Jeremiah 14 17

Jeremiah 14:17 kjv

Therefore thou shalt say this word unto them; Let mine eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease: for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous blow.

Jeremiah 14:17 nkjv

"Therefore you shall say this word to them: 'Let my eyes flow with tears night and day, And let them not cease; For the virgin daughter of my people Has been broken with a mighty stroke, with a very severe blow.

Jeremiah 14:17 niv

"Speak this word to them: "?'Let my eyes overflow with tears night and day without ceasing; for the Virgin Daughter, my people, has suffered a grievous wound, a crushing blow.

Jeremiah 14:17 esv

"You shall say to them this word: 'Let my eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease, for the virgin daughter of my people is shattered with a great wound, with a very grievous blow.

Jeremiah 14:17 nlt

Now, Jeremiah, say this to them: "Night and day my eyes overflow with tears.
I cannot stop weeping,
for my virgin daughter ? my precious people ?
has been struck down
and lies mortally wounded.

Jeremiah 14 verses

Jeremiah 14 17 Meaning

Jeremiah 14:17 conveys the prophet's deep, continuous, and personal lament over the impending catastrophic destruction and severe suffering awaiting Judah. He foresees the nation, personified as a vulnerable "virgin daughter of my people," utterly shattered and incurably wounded by divine judgment. His call for ceaseless tears reflects the immense grief and horror of this devastating consequence for their unfaithfulness.

Jeremiah 14 17 Context

Jeremiah chapter 14 describes a severe famine gripping Judah, leading the people to lament their dire situation. Initially, Jeremiah intercedes on their behalf, acknowledging their sin but pleading for God's mercy. However, the Lord responds with a firm rejection of their insincere repentance (Jer 14:11-12) and declares impending judgment—sword, famine, and pestilence—as a consequence of their deep-seated unfaithfulness and idolatry, particularly rebuking false prophets who proclaim "peace, peace" (Jer 14:13-16). In verse 17, following God's resolute refusal to turn back His judgment, Jeremiah is either commanded by God to utter a lament himself, or is compelled by prophetic agony to voice his personal sorrow, expressing profound, unceasing grief over the severe destruction decreed upon his own people, highlighting the irreversible nature of their doom. The verse stands as a lament that embodies the depth of sorrow God feels, mirrored in His faithful prophet.

Jeremiah 14 17 Word analysis

• Therefore: This conjunction marks a consequence or a response. It links God's preceding declaration of judgment (His refusal to relent, Jer 14:11-16) to Jeremiah's commanded (or inspired) utterance of lament. It signifies the prophet's personal and official prophetic burden.

• you shall say to them: This is a direct command from God to Jeremiah. It establishes the prophetic authority of the message; Jeremiah is not speaking his own spontaneous emotion solely, but delivering a divinely mandated statement, albeit one deeply felt by him. It implicates the prophet as the voice for a tragic truth the people avoid.

• Let my eyes flow down with tears: A highly emotive plea or declaration.

  • eyes: Hebrew עֵינַי (ʿênay), a direct reference to Jeremiah's own physical eyes, making the lament personal and visceral.
  • flow down: From the Hebrew root ירד (yarad), meaning "to descend" or "go down." Here, it vividly pictures tears cascading, an uncontrollable deluge.
  • tears: Hebrew דִּמְעָה (dimʿāh), specific to drops of sorrow. It denotes profound grief, anguish, and heartbreak, a visual sign of inner torment.

• night and day: This phrase emphasizes the ceaseless, continuous nature of the prophet's (and symbolically, God's) grief. It signifies that the suffering is omnipresent and without respite.

• and let them not cease: From the Hebrew root דמם (damam), "to be silent," "to be still." The negation means the tears should not quiet down, not stop, not be still. This reiterates and intensifies the preceding phrase, underscoring the unending duration of the lamentable state.

• for: Hebrew כִּי (kî), introducing the reason or cause for the profound weeping. It directly links the lament to the impending disaster.

• the virgin daughter of my people: This is a poignant metaphorical expression for the people of Judah, specifically Jerusalem.

  • virgin: Hebrew בְּתוּלָה (betûlāh), traditionally implies innocence, purity, or unviolated honor. Its use here for a nation facing devastating judgment speaks to the shocking and tragic violation, the loss of dignity, and the shattering of security for what should have been an untouched entity. It emphasizes the shame and profound indignity.
  • daughter of my people: Hebrew בַּת־עַמִּי (bat-ʿammî), a common biblical idiom (e.g., Lam 1:15) referring to the collective entity of Judah or Jerusalem. It implies a deeply personal relationship—"my people," God's people or Jeremiah's own kin, whose suffering deeply affects him.

• has been broken: Hebrew שֻׁבְּרָה (šubberāh), passive form of שבר (shabar), meaning "to break," "shatter," "crush." The passive voice strongly suggests a divine agency or a preordained calamity, not a mere accident. It denotes a complete, fundamental ruin.

• with a great wound: Hebrew מַכָּה גְּדוֹלָה (makkāh gəḏôlāh).

  • wound: Hebrew מַכָּה (makkāh), meaning "a blow," "strike," "plague," or "sickness." It indicates a physical injury or destructive act, a violent impact.
  • great: Hebrew גְּדוֹלָה (gəḏôlāh), stressing the immense size, severity, and far-reaching impact of the disaster.

• with a very severe blow: Hebrew מַכָּה נַחְלָה מְאֹד (makkāh naḥlāh məʾōḏ).

  • severe: Hebrew נַחְלָה (naḥlāh), often translated as "sick," "grievous," or "incurable." This word accentuates the gravity and perhaps the irreversible nature of the affliction, suggesting a wound that offers no hope of recovery.
  • very: Hebrew מְאֹד (məʾōḏ), an intensifier, further amplifying the profundity and extremity of the blow, rendering it beyond measure or human remedy.

• Words-group by words-group analysis:

  • "Let my eyes flow down with tears night and day, and let them not cease": This composite phrase establishes the unparalleled, intense, and relentless nature of the prophet's (and implicitly God's) grief. It moves beyond a mere emotional reaction to a profound and enduring state of lamentation, signifying the enormity of the coming judgment that warrants such a continuous expression of sorrow.
  • "for the virgin daughter of my people has been broken with a great wound, with a very severe blow": This grouping provides the devastating justification for the preceding lament. It uses a series of strong metaphors ("virgin daughter") and terms of destruction ("broken," "great wound," "severe blow") to convey the total ruin, desecration, and incurability of the national catastrophe that awaits Judah, highlighting the divine severity of the punishment and the profound violation experienced by the people.

Jeremiah 14 17 Bonus section

Jeremiah's personal lament in this verse blurs the lines between his individual sorrow and a prophetic identification with God's own grief over Israel's choices, and simultaneously serves as an example of how the people should lament if they truly understood their condition. This prophetic enactment of sorrow often precedes divine action or reveals the deep emotional cost of covenant breaking. Scholars highlight the motif of 'sacred tears' in the Bible, where weeping becomes a form of worship, intercession, or lament that is seen and acknowledged by God, though in this context, the tears are in response to a judgment that God has decreed. This verse underscores the ethical and theological dilemma of judgment: God's justice necessitates severe punishment for unrepentant sin, yet His heart, mirrored by His prophet, laments the painful consequences inflicted upon His own people. It stands as a powerful image of prophetic faithfulness—to speak both God's hard truth and to grieve the human cost of that truth.

Jeremiah 14 17 Commentary

Jeremiah 14:17 captures the profound, heart-wrenching anguish of Jeremiah, often known as the "weeping prophet." After God's firm declaration of judgment and refusal of intercession, Jeremiah channels his deep identification with his people into a command (or personal commitment) to unceasing lament. The phrase "virgin daughter of my people" vividly portrays Judah/Jerusalem as a once pure and secure entity now facing utter devastation and disgrace, a violent shattering of its honor and safety. The terms "broken," "great wound," and "very severe blow" underline the totality and incurability of the impending catastrophe, which stems from God's righteous judgment against their persistent sin and rebellion. This lament contrasts sharply with the false hope offered by contemporary prophets, signaling that only an authentic, deep mourning, not superficial assurances of peace, is the fitting response to such severe divine pronouncements. It illustrates a prophet so deeply intertwined with his people's fate that his grief becomes a divine utterance, a prophetic warning enacted through tears, revealing the gravity of a judgment that no human effort could avert.