Jeremiah 9:21 kjv
For death is come up into our windows, and is entered into our palaces, to cut off the children from without, and the young men from the streets.
Jeremiah 9:21 nkjv
For death has come through our windows, Has entered our palaces, To kill off the children? no longer to be outside! And the young men? no longer on the streets!
Jeremiah 9:21 niv
Death has climbed in through our windows and has entered our fortresses; it has removed the children from the streets and the young men from the public squares.
Jeremiah 9:21 esv
For death has come up into our windows; it has entered our palaces, cutting off the children from the streets and the young men from the squares.
Jeremiah 9:21 nlt
For death has crept in through our windows
and has entered our mansions.
It has killed off the flower of our youth:
Children no longer play in the streets,
and young men no longer gather in the squares.
Jeremiah 9 21 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah 8:9 | "The wise shall be put to shame; they shall be dismayed and taken." | Parallel thought |
| Jeremiah 4:22 | "For my people are fools; they know me not; they are stupid children; they have no understanding." | Describes Israel's folly |
| Isaiah 5:21 | "Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and clever in their own sight!" | Condemnation of self-reliance |
| Proverbs 3:5-7 | "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding." | Contrasts wisdom sources |
| Romans 1:22 | "Claiming to be wise, they became fools..." | Similar judgment |
| 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 | "...God’s foolishness is wiser than men’s wisdom." | Divine vs. Human Wisdom |
| Luke 10:21 | "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children." | Hidden wisdom |
| Jeremiah 9:23-24 | "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom... but let him who boasts, boast of this, that he understands me." | True boasting |
| Psalm 2:10 | "Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth." | Call to divine wisdom |
| Isaiah 44:25 | "...I am the LORD, who frustrates the signs of the impostors and makes fools of diviners..." | God's sovereignty over knowledge |
| 2 Timothy 3:7 | "...always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth." | False wisdom pursuit |
| Jeremiah 7:28 | "But you are to say to them, ‘This is the nation that did not obey the voice of the LORD their God, and did not accept discipline...’" | Disobedience consequences |
| Hosea 4:6 | "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge..." | Lack of divine knowledge |
| Jeremiah 8:10 | "Therefore I will give their fields to others, and their harvests to newcomers." | Loss of inheritance |
| Isaiah 10:13 | "For he says: ‘By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom...’" | Arrogance of power |
| Job 12:2 | "No doubt you are the people, and wisdom will die with you." | Claim of superior wisdom |
| Job 38-41 | God questions Job's wisdom vs. God's. | God's superior wisdom |
| Matthew 11:25 | Echoes Luke 10:21 | Divine revelation |
| Jeremiah 23:17 | "...those who are resisting me." | Rejection of prophecy |
| Psalm 14:1 | "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'" | Denial of God |
Jeremiah 9 verses
Jeremiah 9 21 Meaning
This verse describes a divine lament over Israel's people, portraying them as wise in their own eyes but ultimately foolish, leading to their downfall and ruin. It signifies God's sorrow over a people who, despite their perceived wisdom, reject His guidance and suffer the consequences.
Jeremiah 9 21 Context
Jeremiah 9:20-21 is part of a larger prophetic oracle in Jeremiah that laments the impending judgment upon Judah. The prophet is deeply grieved by the spiritual and moral corruption of his people, even those who are considered wise and learned. This passage follows God's instructions to Jeremiah to cry out over the land, depicting a divine sorrow. The immediate context is God revealing His judgment against Israel’s wise men who have rejected His word and laws, leading to their spiritual blindness and national ruin. The people, especially the elite, prided themselves on their wisdom and ability to make strategic decisions, but this wisdom was devoid of reverence for God, making it foolish in His sight.
Jeremiah 9 21 Word Analysis
- Kol (כָּל) - "All," "every." Emphasizes the comprehensive nature of this failure among the wise.
- ’îš (’ִישׁ) - "Man," "person." Refers to individuals.
- Lāḵ (לָךְ) - "To you," "for you." Directly addresses the audience or a representative.
- Hôkma (חָכְמָה) - "Wisdom," "skill," "understanding." The very attribute they vaunted themselves in.
- Hôkîaḥ (חָכָה) - Root for "wise," "to be wise." The state of being wise.
- Lĕ’ôy (לְעוֹי) - "To wound," "to bring into distress." This is a piel form.
- Šal–lom (שָׁלוֹם) - "Peace," "welfare," "prosperity." The opposite of what they experienced.
- ’êrèṣ (’ֶרֶץ) - "Earth," "land." Refers to the land of Israel.
- Yĕrûš–šay lem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם) - "Jerusalem." The capital, representative of the nation's spiritual state.
- Naḥ–lu (נַחֲלוּ) - "Inherited," "possessed." Used here in the sense of gaining or receiving.
- Wâllîn (וָאֵל) - "Or." Presents a stark alternative.
- ’arûmmîm (’ַרוּמִּים) - "Crafty," "shrewd," "subtle." Often implies a cunning that bypasses or opposes God.
- ’âw–waṯ (’ָוּוה) - "Folly," "stubbornness," "error." Directly antithetical to true wisdom.
- Šôṭrîm (שּׁוֹטְרִים) - "Officers," "scribes," "rulers." Those who held positions of authority and supposed wisdom.
- Wəla–qaṣṣîn (וְלַקְצִין) - "And the commanders." Those leading in political and military affairs.
- Yâʻĕ–tû (יָעֵטּוּ) - "They plotted," "they took counsel." Active pursuit of their own plans.
Words-group analysis:
- "Wise in their own eyes": Highlights intellectual arrogance and self-sufficiency, a recurring theme in prophetic rebukes (Prov. 3:7, Isa. 5:21). It points to a wisdom that lacks God’s perspective.
- "Deceived and taken": The result of their self-reliant wisdom. It wasn't mere error but a complete entrapment due to their misplaced confidence.
- "For their fields they shall give to others, and their harvests to foreigners": Represents the complete dispossession and loss of inheritance, a direct consequence of rejecting God’s covenant and wisdom (Deut. 28:30, 33, 49).
Jeremiah 9 21 Bonus Section
The sorrow expressed by God (the "lament") is anthropomorphic, reflecting His deep love and pain over the consequences of His people's disobedience. This theme of God's sorrow over humanity's fallen state and choices is a significant aspect of His character. The failure of the wise and their subsequent ruin can be seen as a precursor to Jesus' teachings about the "wise of the world" who often reject Him, while the humble understand (1 Cor. 1:20-29). The consequence of losing fields and harvests to foreigners is a direct foreshadowing of the Babylonian exile, a historical event that embodied the very ruin described here.
Jeremiah 9 21 Commentary
This verse is a profound indictment of human wisdom divorced from divine wisdom. The "wise" are those who rely on their intellect, political strategy, and cultural norms, believing they are self-sufficient. God's lament signifies His deep sorrow that His chosen people, particularly their leaders and intellectuals, have become so blinded by their own cleverness that they reject His divine guidance and warnings. This self-imposed blindness leads not to security, but to utter ruin and dispossession. Their supposed wisdom ultimately brings them into ruin, a stark contrast to the true peace and security found in obedience to God's law. It serves as a timeless reminder that true wisdom is rooted in humility, reverence for God, and submission to His will, rather than intellectual pride or worldly cunning.