Their quiver is like an open tomb; they are all mighty warriors.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse doesn't just say their arrows are deadly; it compares their entire quiver to an open tomb. This suggests not just individual arrows causing death, but a relentless, all-consuming source of destruction, like a grave that never stops swallowing its victims. It paints a terrifying picture of an enemy whose very readiness for battle signifies an inescapable, pervasive threat.
Their quiver is like an open tomb; they are all mighty warriors.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jeremiah has been prophesying about an imminent invasion by a fierce enemy from the north, describing their devastating power. This verse immediately follows God's command to the invaders, acknowledging their might and their capacity for destruction. It serves as a stark image of the deadly efficiency with which these warriors will strike, leaving no one safe.
Jeremiah paints a chilling picture of the enemy's weapons. What makes a quiver like an open grave?
The verse uses a powerful metaphor to describe the enemy's destructive capability.
A Gaping Maw
A quiver isn't just a bag for arrows; here, it represents the entire arsenal of war. This 'quiver' is compared to an 'open sepulchre' – a tomb that's wide open, ready to swallow up the dead.
Arrows of Death
This imagery suggests that every arrow loosed from their bows is a death sentence. They are 'mighty warriors,' skilled and precise, so much so that each shot is guaranteed to strike and kill. The enemy’s military might is portrayed not just as a threat, but as a force that actively consumes life, just as a grave consumes the deceased. It highlights the finality and horror of the impending judgment.
Even in judgment, there's a divine limit. What does this verse reveal about God's heart for His people?
While Jeremiah vividly describes the terrifying might of the enemy, this passage is part of a larger message.
A Covenant Promise
Jeremiah 5:10-18, the broader context, reveals that God is allowing this judgment as a consequence for Israel's sin. However, verse 18 contains a crucial divine promise: 'but I will not make a full end.'
Holy Displeasure, Merciful Restraint
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This means that while God is fiercely displeased with sin and is using the enemy to discipline His people (like a parent scolding a child), He is not abandoning them. He is setting boundaries. The enemy's arrows will cause destruction, but they will not lead to total annihilation. It’s a powerful reminder that even in judgment, God’s covenant love is at work, ensuring His people’s ultimate preservation.
Understand the original words
aspah · Hebrew Noun
A container for arrows, often used metaphorically in Scripture to represent the capacity for destruction or the readiness for conflict. In this context, the comparison to an open tomb signifies that the enemy's potential for killing is vast and insatiable.
qeber · Hebrew Noun
A burial site or burial place. Symbolically, it represents death, corruption, and the grave's insatiable nature, often used to depict wickedness or inevitable destruction.
The imagery of the 'open tomb' quiver paints a terrifying picture of the Babylonian army's destructive power, portraying their arrows as instruments of death as relentless and all-consuming as the grave itself.
Late 8th Century BC
Assyrian Military Dominance
The Neo-Assyrian Empire, known for its brutal efficiency and vast military campaigns, exerted significant influence and control over Judah, setting a precedent for foreign military threats.
626 BC
Nebuchadnezzar's Ascension
Nabopolassar, father of Nebuchadnezzar II, revolted against Assyria and established the Neo-Babylonian Empire, shifting the regional power balance and setting the stage for future conflicts.
605 BC
Battle of Carchemish
Nebuchadnezzar II decisively defeated the Assyrian and Egyptian forces, establishing Babylonian supremacy and opening the way for Babylon's dominance over Judah.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Following his victory at Carchemish, Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem and deported a select group of Judean elite, including Daniel, to Babylon.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
After a rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar again attacked Jerusalem, deporting King Jehoiachin and many more skilled individuals, further weakening the kingdom.
587/586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
Nebuchadnezzar finally destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple, ending the Davidic monarchy and exiling most of the remaining population to Babylon.
c. 590s-580s BC— this verse
Jeremiah's Prophetic Ministry
During the tumultuous final decades of Judah's existence, Jeremiah warned the people and leaders about impending judgment due to their unfaithfulness, speaking of Babylonian armies as instruments of God's wrath.
This passage also uses the imagery of an 'open tomb' or 'grave' to describe the destructive words and deceitful intentions of enemies, drawing a parallel to the deadly arrows mentioned in Jeremiah.
Proverbs 1:12This proverb speaks of enemies 'swallowing' their victims alive, much like the grave, and highlights how their weapons are instruments of ruin, mirroring the 'open tomb' imagery of the quiver.
Lamentations 3:13This verse refers to God's arrows striking individuals, and though it describes God's actions, it reinforces the idea of arrows as instruments of judgment and destruction, echoing the deadly nature of the enemies' weapons in Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 4:29This earlier verse in Jeremiah describes the imminent threat of battle and the sound of chariots and bowmen, setting the stage for the description of their deadly weaponry in verse 16.
pooleJeremiah 5:16: "Their quiver is as an open sepulchre, they are all mighty men."
Quiver; collectively expressed for quivers; a synecdoche for the whole military preparations, and a metonymy of the containing for the contained, viz. the arrows that will be shot out of them, called the sons of the quiver , Lamentations 3:13 ; bow and arrow being the chief weapons for war in those countries, and in those days. Is an open sepulchre; a proverbial speech, Psalm 5:9 , relating to the dreadful havoc and…
pulpitJeremiah 5:16: "Their quiver is as an open sepulchre, they are all mighty men."
Verse 16. - Their quiver. (See on Jeremiah 4:29.) As an open sepulcher; i.e. furnished with deadly arrows, "fiery darts." So the psalmist, of the "throat" of deceitful persecutors (Psalm 5:9).
The verse doesn't just say their arrows are deadly; it compares their entire quiver to an open tomb. This suggests not just individual arrows causing death, but a relentless, all-consuming source of destruction, like a grave that never stops swallowing its victims. It paints a terrifying picture of an enemy whose very readiness for battle signifies an inescapable, pervasive threat.
Jeremiah has been prophesying about an imminent invasion by a fierce enemy from the north, describing their devastating power. This verse immediately follows God's command to the invaders, acknowledging their might and their capacity for destruction. It serves as a stark image of the deadly efficiency with which these warriors will strike, leaving no one safe.
Jeremiah has been prophesying about an imminent invasion by a fierce enemy from the north, describing their devastating power. This verse immediately follows God's command to the invaders, acknowledging their might and their capacity for destruction. It serves as a stark image of the deadly efficiency with which these warriors will strike, leaving no one safe.
"Their quiver is like an open tomb; they are all mighty warriors." — The verse doesn't just say their arrows are deadly; it compares their entire quiver to an open tomb. This suggests not just individual arrows causing death, but a relentless, all-consuming source o…
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Last reviewed October 2026