Jeremiah8
New King James Version
1“At that time,” says the Lord, “they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of its princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves.
2They shall spread them before the sun and the moon and all the host of heaven, which they have loved and which they have served and after which they have walked, which they have sought and which they have worshiped. They shall not be gathered nor buried; they shall be like refuse on the face of the earth.
3Then death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue of those who remain of this evil family, who remain in all the places where I have driven them,” says the Lord of hosts.
4“Moreover you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Will they fall and not rise? Will one turn away and not return?
5Why has this people slidden back, Jerusalem, in a perpetual backsliding? They hold fast to deceit, They refuse to return.
6I listened and heard, But they do not speak aright. No man repented of his wickedness, Saying, ‘What have I done?’ Everyone turned to his own course, As the horse rushes into the battle.
7“Even the stork in the heavens Knows her appointed times; And the turtledove, the swift, and the swallow Observe the time of their coming. But My people do not know the judgment of the Lord.
8“How can you say, ‘We are wise, And the law of the Lord is with us’? Look, the false pen of the scribe certainly works falsehood.
9The wise men are ashamed, They are dismayed and taken. Behold, they have rejected the word of the Lord; So what wisdom do they have?
10Therefore I will give their wives to others, And their fields to those who will inherit them; Because from the least even to the greatest Everyone is given to covetousness; From the prophet even to the priest Everyone deals falsely.
11For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of My people slightly, Saying, ‘Peace, peace!’ When there is no peace.
12Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed, Nor did they know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; In the time of their punishment They shall be cast down,” says the Lord.
13“I will surely consume them,” says the Lord. “No grapes shall be on the vine, Nor figs on the fig tree, And the leaf shall fade; And the things I have given them shall pass away from them.” ’ ”
14“Why do we sit still? Assemble yourselves, And let us enter the fortified cities, And let us be silent there. For the Lord our God has put us to silence And given us water of gall to drink, Because we have sinned against the Lord.
15“We looked for peace, but no good came; And for a time of health, and there was trouble!
16The snorting of His horses was heard from Dan. The whole land trembled at the sound of the neighing of His strong ones; For they have come and devoured the land and all that is in it, The city and those who dwell in it.”
17“For behold, I will send serpents among you, Vipers which cannot be charmed, And they shall bite you,” says the Lord.
18I would comfort myself in sorrow; My heart is faint in me.
19Listen! The voice, The cry of the daughter of my people From a far country: “Is not the Lord in Zion? Is not her King in her?” “Why have they provoked Me to anger With their carved images— With foreign idols?”
20“The harvest is past, The summer is ended, And we are not saved!”
21For the hurt of the daughter of my people I am hurt. I am mourning; Astonishment has taken hold of me.
22Is there no balm in Gilead, Is there no physician there? Why then is there no recovery For the health of the daughter of my people?
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