Jeremiah 8:1 kjv
At that time, saith the LORD, they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves:
Jeremiah 8:1 nkjv
"At that time," says the LORD, "they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of its princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves.
Jeremiah 8:1 niv
"?'At that time, declares the LORD, the bones of the kings and officials of Judah, the bones of the priests and prophets, and the bones of the people of Jerusalem will be removed from their graves.
Jeremiah 8:1 esv
"At that time, declares the LORD, the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of its officials, the bones of the priests, the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be brought out of their tombs.
Jeremiah 8:1 nlt
"In that day," says the LORD, "the enemy will break open the graves of the kings and officials of Judah, and the graves of the priests, prophets, and common people of Jerusalem.
Jeremiah 8 1 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jer 8:1 | At that time—declares the LORD—they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah… | Jer 7:15 (similar prophecy) |
| Jer 8:1 | …and the bones of its princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem… | Jer 7:31-34 (judgment on sin) |
| Jer 8:1 | …out of their graves. | Psa 3:1-3 (foes surrounding) |
| Jer 8:1 | and they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, whom they have loved… | Deut 4:19 (idolatry's consequence) |
| Jer 8:1 | …whom they have served, and whom they have gone after, and whom they have sought, and whom they have worshipped: they shall not be gathered nor buried… | Jer 7:32 (punishment for idolatry) |
| Jer 8:1 | …they shall be dung upon the face of the earth. | Jer 7:33 (further description of burial) |
| Jer 8:1 | and one shall die, and another shall be put to death, and one shall go into captivity… | Jer 7:15 (similar prophecy of destruction) |
| Jer 8:1 | …and they shall be spread before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, which they have loved and served, and after which they have gone, and whom they have sought, and whom they have worshipped. | Jer 7:18, 20 (worship of the host of heaven) |
| Jer 16:4 | They shall die of deadly plagues. They shall not be lamented, nor shall they be buried; they shall be as dung on the surface of the earth. They shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, and their corpses shall be food for the birds of the sky and for the beasts of the earth. | Jer 7:33 (foreshadows this verse) |
| Jer 22:24 | “As I live,” declares the LORD, “though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet on my right hand, yet I would pull you off… | Jer 22:28 (prophecy against Jehoiakim) |
| Jer 25:33 | And those the LORD slays on that day shall be from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth. They shall not be lamented, nor gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung on the surface of the earth.” | Jer 8:2 (similar continuation) |
| Ezek 39:11 | “Yes, in the valley of Hamon-gog I will prepare a place there for a burial ground for Gog and all his hordes, and they shall clear it. For seven months the people of Israel shall be engaged in clearing the land to purify it.” | Ezek 32:1-8 (judgment on Egypt) |
| 1 Kings 13:2 | And he cried out against the altar by the word of the LORD and said, “O altar, altar, by the word of the LORD, behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name, and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who offer up smoke on you, and human bones shall be burned on you.” | 2 Kings 23:15-20 (fulfillment by Josiah) |
| 2 Kings 23:14 | And he broke in pieces the pillars and cut down the Asherim and filled their places with the bones of men. | 2 Kings 23:16 (Josiah defiles altars) |
| Deut 28:26 | Your dead bodies shall be food for all the birds of the sky and for the wild animals, and there shall be no one to frighten them away. | Deut 28:64-67 (curses for disobedience) |
| Psa 79:3 | They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them. | Psa 79:1-4 (plea for deliverance) |
| Eccl 6:3 | If a man fathers a hundred children and lives for many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with good things and he also does not get a burial, I say that a stillborn child is better than he. | Eccl 6:1-6 (vanity of earthly pursuits) |
| Jer 14:12 | Though they fast, I will not hear their cry, and though they offer a burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them. My conclusion will be their destruction by sword, famine, and plague.” | Jer 14:11-12 (God's rejection of false fasting) |
| Nahum 3:13 | Behold, your people are women in your midst. The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies; fire is devouring your bars. | Nahum 3:10-13 (judgment on Nineveh) |
| Hosea 9:4 | They shall not drink wine nor shall they offer sacrifices that are pleasing to the LORD. Their bread shall be mourning bread; all who eat it shall become unclean, for their bread is only for their own hunger; it shall not come into the house of the LORD. | Hosea 9:1-5 (judgment for sin) |
Jeremiah 8 verses
Jeremiah 8 1 Meaning
The Lord commands judgment upon Judah through leaders and officials, who are likened to dead bodies unearthed and left exposed, preventing rest.
Jeremiah 8 1 Context
This verse appears in Jeremiah chapter 8, which follows a prophecy in chapter 7 that condemned the worship and reliance on the Temple while the people continued in their sins. Chapter 8 shifts the focus from a prophecy concerning the Temple to a broader proclamation of imminent destruction and exile. The context is God's unwavering judgment against Judah for their persistent idolatry and disobedience. This particular verse serves as a graphic depiction of the ultimate consequences of their apostasy. Historically, this was during the reign of King Jehoiakim or Zedekiah, as Judah’s fate was sealed due to their refusal to heed God's warnings through Jeremiah and other prophets.
Jeremiah 8 1 Word Analysis
- "At that time": This phrase marks a specific point in future judgment, emphasizing the inevitable fulfillment of God's pronouncement.
- "declares the LORD": This asserts the divine authority and source of the prophecy, lending it absolute credibility.
- "they shall bring out": This passive construction highlights that the agents of this desecration are not specified, implying divine enablement of an external force (like conquerors) or perhaps the very exposure of past sins by the natural processes of decay and war.
- "the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of its princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets": This list is significant. It includes the leadership—royal, religious, and even prophetic (those who may have failed to speak truth or succumbed to false prophecy). This demonstrates that no segment of society is exempt from judgment, particularly its influencers. The inclusion of prophets implies that even those who held spiritual authority are subject to divine wrath if they have failed in their duties or aligned themselves with the nation’s sin.
- "and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem": This extends the judgment to the general populace, emphasizing the pervasive nature of the coming destruction.
- "out of their graves": This signifies a disruption of the intended peace and finality of death, a profound indignity.
- "and they shall spread them": Reinforces the public and unceremonious exposure.
- "before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven": This is a direct polemic against the idolatrous worship of celestial bodies, which was prevalent in ancient Israel. By spreading the bones before these very objects of worship, God demonstrates their impotence and utter failure to protect or deliver their worshippers. Their adoration becomes a backdrop for the nation’s utter ruin.
- "whom they have loved, whom they have served, and whom they have gone after, and whom they have sought, and whom they have worshipped": This is a powerful catalog of the depth of their devotion to idols. These verbs describe active, affectionate, and dedicated engagement with false gods. The repetition emphasizes the thoroughness of their apostasy.
- "they shall not be gathered nor buried": This denies them even the minimal rites of respect and burial, highlighting extreme shame and the completeness of their downfall.
- "they shall be dung upon the face of the earth": This is an extremely strong and vile comparison, reducing human remains to mere refuse, worthless and repulsive. It conveys absolute degradation and utter rejection by God.
- "and one shall die, and another shall be put to death, and one shall go into captivity, and one shall go into exile": This depicts the diverse forms of destruction and dispersion the people will face, highlighting the indiscriminate nature of the coming judgment, which will afflict all strata of society in various calamitous ways.
Jeremiah 8 1 Bonus Section
The practice of honoring the dead through burial was highly valued in ancient Near Eastern cultures, representing a continuity with ancestors and a hope for an afterlife. The denial of burial in this verse, and elsewhere in Scripture (e.g., Jeremiah 7:33; 16:4; 25:33; Deuteronomy 28:26), signifies the extreme severity of God's judgment. It is the ultimate indignity, a complete erasure of their existence from any respected place, mirroring their rejection of God's rightful place in their lives. Furthermore, this prophecy is partially fulfilled through Josiah's reforms in 2 Kings 23:16, where he defiled the high places and altars by scattering human bones upon them, enacting a form of divine judgment upon past sins even before the full Babylonian exile. However, the full context here looks beyond Josiah’s reforms to the ultimate judgment by foreign invaders. The verse’s emphasis on the exposure to the sun, moon, and stars also reflects an awareness of ancient cosmological views, which often assigned powers and influences to these celestial bodies, directly confronting and nullifying such beliefs.
Jeremiah 8 1 Commentary
Jeremiah 8:1 vividly portrays the complete and utter devastation that will befall Judah as a consequence of their persistent idolatry and disobedience. God commands that the remains of their leaders and people be unearthed and exposed. This act is not merely about physical death, but a profound statement about their spiritual state. By scattering their bones before the very celestial bodies they worshipped, God exposes the futility and emptiness of their idols. These gods, whom they loved, served, and sought, offered no protection; instead, they are now the backdrop for the people's ultimate shame and disgrace. The lack of proper burial signifies a total loss of dignity and honor, emphasizing that their entire society, from kings to commoners, will be subjected to ruin, treated as worthless refuse upon the earth. This prophecy serves as a stark warning, demonstrating that unrepentant sin leads to complete destruction and abandonment.