Jeremiah 8:22 kjv
Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?
Jeremiah 8:22 nkjv
Is there no balm in Gilead, Is there no physician there? Why then is there no recovery For the health of the daughter of my people?
Jeremiah 8:22 niv
Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people?
Jeremiah 8:22 esv
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?
Jeremiah 8:22 nlt
Is there no medicine in Gilead?
Is there no physician there?
Why is there no healing
for the wounds of my people?
Jeremiah 8 22 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah 3:22 | Return, O faithless Israel, declares the LORD; I will not look on you with | God's call to return; no remedy without him |
| Jeremiah 4:14 | O Jerusalem, wash your heart from evil, that you may be saved. How long shall | Seeking cleansing for salvation |
| Jeremiah 6:14 | They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, “Peace, peace,” when | False healing contrasted with true healing |
| Jeremiah 17:14 | Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you | Jeremiah's personal prayer for healing |
| Isaiah 1:6 | From the sole of the foot to the crown of the head there is no soundness in it | National sickness, no healing from man |
| Isaiah 6:10 | Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes | Spiritual blindness preventing healing |
| Isaiah 53:5 | But he was pierced for our offenses; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him | The suffering Servant brings true healing |
| Luke 4:18-19 | The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good | Jesus, the divine healer |
| Luke 10:34 | He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him | The Good Samaritan illustrates compassion |
| Acts 4:12 | And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven | Salvation only through Jesus |
| Revelation 22:2 | Through the middle of the street also, on either side of the river, the tree of | Eternal life and healing through Christ |
| Romans 11:26 | And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will | Ultimate deliverance and salvation |
| 2 Corinthians 5:18 | All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and gave us | Reconciliation through Christ |
| Galatians 6:1 | Brothers, if anyone is caught in any sin, you who are spiritual should restore him | Spiritual restoration by believers |
| Matthew 9:12 | But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, | Jesus heals the sick and sinner |
| Mark 5:34 | And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be | Faith as a means to healing |
| John 3:16 | For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in | God's love offering salvation and healing |
| Psalm 107:20 | He sent with his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction. | God’s word as a source of healing |
| Hosea 6:1 | "Come, let us return to the LORD; for he has torn us, and he will heal us; he has | The Lord as healer after affliction |
| Job 5:18 | For he wounds, but he binds up; he strikes, but his hands heal. | God’s dual action of wounding and healing |
Jeremiah 8 verses
Jeremiah 8 22 Meaning
Is there no balm in Gilead? This question in Jeremiah 8:22 poignantly asks if there is no healing or remedy for the suffering and impending destruction of Judah. It signifies a desperate search for relief from national pain, alluding to a specific place known for its medicinal resins, but extending to the spiritual state of the people who have turned away from God.
Jeremiah 8 22 Context
Jeremiah 8:22 is situated within a larger prophecy lamenting Judah's impending doom due to their persistent sin and apostasy. The nation is suffering from internal sickness, a spiritual decay brought on by their turning away from God and their reliance on false idols and faulty human strategies. This verse arises in a section where Jeremiah vividly portrays the devastating consequences of their rebellion. He compares the nation’s condition to a pervasive sickness that cannot be healed by human means, pointing to the deep-seated nature of their spiritual wound. The backdrop is one of divine judgment approaching, emphasizing the complete lack of recourse in their current state of spiritual barrenness.
Jeremiah 8 22 Word Analysis
- הַאִם (ha'im): "Is there?" or "Is it so?". This interrogative particle introduces a rhetorical question, expressing doubt or a desperate inquiry.
- אֵין (ein): "is not" or "there is not". Emphasizes absence or lack.
- בָּלְזָם (bal-sam): "balm" or "resin". Specifically refers to the medicinal resin produced in Gilead, known for its healing properties. This word is crucial as it highlights the expectation of a remedy.
- בְּגִלְעָד (bə·gil·‘āḏ): "in Gilead". Refers to the region east of the Jordan River, historically known for its physicians and valuable medicinal resins. The specificity of "Gilead" intensifies the question: even in a place renowned for healing, is there no cure?
- וְאֵין (wə·’ên): "and there is not". Connects the preceding inquiry with the lack of a physician.
- רֹפֵא (rō·p̄ê): "physician" or "healer". The one who administers the balm and treats ailments.
- רִפְאוּת (ri·p̄u·’āṯ): "healing" or "remedy". The ultimate outcome sought. The question is asking if the ability to heal is absent, not just the medicine.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "Is there no balm in Gilead?": This phrase is loaded with symbolic meaning. Gilead was famous for its balsam trees, producing a resin highly valued in antiquity for its medicinal qualities (Jeremiah 46:11). The question implies that if even the renowned healing substances of Gilead cannot help, then all hope for healing is lost. It speaks to a complete societal sickness that has reached its breaking point.
- "and is there no physician there?": This second part of the verse broadens the scope from a specific remedy to the general capacity for healing. It questions the absence of qualified practitioners who could administer such remedies. Taken together, the verse paints a bleak picture of a desperate situation where both the medicine and the doctors are missing, highlighting the profoundness of their malady and their inability to recover on their own.
Jeremiah 8 22 Bonus Section
The sentiment in Jeremiah 8:22 echoes the deep despair that can grip individuals and nations facing profound suffering. This lament is amplified when considered in light of the prophecy of God's eventual restoration through the Messiah. While Jeremiah highlights the absence of earthly solutions, the broader biblical narrative points to a divine physician, Jesus Christ, who provides the ultimate balm and healing for humanity's spiritual wounds, as foreshadowed in passages like Isaiah 53. The verse also serves as a warning against complacency in spiritual matters; like Judah, if a people turn away from God and ignore His commandments, they risk reaching a state where earthly comforts and remedies prove useless against the divine judgment they have incurred.
Jeremiah 8 22 Commentary
Jeremiah 8:22 captures a nation's deep anguish and perceived helplessness. The prophet uses the well-known healing properties of Gilead's resins as a metaphor for spiritual restoration. The question isn't merely about a physical ailment but about a profound spiritual sickness that has infected all of Judah. Their apostasy, idolatry, and corruption have led them so far from God that it feels as if there is no cure, no spiritual physician who can mend their brokenness. This reflects a spiritual malaise so severe that the natural means of healing, even those historically renowned, seem utterly insufficient. The verse foreshadows the Assyrian and Babylonian exiles as divine judgment for their incorrigible sin. It prompts reflection on our own spiritual condition, whether we rely on God for healing and restoration rather than temporal or worldly solutions.