Jeremiah 8 18

Jeremiah 8:18 kjv

When I would comfort myself against sorrow, my heart is faint in me.

Jeremiah 8:18 nkjv

I would comfort myself in sorrow; My heart is faint in me.

Jeremiah 8:18 niv

You who are my Comforter in sorrow, my heart is faint within me.

Jeremiah 8:18 esv

My joy is gone; grief is upon me; my heart is sick within me.

Jeremiah 8:18 nlt

My grief is beyond healing;
my heart is broken.

Jeremiah 8 verses

Jeremiah 8 18 Meaning

Jeremiah 8:18 expresses profound despair and inner collapse. It reveals the prophet Jeremiah's deep, personal anguish—a complete absence of joy overshadowed by an oppressive burden of grief, leading to a debilitating faintness within his very core. This lament is often understood as Jeremiah identifying closely with God's own sorrow over the impending judgment on Judah for their unrepentant sin, reflecting both the prophet's vicarious suffering and the divine pathos. It powerfully communicates the immense spiritual and emotional cost of a nation's rejection of God's covenant and persistent disobedience.

Jeremiah 8 18 Context

Jeremiah 8:18 is situated within a series of prophetic warnings and laments against Judah. Chapter 8 highlights Judah's persistent sin, particularly their idolatry (worshipping the "host of heaven") and stubborn refusal to repent despite seeing other nations judged. The prophet vividly portrays their spiritual deafness (v. 6), their reliance on false wisdom (v. 9), and the deceit of false prophets who proclaimed "peace, peace" when God's judgment was imminent (vv. 10-12). Verses 13-17 describe the coming devastating judgment, personified as a deadly, un-charmable enemy. In this immediate context, Jeremiah 8:18-22 forms a poignant lament, where the prophet shifts from directly declaring God's judgment to expressing profound empathy for the pain that judgment will bring. Jeremiah identifies with his people's plight and reflects God's own deep sorrow over His chosen nation's destruction, showing the tragic outcome of unfaithfulness before the fall of Jerusalem to Babylon.

Jeremiah 8 18 Word analysis

• My joy: The Hebrew term is מְשִׂמְחָתִי (misməḥātî), derived from שִׂמְחָה (simḥah), meaning gladness or mirth. The suffix 'ִי' signifies "my." This joy refers to a state of emotional well-being, festivity, and delight, often associated with covenant blessings or spiritual rejoicing. Its mention here sets the stage for a stark absence.
• is gone: The Hebrew אֵין (ên) functions as "there is no," "none," or "not existing." It is a strong statement of negation, implying a complete disappearance or non-existence of joy rather than a mere diminishing. It underscores the utter desolation within the speaker.
• grief: The Hebrew יָגוֹן (yāgôn) denotes a deep, heavy sorrow, distress, or anguish. It often conveys a profound sense of suffering, frequently tied to lament or mourning. Unlike lighter sadness, yāgôn describes a consuming, burdensome pain.
• is upon me: The Hebrew עָלָי (ʿālāy), literally "upon me" or "over me," signifies an oppressive burden or a heavy weight that settles over one. It is not just an internal feeling but an external, pressing force that overwhelms and takes possession, often connoting judgment or divine affliction.
• my heart: The Hebrew לִבִּי (libbî), "my heart," refers to the core of a person's being—the seat of intellect, will, emotions, and moral consciousness. In ancient Near Eastern thought, the heart was central to all aspects of life, not merely emotion. Here, its condition reflects a holistic state of despair.
• is faint: The Hebrew דַּוַּי (dawway), though translated "faint," more deeply implies being sick, weak, or pining away. It conveys a profound internal collapse, a spiritual or emotional incapacitation that renders one helpless. It's an internal wound that causes extreme weakness.
• within me: This phrase further emphasizes the internalization of the sorrow and faintness, indicating that the collapse originates and pervades the innermost being, making it a profound and pervasive condition.

Word-groups by word-groups analysis:

• "My joy is gone": This phrase establishes the central theme of desolation. The complete absence of joy speaks to a severe spiritual condition, reflecting the ultimate consequence of Judah's unfaithfulness. It signifies a forfeiture of covenant blessings and the end of spiritual well-being.
• "grief is upon me": This expresses an overwhelming, oppressive state. The sorrow is not a passing emotion but an encroaching reality that dominates and suffocates, like a physical weight. It conveys an experience of being burdened by sorrow, possibly indicating God's judgment settling upon the land and people, as expressed through the prophet.
• "my heart is faint within me": This describes the physical and spiritual consequence of such immense despair. The "heart," the very core of being, succumbs to the pressure, becoming weak, sick, and incapacitated. It denotes a loss of spiritual fortitude, an inability to cope, and a total collapse from within, underscoring the severe mental, emotional, and spiritual toll of bearing such prophetic burdens and witnessing such national devastation.

Jeremiah 8 18 Bonus section

The intense lament in Jeremiah 8:18-22, and especially in this verse, has led some scholars to call Jeremiah "the weeping prophet." However, it's critical to note that his tears are not for personal hardship primarily, but flow from an empathetic burden for the suffering of God's people, and from seeing God's heart for His rebellious children. This deep identification by the prophet, a unique aspect of his ministry, sets a pattern for true intercession and prophetic ministry where the minister fully feels the pain and sorrow of those they serve. This lament can also be seen as an illustration of how unrepentant sin inevitably leads to a void where joy once resided, filling it instead with an oppressive sorrow, stripping individuals and communities of spiritual vitality, leaving them emotionally and spiritually weak. It is a spiritual law that rebellion against God depletes joy and brings about the opposite state.

Jeremiah 8 18 Commentary

Jeremiah 8:18 is a profound expression of lament and empathic suffering. While spoken by Jeremiah, it is often seen as a deep identification with God's own broken heart over the chosen people's unrepentant sin and their impending destruction. The complete departure of joy, symbolized by the phrase "My joy is gone," reflects the stripping away of blessings and prosperity that Judah once knew and willfully abandoned through idolatry and disobedience. The succeeding declaration, "grief is upon me," portrays a sorrow that is not merely internal but an overwhelming, oppressive burden, akin to a spiritual and emotional affliction from an external force—the looming divine judgment. This grief signals the dire reality facing a people who rejected peace with God for false security.

Finally, "my heart is faint within me" conveys the utter spiritual and emotional collapse. The heart, the biblical seat of thought, emotion, and will, has lost its strength, indicative of a profound despondency and the overwhelming nature of the prophetic burden coupled with the sorrow of national downfall. This verse does not suggest personal pity from the prophet, but rather his agony stemming from seeing God's justice meted out and experiencing vicariously the suffering of a covenant people astray. It serves as a somber warning against spiritual complacency and highlights the heavy cost of unfaithfulness, where true joy departs, replaced by overwhelming sorrow and a broken spirit. It reminds believers of the immense pathos involved in divine judgment, not as vindictiveness but as a lamentable necessity against rebellion.