Jeremiah 4 8

Jeremiah 4:8 kjv

For this gird you with sackcloth, lament and howl: for the fierce anger of the LORD is not turned back from us.

Jeremiah 4:8 nkjv

For this, clothe yourself with sackcloth, Lament and wail. For the fierce anger of the LORD Has not turned back from us.

Jeremiah 4:8 niv

So put on sackcloth, lament and wail, for the fierce anger of the LORD has not turned away from us.

Jeremiah 4:8 esv

For this put on sackcloth, lament and wail, for the fierce anger of the LORD has not turned back from us."

Jeremiah 4:8 nlt

So put on clothes of mourning
and weep with broken hearts,
for the fierce anger of the LORD
is still upon us.

Jeremiah 4 verses

Jeremiah 4 8 Meaning

Jeremiah 4:8 is a command from God, delivered through the prophet Jeremiah, urging the people of Judah to engage in intense, public lamentation. This profound mourning is necessitated by the certainty that the "fierce anger of the LORD has not turned away." It signifies that divine judgment for their unfaithfulness and idolatry is imminent and irrevocable at this point in time, leading to unavoidable devastation. The call to mourn is not necessarily to avert the already-determined wrath, but rather to respond appropriately to the devastating reality of its certain coming.

Jeremiah 4 8 Context

Jeremiah 4 is a critical chapter within Jeremiah's early prophecies against Judah. In the preceding verses (4:1-4), God extends a final, heartfelt plea for the people of Judah to return to Him, circumcise their hearts, and remove their idols, promising blessing if they repent genuinely. However, the tone swiftly shifts in 4:5-8, where Jeremiah pivots to describe the impending invasion from the North (Babylon) and its devastating consequences, suggesting that the plea for true repentance will largely be ignored. The command in 4:8 comes as a response to the dire military and spiritual reality. It signifies that the opportunity to fully avert the calamity by national repentance is likely past, and the time for a public acknowledgment of the coming judgment, and an appropriate lament, has arrived. The prophet portrays God's unmitigated wrath as the inevitable outcome of Judah's deep-seated apostasy and refusal to repent.

Jeremiah 4 8 Word analysis

• For this (עַל־זֹאת `al-zot): "On account of this," or "therefore." This phrase acts as a conjunction, connecting the imminent threat of invasion and unchangeable judgment (described in preceding verses and implied by what follows) to the command for lamentation. It points to the direct reason and severe urgency for the actions prescribed.
• put on sackcloth (חִגְרוּ־שַׂק `ḥigru-saq):
  • חִגְרוּ (`ḥigru): Imperative plural, meaning "gird yourselves" or "put on." It commands a deliberate, intentional action.
  • שַׂק (saq): "Sackcloth," typically a rough, coarse garment made of goats' hair or other plain material. Wearing it was a prominent symbol of deep mourning, humiliation, repentance, distress, or extreme sorrow (e.g., Gen 37:34; 1 Kgs 21:27; Isa 20:2). It indicated profound national or personal crisis before God and others.
• lament (סִפְדוּ sifdu): Imperative plural, meaning "lament" or "mourn." From the root סָפַד (sāfad), which describes a formal or professional act of mourning, often with mournful dirges or wails for the dead. Here, it is mourning for the living dead – for the nation and its people destined for destruction.
• and wail (וְהֵילִלוּ veheililu): Imperative plural, meaning "and wail," "howl," or "utter a piercing cry." From the root יָלַל (yalal), suggesting a louder, more expressive, often high-pitched cry of anguish, like that of a distressed animal. It denotes a public, intense, and uncontrollable display of grief, even more extreme thansāfad.
• for (כִּי `ki): "Because," "for," "since." This conjunction introduces the foundational reason, the causal explanation, for the commanded actions of mourning.
• the fierce anger (חֲרוֹן־אַף `ḥaron-ʼaf):
  • חֲרוֹן (`ḥaron): "Burning," "fierce heat," "rage." Conveys the intense, scorching nature of God's wrath.
  • אַף (`ʼaf): Can mean "nose" or "face," but in idiomatic usage, it signifies "anger," especially in combination with `ḥaron. It portrays a deep-seated, red-hot fury. This phrase frequently appears to describe God's righteous indignation against sin (e.g., Exod 32:12; Num 25:4; Ps 69:24).
• of the LORD (יְהוָה Yahweh): The sacred covenant name of God. Emphasizes that this anger is not capricious but comes from the righteous and faithful God of Israel, who punishes covenant disobedience. His character, though loving, is also holy and just, making His anger against sin righteous and potent.
• has not turned away (לֹא־שָׁב `lo-shav): "Has not returned" or "has not turned back." The perfect tense implies a settled, completed action – or in this case, a settled non-action. The anger is fixed; its course is set. This highlights the severity and certainty of the judgment. It indicates that pleas or previous (insincere) actions did not suffice to avert the impending wrath.
• from us (מִמֶּנּוּ `mimmennu): "From us." Directly indicates the people of Judah as the object of this fierce, unyielding divine anger. It collectivizes their guilt and fate.

Words-group Analysis:

• "For this put on sackcloth, lament and wail": This triple imperative is a forceful command for outward, collective, and demonstrative mourning. It signifies that the situation is past ordinary grief and requires the most intense forms of lament. It suggests a desperate, perhaps final, public act of recognizing a dire and inevitable national tragedy, where true repentance may no longer alter the external consequences.
• "for the fierce anger of the LORD has not turned away from us": This clause serves as the divine warrant and undeniable motivation for the preceding commands. It's the critical theological reason. It explains that the current reality is one where God's wrath is an unmovable force directed towards Judah. The phrase "has not turned away" emphasizes the finality of a particular judgment, contrasting with other instances where repentance did avert wrath (e.g., Nineveh). Here, for Judah, the judgment's path is fixed due to prolonged and persistent disobedience.

Jeremiah 4 8 Bonus section

The seemingly unyielding nature of God's wrath described here in Jeremiah 4:8 provides a stark contrast to passages where God's anger does turn away through sincere repentance (e.g., Jonah 3:10; Joel 2:13-14). This contrast highlights a crucial boundary or limitation in the dynamic of divine judgment: there appears to be a point, known only to God, where the measure of iniquity is full (Gen 15:16), and despite the Lord's lament for His people (Jer 8:18-22), a specific judgment becomes irreversible. This verse suggests that for Judah at this time, their persistent and insincere repentance had closed the door to the immediate averting of the Babylonian invasion, though the ultimate future of Israel through the Messiah would remain secure. The commanded lament then functions not as a bargaining tool, but as a recognition of their true state before a holy God, a response of humility and despair appropriate to their dire predicament. This lament becomes a testimony to God's righteousness even in judgment, and perhaps, a means by which future generations might reflect on the consequences of rebellion.

Jeremiah 4 8 Commentary

Jeremiah 4:8 encapsulates a somber truth about the consequences of persistent unfaithfulness: there comes a point where God's righteous indignation, after repeated calls to repentance are ignored, moves from being a threat to a determined judgment. This verse is a prophetic call for a national funeral procession before the deaths, because the "fierce anger of the LORD" is firmly set on its course. It is not an invitation to lament to avert the disaster, but rather an imperative to lament because the disaster is certain and has not been averted. The intensity of the commanded mourning – sackcloth, lamenting, wailing – reflects the extreme nature of the impending judgment. Judah is commanded to acknowledge, through physical and vocal displays of grief, the unmitigated divine wrath that now faces them, the source of which is their own entrenched sin. This prepares the people not for deliverance, but for suffering, signifying a point of no return for this particular aspect of judgment, even as God's long-term plan for restoration remains (Jer 29:10-14). It underscores God's justice: when His grace and patience are spurned, His holiness demands an inescapable reckoning.

• Examples: A community that continuously rejects warnings about societal decay (moral, spiritual) and finds itself on the brink of collapse is called to acknowledge its collective responsibility, not with a fleeting prayer, but with profound sorrow for what has been lost and what is coming, understanding that the die has been cast. When personal sin leads to natural and spiritual consequences that can no longer be avoided (e.g., shattered relationships, irreversible health issues), the appropriate response, while still seeking forgiveness, includes a deep, sorrowful recognition that certain consequences "have not turned away."