They are coming in to fight against the Chaldeans and to fill them with the dead bodies of men whom I shall strike down in my anger and my wrath, for I have hidden my face from this city because of all their evil.
English Standard Version (ESV)
What seems like a description of the enemy's attack is actually God revealing that it's He who is striking down the people through this conflict. The phrase "for all whose wickedness I have hidden my face from this city" isn't just a reason for the judgment, but highlights that God's turning away is the very cause of their vulnerability and impending doom.
They are coming in to fight against the Chaldeans and to fill them with the dead bodies of men whom I shall strike down in my anger and my wrath, for I have hidden my face from this city because of all their evil.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jeremiah is still imprisoned, but God's word comes to him again with a stark message about the impending destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. While the city's defenders foolishly prepare to fight, the Lord declares their efforts will only result in their own houses being filled with their dead bodies. This devastating outcome is a direct consequence of their profound wickedness, which has caused God to turn His face away from the city in anger and wrath.
The city is under siege, its defenses broken. The people sally out to fight, but the outcome is grimly certain.
This verse paints a stark picture of judgment. The people of Judah are trying to fight back against the Chaldeans, but their efforts are futile. The text emphasizes that their fight will only result in filling their own houses with the dead bodies of their people.
This isn't just about a military defeat; it's about confronting the consequence of turning away from God. The fighting itself becomes an act that seals their doom, not a path to victory. It highlights how actions taken in defiance of God's decree, even attempts at self-preservation, can tragically lead to greater destruction when they are not aligned with His will.
What does it mean for God to 'hide His face' from His own city?
The phrase 'I have hidden my face from this city' is a powerful expression of God's displeasure and withdrawal. In the Old Testament, God's face often symbolized His presence, favor, and active engagement with His people. When He hides His face, it signifies a deliberate turning away due to their profound wickedness.
This withdrawal isn't capricious; it's a direct response to 'all their evil.' It means the city, once a place of God's special dwelling and blessing, is now abandoned to the consequences of its sin. This abandonment allows judgment to fall without divine intervention to protect them. It's a solemn indicator that their sin has created a chasm between them and the source of all life and protection.
Ask a follow-up
The text speaks of God's 'anger' and 'wrath.' How should we understand these divine emotions?
Jeremiah 33:5 states that the dead bodies are of men 'whom I shall strike down in my anger and my wrath.' This language describes God's righteous opposition to sin. Divine anger and wrath aren't like human anger, which can be petty or uncontrolled. Instead, they represent God's holy nature recoiling from evil and His commitment to justice.
This isn't simply God being 'mad'; it's His active, powerful judgment against pervasive wickedness. It signifies His determination to deal with the rebellion and corruption that have defiled His people and His chosen city. The intensity of 'anger' and 'wrath' underscores the severity of Judah's sin and the unavoidable nature of the judgment that follows when a holy God confronts unholiness.
Understand the original words
aph · Hebrew Noun
The intense, righteous reaction of God against sin and rebellion; it is a manifestation of His holiness and justice which cannot coexist with wickedness.
chemah · Hebrew Noun
A settled, intense indignation or judicial fury; it reflects God’s ultimate intolerance toward evil and His commitment to execute judgment.
sathar · Hebrew Verb
A metaphorical expression indicating the withdrawal of God's favor, presence, and blessing from an individual or nation, typically as a result of persistent, unrepentant sin.
ra'ah · Hebrew Noun
Iniquity, moral wickedness, or perversity; it describes actions or thoughts that deviate from God’s standard of holiness and disrupt the relationship between God and humanity.
This verse describes the brutal final days of Jerusalem under siege, emphasizing God's judgment through the Chaldean army. It contrasts the futile resistance of the Jews with the overwhelming power of God's wrath, highlighting that their city's destruction is a direct consequence of their prolonged rebellion against Him.
c. 605 BC
First Deportation of Jerusalem
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon begins his campaigns against Judah, taking some of the royal family and skilled workers into exile.
597 BC
Second Deportation of Jerusalem
After a rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar deports more of Judah's elite, including King Jehoiachin and the prophet Ezekiel, to Babylon.
589-587 BC— this verse
Siege and Fall of Jerusalem
Jerusalem endures a brutal siege by Nebuchadnezzar's forces. The city walls are breached, the Temple is destroyed, and the remaining population is largely exiled.
c. 582 BC
Third Deportation of Jerusalem
Nebuchadnezzar conducts a final deportation from Judah following further unrest, completing the devastation of the land.
c. 539 BC
Persian Conquest of Babylon
Cyrus the Great conquers the Babylonian Empire, paving the way for the eventual return of the Jewish exiles.
538 BC
Edict of Cyrus
Cyrus allows the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple, marking the beginning of the return period.
This passage describes God hiding His face due to disobedience, mirroring Jeremiah 33:5, highlighting the consequence of sin leading to divine withdrawal and judgment.
Psalm 10:4The wicked are described as not seeking God because 'God is not in all his thoughts,' which echoes the idea of God hiding His face from a city consumed by its own evil in Jeremiah 33:5.
Isaiah 59:2This verse directly states that 'your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God,' and 'he has hidden his face from you,' powerfully aligning with the reason given in Jeremiah 33:5 for the city's judgment.
Ezekiel 14:8Here, God declares He will set His face against the disobedient and make them a sign and a byword, similar to how He has hidden His face from the wicked city in Jeremiah 33:5, indicating His active opposition to their sin.
calvinJeremiah 33:1-6: "Moreover the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah the second time, while he was yet shut up in the court of the prison, saying,"
Quia sic dicit Jehova, Deus Israel, super domibus urbis hujus, super domibus regum Jehudah, quae dirutae fuerunt catapultis (vel, balistis, vel, machinis aliis) et gladio, (alii autem vertunt, ad catapultas, vel, balistas, vel, alias munitiones, et ad gladium; dicemus postea de sensu: hoec omnia legenda sunt uno contextu)
They come to fight wit…
pooleJeremiah 33:5: "They come to fight with the Chaldeans, but it is to fill them with the dead bodies of men, whom I have slain in mine anger and in my fury, and for all whose wickedness I have hid my face from this city."
It is very difficult to determine whether these words contain an entire sense in themselves, or what connexion they have with the foregoing words: not to repeat men’s diverse apprehensions, of which a large account is given by the author of the English Annotations, I think they…
What seems like a description of the enemy's attack is actually God revealing that it's He who is striking down the people through this conflict. The phrase "for all whose wickedness I have hidden my face from this city" isn't just a reason for the judgment, but highlights that God's turning away is the very cause of their vulnerability and impending doom.
Jeremiah is still imprisoned, but God's word comes to him again with a stark message about the impending destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. While the city's defenders foolishly prepare to fight, the Lord declares their efforts will only result in their own houses being filled with their dead bodies. This devastating outcome is a direct consequence of their profound wickedness, which has caused God to turn His face away from the city in anger and wrath.
Jeremiah is still imprisoned, but God's word comes to him again with a stark message about the impending destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. While the city's defenders foolishly prepare to fight, the Lord declares their efforts will only result in their own houses being filled with their dead bodies. This devastating outcome is a direct consequence of their profound wickedness, which has caused God to turn His face away from the city in anger and wrath.
"They are coming in to fight against the Chaldeans and to fill them with the dead bodies of men whom I shall strike down in my anger and my wrath, for I have hidden my face from this city because of all their evil." — What seems like a description of the enemy's attack is actually God revealing that it's He who is striking down the people through this conflict. The phrase "for all whose wickedness I have hidden…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026