Jeremiah 10 22

Jeremiah 10:22 kjv

Behold, the noise of the bruit is come, and a great commotion out of the north country, to make the cities of Judah desolate, and a den of dragons.

Jeremiah 10:22 nkjv

Behold, the noise of the report has come, And a great commotion out of the north country, To make the cities of Judah desolate, a den of jackals.

Jeremiah 10:22 niv

Listen! The report is coming? a great commotion from the land of the north! It will make the towns of Judah desolate, a haunt of jackals.

Jeremiah 10:22 esv

A voice, a rumor! Behold, it comes! ? a great commotion out of the north country to make the cities of Judah a desolation, a lair of jackals.

Jeremiah 10:22 nlt

Listen! Hear the terrifying roar of great armies
as they roll down from the north.
The towns of Judah will be destroyed
and become a haunt for jackals.

Jeremiah 10 verses

Jeremiah 10 22 Meaning

Jeremiah 10:22 foretells a sudden and devastating invasion originating from the northern lands, announcing its imminence and purpose. This powerful declaration signals a catastrophic judgment upon the kingdom of Judah, whose once-bustling cities are destined to be reduced to utter ruin, becoming desolate habitats for wild animals, specifically jackals. It highlights the divine decree for the destruction brought upon Judah due to its pervasive sin and idolatry, executed through an earthly instrument of judgment.

Jeremiah 10 22 Context

Jeremiah chapter 10 is largely a polemic against the futility of idols contrasted with the majestic power of the one true God, Yahweh. It opens with a warning not to learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by celestial signs, which pagan cultures foolishly worship. The prophet emphasizes the incomparable nature of God as the Creator, sustainer, and the Living God, King of the nations. In sharp contrast, he exposes idols as powerless, lifeless, man-made objects. Following this theological assertion, the chapter transitions into an abrupt and urgent prophetic announcement of imminent judgment. Verse 22 directly precedes Jeremiah's heartfelt lament and prayer for divine mercy in verse 23-24, highlighting the prophet's personal struggle with the reality of the coming judgment he is tasked to proclaim. Historically, this prophecy occurs during a period of growing apostasy in Judah and the increasing threat of the neo-Babylonian Empire, which was rapidly conquering surrounding territories and was recognized as the divinely appointed instrument of Judah's impending destruction.

Jeremiah 10 22 Word analysis

• Hark! (קול - qōl) a sound (קול - qōl): The repetition of qōl serves as an emphatic interjection, urging attention, almost like "Listen! A sound!" or "A sound! A sound!". Qōl typically means "voice," "sound," or "noise." Here, it signals an immediate, startling auditory phenomenon. It creates a sense of urgency and alarm, drawing the listener's ear to the impending catastrophe before its visual manifestation.
• a great commotion (רעש גדול - raʿash gāḏôl): Raʿash denotes a violent shaking, trembling, quaking, or great noise, often associated with an earthquake, the thundering of chariots, or a tumultuous army. Gāḏôl simply means "great" or "large." Together, they describe a massive, overwhelming, and terrifying din that suggests a vast military movement or an incredibly disruptive event. This isn't just a faint rumor but a substantial, earth-shaking disturbance, signaling war and chaos.
• coming from (בא - bāʾ): A straightforward verb, "coming," indicating movement towards the location of the audience, emphasizing the direct and impending nature of the threat. There is no escaping this arrival.
• the land of the north (ארץ צפון - ʾereṣ ṣāpôn): ʾEreṣ is "land" or "country," and ṣāpôn is "north." Geographically, all major invaders of Judah came from the north (Mesopotamia, Assyria, Babylon, Syria), making this a well-understood invasion route. Theologically, "the north" holds significance as God's instrument of judgment in Jeremiah (cf. Jer 1:13-15; 4:6; 6:22). It can also carry polemic implications against Canaanite religious beliefs, where Mount Saphon was associated with Baal's dwelling, demonstrating Yahweh's supreme authority over even pagan deities and their perceived domains, as He directs events from His "north."
• to make (לשום - lāśûm): The infinitive construction indicates the purpose or result of the incoming force. Their arrival is not accidental but for the deliberate purpose of enacting destruction. Lāśûm means "to set, place, put, appoint," here meaning "to render" or "to turn into."
• the cities of Judah (ערי יהודה - ʿārê yhûḏâ): ʿĀrê (plural of ʿîr) means "cities" or "towns." Yhûḏâ is Judah, the southern kingdom. This specifies the widespread scope of the judgment, affecting not just the capital, Jerusalem, but the entire urban and settled areas of the land. It denotes comprehensive ruin, beyond just one target.
• a desolation (שממה - šǝmāmâ): Šǝmāmâ signifies "desolation," "wasteland," or "desert." It describes an uninhabited, utterly ruined place. This powerful imagery conveys total destruction and abandonment, the reversal of fertility and life that God intended for the land.
• a haunt of jackals (מעון תנים - māʿôn tannîm): Māʿôn means "dwelling place" or "lair." Tannîm is the plural for "jackals," creatures often associated in biblical literature with desolate, ruined places (Isa 34:13; Mal 1:3). This vivid picture solidifies the idea of complete ruin; human habitation will cease, replaced by the domain of wild, scavengers of the wilderness, emblematic of utter abandonment and God's curse upon the land.

Words-group analysis:

• "Hark! a sound, a great commotion": This opening creates immediate dramatic tension and signals a divinely orchestrated, powerful, and overwhelming event through auditory means. It's a sonic warning of a tangible, destructive force.
• "coming from the land of the north": This identifies the precise, foreboding direction of the threat, confirming a familiar pattern of invasion for ancient Israel and underlining God's strategic deployment of His instruments of judgment.
• "to make the cities of Judah a desolation, a haunt of jackals": This concluding phrase explicitly states the devastating consequence and divine purpose of the invasion. It paints a stark, chilling picture of irreversible ruin and abandonment, the absolute loss of human civilization and prosperity.

Jeremiah 10 22 Bonus section

The motif of "the foe from the north" is one of Jeremiah's signature prophetic images, consistent throughout the book. It acts as a divine metonymy, referring specifically to the Babylonians, though often unnamed in the early chapters to maintain a sense of mystery and terrifying universality of the impending judgment before Babylon's full might became undeniably clear. This usage emphasizes God's sovereign control over nations, even those pagan empires that did not acknowledge Him, as He uses them as His instruments to fulfill His purposes and bring judgment upon His disobedient people. The desolation described is a literal fulfillment of covenant curses found in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28, reminding the Israelites that their privileged position and land tenure were conditional upon their faithfulness to Yahweh. The specific imagery of jackals, or tannîm, also reinforces the sense of shame and degradation, as these animals are associated with waste, lament, and uncleanness, signaling not just physical ruin but a deep spiritual and societal collapse.

Jeremiah 10 22 Commentary

Jeremiah 10:22 serves as a stark and urgent prophetic pronouncement of Yahweh's impending judgment upon Judah. After a foundational exposition of God's incomparable greatness against the vanity of idols, the verse abruptly pivots to the practical outcome of Judah's unfaithfulness. The "sound, a great commotion" is not a vague threat but the unmistakable, thundering approach of a formidable invading army, unmistakably identified as "from the land of the north," which the broader Jeremianic context reveals to be Babylon. This specific geographical indicator underscored both the reality of the threat to Jeremiah's original audience and the sovereign hand of God in directing human affairs. The ultimate goal and outcome of this invasion are precisely articulated: the comprehensive destruction and abandonment of "the cities of Judah." The vivid image of these once-thriving urban centers becoming "a desolation, a haunt of jackals" powerfully conveys utter ruin, the reversal of blessings, and a return to wilderness, signifying that human presence and cultivation, essential for biblical prosperity, would cease entirely. This judgment is divine discipline, illustrating that continued rebellion against the Living God inevitably leads to calamitous consequences.