Jeremiah 6:8 kjv
Be thou instructed, O Jerusalem, lest my soul depart from thee; lest I make thee desolate, a land not inhabited.
Jeremiah 6:8 nkjv
Be instructed, O Jerusalem, Lest My soul depart from you; Lest I make you desolate, A land not inhabited."
Jeremiah 6:8 niv
Take warning, Jerusalem, or I will turn away from you and make your land desolate so no one can live in it."
Jeremiah 6:8 esv
Be warned, O Jerusalem, lest I turn from you in disgust, lest I make you a desolation, an uninhabited land."
Jeremiah 6:8 nlt
Listen to this warning, Jerusalem,
or I will turn from you in disgust.
Listen, or I will turn you into a heap of ruins,
a land where no one lives."
Jeremiah 6 8 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah 6:8 | "Be warned, O Jerusalem, or I shall be estranged from you, and turn you into a desolate land, uninhabitable." | Direct fulfillment of God's warning to Jerusalem |
| Jeremiah 2:12 | "Be utterly ashamed, O House of Israel; you, your kings, your princes, your priests, and your prophets." | Condemnation for idolatry and disobedience |
| Jeremiah 5:3 | "O LORD, do not your eyes look for truth? You have struck them, but they felt no pain; you consumed them, but they refused instruction; they made their faces harder than rock; they refused to return." | God's growing weariness with Jerusalem's sin |
| Jeremiah 7:29 | "'Cut off your hair and cast it away; and raise a lament on the bare heights, for the LORD has rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath.'" | Description of public mourning for divine abandonment |
| Jeremiah 8:12 | "Were they ashamed by the abomination they committed? No, they were not at all ashamed; they did not even blush. Therefore they shall fall among the fallen; when I punish them, they shall be overthrown,' says the LORD." | Persistence in sin despite divine discipline |
| Jeremiah 9:11 | "'And I will make Jerusalem heaps of ruins, a lair for jackals, and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without inhabitant.'" | Prophetic declaration of Jerusalem's future ruin |
| Jeremiah 18:11 | "'Therefore, speak now to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, “Thus says the LORD: Behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Turn back, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your doings.”'" | Plea for repentance to avert judgment |
| Jeremiah 22:5 | "For if you will not hear these words, by me shall this house become a desolation,' says the LORD." | Consequence of disobedience for the Temple |
| Jeremiah 50:6 | "'My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray, turning them aside on the mountains; they have gone from mountain to hill they have forgotten their fold.'" | God's lament over the spiritual neglect of His people |
| Hosea 4:6 | "'My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being my priest; and because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.'" | Cause of judgment: ignorance of God's law |
| Luke 19:41-42 | "And when he drew near the city, he wept over it, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day what makes for peace! But now it is hidden from your eyes." | Jesus' sorrow over Jerusalem's impending doom |
| Matthew 23:37 | "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones with stones those who are sent to her! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!" | Jesus' lament over Jerusalem's rejection of His message |
| Revelation 18:15 | "The merchants of these goods, who gained their living by her, will stand far off in terror at her torment, weeping and mourning aloud." | Future desolation and the lament over its destruction |
| Psalm 106:24-26 | "Then they despised the pleasant land, they did not believe his word, but grumbled in their tents, not listening to the voice of the LORD. So he raised his hand and swore to them that he would make them fall in the wilderness." | Israelites despising God's provision and facing consequences |
| Isaiah 5:5-7 | "Now I will show you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be eaten up; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and briars and thorns shall come up; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it." | God's action of removing protection from His unfruitful vineyard |
| Romans 11:20-22 | "They were broken off because of unbelief, but you stand by faith. Do not presume, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, but considered you in danger of being cut off. So look at the goodness and severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's goodness to you, provided you continue in his goodness. Otherwise you too will be cut off." | Analogy of branches broken off for unbelief, applying to gentile believers' precarious position |
| Psalm 78:59 | "When God heard this, he was full of wrath, and greatly abhorred Israel." | God's reaction to His people's faithlessness |
| Ezekiel 14:13 | "Son of man, when a land sins against me by trespassing and I stretch out my hand against it and break its supply of bread and send famine upon it, and cut off from it man and beast." | Judgment through famine and cutting off sustenance |
| Proverbs 2:19 | "None who go to her recur, nor do they return to the paths of life." | The way of the wicked leads to destruction, similar to the fate of unrepentant Jerusalem |
Jeremiah 6 verses
Jeremiah 6 8 Meaning
Be warned, Jerusalem, lest I become estranged from you and turn you into a desolate land, uninhabitable.
Jeremiah 6 8 Context
Jeremiah 6:8 is part of a series of pronouncements of judgment against Judah and Jerusalem. The chapter begins with a call to flee Jerusalem, warning of impending destruction by an enemy from the north (v. 1). The people have ignored past warnings and continue in their sin, including idolatry, violence, and deceit (v. 7). God declares His intent to pour out His wrath upon them, not as a refining fire, but as molten metal rejected because it is dross. Verse 8 specifically details the reason and the nature of God's judgment: His growing estrangement from Jerusalem due to their persistent wickedness, leading to desolation and uninhabitable conditions. The historical context is the period leading up to the Babylonian exile, a time when Judah repeatedly turned away from God despite numerous prophetic warnings and instances of divine discipline.
Jeremiah 6 8 Word Analysis
Be warned (Hebrew: huathi - literally "be warned" or "guard yourselves"): An imperative command, emphasizing the need for immediate and serious attention to God's pronouncement. It carries a sense of urgency and the seriousness of the impending consequence.
O Jerusalem (Hebrew: Yerushalaim): The specific object of God's address and impending judgment. Jerusalem, the holy city, the center of worship, is singled out for its failure to uphold its covenant.
lest (Hebrew: pen): Indicates a consequence or a potential outcome if the warning is not heeded. It marks the purpose of God's severe statement.
I become estranged from you (Hebrew: eshanayek - "I shall alienate myself from you," "I shall withdraw my favor from you," "I shall be loathsome to you"): This is a profound expression of divine withdrawal. It signifies God moving from a position of close relationship and favor to one of active disassociation and disfavor. It's not just abandonment, but a moving away due to rejection and revulsion caused by sin. The Hebrew root (shua) can imply becoming weary of or detesting.
and turn you (Hebrew: vesamti - "and I shall put," "and I shall make"): Indicates a direct act of transformation or deposition by God.
into a desolate land (Hebrew: eretz tzimah - "a land of dryness," "a parched land"): Describes the physical state of the land. This implies barrenness, lack of fertility, and absence of life, a direct contrast to the promised land flowing with milk and honey.
uninhabitable (Hebrew: lo yeshuv - "without inhabitant," "unoccupied," "no dwelling place"): Emphasizes the completeness of the desolation; there will be no one to live there. This is the ultimate consequence of God's estrangement and judgment.
Group: "estranged from you, and turn you into a desolate land, uninhabitable": This group of phrases vividly paints a picture of total divine rejection and the subsequent devastation. God's turning away is not passive; it actively leads to the destruction and emptiness of the city and land. This encapsulates the consequence of the people's persistent apostasy.
Jeremiah 6 8 Bonus Section
This verse highlights the severe consequences of persistent, unrepented sin in the relationship between God and His people. The "desolate land, uninhabitable" is a vivid prophetic metaphor for a community utterly divorced from God's blessing and protection. This theme of divine abandonment leading to ruin is echoed throughout Scripture, often signifying a complete loss of covenantal favor and the breaking of the land's fertility, reflecting spiritual barrenness. The New Testament parallel can be seen in Jesus' lament over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-42) and the concept of the church that has lost its "first love" (Revelation 2:4-5), facing the threat of its lampstand being removed. The integrity of the covenant relationship requires faithfulness; deviation results in a reciprocal withdrawal from God.
Jeremiah 6 8 Commentary
God's pronouncement to Jerusalem in Jeremiah 6:8 is a stark warning about the serious repercussions of prolonged sin and unfaithfulness. The divine "estrangement" is not a spontaneous act but a judicial withdrawal of presence and blessing in response to the people's deep-seated rebellion. This estrangement results in a complete desolation, rendering the once vibrant city and land uninhabitable, mirroring the outcome of ignoring divine covenant and commands. The ultimate consequence of sin is not merely punishment, but the removal of God's sustaining presence, which leaves only emptiness and ruin.