Jeremiah 5:18 · Bible study
Jeremiah 5:18 Commentary: 'I Will Not Make a Full End'
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explore the debated meaning of Jer 5:18: Is God's declaration a promise of remnant preservation or a threat of continued judgment? Two main views examined.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God declares he will not completely destroy Judah during the Babylonian invasion.
- Key words: kalah (complete destruction); gam (also/even, intensifying); ne'um (divine utterance).
- Main debate: Promise of remnant preservation (most commentators) vs. threat of continued judgment (Calvin).
- Theological theme: God's judgment is severe but not total; remnant theology; covenant faithfulness.
- Best use: For those who fear God's judgment has gone too far, assurance that God's discipline has limits and a redemptive purpose.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
“Yet even in those days,” declares the LORD, “I will not make a full end of you.
WEB World English Bible 2000
“But even in those days,” says Yahweh, “I will not make a full end of you.
KJV King James Version 1769
Nevertheless in those days, saith the Lord, I will not make a full end with you.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
But even in those days, saith Jehovah, I will not make a full end with you.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And even in those days, an affirmation of Jehovah, I do not make you a completion.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Nevertheless in those days, saith Jehovah, I will not make a full end with you.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Nevertheless in those days, saith the Lord, I will not bring you to utter destruction.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Empero en aquellos días, dice Jehová, no os acabaré del todo.
Porém naqueles dias, diz o SENHOR, não vos acabarei por completo.
Mais en ces jours, dit l’ Éternel,
Doch will ich's, spricht der HERR, zur selben Zeit mit euch nicht gar aus machen.
Nochtans zal Ik ook in die dagen, spreekt de HEERE, geen voleinding met ulieden maken.
Ma anche in quei giorni, dice l’Eterno, io non ti finirò del tutto.
A wszakże i w one dni, mówi Pan, końca z wami nie uczynię.
Но и в те дни, говорит Господь, не истреблю вас до конца.
耶和華 說：「就是 到那 時，我也不 將你們 毀滅 淨盡。
But even in those days, says the Lord, I will not let your destruction be complete.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Jeremiah 5:18
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
The supplied commentators for this verse divide into two camps. Those who read the verse as a promise of mercy include Gill, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, Keil & Delitzsch, Clarke, and the Geneva Bible. They connect it to Jeremiah 4:27 and 5:10, where the same phrase 'I will not make a full end' clearly limits destruction. For them, this verse assures that despite Judah's devastation by Babylon, God will leave a remnant. On the other side, Calvin argues that the particle 'also' (gam) is emphatic: even after the enemy devours everything, God will not be done with his people; more judgment is coming. He reads the verse as a threat that exile will follow. Both camps agree the verse echoes earlier judgment passages and that the Hebrew word kalah means complete destruction. The disagreement is whether God here comforts or intensifies.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Promise of preservation: Echoes Jer 4:27 and 5:10 where the same phrase limits destruction; supported by Gill, JFB, Keil, Clarke, and most interpreters; fits context of moderating judgment.
- Threat of continued judgment: Calvin's reading; emphasis on the particle 'also' (gam) as intensifying ongoing wrath; no promise of mercy given until later chapters.
What is clear: God will not make a complete end of Judah during the Babylonian invasion — whether as mercy or as a precursor to further exile, total annihilation is ruled out.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Interpretation of 'I will not make a full end' | The Hebrew phrase 'kalah' means complete destruction or annihilation. | Promise view (Gill, JFB, Keil) sees it as moderating judgment; Calvin argues it threatens further judgment beyond the immediate invasion. |
| Function of 'also' (gam) | The particle intensifies the statement. | Promise view: 'nevertheless, even in those days, preservation will occur.' Threat view: 'even after all this, I still have more judgment.' |
| Connection to Jeremiah 4:27 and 5:10 | The same phrase appears in both places. | Promise view sees a consistent pattern of limiting judgment. Threat view sees 5:18 as distinct, earlier 'not a full end' referred to the invasion; here it refers to more after. |
| Remnant theology | Later biblical teaching (Romans 11) affirms a remnant of Israel. | Whether this verse explicitly teaches that or merely threatens further judgment that leads to exile. |
| Pastoral application | The verse addresses people under judgment. | Apply as comfort that God preserves even in discipline (promise) or as warning that one trial may not be the last (threat). |
Historical & Cultural Context
Jeremiah 5:1, 31 presents a courtroom-style indictment of Judah. The prophet accuses the nation of breaking covenant on every level, public life, family, and faith in God. Verses 10, 18 focus on the invading nation that will execute God's judgment. Verse 18 sits within that section as a hinge. The 'those days' refers to the Babylonian invasion described in the preceding verses: the enemy from afar that devours harvest, children, flocks, and fortified cities (vv. 15, 17).
This imagery draws on the covenant curses of Deuteronomy 28:49, 52, which warn of a foreign nation whose language the people will not understand. The historical backdrop is the decades leading up to the Babylonian exile (609, 586 BC). Jeremiah's message was unwelcome: God would use a pagan nation to discipline his own people.
The Hebrew phrase ne'um Yahweh ('utterance of the LORD') stamps the verse as a direct divine oracle. The particle gam can be read as 'also' or 'even,' which shapes the tone: either 'even in those days of judgment, I will preserve you,' or 'even after all this devastation, I have further judgment in store.' The verse's brevity and placement force a choice between comfort and increased severity.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentaries note no significant textual variants for this verse. The Masoretic Text is stable. The Septuagint reads similarly. The Hebrew consonant and vowel pointing present no ambiguities for the key terms kalah and gam. The verse is textually secure.
Reception History
Within Jewish tradition, this verse was understood as an assurance that the Babylonian exile would not spell the final end of Israel. Medieval commentators such as Rashi and Kimchi read it as a promise of national survival. In Christian tradition, early church fathers like Jerome saw here a type of God's preservation of a faithful remnant, later connected to Paul's argument in Romans 11:1, 5 that God has not rejected his people. During the Reformation, Calvin's minority reading as a threat was noted but did not gain wide adoption. The verse has served as a pastoral resource for believers facing seasons of discipline, reminding them that God's judgments are measured and never total.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Certainty of Judgment. God's Word becomes fire that devours his people (v. 14). The enemy described in vv. 15, 17 is unstoppable.
- The Limit of Judgment. Whether promise or threat, God declares he will not make a full end, total annihilation is ruled out.
- The Purpose of Judgment. Verse 19 shows God intends his people to understand: your forsaking me leads to you serving strangers in a foreign land. Discipline has a revelatory purpose.
Five-point outline
- God's Word as fire (v. 14)
- The enemy from afar (v. 15)
- Total devastation described (vv. 16, 17)
- The promise (or threat) within the storm (v. 18)
- The question and the answer (v. 19)
Illustration hooks
- A farmer who burns a field to clear it but preserves the seed for next planting. The fire is real, but it is not the final word.
- A surgeon who cuts deep to remove disease but stops short of cutting off a limb. The wound is severe, but it is measured.
- The difference between a parent's discipline that ends with restoration and a sentence of permanent abandonment.
Questions your congregation is asking
- If God's judgment is real, how do I know he won't give up on me completely?
- What does 'full end' mean for someone who feels their life, or their faith, is ruined?
- How do I see God's mercy when I am in the middle of hardship and every consequence of my sin seems deserved?
Leading a Discussion
Jeremiah 5:18 sits at a turning point in a judgment passage. The same words can be read as either comfort or a more dire warning. As a group, wrestle with what the text says and how it applies.
Discussion questions
- Read Jeremiah 5:15, 19. What picture of the invader does Jeremiah paint?
- Verse 18 starts with 'Nevertheless' or 'Yet even.' How does that word change the flow from what comes before?
- Look up the Hebrew word kalah (complete destruction). What does God promise he will NOT do?
- Compare this verse with Jeremiah 4:27. How are they similar? What does this repetition tell you about God's plan?
- Calvin read this as a threat of more judgment; most other commentators as a promise of preservation. Which reading fits the context better? Why?
- If this is a promise, what hope does it offer to people facing consequences of their sin?
- How does the idea of a 'remnant' (the election of grace) appear in the New Testament, especially Romans 11:1, 5?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Jeremiah 4:27 | For Yahweh says, “The whole land will be a desolation; yet I will not make a full end. |
| Jeremiah 5:10 | “Go up on her walls, and destroy, but don’t make a full end. Take away her branches, for they are not Yahweh’s. |
| Ezekiel 9:8 | While they were killing, and I was left, I fell on my face, and cried, and said, “Ah Lord Yahweh! Will you destroy all the residue of Israel in your pouring out of your wrath on Jerusalem?” |
| Ezekiel 11:13 | When I prophesied, Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then I fell down on my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, “Ah Lord Yahweh! Will you make a full end of the remnant of Israel?” |
| Romans 11:1 | I ask then, did God reject his people? May it never be! For I also am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. |
| Romans 11:5 | Even so too at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
I will not make a full end - There are more evils in store for you. You shall not only be spoiled, and all your property destroyed, but ye shall be carried into captivity; and ye shall serve strangers in a land that is not yours, Jer 5:19 .
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin breaks with nearly all other interpreters on this verse. He argues it does not soften the previous threat by offering hope but actually intensifies it: God will keep pursuing judgment even after Israel is stripped of everything, and the Hebrew particle "gam" (also, even) underscores that relentless severity.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator notes that while some scholars reject the rest of this chapter as not by Jeremiah, they hesitate to go that far. Their concern is more modest: this particular verse seems to interrupt the natural flow of thought and may not belong in its current position.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The commentator stresses the qualifying phrase "not a full end" to show that God's judgment is severe but not final destruction. Even in the worst days of punishment, God holds back from wiping His people out entirely, leaving room for mercy and survival.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill notes two possible meanings for the statement that God will not make a full end. It may mean total destruction is simply delayed to a later time, not
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
Not even in those days of judgments, will God utterly exterminate His people. I will not make a full end with you — ( Jer 5:10 ; Jer 4:27 ).
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch explain that "devour" in this context means destroy rather than literal eating, rejecting any notion of cannibalism. They also note the description of fortified cities directly recalls Moses' threat in Deuteronomy, indicating the prophet shaped his warning from that earlier judgment.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry emphasizes that the people's sin is twofold: they have forsaken God's law and claimed the Lord is not involved in their affairs. Their punishment fits the crime—as they served foreign gods in their own land, they will serve foreign masters in a land not theirs. Yet God tempers judgment by promising not to make a full end.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Nevertheless - I have not done with you yet.