Jeremiah 8 21

Jeremiah 8:21 kjv

For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt; I am black; astonishment hath taken hold on me.

Jeremiah 8:21 nkjv

For the hurt of the daughter of my people I am hurt. I am mourning; Astonishment has taken hold of me.

Jeremiah 8:21 niv

Since my people are crushed, I am crushed; I mourn, and horror grips me.

Jeremiah 8:21 esv

For the wound of the daughter of my people is my heart wounded; I mourn, and dismay has taken hold on me.

Jeremiah 8:21 nlt

I hurt with the hurt of my people.
I mourn and am overcome with grief.

Jeremiah 8 verses

Jeremiah 8 21 Meaning

Jeremiah 8:21 expresses the prophet's profound personal sorrow and empathetic anguish over the severe distress, impending judgment, and lack of spiritual healing experienced by the people of Judah. He identifies so deeply with their suffering, referring to them tenderly as "the daughter of my people," that he feels their pain as his own, experiencing overwhelming grief, visible mourning, and a crushing sense of despair and desolation.

Jeremiah 8 21 Context

Jeremiah 8:21 is situated within a broader passage (Jeremiah 7-10) where the prophet pronounces severe judgment upon Judah for its persistent idolatry, social injustice, and reliance on false religious security (the Temple, Jer 7:1-15). Chapter 8 specifically highlights Judah's stubborn unrepentance (8:4-7), their rejection of God's law for their own corrupted wisdom (8:8-9), and the superficial, deceitful assurances of false prophets who proclaim "Peace, peace," when God's wrath is imminent (8:10-12). The chapter then describes the inevitability and severity of the impending divine judgment, portraying it through vivid images of famine, pestilence, and an invading army likened to a deadly snake (8:13-17).

Verse 21 follows Jeremiah's personal cry of anguish in 8:18-20, where he describes his "sorrow that is incurable" and echoes the people's despair, "Is the Lord not in Zion? Is her King not there?" (v. 19). It also precedes the profound lament for the lack of healing in Judah in 8:22, which asks, "Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored?" This verse, therefore, marks Jeremiah's deeply personal identification with the collective suffering caused by Judah's spiritual rebellion and the impending national catastrophe.

Jeremiah 8 21 Word analysis

• For the hurt (מִשֶּׁ֣בֶר - mishshever):

  • Meaning: "From the breaking," "because of the destruction," "on account of the crushing." The root shavar means to break, smash, or shatter.
  • Significance: It denotes a severe, violent, and devastating injury or calamity, not a mere scratch or slight wound. It speaks of something utterly broken, fragmented. This highlights the profundity of Judah's impending desolation and Jeremiah's visceral reaction to it.

• of the daughter of my people (בַת־עַמִּי֙ - bat-ammi):

  • Meaning: "Daughter of my people." "Bat" means daughter; "ammi" means my people.
  • Significance: This is a tender, intimate, and highly poetic expression frequently used in prophetic and lament literature to refer to the collective people of Israel or Judah (e.g., "daughter of Zion," "daughter of Jerusalem"). It conveys a deep, familial affection and attachment, emphasizing Jeremiah's personal connection and the pathos of their suffering. It humanizes the nation, making their collective pain intensely personal to the prophet.

• I am hurt (שָׁבַ֗רְתִּי - shavarti):

  • Meaning: "I am broken," "I am shattered," "I suffer affliction." This verb is from the same root shavar as the noun "hurt" (shever).
  • Significance: This shows Jeremiah's complete identification with Judah's pain. He isn't merely observing; he is feeling the same brokenness and suffering. It underscores his deep empathy and solidarity, transcending his prophetic role to embody their sorrow physically and emotionally.

• I mourn (קָדַ֙רְתִּי֙ - kadarti):

  • Meaning: "I am black," "I am darkened," "I grieve." The verb qadar means to be dark, somber, or to go into mourning. In ancient Near Eastern culture, profound grief often involved outward signs like wearing dark or coarse garments, unwashed hair, a dust-smeared face, and a generally somber appearance that made one seem "dark."
  • Significance: This describes the visible, outward manifestation of Jeremiah's deep internal grief. It indicates not just internal sorrow but a profound, overwhelming grief that affects his entire demeanor, making him appear desolate, like one in deep mourning for the dead.

• and dismay has taken hold of me (שַׁמָּמָ֖ה הֶחֱזִקָֽתְנִי - shammama hekhezikatni):

  • Meaning: "Desolation/astonishment/horror has seized me/taken firm hold of me." "Shammama" is related to shamem, meaning to be desolate, appalled, or stunned into silence. "Hekhezikatni" means "has seized" or "has laid hold of."
  • Significance: This denotes an overwhelming state of shock, horror, and stupefaction that immobilizes the prophet. It's a dread-filled astonishment at the severity and certainty of the judgment. It's not just sadness but a paralyzing sense of desolation and despair, recognizing the irreparable nature of their predicament.

• Words-group by words-group analysis:

  • "For the hurt... I am hurt": The repetition of the root shavar (break, shatter) connects the national catastrophe directly to Jeremiah's personal agony. It’s an empathetic echo – the people are broken, and so is their prophet in solidarity. This linguistic mirroring amplifies the prophet’s vicarious suffering and highlights the extent of Judah’s internal destruction.
  • "of the daughter of my people": This intimate and endearing phrase frames the national tragedy as a personal family bereavement. It is a plea from the heart, indicating not a distant observer, but one profoundly invested and wounded by the fate of his kin. The use of "my" underscores Jeremiah's prophetic office as one intrinsically tied to his people.
  • "I mourn, and dismay has taken hold of me": These two phrases together depict a full spectrum of intense emotional suffering. "I mourn" speaks to the active process of lamenting, a physical and emotional response to grief. "Dismay has taken hold of me" describes a state of passive paralysis and overwhelming shock. Together, they paint a picture of utter despondency—active grieving compounded by a paralyzing sense of horror and hopelessness at the nation's predicament.

Jeremiah 8 21 Bonus section

The profound identification expressed by Jeremiah in this verse provides a prophetic foreshadowing of God's own grief over the fate of His people (e.g., Hos 11:8, "How can I give you up, O Ephraim?"). Jeremiah, often referred to as "the weeping prophet," mirrors divine sorrow and compassion. His emotional suffering is a tangible witness to God's heart for a people bent on destruction despite His warnings. Furthermore, this type of prophetic suffering sets a precedent for empathetic leadership, where a true shepherd is not aloof from the flock's pain but actively bears it. This can be seen echoed later in figures like the Apostle Paul (Phil 3:18) and most perfectly in Jesus Christ, who wept over Jerusalem (Lk 19:41-44) recognizing its impending destruction due to its rejection of Him. Jeremiah's willingness to be "hurt" with his people makes his message not only one of judgment but also one infused with deep love and concern for their eternal welfare.

Jeremiah 8 21 Commentary

Jeremiah 8:21 is a raw and poignant expression of prophetic empathy and deep personal identification with national suffering. In a period characterized by widespread spiritual apostasy and a facade of peace promoted by false prophets (8:11-12), Jeremiah stands as a solitary figure, genuinely feeling the devastating "hurt" of his people. This isn't just a political or intellectual lament, but a visceral experience where their communal brokenness shatters his own being. His "mourning" and visible "dismay" demonstrate the intensity of his sorrow, aligning him physically and emotionally with the doomed nation, effectively becoming a living embodiment of their future anguish.

This verse profoundly highlights the nature of true prophetic ministry, which transcends mere message delivery to include deep compassion and shared suffering. Jeremiah's agony stands in stark contrast to the casual attitude of other religious leaders of his time who lightly dismissed the spiritual sickness of the nation. It serves as a reminder that understanding divine judgment involves not just theological knowledge but also a heartfelt anguish over sin and its consequences, particularly when those affected are part of one's own spiritual community. His grief underscores the seriousness of Judah's unfaithfulness and serves as a precursor to the intense sorrow depicted in the Book of Lamentations. Practically, this verse illustrates the biblical call to lament over sin and suffering, and to bear one another's burdens with genuine, empathetic identification.