Jeremiah 4 19

Jeremiah 4:19 kjv

My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.

Jeremiah 4:19 nkjv

O my soul, my soul! I am pained in my very heart! My heart makes a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, Because you have heard, O my soul, The sound of the trumpet, The alarm of war.

Jeremiah 4:19 niv

Oh, my anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain. Oh, the agony of my heart! My heart pounds within me, I cannot keep silent. For I have heard the sound of the trumpet; I have heard the battle cry.

Jeremiah 4:19 esv

My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain! Oh the walls of my heart! My heart is beating wildly; I cannot keep silent, for I hear the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.

Jeremiah 4:19 nlt

My heart, my heart ? I writhe in pain!
My heart pounds within me! I cannot be still.
For I have heard the blast of enemy trumpets
and the roar of their battle cries.

Jeremiah 4 verses

Jeremiah 4 19 Meaning

Jeremiah 4:19 powerfully expresses the prophet Jeremiah's intense, visceral anguish and deep personal distress at the impending destruction and judgment upon Judah, which he perceives as vividly as if the battle's alarm were already sounding in his innermost being. It portrays a prophet so entwined with God's message that he feels the coming desolation in his very body and soul, unable to remain silent or calm.

Jeremiah 4 19 Context

Jeremiah chapter 4 unfolds a dire message of impending judgment and destruction upon Judah due to its pervasive apostasy and unfaithfulness to the Lord. After an initial call for repentance (v. 1-4) that went unheeded, the prophecy swiftly shifts to describing the horrifying reality of an invasion from the North, specifically by the Babylonians (Chaldeans), though not named until later chapters. The vivid imagery in verses 5-18 portrays the relentless advance of the enemy, the flight of the people, and the devastation of the land. Amidst this grim prophecy of national calamity, Jeremiah 4:19 marks a crucial pivot, showcasing the prophet's personal and agonizing identification with the suffering of his people. Jeremiah doesn't merely deliver the message; he internalizes its horror, feeling the imminent destruction as a searing pain within himself. His outburst of anguish is a prophetic expression, foreseeing and experiencing the terror and desolation before it materially occurs, driven by the inescapable reality of God's approaching judgment.

Jeremiah 4 19 Word analysis

• My anguish, my anguish! (מֵעַי מֵעַי / me'ay me'ay):

  • Word: Me'ay (plural of me'ah) literally means "intestines" or "bowels."
  • Significance: In Hebrew thought, the bowels were considered the seat of deep emotions like compassion, pity, and also intense pain or anxiety. It denotes a visceral, gut-wrenching pain that is physically felt, not just an emotional upset.
  • Repetition: The repetition (me'ay me'ay) serves to emphasize the intensity and overwhelming nature of the suffering, highlighting a profound, doubling agony. It's an exclamation of unbearable distress.

• I writhe in pain! (אָחוּלָה / achulah):

  • Word: From the root khul/chil, meaning "to twist, writhe, travail, be in labor pains."
  • Significance: This verb describes a strong, convulsive, often agonizing movement, typically associated with the intense contractions of childbirth or extreme physical agony. It conveys an involuntary, agonizing reaction to severe internal distress.

• Oh, the walls of my heart! (קִירוֹת לִבִּי / kirot libbi):

  • Word: Kirot (plural of kir) means "walls"; libbi is "my heart" (לֵב / lev).
  • Significance: This is a powerful poetic metaphor. The "walls of the heart" imply the deepest inner chambers or structures of one's being. For these "walls" to be affected suggests an internal breaking, crumbling, or immense pressure on the core of one's personhood. The heart in Hebrew anthropology refers to the entire inner self—intellect, will, emotions—not just the seat of feelings.

• My heart is pained within me; (הָמָה לִּי לִבִּי / hamah li libbi):

  • Word: Hamah means "to be in an uproar, be in commotion, groan, murmur." Li means "to me" or "within me."
  • Significance: The heart itself is depicted as turbulent, agitated, and making internal sounds of distress, like a restless ocean. This highlights the internal turmoil and lack of peace within Jeremiah.

• my heart is restless, I cannot keep silent; (לֹא אַחֲרִישׁ / lo achareesh):

  • Word: Lo achareesh means "I will not be silent" or "I cannot keep still." From the root kharash, "to be silent, dumb."
  • Significance: This emphasizes Jeremiah's inability to suppress or quiet the overwhelming sense of dread and internal agitation. His distress is so profound that it compels an outward expression, an inability to remain calm or passive.

• for you have heard, O my soul, (כִּי קוֹל שׁוֹפָר שָׁמַעְתְּ נַפְשִׁי / ki kol shofar shamata nafshi):

  • Word: Nafshi (נַפְשִׁי / nephesh) means "my soul," but in Hebrew usage, it often denotes the entire self, the living being. Shamata means "you have heard."
  • Significance: Jeremiah addresses his own soul, indicating that this inner turmoil is a direct result of an internalized perception. The prophet's entire being has apprehended the terrifying reality, not just his ears. This hearing is profound and deeply personal.

• the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war! (קוֹל שׁוֹפָר...תְּרוּעַת מִלְחָמָה / kol shofar...teru'at milchamah):

  • Word: Shofar (שׁוֹפָר) is a ram's horn, used for sounding alarms, summoning, and religious ceremonies. Teru'ah (תְּרוּעַת) means a "shout, blast, war-cry," derived from a root meaning "to split the ears with noise." Milchamah (מִלְחָמָה) means "war."
  • Significance: The shofar blast was a well-understood signal for alarm, war, or an impending event, often related to God's intervention or judgment. Teru'at milchamah specifies that this is not a general alarm but explicitly a battle cry, signifying the immediate presence of violent conflict. Jeremiah hears it, not literally in the distance, but prophetically within his very being, causing the described anguish.

Words-Group Analysis:

• "My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain! Oh, the walls of my heart! My heart is pained within me;": This series of expressions paints a picture of extreme, multifaceted physical and emotional agony. The shift from "bowels" (visceral pain) to "writhe" (physical action under duress) to "walls of my heart" (inner emotional/spiritual core breaking) demonstrates a comprehensive breakdown of well-being. The Hebrew poetic style employs repetition and varied but overlapping imagery to convey profound distress from every angle of the human being.

• "my heart is restless, I cannot keep silent; for you have heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war!": This transition directly links the internal turmoil and the inability to be silent to the prophetic "hearing." Jeremiah's inner being has heard and fully comprehended the unmistakable warning of war and judgment. His physical and emotional state is a direct, inescapable response to this overwhelming prophetic insight, demonstrating the profound burden and empathetic suffering inherent in bearing God's message of judgment.

Jeremiah 4 19 Bonus section

The prophet Jeremiah is often referred to as "the weeping prophet" due to his frequent lamentations and profound sorrow over Judah's sin and impending doom. Jeremiah 4:19 encapsulates this characteristic, illustrating his intense personal suffering not as weakness, but as a deep spiritual attunement to God's broken heart over His rebellious people. This verse reveals the prophetic ministry as one of identification and intercession, where the prophet becomes a living embodiment of the divine sorrow and warning. The powerful bodily imagery points to a 'sympathetic agony,' prefiguring the deeper, suffering identification of the Messiah Himself, who would ultimately bear the full wrath of God's judgment (Isa 53).

Jeremiah 4 19 Commentary

Jeremiah 4:19 stands as a vivid portrayal of the deep empathy and burden carried by a true prophet of God. This is not merely a messenger relaying facts; it is a human being deeply interwoven with the destiny of his people and the very word of God. Jeremiah's agony, expressed through visceral and comprehensive physical and emotional descriptors ("bowels," "writhing," "walls of heart," "heart restless"), reflects a profound spiritual identification with the judgment that God is bringing. His lament demonstrates that bearing the divine word, especially one of impending judgment, often involves profound personal cost and anguish. He 'hears' the trumpet of war not with his physical ears, but with his very nephesh—his entire soul—highlighting the spiritual reality of God's impending actions and the prophet's unique perception and internalization of it. It serves as a reminder that God’s spokesmen often suffer intensely with the message, groaning for a people who may remain unmoved.