The Lord describes the significance of the name change. He will cause Pashhur to become a terror to yourself and to all your friends.
The word terror
from the Hebrew word magor refers to a source of terror. Whenever people saw Pashhur and remembered his new name and the prophecy explaining it, they would be filled with terror at what it foretold.1 Pashhur represents the leadership of Judah that has proclaimed the message of peace in Judah. However, he will now experience the opposite. Instead of the peace he proclaimed, he will experience the terror of the Lord’s judgment. All those who have believed the same message of peace will experience the same terror and Pashhur will witness it all as they fall by the sword of their enemies while you look on.
The Lord continues to describe the terror. Moreover, I will give the wealth of the city, all its gains, all its prized belongings, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah into the hand of their enemies, who will plunder them and seize them and carry them to Babylon.
The comprehensive nature of the looting that will take place is indicated by the use of four different words: wealth
(hosen), gains
(ygia), prized belongings
(yagar) and treasures
(osrot), and by the use of three verbs plunder
(bazaz), seize
(laqah), and carry
(hebib). There could be no mistaking the severity of the calamity that is coming to Judah.2
4 For thus says the LORD: Behold, I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends. They shall fall by the sword of their enemies while you look on. And I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon. He shall carry them captive to Babylon, and shall strike them down with the sword.