Jeremiah8
English Standard Version
1At that , the Lord, the of the of , the of its , the of the , the of the , and the of the of shall be their .
2And they shall be before the and the and the of , they have and , they have , and they have and . And they shall be . They shall be as the of the .
3 shall be by the that of this in the I have them, the Lord of .
4You shall to them, the Lord: When men , do they again? one turns , does he ?
5 then has turned in ? They hold to ; they to .
6I have paid and , but they have ; his , , have I ? to his own , like a into .
7 the in the her , and the , , and the of their , but my the of the Lord.
8 can you , We are , and the of the Lord is with us? , the of the has it into a .
9The shall be ; they shall be and ; , they have the of the Lord, so is in them?
10 I will their to and their to , the the is for unjust ; , .
11They have the of my , , , , when there is .
12Were they they ? , they not at ; they did to . they shall among the ; I them, they shall be , the Lord.
13When them, the Lord, there are on the , on the ; even the are , and what I has from them.
14 do we ? Gather ; let us go the and , the Lord our has doomed us to and has given us to , we have against the Lord.
15We for , but came; for a of , but , .
16The of their is ; the of the of their the . They and the and all that it, the and those who in it.
17 , I am among you , be , and they shall you, the Lord.
18My is gone; is me; my is within me.
19 , the of the of my the length and of the : Is the Lord in ? her in her? Why have they provoked me to with their and with their ?
20The is , the is , and we are .
21 the of the of my is my ; I , and has taken on me.
22Is there in ? there ? has the of the of my been ?
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Jeremiah 8.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: The remains of the dead exposed. (1-3). The stupidity of the people, compared with the instinct of the brute creation. (4-13). The alarm of the invasion, and lamentation. (14-22).
vv1-3
Though no real hurt can be done to a dead body, yet disgrace to the remains of wicked persons may alarm those yet alive; and this reminds us that the Divine justice and punishments extend beyond the grave. Whatever befalls us here, let us humble ourselves before God, and seek his mercy.
vv4-13
What brought this ruin? 1. The people would not attend to reason; they would not act in the affairs of their souls with common prudence. Sin is backsliding; it is going back from the way that leads to life, to that which leads to destruction. 2. They would not attend to the warning of conscience. They did not take the first step towards repentance: true repentance begins in serious inquiry as to what we have done, from conviction that we have done amiss. 3. They would not attend to the ways of providence, nor understand the voice of God in them, 7. They know not how to improve the seasons of grace, which God affords. Many boast of their religious knowledge, yet, unless taught by the Spirit of God, the instinct of brutes is a more sure guide than their supposed wisdom. 4. They would not attend to the written word. Many enjoy abundance of the means of grace, have Bibles and ministers, but they have them in vain. They will soon be ashamed of their devices. The pretenders to wisdom were the priests and the false prophets. They flattered people in sin, and so flattered them into destruction, silencing their fears and complaints with, All is well. Selfish teachers may promise peace when there is no peace; and thus men encourage each other in committing evil; but in the day of visitation they will have no refuge to flee unto.
vv14-22
At length they begin to see the hand of God lifted up. And when God appears against us, every thing that is against us appears formidable. As salvation only can be found in the Lord, so the present moment should be seized. Is there no medicine proper for a sick and dying kingdom? Is there no skilful, faithful hand to apply the medicine? Yes, God is able to help and to heal them. If sinners die of their wounds, their blood is upon their own heads. The blood of Christ is balm in Gilead, his Spirit is the Physician there, all-sufficient; so that the people may be healed, but will not. Thus men die unpardoned and unchanged, for they will not come to Christ to be saved.
Key Words
עֵת: time, especially (adverb with preposition) now, when, etc.
נְאֻם: an oracle
עֶצֶם: a bone (as strong); by extension, the body; figuratively, the substance, i.e. (as pron.) selfsame
מֶלֶךְ: a king
יְהוּדָה: Jehudah (or Judah), the name of five Israelites; also of the tribe descended from the first, and of its territory
שַׂר: a head person (of any rank or class)
כֹּהֵן: literally one officiating, a priest; also (by courtesy) an acting priest (although a layman)
נָבִיא: a prophet or (generally) inspired man
יָשַׁב: properly, to sit down (specifically as judge. in ambush, in quiet); by implication, to dwell, to remain; causatively, to settle, to marry
יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם: Jerushalaim or Jerushalem, the capital city of Palestine
Cross References
Jeremiah 8Verbal echo of serving and worshiping the sun, moon, and host of heaven.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Verbatim repetition of false healing, crying 'Peace, peace; when there is no peace.'
Supported by JFB
Parallels the ignominious fate of unburied corpses becoming like dung on the earth.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Identical phrase of corpses becoming as dung for the earth.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Warning against worshiping the host of heaven, sun, and moon which Israel loved.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Punishment in kind; casting dead carcasses before their helpless idols.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Historical execution of defiling pagan high places with human bones.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Extreme misery described as men seeking death and choosing it rather than life.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Play on the double meaning of falling and returning in repentance.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Illustrates the headlong rush of the sinner, compared to a battle horse.
Supported by JFB
Identical phrase lamenting looking for peace and health but finding trouble.
Supported by JFB
Shame of dead kings cast out of their tombs like abominable branches.
Supported by JFB
Fulfillment of Covenant curses where wives and fields are given to strangers.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Specific mention of taking balm of Gilead in vain for incurable wounds.
Supported by JFB