Jeremiah 9 10

Jeremiah 9:10 kjv

For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so that none can pass through them; neither can men hear the voice of the cattle; both the fowl of the heavens and the beast are fled; they are gone.

Jeremiah 9:10 nkjv

I will take up a weeping and wailing for the mountains, And for the dwelling places of the wilderness a lamentation, Because they are burned up, So that no one can pass through; Nor can men hear the voice of the cattle. Both the birds of the heavens and the beasts have fled; They are gone.

Jeremiah 9:10 niv

I will weep and wail for the mountains and take up a lament concerning the wilderness grasslands. They are desolate and untraveled, and the lowing of cattle is not heard. The birds have all fled and the animals are gone.

Jeremiah 9:10 esv

"I will take up weeping and wailing for the mountains, and a lamentation for the pastures of the wilderness, because they are laid waste so that no one passes through, and the lowing of cattle is not heard; both the birds of the air and the beasts have fled and are gone.

Jeremiah 9:10 nlt

I will weep for the mountains
and wail for the wilderness pastures.
For they are desolate and empty of life;
the lowing of cattle is heard no more;
the birds and wild animals have all fled.

Jeremiah 9 verses

Jeremiah 9 10 Meaning

Jeremiah 9:10 describes the profound desolation that is prophesied to fall upon the land of Judah due to its inhabitants' persistent sin and idolatry. The verse employs vivid personification, depicting the very mountains and pastures weeping and wailing in sorrow over their barren state. This desolation, attributed to being "burned up," signifies a comprehensive destruction, leaving the land uninhabited and impassable. The absence of both human presence and the sounds of animal life—cattle, birds, and wild beasts—underscores the complete cessation of natural order and livelihood, transforming the once fertile land into a desolate wasteland under divine judgment.

Jeremiah 9 10 Context

Jeremiah 9:10 is embedded within a passage where the prophet Jeremiah laments the moral decay and impending judgment upon Judah. The preceding verses (Jer 9:1-9) detail the widespread deceit, treachery, and rejection of God's law among the people. Jeremiah describes them as practicing every form of injustice, idolatry, and unfaithfulness. The lamentations of the prophet throughout this chapter often blur with God's own grief and indignation over His rebellious people. The judgment described in verse 10—the desolation of the land—is the direct consequence of these sins, forming a stark contrast to God's covenant promises of a prosperous land. Historically, this prophecy points to the coming Babylonian invasion and subsequent exile, which physically manifested the depicted destruction and barrenness. The "burned up" imagery can be interpreted as both literal destruction by invaders' fires and a symbol of severe drought or devastation from neglect due to war, undermining any contemporary belief in the fertility gods like Baal.

Jeremiah 9 10 Word analysis

• For the mountains (עַל־הֶהָרִ֔ים - al-hehārîm): This phrase points to the prominent, elevated geographical features. In Israel's context, mountains could be places of divine encounter but also frequent sites for idolatrous worship ("high places"). Here, they are subjects of lamentation, indicating widespread judgment reaching even the sacred or prominent areas.
• I will take up (אֶשָּׂא֙ - esā’): First-person singular imperfect verb. It means "I will lift up" or "I will raise." This can be the prophet Jeremiah identifying personally with the deep sorrow of the land and God, or the "poetic I" speaking on behalf of the Lord who is about to bring judgment. It signifies a solemn, intentional act of mourning.
• a weeping (בֶּכִ֨י - bekî): This Hebrew term signifies intense, emotional crying, sobbing, and tears. It implies profound sorrow from the core of one's being.
• and wailing (וָנֶ֔הִי - wānehî): This term refers to a mournful sound, a dirge, often a formal or traditional lament sung for the dead or during deep calamity. Its pairing with "weeping" intensifies the sense of grief.
• and for the pastures of the wilderness (וְעַל־נְאוֹת֙ מִדְבָּ֔ר - wə‘al-nə’ôt midbār): This refers to the grazing grounds or oases within the dry, arid regions, places that are typically less developed than mountainsides. Including these areas emphasizes the total scope of the desolation, from high peaks to remote grazing lands. The Hebrew "midbar" often means "steppe" or "grazing ground" rather than barren desert in the fullest sense, highlighting the loss of productive land.
• a lamentation (קִינָ֑ה - qînâ): A third, related term for a funeral song or mournful poem. It is a structured and profound expression of sorrow, often found in prophetic books to announce or respond to national calamity. The accumulation of bekî, nehî, and qînâ stresses the extreme and pervasive sorrow.
• because they are burned up (כִּ֤י נִצְּת֨וּ֙ מִבְּלִ֣י אִ֔ישׁ - kî niṣṣətû): "Burned up" (נִצְּת֛וּ – niṣṣətû, Hiphil perfect passive) denotes active destruction by fire, indicating the agency of invasion or God's judgment manifested in scorched earth or devastating drought. It points to a cause, the ultimate reason for the desolation.
• so that no one passes through (מִבְּלִ֣י אִ֔ישׁ אֹחֵ֨ף לֹֽא־עֹבֵ֤ר אֹתָהּ֙ - mibblî ’îš ’ōḥēf lo’ ‘ōbēr ’ōtāh): The land becomes too dangerous or completely desolate to travel across. "No one passes through" implies utter emptiness and peril, signaling the complete disruption of normal life and trade.
• and they cannot hear the voice of the cattle (וְלֹֽא־יִשְׁמְע֥וּ קֽוֹל־מִקְנֶ֑ה - wəlō’ yišmə‘û qôl miqneh): This is a profound sign of abandonment and loss of life. The sounds of cattle were synonymous with prosperity, life, and thriving agriculture in ancient Israel. Their absence denotes economic collapse and a desolate environment.
• both the birds of the air (מֵע֤וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֙יִם֙ - mê‘ôf haššāmayim): Represents winged creatures, often indicators of healthy ecosystems. Their inclusion signifies that the judgment affects all aspects of nature.
• and the beasts (וְעַד־בְּהֵמָ֔ה - wə‘aḏ-bəhēmâ): General term for domestic animals or larger quadrupeds. This broad category indicates a universal flight of creatures, not just domestic but wild animals too, as often they flee from widespread disaster.
• have fled and are gone (נָדְד֖וּ הָלָֽכוּ׃ - nādəḏû hālākû): The two verbs in sequence emphasize finality and completeness. "Nādəḏû" means to depart, wander away, and "hālakû" means to go, vanish. They convey that the animals have not just temporarily dispersed but have utterly abandoned the land, confirming its barren and uninhabitable state.

Words-group analysis

• "For the mountains... and for the pastures of the wilderness": This pairing encompasses the entirety of the land, from its elevated, visible features to its more remote, cultivated areas. It signifies that no part of the promised land will be spared the desolation. This is a common Hebrew parallelism used to describe comprehensiveness.
• "a weeping and wailing... a lamentation": The repetition and layering of terms for grief ("beki", "nehi", "qina") creates a powerfully emotive expression of deep and pervasive sorrow. It portrays a scene of ultimate, heartfelt lament for what has been lost.
• "because they are burned up, so that no one passes through, and they cannot hear the voice of the cattle": This clause provides the specific cause and its direct consequences. The land is not merely barren, but actively destroyed by fire, leading to a state where travel is impossible and the very sounds of life are silenced. It presents a logical chain of destruction leading to desolation.
• "both the birds of the air and the beasts have fled and are gone": This image of universal flight of animal life vividly completes the picture of desolation. The abandonment by all creatures—from the skies to the earth—reinforces the idea of an utterly forsaken and lifeless landscape, demonstrating the extent of divine judgment.

Jeremiah 9 10 Bonus section

The language of Jeremiah 9:10 directly echoes covenant curses found in the Torah, particularly in Deuteronomy 29, which warn of the land becoming "brimstone and salt and burning" if Israel disobeys. This deep theological connection underscores that the desolation is not an arbitrary disaster but a predictable outcome of violating the covenant with Yahweh. The concept of the land "mourning" is significant because it imbues creation with a moral awareness, responding to humanity's sin and divine judgment, a theme also seen in Hosea 4:3. This imagery reveals that the sin of God's people affects not only their social fabric but also the very environment and created order they inhabit, demonstrating a holistic interconnectedness between human action and natural consequences in biblical theology.

Jeremiah 9 10 Commentary

Jeremiah 9:10 functions as a prophetic dirge, where the land itself, personified, weeps over its impending destruction. The prophet identifies deeply with this sorrow, declaring that even the natural world will mourn. This devastation, from "mountains" to "pastures," is total, underscoring God's comprehensive judgment. The phrase "burned up" suggests destruction by military action, where invaders scorched the land, or it may refer to severe drought, a covenant curse for disobedience. Such desolation leads to the land becoming impassable and silent, losing the comforting sounds of cattle, symbolizing economic collapse and the absence of life. The departure of "birds of the air and beasts" paints a vivid picture of utter abandonment; even nature recoils from the blighted landscape. This passage powerfully critiques Israel's false reliance on pagan fertility gods (like Baal) whose supposed powers could not prevent the land from becoming barren under Yahweh's judgment, serving as a grave warning about the consequences of persistent unfaithfulness. The prophetic grief reflects God's own sorrow over the need to judge His beloved people.