly, non-occurrence; used adverbially, not yet or beforebefore, ere, not yet.יַחְשִׁ֔ךְyachshikhbe blackחָשַׁךְverb, hiphil, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “be black”, an unfinished actionH2821to be dark (as withholding light); transitively, to darkenbe black, be (make) dark, darken, cause darkness, be dim, hide.וּבְטֶ֛רֶםuveteremand in beforeטֶרֶםconjunction, preposition, adverb — “and in before”H2962properly, non-occurrence; used adverbially, not yet or beforebefore, ere, not yet.יִֽתְנַגְּפ֥וּyitnagfvbeatנָגַףverb, hithpael, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “beat”, an unfinished actionH5062to push, gore, defeat, stub (the toe), inflict (a disease)beat, dash, hurt, plague, slay, smite (down), strike, stumble, [idiom] surely, put to the worse.רַגְלֵיכֶ֖םragleykhemfootרֶגֶלnoun, common, feminine, dual, construct, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, masculine, plural — “foot”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH7272a foot (as used in walking); by implication, a step; by euphemistically the pudenda[idiom] be able to endure, [idiom] according as, [idiom] after, [idiom] coming, [idiom] follow, (broken-)foot(-ed, -stool), [idiom] great toe, [idiom] haunt, [idiom] journey, leg, [phrase] piss, [phrase] possession, time.עַלalaboveעַלpreposition — “above”H5921above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsabove, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, [idiom] as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, [idiom] both and, by (reason of), [idiom] had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of,…הָ֣רֵיharehillהַרnoun, common, masculine, plural, construct — “hill”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH2022a mountain or range of hills (sometimes used figuratively)hill (country), mount(-ain), [idiom] promotion.נָ֑שֶׁףnashefdarkנֶשֶׁףnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “dark”, the ordinary formH5399properly, a breeze, i.e. (by implication) dusk (when the evening breeze prevails)dark, dawning of the day (morning), night, twilight.וְקִוִּיתֶ֤םveqivitemand gatherקָוָהconjunction, verb, piel, sequential perfect, 2nd person, masculine, plural — “and gather”, a completed action in a sequenceH6960to bind together (perhaps by twisting), i.e. collect; (figuratively) to expectgather (together), look, patiently, tarry, wait (for, on, upon).לְאוֹר֙leorto brightאוֹרpreposition, noun, common, both genders, singular, absolute — “to bright”, the ordinary formH216illumination or (concrete) luminary (in every sense, including lightning, happiness, etc.)bright, clear, [phrase] day, light (-ning), morning, sun.וְשָׂמָ֣הּvesamahand putשׂוּםconjunction, verb, qal, sequential perfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “and put”, a completed action in a sequenceH7760to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)[idiom] any wise, appoint, bring, call (a name), care, cast in, change, charge, commit, consider, convey, determine, [phrase] disguise, dispose, do, get, give, heap up, hold, impute, lay (down, up), leave, look, make (out), mark, [phrase]…לְצַלְמָ֔וֶתletsalmavetto shadow of deathצַלְמָוֶתpreposition, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “to shadow of death”, the ordinary formH6757shade of death, i.e. the grave (figuratively, calamity)shadow of death.ישיתyshytapplyשִׁיתverb, qal, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “apply”, an unfinished actionH7896to place (in a very wide application)apply, appoint, array, bring, consider, lay (up), let alone, [idiom] look, make, mark, put (on), [phrase] regard, set, shew, be stayed, [idiom] take.וְשִׁ֖יתveshitand applyשִׁיתconjunction, verb, qal, infinitive construct — “and apply”, the to-form of the verbH7896to place (in a very wide application)apply, appoint, array, bring, consider, lay (up), let alone, [idiom] look, make, mark, put (on), [phrase] regard, set, shew, be stayed, [idiom] take.לַעֲרָפֶֽלlaarafelto darkעֲרָפֶלpreposition, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “to dark”, the ordinary formH6205gloom (as of a lowering sky)(gross, thick) dark (cloud, -ness).

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

Give glory to the LORD your God, before it grow dark, and before your feet stumble upon the mountains of twilight, and, while ye look for light, He turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

Give glory to Jehovah your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.

Young’s Literal Translation

Give ye to Jehovah your God honour, Before He doth cause darkness, And before your feet stumble on dark mountains, And ye have waited for light, And He hath made it for death-shade, And hath appointed [it] for thick darkness.

World English Bible

Give glory to Yahweh your God, before he causes darkness, and before your feet stumble on the dark mountains, and while you look for light, he turns it into the shadow of death, and makes it deep darkness.

Darby Translation

Give glory to Jehovah your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the mountains of twilight; and ye shall look for light, but he will turn it into the shadow of death, and make [it] gross darkness.

Douay-Rheims

Give ye glory to the Lord your God, before it be dark, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains: you shall look for light, and he will turn it into the shadow of death, and into darkness.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

Give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble on the dark mountains, and ye shall wait for light, and behold the shadow of death, and they shall be brought into darkness.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Δότε τῷ Κυρίῳ Θεῷ ὑμῶν δόξαν πρὸ τοῦ συσκοτάσαι, καὶ πρὸ τοῦ προσκόψαι πόδας ὑμῶν ἐπʼ ὄρη σκοτεινά· καὶ ἀναμενεῖτε εἰς φῶς, καὶ ἐκεῖ σκιὰ θανάτου καὶ τεθήσονται εἰς σκότος.