Jeremiah 16 7

Jeremiah 16:7 kjv

Neither shall men tear themselves for them in mourning, to comfort them for the dead; neither shall men give them the cup of consolation to drink for their father or for their mother.

Jeremiah 16:7 nkjv

Nor shall men break bread in mourning for them, to comfort them for the dead; nor shall men give them the cup of consolation to drink for their father or their mother.

Jeremiah 16:7 niv

No one will offer food to comfort those who mourn for the dead?not even for a father or a mother?nor will anyone give them a drink to console them.

Jeremiah 16:7 esv

No one shall break bread for the mourner, to comfort him for the dead, nor shall anyone give him the cup of consolation to drink for his father or his mother.

Jeremiah 16:7 nlt

No one will offer a meal to comfort those who mourn for the dead ? not even at the death of a mother or father. No one will send a cup of wine to console them.

Jeremiah 16 verses

Jeremiah 16 7 Meaning

Jeremiah 16:7 foretells a time of extreme divine judgment upon Judah, so severe that even the most fundamental human customs of communal grief and comfort will cease. Normally, family, friends, and neighbors would provide food (breaking bread) and drink (cup of consolation) to those mourning a death, particularly the loss of a parent. This verse predicts a complete breakdown of such societal compassion and support, signifying a land so overwhelmed by death and devastation that no one will be left to offer comfort, or the sheer scale of suffering will render traditional rites impossible and irrelevant. It portrays an isolation of profound grief amidst unprecedented national calamity.

Jeremiah 16 7 Context

Jeremiah 16 immediately follows chapter 15, which prophesies irreversible judgment on Judah. In chapter 16, God delivers a series of dramatic prohibitions to Jeremiah, preventing him from engaging in normal social customs – marrying, having children, attending funerals, or partaking in feasts. These acts are not merely personal restrictions; they serve as living parables for the nation. Verses 1-4 describe the desolation of not having children, their death without burial. Verses 5-7 then address the complete cessation of traditional mourning rituals and social comfort. The core message of the chapter is that Judah’s pervasive sin and idolatry, stemming from their ancestors and continuing into Jeremiah's day, have provoked God's wrath. Consequently, God has decided to remove His peace, loving-kindness, and mercies, leading to such widespread death and suffering that customary expressions of communal solidarity and comfort will become non-existent or irrelevant in the face of overwhelming despair and individual survival. The historical context is pre-exilic Judah, where the people persistently broke their covenant with God, worshipping other gods and engaging in various sins, leading to the inevitable Babylonian captivity. The prophetic word here serves as a direct warning and a declaration of the coming, inescapable judgment.

Jeremiah 16 7 Word analysis

• Nor will people break bread: This refers to the traditional practice of a communal meal provided to mourners after a burial or during the period of intense grief.
  • "Break bread" (וּלְא־יִפְרְסוּ לָהֶם לֶחֶם - u-lo-yipr'su lahem lechem): The verb paras (פרס) means "to break," specifically for distribution. Lechem (לחם) is "bread" but frequently stands for a whole meal or sustenance. This was a deep act of communal support, ensuring the grieving had food during their incapacitation. Its absence signals extreme social disintegration.
• for the mourner (לָאֵב - la'av): Referring to the person or family in deep sorrow over a loss. This term emphasizes the state of deep sadness and grief.
• to comfort them (לְנַחֲמוֹ - l'nachamo): The infinitive form of nacham (נחם), meaning "to console, comfort, pity." This action highlights the essential human need for solace in grief, which will be completely denied in this future judgment.
• concerning the dead (עַל־מֵת - al-met): Specifically indicates the object of their grief. Met (מת) is "dead person." The grief is not generalized sorrow but specifically for those who have died.
• nor will anyone offer them a cup of consolation (וְלֹא יַשְׁקוּ אוֹתָם כּוֹס תַּנְחֻמִים - v'lo yashqu otam kos tanḥumim):
  • "Offer them" (יַשְׁקוּ - yashqu): The Hiphil form of shaqa (שקה), "to give to drink." This suggests a proactive offering of comfort.
  • "cup" (כּוֹס - kos): The "cup" is a powerful biblical symbol, often representing one's portion or destiny—whether of blessing, wrath, or suffering (cf. Psa 23:5, Jer 25:15).
  • "of consolation" (תַּנְחֻמִים - tanḥumim): A plural noun meaning "consolations" or "comforts," derived from the same root as nacham. This phrase denotes a specific custom, a ritual drink or token symbolizing shared grief and hope, akin to the shared meal. Its withholding implies the absolute barrenness of compassion and solace.
• for their father or mother (עַל־אָבִיו וְעַל־אִמּוֹ - al-aviv v'al-immo): Specifies the most profound and universally mourned losses. The death of a parent usually garners the deepest sympathy and most rigorous observance of mourning customs. The denial of comfort even in such paramount grief underscores the utter severity and comprehensive nature of the impending judgment and desolation.

Jeremiah 16 7 Bonus section

The severity of Jeremiah's prophecies, including the cessation of comforting rites, challenges the prevailing Israelite belief that God would never allow His covenant people to be utterly destroyed or displaced from their land. This specific prophecy confronts the presumption that certain divine blessings or social norms were immutable, revealing them to be contingent on covenant fidelity. The "cup of consolation" echoes other "cup" motifs in the Bible, most notably the "cup of wrath" or "indignation" (Psa 75:8, Isa 51:17, Jer 25:15-16, Rev 14:10), indicating that the absence of a cup of comfort means that only a cup of suffering remains. The breakdown of mourning customs in Jeremiah also finds parallels in the Old Testament, such as in Ezekiel 24:16-17, where Ezekiel is forbidden to mourn for his wife as a sign of God's impending judgment, further emphasizing how God uses the disruption of ritual to convey the overwhelming nature of the coming disaster. This verse, therefore, highlights God's sovereignty over social structures and cultural norms, showing His willingness to dismantle them to bring about justice and call His people to repentance.

Jeremiah 16 7 Commentary

Jeremiah 16:7 is a stark pronouncement of judgment, not just against individuals, but against the very fabric of Judahite society. The absence of "breaking bread for the mourner" and "the cup of consolation" signifies more than merely a change in custom; it represents a complete collapse of communal empathy and human dignity under the weight of divine wrath. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, and throughout the biblical narrative, providing food and drink to the grieving was a fundamental act of neighborly love and social cohesion. It was a tangible expression of "weeping with those who weep" (Rom 12:15).

The severity of the coming judgment, as detailed elsewhere in Jeremiah (e.g., mass deaths, unburied bodies), will render these acts either impossible or meaningless. There will be too many dead to mourn them all individually, or those who remain will be too consumed by their own terror and loss to offer solace to others. The lack of comfort, therefore, underscores the abundance of suffering. God's withdrawal of His own peace and mercies (Jer 16:5) mirrors and explains the withdrawal of human comfort from one another. This prophesied desolation serves as a polemic against the false security Judah placed in its rituals and institutions while neglecting true obedience to God's covenant. The customary comfort will be stripped away, revealing the emptiness of a people estranged from their covenant Lord.

Practically, this verse reminds us of the profound human need for communal support in times of grief and the compassion modeled by God Himself as the "God of all comfort" (2 Cor 1:3). Its terrifying vision emphasizes the dire consequences when a people collectively reject divine instruction, leading to a state where even basic human kindness cannot survive the fallout of judgment.