Jeremiah 30:6 Meaning and Explanation
“Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The people are gripped by terror as severe as childbirth pains.
The Context of Jeremiah 30:6
Vivid metaphor of universal suffering.
What Does Jeremiah 30:6 Mean?
The LORD asks a rhetorical question highlighting an inversion of nature: men writhe in anguish like women in labor, which is extraordinary and disturbing. Their hands clutch their loins in the posture of deep suffering, and their pallid faces reveal their horror.
This vivid imagery expresses the totality and intensity of the people's distress. The comparison to childbirth suggests both the severity of their pain and the imminence of a new birth—transformation through crisis.
Jeremiah 30:6 in the Original Language
travail (יָחִיל — yachil): be in labor pain, writhe
Frequently Asked Questions About Jeremiah 30:6
What does Jeremiah 30:6 mean?
The people are gripped by terror as severe as childbirth pains.
What is the context of Jeremiah 30:6?
Vivid metaphor of universal suffering.