Jeremiah 14 19

Jeremiah 14:19 kjv

Hast thou utterly rejected Judah? hath thy soul lothed Zion? why hast thou smitten us, and there is no healing for us? we looked for peace, and there is no good; and for the time of healing, and behold trouble!

Jeremiah 14:19 nkjv

Have You utterly rejected Judah? Has Your soul loathed Zion? Why have You stricken us so that there is no healing for us? We looked for peace, but there was no good; And for the time of healing, and there was trouble.

Jeremiah 14:19 niv

Have you rejected Judah completely? Do you despise Zion? Why have you afflicted us so that we cannot be healed? We hoped for peace but no good has come, for a time of healing but there is only terror.

Jeremiah 14:19 esv

Have you utterly rejected Judah? Does your soul loathe Zion? Why have you struck us down so that there is no healing for us? We looked for peace, but no good came; for a time of healing, but behold, terror.

Jeremiah 14:19 nlt

LORD, have you completely rejected Judah?
Do you really hate Jerusalem?
Why have you wounded us past all hope of healing?
We hoped for peace, but no peace came.
We hoped for a time of healing, but found only terror.

Jeremiah 14 verses

Jeremiah 14 19 Meaning

Jeremiah 14:19 captures the deep anguish and despair of the people of Judah amidst severe national suffering. It is a poignant lament, questioning God's apparent abandonment and the overwhelming nature of His judgment. The people ask why God has utterly rejected Judah and loathed Zion, expressing profound pain at the lack of any remedy or healing for their catastrophic situation. Their hope for national well-being and restoration has been shattered, yielding instead to sudden and intense terror. This verse reveals a crisis of faith and understanding, as the people grapple with a God who seems to have turned His face against them, contrary to their expectations of covenant blessings.

Jeremiah 14 19 Context

Jeremiah 14:19 is a key moment within a longer lament in Jeremiah 14. The chapter begins with a vivid description of a severe drought, leading to famine and suffering in Judah (vv. 1-6). This disaster prompts Jeremiah to intercede on behalf of the people, confessing their sins and pleading with God to remember His covenant and His holy name (vv. 7-9). However, God responds by declaring that He will not relent due to their persistent idolatry and refusal to repent (vv. 10-12). He also warns against false prophets who declare "peace" when destruction is imminent (vv. 13-18).

Verse 19, then, is a direct expression of the people's collective cry of anguish, forming part of a national lament (vv. 19-22). They question God's perceived rejection and the crushing reality of their circumstances. Historically, Judah was rapidly declining, having apostatized from God's covenant and turned to idol worship, leading them to the brink of Babylonian exile. The severe drought, famine, and threat of invasion were manifestations of God's covenant judgments warned in Deuteronomy 28 and Leviticus 26. The people's lament shows their cognitive dissonance: they still appealed to God based on the covenant name and His association with Zion, yet they had forgotten or downplayed their role in breaking that covenant through their unfaithfulness. They perceived God's actions as arbitrary rejection rather than righteous judgment for their sins, yearning for a shalom (peace and well-being) that their actions did not merit.

Jeremiah 14 19 Word analysis

• Have you utterly rejected Judah? (הֲמָאֹס מָאַסְתָּה אֶת־יְהוּדָה / ha-ma'os ma'asta et-Yehudah)

  • הֲמָאֹס מָאַסְתָּה (ha-ma'os ma'asta): An infinitive absolute construct (מָאֹס) followed by a finite verb (מָאַסְתָּה) from the root מָאַס (ma'as). This is an emphatic construction in Hebrew, intensifying the verb "rejected." It means "you have truly/surely rejected" or "have you indeed rejected?" It expresses disbelief, pain, and bewilderment.
  • מָאַס (ma'as): To reject, despise, scorn, spurn. This is a strong term indicating utter contempt or abhorrence, not merely a light turning away.
  • יְהוּדָה (Yehudah): Judah, the southern kingdom, identified as God's covenant people and the source of the Messiah. The question carries significant theological weight given their unique status.

• Has your soul loathed Zion? (אִם־גָּעֲלָה נַפְשְׁךָ אֶת־צִיּוֹן / im-ga'alah nafshəka et-Tsiyon)

  • אִם־ (im-): "If" or "whether," indicating an interrogative.
  • גָּעֲלָה (ga'alah): From the root גָּעַל (ga'al), meaning to abhor, despise, loathe, to reject with disgust. Similar in intensity to ma'as. It conveys revulsion.
  • נַפְשְׁךָ (nafshəka): Your soul. נֶפֶשׁ (nephesh) often refers to the seat of emotions, will, or the very essence of a being. Here, it implies God's entire being or deepest affections.
  • צִיּוֹן (Tsiyon): Zion, the hill in Jerusalem, often a metonym for Jerusalem itself, the dwelling place of God's Temple, and the center of the covenant. To loathe Zion questions God's own commitment to His holy city.

• Why have you struck us so that there is no healing for us? (מַדּוּעַ הִכִּיתָנוּ וְאֵין לָנוּ מַרְפֵּא / maddu'a hikkītānu v'ēn lānū marpē')

  • מַדּוּעַ (maddu'a): "Why?" A direct, plaintive question seeking understanding for their suffering.
  • הִכִּיתָנוּ (hikkītānu): "You have struck us." From the root נָכָה (nakah), meaning to strike, smite, wound, punish. It implies a direct, forceful, and severe action from God.
  • וְאֵין (v'ēn): "And there is not" or "so that there is no." Expresses the complete absence of.
  • מַרְפֵּא (marpē'): Healing, cure, remedy, recovery. This can refer to physical, social, or national restoration. Their state is depicted as utterly hopeless.

• We looked for peace, but no good came; (קַוֵּה לְשָׁלוֹם וְאֵין טוֹב / kavveh l'shalom v'ēn tov)

  • קַוֵּה (kavveh): "We looked for," or "we waited eagerly for." From the root קָוָה (qavah), meaning to wait, hope, expect. It denotes a prolonged, earnest expectation.
  • שָׁלוֹם (shalom): Peace, well-being, wholeness, prosperity, security, harmonious relationships. This was their fervent hope.
  • וְאֵין (v'ēn): "But there was no."
  • טוֹב (tov): Good, well-being, benefit, positive outcome. Instead of shalom and tov, they received the opposite.

• and for a time of healing, but behold, terror! (וּלְעֵת מַרְפֵּא וְהִנֵּה בְעָתָה / ū-l'et marpē' v'hinnēh b'ata)

  • וּלְעֵת (ū-l'et): "And for a time of" or "at the season of." Indicates an expected period or occasion.
  • מַרְפֵּא (marpē'): (As above) healing, restoration. Their expectation was for a turn of events bringing recovery.
  • וְהִנֵּה (v'hinnēh): "And behold!" An exclamation drawing attention to a sudden, unexpected, and often dramatic outcome. It highlights the stark contrast.
  • בְעָתָה (bə'ātāh): Terror, dread, dismay, sudden fright or panic. The absolute antithesis of the hoped-for healing and peace.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "Have you utterly rejected Judah? Has your soul loathed Zion?": This couplet poses an intense, theological challenge. It implies that God, who established Judah as His people and chose Zion as His dwelling, has now turned His deepest being against them. It’s a questioning of God's covenant fidelity and foundational identity with His chosen people and place. The use of emphatic verbs "utterly rejected" and "loathed" underscores the profound feeling of divine alienation and desertion.
• "Why have you struck us so that there is no healing for us?": This moves from questioning God's disposition to questioning His actions and their consequences. The striking implies divine judgment, and the lack of healing speaks to the overwhelming, inescapable nature of their suffering. It reflects a total collapse of their physical, national, and spiritual health, leaving them without hope of recovery.
• "We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of healing, but behold, terror!": This phrase expresses a deep and painful disillusionment. Their earnest expectation of peace (shalom, encompassing holistic well-being) and a season of recovery has been utterly subverted. Instead of expected good, they encounter evil; instead of healing, they encounter terrifying dismay. The sudden "behold, terror!" serves as a sharp, horrifying contrast to their hopeful yearning, revealing a reversal of fortunes and a shattering of all optimistic forecasts, especially those promoted by false prophets.

Jeremiah 14 19 Bonus section

The lament in Jer 14:19, while genuine in its expression of human pain, illustrates a common biblical theme where the suffering people initially attribute their plight to God's seemingly inexplicable rejection rather than their own culpability for covenant disobedience. It represents a limited human perspective struggling to grasp divine justice amidst severe personal or national crisis. This perspective often prefaces a deeper theological understanding of God's character and purposes, which unfolds through the broader prophetic message. Ultimately, while Judah experiences profound judgment, God's promise of a future restoration and a new covenant (Jeremiah 31) affirms that His rejection is never "utter" in a final, absolute sense concerning His faithful remnant, nor is His love for Zion truly abandoned, even if severe discipline is required. The experience of "terror" leading to genuine brokenness can be a prerequisite for true repentance and the reception of ultimate "healing" which, for Judah, lay beyond the immediate period of judgment.

Jeremiah 14 19 Commentary

Jeremiah 14:19 stands as a profound testament to the pain of suffering and the human struggle to reconcile a just, loving God with the experience of overwhelming judgment. It expresses a communal cry born of disillusionment and utter helplessness. The people's lament questions God's fundamental commitment to them, encapsulated in the twin challenges: has He "utterly rejected Judah" and "loathed Zion"? These rhetorical questions, voiced from their place of anguish, grapple with the paradox of being God's chosen yet experiencing His fierce discipline to a degree that feels like utter abandonment.

Their desperate plea for understanding ("Why have you struck us...?") highlights the human tendency to question divine purpose when suffering is extreme and relief seems impossible. The people are trapped in a condition of "no healing," which speaks to an internal, spiritual brokenness as much as it does to external physical or national calamity. Their earlier hopes for shalom (peace and wholeness) and "a time of healing" are brutally contrasted with the harsh reality of "terror." This dramatic reversal from expectation to dread reveals the full weight of God's covenant curses falling upon them, not merely as temporary setbacks, but as a devastating, comprehensive judgment for their prolonged unfaithfulness. The lament, while raw and honest, reflects their lack of self-awareness regarding their deep-seated idolatry and failure to repent, leading them to perceive God as arbitrary or unfaithful, rather than justly executing judgment. It underscores the severity of spiritual alienation.