Jeremiah 9:1 kjv
Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!
Jeremiah 9:1 nkjv
Oh, that my head were waters, And my eyes a fountain of tears, That I might weep day and night For the slain of the daughter of my people!
Jeremiah 9:1 niv
Oh, that my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night for the slain of my people.
Jeremiah 9:1 esv
Oh that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!
Jeremiah 9:1 nlt
If only my head were a pool of water
and my eyes a fountain of tears,
I would weep day and night
for all my people who have been slaughtered.
Jeremiah 9 1 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lam 1:16 | "For these things I weep; My eyes overflow with tears..." | Jeremiah's lamentation mirrors his own grief. |
| Lam 2:18 | "Let tears stream down like a river day and night..." | Similar call for relentless weeping for Zion. |
| Lam 3:48-49 | "My eyes overflow with rivers of tears because of the destruction..." | Personal grief for his people's ruin. |
| Ps 42:3 | "My tears have been my food day and night..." | Expression of constant, deep sorrow. |
| Ps 6:6 | "I am weary with my groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping." | Hyperbolic lament of personal suffering. |
| Isa 22:4 | "Do not look at me; let me weep bitterly..." | Prophet desiring to mourn profoundly. |
| Eze 9:4 | "Pass through the city... and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who groan and lament over all the abominations..." | God acknowledging those who grieve sin. |
| Lk 19:41-44 | "When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it..." | Jesus's lament for Jerusalem's fate. |
| Matt 23:37-39 | "Jerusalem, Jerusalem... How often I wanted to gather your children together..." | Jesus expresses a divine longing and sorrow. |
| Rom 9:1-3 | "I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart for my brethren..." | Paul's profound sorrow for his people. |
| Php 3:18-19 | "For many walk, of whom I have told you often... even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross..." | Paul's sorrow for spiritual enemies. |
| Isa 15:5 | "My heart cries out for Moab..." | Prophet's personal grief for a foreign nation. |
| Joel 2:12, 17 | "Return to Me with all your heart... let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar." | Call to corporate repentance and lament. |
| Zech 12:10 | "They will look on Me whom they have pierced, and they will mourn for Him..." | Future profound national mourning and repentance. |
| Hos 11:8 | "How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel?" | God's divine grief and reluctance to abandon. |
| Jer 4:19 | "My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain! Oh, my heart! My heart pounds..." | Jeremiah's direct expression of internal suffering. |
| Jer 6:26 | "O daughter of my people, put on sackcloth, and wallow in ashes; make mourning as for an only son..." | Call to the people to mourn their impending loss. |
| Jer 13:17 | "But if you will not listen, my soul will weep in secret for your pride..." | Jeremiah's hidden grief over his people's sin. |
| Neh 1:4 | "When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for many days..." | Nehemiah's grief over Jerusalem's ruins. |
| Ps 119:136 | "My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep Your law." | Grief over lawlessness and rebellion against God. |
| Ps 126:5-6 | "Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy..." | Acknowledging weeping as a path to future joy. |
| Rev 21:4 | "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes..." | Future hope where all causes for tears are removed. |
Jeremiah 9 verses
Jeremiah 9 1 Meaning
Jeremiah 9:1 expresses the prophet's profound anguish and personal grief over the spiritual decay and impending destruction of the people of Judah. It is a hyperbolic lament, where Jeremiah wishes for an inexhaustible source of tears—his head like water and eyes like a fountain—so that he could weep perpetually, day and night, for those who have been or will be slain as a result of divine judgment. His sorrow is not merely for physical death but also for the spiritual death that brought about such calamitous consequences.
Jeremiah 9 1 Context
Jeremiah 9:1 is a poignant outburst following the lament in Jeremiah 8, which ends with a cry of despair over the people's incurable hurt and spiritual blindness (Jer 8:21-22). The prophet has just recounted God's judgment and the futility of seeking peace where there is none. This verse acts as Jeremiah's intensely personal response to the imminent catastrophe. It is a transition from prophetic pronouncement of judgment to an expression of profound empathetic identification with the suffering. The larger context of chapters 7-10 deals with Judah's covenant unfaithfulness, idolatry, false security, and the certainty of divine judgment, particularly the coming invasion and exile by Babylon, which Jeremiah tirelessly forewarns. Jeremiah's sorrow contrasts sharply with the apathy and false sense of security prevalent among the people.
Jeremiah 9 1 Word analysis
- Oh that: A fervent, almost desperate wish or exclamation. The Hebrew, mî-yittên (מִֽי־יִתֵּן), literally means "who will give?" or "Oh, that someone would give." It signifies an intense longing for something seemingly impossible or difficult to obtain.
- my head: Represents the prophet's entire being, but specifically highlights the origin of tears—the face and mind. It conveys a desire for his entire person to be consumed by sorrow.
- were waters: An exaggerated, hyper-literal metaphor for an endless, gushing supply. Not just tears, but a flood. This emphasizes the magnitude of the sorrow and the insufficiency of normal human weeping.
- and my eyes: The specific organs of weeping, signifying the outward expression of inner pain.
- a fountain of tears: Hebrew: məqōr dimʿâ (מְקֹ֣ור דִּמְעָ֔ה). This reinforces the "waters" metaphor. A fountain is a source that continuously flows, suggesting an inexhaustible, spontaneous wellspring of grief. It indicates the bottomless nature of the tragedy.
- that I might weep: Hebrew: ’ebkeh (אֶבְכֶּה), from the verb bakah, to weep, lament, mourn. This is the desired action resulting from the endless supply.
- day and night: An idiom signifying incessant, relentless, and unceasing mourning. The suffering is so immense that even continuous weeping for every waking and sleeping moment would not suffice.
- for the slain: Hebrew: ḥallêlê (חַלְלֵ֖י), "slain," "pierced," "wounded." This term often refers to those killed in battle or by plague/divine judgment. It evokes images of violent, undignified death and devastation. It points to the immediate, tangible cause of his sorrow—the human cost of rebellion.
- of the daughter of my people: Hebrew: bat-ʿammî (בַת־עַמִּֽי). A deeply affectionate and familial term, typical in prophetic literature when referring to Judah or Jerusalem. "Daughter" personalizes the nation, making the loss feel like that of a beloved child or family member, enhancing the emotional impact of their destruction. This phrase underscores Jeremiah's strong identification with his kin.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "Oh that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears": This double hyperbole emphasizes the sheer volume of sorrow Jeremiah desires to express. Normal human weeping is deemed insufficient for the catastrophe unfolding. It's an expression of empathetic distress that transcends ordinary emotion.
- "that I might weep day and night": This indicates the desired duration and intensity of the lament. The tragedy's scale warrants constant, uninterrupted grieving, not fleeting sorrow.
- "for the slain of the daughter of my people": This pinpoints the object of his lament—the victims of God's judgment. The intimate "daughter of my people" highlights his deep love and solidarity, turning the national calamity into a profound personal heartbreak, underscoring the pathos of a prophet who deeply loves the very people he is commissioned to condemn.
Jeremiah 9 1 Bonus section
The lament of Jeremiah 9:1 transcends mere sentimentality. It exemplifies a form of intercessory grief where the prophet does not merely observe suffering but fully internalizes it. This depth of feeling, where one wishes to transform into an inexhaustible source of tears, indicates an ultimate burden of truth-telling alongside immense love. Scholars note that this intense emotional identification with God's people in their suffering and sin is a hallmark of truly compassionate leadership and reflects a deep spiritual connection to both divine will and human condition. Jeremiah’s longing here parallels other biblical figures like Moses (Exod 32:32) and Paul (Rom 9:1-3) who express willingness to suffer deeply, even personally for the sake of their kin or for others. The "slain" here are not just casualties of war, but also symbolic of a spiritually dead people, oblivious to their plight.
Jeremiah 9 1 Commentary
Jeremiah 9:1 stands as a quintessential expression of prophetic pathos, earning Jeremiah the epithet "the weeping prophet." It is a lament born not from self-pity, but from deep spiritual empathy—an emotional identification with both God's righteous wrath and the profound suffering of his disobedient people. His yearning for inexhaustible tears reveals the unspeakable grief for Judah's impending desolation, a result of their persistent rebellion and idolatry. Jeremiah understands the depth of their spiritual depravity, the divine judgment it necessitates, and the catastrophic human cost. This lament highlights the tension between a prophet's role as a bearer of God's stern word and his personal, human sorrow for those on whom judgment falls. His tears serve as a stark contrast to the nation's spiritual numbness, effectively preaching by emotional example, signaling the gravity of a situation many failed to grasp. This lament ultimately foreshadows Christ's own weeping over Jerusalem, demonstrating a divine heart of compassion even in the face of judgment.