King James Version

Jeremiah 4:23

I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.

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Hebrew

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רָאִ֨יתִי֙raitiseeרָאָהverb, qal, perfect, 1st person, common, singular — “see”, a completed actionH7200to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)advise self, appear, approve, behold, [idiom] certainly, consider, discern, (make to) enjoy, have experience, gaze, take heed, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] joyfully, lo, look (on, one another, one on another, one upon another, out, up, upon), m…אֶתetobject markerאֵתparticle, direct object marker — “object marker”H853properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)(as such unrepresented in English).הָאָ֔רֶץhaaretsthe earthאֶרֶץdefinite article, noun, common, both genders, singular, absolute — “the earth”, the ordinary formH776the earth (at large, or partitively a land)[idiom] common, country, earth, field, ground, land, [idiom] natins, way, [phrase] wilderness, world.וְהִנֵּהvehinehand loהִנֵּהconjunction, particle, demonstrative — “and lo”H2009lo!behold, lo, see.תֹ֖הוּtohvvainתֹּהוּnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “vain”, the ordinary formH8414a desolation (of surface), i.e. desert; figuratively, a worthless thing; adverbially, in vainconfusion, empty place, without form, nothing, (thing of) nought, vain, vanity, waste, wilderness.וָבֹ֑הוּvavohvand emptinessבֹּהוּconjunction, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “and emptiness”, the ordinary formH922a vacuity, i.e. (superficially) an undistinguishable ruinemptiness, void.וְאֶלveeland amongאֵלconjunction, preposition — “and among”H413near, with or among; often in general, toabout, according to, after, against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and, by, concerning, for, from, [idiom] hath, in(-to), near, (out) of, over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether, with(-in).הַשָּׁמַ֖יִםhashamayimthe heavenשָׁמַיִםdefinite article, noun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “the heaven”, the ordinary formH8064the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies revolve)air, [idiom] astrologer, heaven(-s).וְאֵ֥יןveeynand elseאַיִןconjunction, particle, negative — “and else”H369a non-entity; generally used as a negative particleelse, except, fail, (father-) less, be gone, in(-curable), neither, never, no (where), none, nor, (any, thing), not, nothing, to nought, past, un(-searchable), well-nigh, without. Compare H370 (אַיִן).אוֹרָֽםorambrightאוֹרnoun, common, both genders, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “bright”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH216illumination or (concrete) luminary (in every sense, including lightning, happiness, etc.)bright, clear, [phrase] day, light (-ning), morning, sun.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was waste and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

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

American Standard Version (1901)

I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was waste and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.

Young’s Literal Translation

I looked [to] the land, and lo, waste and void, And unto the heavens, and their light is not.

World English Bible

I saw the earth and, behold, it was waste and void, and the heavens, and they had no light.

Darby Translation

I beheld the earth, and lo, it was waste and empty; and the heavens, and they had no light.

Douay-Rheims

I beheld the earth, and lo it was void, and nothing: and the heavens, and there was no light in them.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was waste and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

I looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was not; and to the sky, and there was no light in it.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Ἐπέβλεψα ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, καὶ ἰδοὺ οὐθὲν, καὶ εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν, καὶ οὐκ ἦν τὰ φῶτα αὐτοῦ.

American Standard Version (1901)

Young’s Literal Translation

World English Bible

Darby Translation

Douay-Rheims

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

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