Jeremiah 8:14 kjv
Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the defenced cities, and let us be silent there: for the LORD our God hath put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD.
Jeremiah 8:14 nkjv
"Why do we sit still? Assemble yourselves, And let us enter the fortified cities, And let us be silent there. For the LORD our God has put us to silence And given us water of gall to drink, Because we have sinned against the LORD.
Jeremiah 8:14 niv
Why are we sitting here? Gather together! Let us flee to the fortified cities and perish there! For the LORD our God has doomed us to perish and given us poisoned water to drink, because we have sinned against him.
Jeremiah 8:14 esv
Why do we sit still? Gather together; let us go into the fortified cities and perish there, for the LORD our God has doomed us to perish and has given us poisoned water to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD.
Jeremiah 8:14 nlt
"Then the people will say,
'Why should we wait here to die?
Come, let's go to the fortified towns and die there.
For the LORD our God has decreed our destruction
and has given us a cup of poison to drink
because we sinned against the LORD.
Jeremiah 8 14 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jer 8:15 | We looked for peace, but no good came; for a time of healing, but behold, terror! | Jeremiah 8:15, immediate context |
| Jer 6:14 | They dress the wound of my people carelessly, saying, "Peace, peace," when there is no peace. | Jeremiah 6:14, false healing |
| Isa 59:9-11 | Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not overtake us... | Isaiah 59:9-11, injustice and suffering |
| Ezek 13:10 | Because, yes because they have misled my people, saying, "Peace," when there is no peace... | Ezekiel 13:10, false prophets |
| Lev 26:16 | I will also do this to you: I will inflict upon you ruin, consumption, and burning heat... | Leviticus 26:16, consequences of disobedience |
| Deut 28:28 | The LORD will strike you with madness and with blindness and with a confusion of heart. | Deuteronomy 28:28, curses of disobedience |
| Ps 7:14-16 | Behold, he is pregnant with trouble and conceives mischief, and brings forth falsehood. | Psalm 7:14-16, consequences of wickedness |
| Rom 11:7-8 | What then? Israel did not obtain what it was seeking, but the chosen obtained it... | Romans 11:7-8, spiritual blindness |
| John 12:40 | He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart... | John 12:40, quoted Isaiah 6:10, spiritual blindness |
| Acts 28:26-27 | 'Go to this people, and say: “You will indeed hear but never understand...” | Acts 28:26-27, quoting Isa 6:9-10 |
| Prov 1:28-31 | Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me... | Proverbs 1:28-31, consequences of rejecting wisdom |
| Gal 5:7 | You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? | Galatians 5:7, straying from truth |
| Jer 4:22 | "For my people are fools; they do not know me; they are stupid children; they have no understanding." | Jeremiah 4:22, the people's foolishness |
| Jer 7:29-31 | “Cut off your hair and throw it away, and wail on the bare heights...” | Jeremiah 7:29-31, apostasy and false worship |
| Hos 4:6 | My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge... | Hosea 4:6, lack of knowledge |
| Jer 5:31 | The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their discretion; and my people love it so! | Jeremiah 5:31, false prophets and acceptance |
| Jer 3:23 | Truly the hills are a delusion, a turmoil on the mountains. Truly the salvation of Israel is from the LORD our God. | Jeremiah 3:23, refuting false sources of salvation |
| Deut 30:19 | I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death... | Deuteronomy 30:19, choice and consequences |
| Luke 11:52 | "Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge..." | Luke 11:52, spiritual leaders blocking understanding |
| Jer 9:23-24 | Thus says the LORD: Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might... | Jeremiah 9:23-24, true boasting in the Lord |
Jeremiah 8 verses
Jeremiah 8 14 Meaning
This verse describes the dire spiritual state of the people of Judah. They are afflicted with a severe sickness of spiritual delusion and despair because they have turned away from God and embraced false worship and empty rituals. The affliction is so profound that it leads them to reject any hope or possibility of healing, falsely believing their situation is irrecoverable and stemming from external curses rather than their own sin.
Jeremiah 8 14 Context
Jeremiah 8 is situated within the broader context of Jeremiah's prophecy to Judah before and during its exile. The chapter vividly portrays the spiritual decay and impending doom of Jerusalem and its people. They are consumed by idolatry, deceitful leadership, and a false sense of security. Jeremiah pronounces judgment upon them for their persistent unfaithfulness, highlighting their rejection of God's word and covenant. This verse, specifically, addresses the people's internal delusion and misplaced hope, showing how their spiritual sickness prevents them from recognizing the severity of their situation or seeking genuine healing.
Jeremiah 8 14 Word Analysis
- For (כִּי, ki): A strong conjunction indicating reason or cause. It links the preceding discourse about judgment to the specific affliction described.
- we (נַחְנוּ, naḥnu): First-person plural pronoun. Emphasizes the collective experience and shared delusion of the people.
- looked (צָפִינוּ, ṣafinu): From the root צָפָה (tsafah), meaning "to look out," "to watch," "to gaze." It implies a persistent and expectant looking.
- for (לְ, le): Preposition indicating purpose or goal.
- peace (שָׁלוֹם, shalom): A comprehensive Hebrew word meaning "peace," "welfare," "safety," "completeness," and "well-being." Here, it represents the absence of conflict and the presence of prosperity they desired.
- but (וְ, wə): Conjunction used here adversatively.
- no (אֵין, ein): Negation particle.
- good (טוֹב, ṭov): Meaning "good," "pleasing," "beneficial."
- came (בָּא, ba): Verb "to come."
- for (לְ, le): Again, preposition indicating purpose.
- a (עֵת, et): "Time," "season," "period."
- time (עֵת, et): "Time," "season," "period."
- of (מִשְׁלוֹת, mishlot): Plural of מִשְׁלוֹת (mishlol), a more obscure term potentially related to "healing," "restoration," or "victory" from the root שָׁלָה (shaloh), possibly implying well-being or prosperity as a consequence of peace. However, it's often rendered as "healing" or "recovery."
- healing (מִשְׁלוֹת, mishlot): See above; referring to a state of being well or restored.
- but (וְ, wə): Adversative conjunction.
- behold (הִנֵּה, hinneh): An interjection commanding attention, signifying "lo," "behold," "see."
- a (עֵת, et): "Time," "season," "period."
- time (עֵת, et): "Time," "season," "period."
- of (בּוּלָעוֹת, bul'aot): From the root בָּלַע (bala), meaning "to swallow," "to gulp down," "to consume." Here it denotes a time of consuming dread, terror, or devastation. It conveys a sense of being overwhelmed or swallowed up by calamity.
Group Analysis:The phrase "we looked for peace, but no good came; for a time of healing, but behold, terror!" vividly encapsulates the people's disillusionment. They expected positive outcomes ("good," "healing") from their continued actions or worship, but instead, they are met with catastrophic results ("terror," "destruction"). The repetition of "a time of..." emphasizes their repeated, failed expectations and their inability to grasp the reality of their situation, a characteristic of their spiritual blindness. The use of "behold" with "terror" heightens the shock of their actual experience versus their desired outcome.
Jeremiah 8 14 Bonus Section
The affliction described here can be understood as a divine judgment of spiritual hardening, a consequence of persistent rejection of God's truth. This hardening is not arbitrary but is a direct result of their deliberate turning away. The prophecy echoes the consequences outlined in Deuteronomy, where disobedience leads to confusion of mind and distress. The emphasis on "a time of healing" highlights their superficial hope; they sought relief without genuine repentance or addressing the root cause of their ailment, which was their covenant unfaithfulness. This also aligns with the warnings of false prophets in Ezekiel and Jeremiah, who offer a false sense of security, "peace, peace, when there is no peace."
Jeremiah 8 14 Commentary
The people of Judah are experiencing a profound spiritual sickness. Despite their expectation of peace and healing, they are overwhelmed by terror and destruction. This verse illustrates how their turning away from God and relying on their own strategies or false gods has led to severe delusion. They anticipated a favorable outcome from their spiritual wandering, but the reality is the opposite. Their spiritual state is so corrupted that they cannot perceive the true cause of their suffering – their own sin and disobedience – and they wrongly attribute their misfortunes to external curses or unchangeable circumstances, thus deepening their despair and inability to seek genuine repentance and restoration.