Jeremiah 14 4

Jeremiah 14:4 kjv

Because the ground is chapt, for there was no rain in the earth, the plowmen were ashamed, they covered their heads.

Jeremiah 14:4 nkjv

Because the ground is parched, For there was no rain in the land, The plowmen were ashamed; They covered their heads.

Jeremiah 14:4 niv

The ground is cracked because there is no rain in the land; the farmers are dismayed and cover their heads.

Jeremiah 14:4 esv

Because of the ground that is dismayed, since there is no rain on the land, the farmers are ashamed; they cover their heads.

Jeremiah 14:4 nlt

The ground is parched
and cracked for lack of rain.
The farmers are deeply troubled;
they, too, cover their heads.

Jeremiah 14 verses

Jeremiah 14 4 Meaning

Jeremiah 14:4 portrays the devastating effects of a severe drought upon the land of Judah and its inhabitants. The verse vividly describes the parched, broken state of the ground due to the absence of crucial rain, leading to profound dismay among the farmers. Their action of covering their heads signifies deep shame, despair, and public mourning over the lost crops and impending famine, highlighting both the natural calamity and the human suffering it engenders as a consequence of spiritual brokenness and God's judgment.

Jeremiah 14 4 Context

Jeremiah 14:4 is part of a series of "drought laments" (Jeremiah 14:1-15:4), where the prophet Jeremiah delivers a message of divine judgment to Judah. The land is experiencing a severe drought, portrayed as a direct consequence of the people's rampant apostasy, idolatry (particularly Baal worship, where Baal was falsely believed to be the bringer of rain), and moral corruption. This physical desolation mirrors Judah's spiritual barrenness. Jeremiah depicts the universal suffering—from animals (verse 5-6) to all classes of society—to impress upon the people the gravity of their sin and God's impending judgment. The prophet himself intercedes on behalf of the people in the following verses, but God's decree of judgment remains firm due to the extent of their unrepentant sin. The drought thus serves as a stark sign, a warning, and a direct manifestation of God's control over creation, challenging false religious beliefs and calling Judah to return to Yahweh, the true source of all blessings.

Jeremiah 14 4 Word analysis

• Because (מִפְּנֵי, mippənê): This preposition explicitly introduces the reason or cause for the distress that follows. It links the natural state of the land directly to the lack of rain, establishing a clear cause-and-effect relationship that underlies the entire scene of suffering. The theological implication is that this cause is ultimately rooted in God's judgment.
• the ground (אֲדָמָה, ʾăḏāmâ): This refers to fertile, cultivable land. It carries a profound connection to humanity (ʾādām), as humanity was formed from the ʾăḏāmâ (Gen 2:7) and is dependent on its produce for life. Its suffering, therefore, symbolizes a fundamental assault on human existence and well-being.
• is cracked (חָתָה, ḥāṯâ or form of חָתַת, ḥāthaṯ): The Hebrew term here is anthropomorphic, carrying the sense of "dismayed," "broken," "shattered," or "terrified" when applied to the land. It's more than just passively "cracked"; the land is personified as experiencing distress, splitting open due to severe parching and thirst, reflecting the profound internal and external brokenness resulting from the lack of rain. This portrayal emphasizes the intensity of suffering, extending beyond mere physical appearance.
• for there has been no rain (כִּי לֹא הָיָה גֶשֶׁם, kî lōʾ hāyâ gešem): This phrase pinpoints the immediate, direct cause of the land's distress. Gešem specifically refers to heavy, saturating, torrential rain vital for agriculture, unlike other terms for lighter rain. Its complete absence highlights the catastrophic nature of the drought and Yahweh's deliberate withholding of the very blessing often associated with covenant faithfulness (Lev 26:4).
• in the land (בָּאָרֶץ, bāʾāreṣ): This specifies the particular region—the land of Judah. It highlights that this judgment is not generalized but specifically targeted at the chosen people in their promised land, where prosperity was contingent upon their obedience to God.
• the farmers (אִכָּרִים, ʾikkārîm): These are the cultivators of the land, the ones whose livelihood and survival are most directly dependent on its fruitfulness. They are the immediate witnesses and primary victims of the drought, representing the human aspect of the land's suffering.
• are dismayed (בֹּשׁוּ, bōšû): From the root bôsh, meaning "to be ashamed," "disappointed," or "confused." It signifies a deep sense of frustration, helplessness, and humiliation, far beyond simple sadness. It implies a recognition of failed hopes, broken expectations, and the inability to control their fate. Their shame connects to their unfaithful pursuit of false gods who could not provide.
• they cover their heads (חָפוּ רֹאשָׁם, ḥāfû rōʾšām): This is a profoundly symbolic gesture of intense grief, sorrow, and public humiliation in ancient Near Eastern culture (2 Sam 15:30; Esth 6:12). It is a visual representation of despair, shame, and total resignation to an unavoidable, grievous fate, indicative of overwhelming lament and a lack of any hope or relief.

• "Because the ground is cracked, for there has been no rain in the land": This initial clause sets a somber scene by establishing a direct causal link between the lack of rain and the suffering of the land. It implicitly points to a divine hand in the drought, as rain was considered a blessing from Yahweh. The use of "cracked" (better understood as "broken/dismayed" in the original Hebrew) anthropomorphizes the land, conveying its deep suffering and distress.
• "the farmers are dismayed; they cover their heads": This second clause parallels the suffering of the land with the despair of humanity. The farmers' dismay echoes the "brokenness" of the ground, underscoring the interconnectedness between creation and humanity. Their covering of heads is a universally recognized gesture of public mourning and shame, emphasizing the profound and widespread impact of the disaster. This shows the loss of livelihood, dignity, and hope.

Jeremiah 14 4 Bonus section

• Polemics against Baal Worship: This verse functions as a powerful polemic against the pervasive worship of Baal, the Canaanite storm and fertility god, whom many in Judah wrongly believed controlled the rain. The absolute lack of gešem (torrential rain) in the land definitively proves Baal's impotence and reaffirms Yahweh's sole sovereignty over nature and blessings.
• The "Groaning" of Creation: The personification of the land as "dismayed" or "broken" prefigures the broader biblical theme of creation suffering due to human sin (Rom 8:22). The land's distress is not merely an environmental event but a consequence of a broken spiritual relationship between God and His people, deeply affecting the physical world entrusted to them.
• The Intertwined Fate of Humanity and Land: The linguistic connection between ʾādām (humanity) and ʾăḏāmâ (ground/soil) underscores the deep, God-ordained relationship between humanity and the earth. The suffering of the land inevitably brings suffering to humanity, highlighting that human sin not only impacts their spiritual state but also brings physical blight upon their very source of life.
• Significance of Shame (בֹּשׁוּ): The farmers' "dismay" goes beyond disappointment to deep shame, often a prelude to true repentance in prophetic literature. This shame might arise from their false hopes placed elsewhere, or from the realization of their direct culpability for God's judgment, as outlined in the covenant curses (Deut 28).

Jeremiah 14 4 Commentary

Jeremiah 14:4 paints a harrowing picture of divine judgment manifesting as a devastating drought in Judah. The anthropomorphic depiction of the "ground" as "dismayed" or "broken" reveals its profound suffering, going beyond mere cracking to a state of vital desiccation that resonates deeply with human distress. This land's plight is explicitly attributed to the absence of the life-giving "rain" (gešem), a blessing only Yahweh could provide. The subsequent description of the "farmers'" "dismay" and their act of "covering their heads" vividly portrays a collective sense of shame, despair, and humiliation. They face not only the loss of their crops and livelihoods but also the spiritual realization of their helplessness before a power they had neglected, highlighting the tragic consequences of forsaking God's covenant for impotent idols. The verse therefore is a poignant illustration of the tangible repercussions of Judah's unfaithfulness, where physical barrenness mirrors spiritual emptiness.