וְעַתָּה֙ יָדֹ֣עַ תֵּֽדְע֔וּ כִּ֗י בַּחֶ֛רֶב בָּרָעָ֥ב וּבַדֶּ֖בֶר תָּמ֑וּתוּ בַּמָּקֹום֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר חֲפַצְתֶּ֔ם לָבֹ֖וא לָג֥וּר שָֽׁם׃
Contextual Introduction
Jeremiah 42:22 closes a divine warning against fleeing to Mitsrayim following the Babylonian conquest. After a long appeal through the prophet, YHWH makes clear that disobedience will bring fatal consequences. This verse affirms that death by the sword, famine, and plague awaits those who reject the prophetic word. Grammatically, the verse uses a forceful double infinitive, fronted adverbs, and ironic juxtaposition to reinforce the certainty of judgment in the very place they thought would be safe.
Grammatical Focus: Double Infinitive for Emphasis, Construct Purpose Clause, and Deictic Irony
1. וְעַתָּה֙ יָדֹ֣עַ תֵּֽדְע֔וּ – Double Infinitive Absolute Construction
– וְעַתָּה֙ (“and now”) introduces a solemn conclusion.
– יָדֹ֣עַ תֵּֽדְע֔וּ is a classic infinitive absolute + imperfect construction. The infinitive יָדֹ֣עַ from יָדַע (“to know”) strengthens the imperfect תֵּֽדְע֔וּ—”you will surely know.”
– This intensifies the prophetic certainty: “Now you shall most certainly know…”
2. כִּ֗י בַּחֶ֛רֶב בָּרָעָ֥ב וּבַדֶּ֖בֶר תָּמ֑וּתוּ – Coordinated Prepositional Phrases + Qal Imperfect
– כִּ֗י introduces a causal or declarative clause: “that…”
– בַּחֶ֛רֶב (“by the sword”), בָּרָעָ֥ב (“by famine”), and וּבַדֶּ֖בֶר (“and by plague”) form a poetic triad of covenant curses (cf. Lev 26:25–26, Jer 24:10).
– תָּמ֑וּתוּ (Qal imperfect 2mp from מוּת, “you will die”) ties all three instruments of death to one result—inescapable doom.
3. בַּמָּקֹום֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר חֲפַצְתֶּ֔ם לָבֹ֖וא לָג֥וּר שָֽׁם – Relative Clause with Purpose Infinitives
– בַּמָּקֹום֙ (“in the place”) begins the prepositional phrase marking location.
– אֲשֶׁ֣ר חֲפַצְתֶּ֔ם (“which you desired”) is a relative clause from חָפֵץ (“to desire”).
– לָבֹ֖וא לָג֥וּר – two infinitives (“to go” and “to sojourn”) forming a purpose or intention construction.
– שָֽׁם (“there”) emphasizes the irony: the very place they hoped to find safety is where they will perish.
Theological and Literary Implications
This verse is deeply ironic and covenantally charged. The people sought life in Mitsrayim, but Jeremiah insists that death awaits them there. The triple judgment formula (חֶ֛רֶב … רָעָ֥ב … דֶּ֖בֶר) echoes the curses of disobedience in Deuteronomy, placing their choice outside covenant blessing.
The double infinitive יָדֹ֣עַ תֵּֽדְע֔וּ underscores the inevitability of divine judgment, much like “dying you shall die” in Genesis 2:17. The purpose clause לָבֹ֖וא לָג֥וּר is ironic: what they desired for security becomes their grave.
Versions and Comparative Linguistics
The Septuagint: καὶ νῦν γνῶτε γνῶναι, ὅτι ἐν ρομφαίᾳ καὶ ἐν λιμῷ καὶ ἐν θανάτῳ ἀποθανοῦσθε ἐν τῷ τόπῳ, ἐφ᾽ ὃν ὑμεῖς ἔθεσθε τὰ πρόσωπα ὑμῶν τοῦ εἰσελθεῖν ἐκεῖ κατοικῆσαι—captures the Hebrew intensification and spatial irony.
The Vulgate: et nunc scientes scietis quia in gladio et in fame et in peste moriemini in loco ad quem voluistis intrare ut habitaretis ibi—preserving the grammatical layering.
Later Hebrew (e.g., Rabbinic) tends to simplify infinitive constructions, making the poetic compactness and verbal precision of Biblical Hebrew here all the more striking.
Where You Longed to Live: Syntax as Prophetic Irony
Jeremiah 42:22 masterfully blends grammar and prophecy. The double infinitive, the triple judgment list, and the ironic reversal of intent—“you will die where you hoped to live”—are all carried by precise syntax. The grammar not only delivers the message; it enacts it. The very structure of the verse reflects the reversal of blessing into curse, and the transformation of hope into judgment.
