Jeremiah 7:34 kjv
Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride: for the land shall be desolate.
Jeremiah 7:34 nkjv
Then I will cause to cease from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride. For the land shall be desolate.
Jeremiah 7:34 niv
I will bring an end to the sounds of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride and bridegroom in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem, for the land will become desolate.
Jeremiah 7:34 esv
And I will silence in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, for the land shall become a waste.
Jeremiah 7:34 nlt
I will put an end to the happy singing and laughter in the streets of Jerusalem. The joyful voices of bridegrooms and brides will no longer be heard in the towns of Judah. The land will lie in complete desolation.
Jeremiah 7 34 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah 7:34 | "Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride; for the land shall be desolate." | Judgment on Jerusalem's sin. |
| Isaiah 24:8 | "The mirth of the tabret ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth." | Prophecy of a similar judgment and silenced rejoicing. |
| Lamentations 5:15 | "The young men lack wine; the merryhearted have borne in strength." | Description of sorrow replacing joy for the remnant. |
| Ezekiel 26:13 | "And I will cause the noise of thy songs to cease; and the sound of thy harps shall not be heard hereafter." | Prophecy against Tyre, echoing the silencing of joyful sounds. |
| Revelation 18:22 | "And the voice of harpers and musicians and of pipers and trumpeters shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;" | Description of the judgment on Babylon, mirroring the cessation of celebration. |
| Psalm 30:11 | "Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;" | Contrast of God's deliverance bringing joy. |
| Jeremiah 16:9 | "For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will cause to cease out of this place in your eyes, and in your days, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride." | Identical prophecy in Jeremiah, underscoring the specific judgment. |
| Jeremiah 7:32 | "And I will make them say, The valley of the dead body, and the valley of the carcasses: because of the anger of the LORD it shall not be inhabited, neither shall it be desolate any more, saith the LORD." | Contextualizes the desolation with burial places. |
| Hosea 2:11 | "And I will cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her new moons, and her sabbaths, and all her solemn assemblies." | God withdrawing blessings due to unfaithfulness. |
| Jeremiah 7:18 | "The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger." | Root cause of judgment: idolatry and rejection of God's commands. |
| Matthew 25:30 | "And cast ye the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." | Future consequence of disobedience, similar theme of lost joy. |
| Isaiah 5:12 | "And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the LORD, neither consider the operation of his hands." | People enjoying worldly pleasures while ignoring God. |
| Zephaniah 1:5 | "And them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship and swear by the LORD, and by Malcham;" | Worship of other deities leading to judgment. |
| 2 Kings 18:4 | "He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense unto it: and he called it Nehushtan." | Historical precedent of religious reform against idolatry. |
| Leviticus 26:34 | "Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye have remained in the land of your enemies; then shall the land rest and enjoy her sabbaths." | Consequence of breaking God's laws: land desolation and enforced rest. |
| Jeremiah 25:10 | "Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the millstones, and the bread." | Another prophecy detailing the removal of joyous sounds and necessities. |
| Judges 19:22 | "Now as they were making merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, being expert in disorderliness, and smote the door with blindness, and said to the old man the master of the house, Bring out the man that came into thine house, that we may know him." | Societal breakdown and sin accompanying judgment. |
| Revelation 7:12 | "Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen." | Future ultimate praise, contrasting with current silenced praise. |
| Jeremiah 51:37 | "And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwelling-place for dragons, a desolation without an inhabitant." | Judgment on Babylon leading to desolate heaps. |
| Song of Solomon 3:11 | "Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart." | A poetic expression of matrimonial joy, a stark contrast to judgment. |
| Luke 15:32 | "It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found." | Parable of the Prodigal Son, highlighting restored joy. |
Jeremiah 7 verses
Jeremiah 7 34 Meaning
The verse signifies a solemn pronouncement of judgment. It speaks of the cessation of joy, gladness, and sounds of celebration in the cities of Judah and on the streets of Jerusalem. This marks the end of a period of prosperity and communal rejoicing, replaced by silence and desolation as a consequence of disobedience to God.
Jeremiah 7 34 Context
Jeremiah 7:34 is situated within the broader context of Jeremiah's prophetic ministry in Judah. This chapter, often referred to as the "Temple Sermon," contains a powerful denunciation of the people's outward religiosity and hypocrisy. Despite their continued sacrifices and worship at the Temple, their lives were marked by social injustice, idolatry, and a general disregard for God's covenant. God, through Jeremiah, declares that the Temple itself, a symbol of His presence, would not protect them from the impending judgment they deserved for their sin. This verse specifically forecasts the desolate future awaiting Jerusalem as a consequence of its iniquity, the complete silencing of the sounds of celebration that should have characterized a people favored by God.
Jeremiah 7 34 Word Analysis
Then (וְאָז - v'az): Indicates a temporal consequence, a direct result of the preceding actions or conditions. It signifies "after this," "thereupon."
will I cause (הִפְעַלְתִּי - hiph'alti): From the root פָּעַל (pa'al), meaning "to do" or "to make." In the causative hiphil stem, it implies actively bringing about something, causing it to happen. God is the active agent in this cessation.
to cease (שָׁמּוֹת - shammot): A verb meaning "to cease," "to be still," "to become desolate." Here, it points to the absolute end of sound and activity.
from the cities (מִקְּרֶת - mik-kiri-at): "From the city" or "from among the inhabitants of the city." It emphasizes the totality of the effect across urban areas. Plural "cities" is likely implied contextually, or referring to distinct quarters.
of Judah (יְהוּדָה - Yehudah): Refers to the southern kingdom of Israel, specifically its territory and people.
and from the streets (וּמֵחוּצוֹת - u'mechutza-ot): "And from the exits" or "public places," "open spaces." This expands the scope from enclosed cities to the thoroughfares where life and activity occurred.
of Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלָיִם - Yerushalayim): The capital city of Judah, the focal point of worship and government.
the voice (קוֹל - qol): Sound, noise, utterance. Here it refers to the characteristic sounds of joyful human activity.
of mirth (שָׂשׂוֹן - sassown): Great joy, exultation, delight. A deep sense of gladness.
and the voice (וְקוֹל - v'qol): Reinforces the enumeration of missing joyful sounds.
of gladness (שִׂמְחָה - simcha): Joy, happiness, prosperity. A more general term for joy than sassown.
the voice (קוֹל - qol): Again, emphasizing the silence of another type of joyful sound.
of the bridegroom (חָתָן - chatan): The groom, especially during the wedding period. Represents the joy of marriage and new beginnings.
and the voice (וְקוֹל - v'qol): Continuing the list of silenced joys.
of the bride (כַּלָּה - kallah): The bride, also symbolizing festive and personal happiness.
for (כִּי - ki): Introduces the reason or cause for the preceding declaration.
the land (הָאָרֶץ - ha'aretz): The territory, the ground, the realm.
shall be desolate (שְׁמָמָה - sh'mamah): Desolate, laid waste, barren, a ruin. This is a noun describing the state of the land, emphasizing its emptiness and lack of life and inhabitation.
Group analysis of "voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride": This group of phrases paints a vivid picture of the complete absence of celebratory human sounds. It encompasses both communal rejoicing (sassown and simcha) and the personal, intimate joy associated with significant life events like marriage. Their removal signifies a profound societal and spiritual emptiness.
Jeremiah 7 34 Bonus Section
The prophetic message in Jeremiah 7 is powerfully underscored by archaeological findings. Excavations in Jerusalem and surrounding areas have revealed evidence of widespread idolatrous practices, including figurines and altars to foreign deities, corroborating Jeremiah's accusations. The destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BCE tragically fulfilled these prophecies, with historical accounts detailing the desolation of the city and the silencing of its joyous sounds. The phrase "for the land shall be desolate" is a direct cause-and-effect statement, linking their disobedience to an environmental and demographic emptiness. The imagery of silenced voices serves as a poignant contrast to the "voice of the Lord" or the "voice of prophecy" that the people ignored, now replaced by the "voice of mourning" and "voice of crying" that will fill the land. This desolation includes a period of enforced sabbath rest for the land itself, as Leviticus 26:34-35 describes, when the land will “enjoy her sabbaths” during the years of exile, compensating for the times the people did not observe them.
Jeremiah 7 34 Commentary
This verse is a direct consequence of the nation's persistent sin, particularly the hypocrisy exposed in the preceding verses of chapter 7. The abandonment of true worship for superficial rituals and engagement in idolatry and injustice leads to a devastating reversal of fortunes. God declares that the vibrant sounds of a thriving, joyful community—celebrations, weddings, and the general hum of happy life—will be silenced. This is not just a loss of sound; it represents the death of hope and the complete desolation of the land as judgment falls. The detailed mention of bridal and bridegroom voices highlights the loss of future generations and the end of family and societal continuity. It serves as a stark reminder that genuine blessings are tied to obedience.