Reference

Jeremiah 30:16

Therefore all they that devour thee shall be devoured; and all thine adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; and they that spoil thee shall be a spoil, and all that prey upon thee will I give for a prey.
14

All thy lovers have forgotten thee; they seek thee not; for I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, for the multitude of thine iniquity; because thy sins were increased.

15

Why criest thou for thine affliction? thy sorrow is incurable for the multitude of thine iniquity: because thy sins were increased, I have done these things unto thee.

16

Therefore all they that devour thee shall be devoured; and all thine adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; and they that spoil thee shall be a spoil, and all that prey upon thee will I give for a prey.

17

For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord; because they called thee an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after.

18

Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob’s tents, and have mercy on his dwellingplaces; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof.

Why This Verse Was Tagged

Destruction / Perishing Language
Keyword Match
100% relevance

This verse contains specific terms directly associated with this theme.

Punishment Language
Semantic Discovery
100% relevance

This verse was identified through meaning similarity — its content is mathematically close to known verses in this theme, even without sharing the same vocabulary.

Annihilation / Destruction
Semantic Discovery
80% relevance

This verse was identified through meaning similarity — its content is mathematically close to known verses in this theme, even without sharing the same vocabulary.

Literal Fulfillment
Semantic Discovery
90% relevance

This verse was identified through meaning similarity — its content is mathematically close to known verses in this theme, even without sharing the same vocabulary.

Counter-Arguments

The strongest case that this verse does not belong in this theme.

Destruction / Perishing Language

This verse directly uses the word "devour" and describes the negative fate of adversaries, aligning perfectly with the theme's definition.

Punishment Language

The verse describes a reversal of fortune for those who have harmed the addressed entity, rather than explicitly using terms like "punish," "vengeance," or "retribution" to describe divine judgment.

Annihilation / Destruction

The verse describes a reversal of fortune and retribution ("devoured," "captivity," "spoil," "prey") rather than an ultimate cessation of existence for the adversaries. It focuses on their suffering a similar fate to what they inflicted, which is not necessarily annihilation.

Literal Fulfillment

The language used, such as "devour" and "prey," could be interpreted metaphorically for economic or political subjugation rather than strictly physical acts, suggesting a non-literal fulfillment of the prophecy. The reciprocal nature of the punishments ("shall be devoured," "shall be a spoil") might also be understood as a general principle of divine justice rather than a precise, one-to-one historical event.