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Texts -- Jeremiah 14:17--15:9 (NET)

Context
Lament over Present Destruction and Threat of More to Come
14:17 “Tell these people this , Jeremiah: ‘My eyes overflow with tears day and night without ceasing . For my people , my dear children , have suffered a crushing blow. They have suffered a serious wound . 14:18 If I go out into the countryside , I see those who have been killed in battle. If I go into the city , I see those who are sick because of starvation . For both prophet and priest go about their own business in the land without having any real understanding .’” 14:19 Then I said, “Lord, have you completely rejected the nation of Judah ? Do you despise the city of Zion ? Why have you struck us with such force that we are beyond recovery ? We hope for peace , but nothing good has come of it. We hope for a time of relief from our troubles , but experience terror. 14:20 Lord , we confess that we have been wicked . We confess that our ancestors have done wrong . We have indeed sinned against you. 14:21 For the honor of your name , do not treat Jerusalem with contempt . Do not treat with disdain the place where your glorious throne sits. Be mindful of your covenant with us. Do not break it! 14:22 Do any of the worthless idols of the nations cause rain to fall? Do the skies themselves send showers ? Is it not you , O Lord our God , who does this? So we put our hopes in you because you alone do all this .” 15:1 Then the Lord said to me, “Even if Moses and Samuel stood before me pleading for these people , I would not feel pity for them! Get them away from me! Tell them to go away ! 15:2 If they ask you, ‘Where should we go ?’ tell them the Lord says this: “Those who are destined to die of disease will go to death by disease . Those who are destined to die in war will go to death in war . Those who are destined to die of starvation will go to death by starvation . Those who are destined to go into exile will go into exile .” 15:3 “I will punish them in four different ways : I will have war kill them. I will have dogs drag off their dead bodies. I will have birds and wild beasts devour and destroy their corpses. 15:4 I will make all the people in all the kingdoms of the world horrified at what has happened to them because of what Hezekiah’s son Manasseh , king of Judah , did in Jerusalem .” 15:5 The Lord cried out, “Who in the world will have pity on you, Jerusalem ? Who will grieve over you? Who will stop long enough to inquire about how you are doing? 15:6 I, the Lord , say : ‘You people have deserted me! You keep turning your back on me.’ So I have unleashed my power against you and have begun to destroy you. I have grown tired of feeling sorry for you!” 15:7 The Lord continued, “In every town in the land I will purge them like straw blown away by the wind . I will destroy my people . I will kill off their children . I will do so because they did not change their behavior . 15:8 Their widows will become in my sight more numerous than the grains of sand on the seashores . At noontime I will bring a destroyer against the mothers of their young men . I will cause anguish and terror to fall suddenly upon them. 15:9 The mother who had seven children will grow faint. All the breath will go out of her. Her pride and joy will be taken from her in the prime of their life . It will seem as if the sun had set while it was still day . She will suffer shame and humiliation . I will cause any of them who are still left alive to be killed in war by the onslaughts of their enemies ,” says the Lord .

Pericope

NET
  • Jer 14:17--15:9 -- Lament over Present Destruction and Threat of More to Come

Bible Dictionary

  • SPOILER

    [isbe] SPOILER - spoil'-er (ha-shodhedh, "the spoiler"): A favorite expression of the prophet Jeremiah by which he describes generally the enemies that invade and devastate a country--with special reference to enemies that invade J...

  • SOUL

    [isbe] SOUL - sol (nephesh; psuche; Latin anima): 1. Shades of Meaning in the Old Testament: (1) Soul, like spirit, has various shades of meaning in the Old Testament, which may be summarized as follows: "Soul," "living being," "li...

  • SICK; SICKNESS

    [isbe] SICK; SICKNESS - sik, sik'-nes (chalah (Gen 48:1, etc.), choli (Dt 28:61, etc.), tachalu' (Dt 29:21, etc.), machalah (Ex 23:25, etc.), daweh (Lev 15:33, etc.), 'anash (2 Sam 12:15, etc.); astheneo (Mt 10:8, etc.;. compare 2 ...

  • SAND

    [isbe] SAND - (chol; ammos; a variant of the more usual psammos; compare amathos, psamathos): Sand is principally produced by the grinding action of waves. This is accompanied by chemical solution, with the result that the more sol...

  • NUMBER

    [isbe] NUMBER - num'-ber: I. NUMBER AND ARITHMETIC II. NOTATION OF NUMBERS 1. By Words 2. By Signs 3. By Letters III. NUMBERS IN OLD TESTAMENT HISTORY IV. ROUND NUMBERS V. SIGNIFICANT NUMBERS 1. Seven and Its Multiples (1) Ritual U...

  • NIGHT

    [isbe] NIGHT - nit. See DAY AND NIGHT for the natural usage and the various terms. 1. In the Old Testament: Figurative uses: The word "night" (laylah or layil is sometimes used figuratively in the Old Testament. Thus, Moses compare...

  • MOSES

    [isbe] MOSES - mo'-zez, mo'-ziz (mosheh; Egyptian mes, "drawn out," "born"; Septuagint Mouse(s)). The great Hebrew national hero, leader, author, law-giver and prophet. I. LIFE 1. Son of Levi 2. Foundling Prince 3. Friend of the Pe...

  • MEDIATION; MEDIATOR

    [isbe] MEDIATION; MEDIATOR - me-di-a'-shun, me'-di-a-ter: I. INTRODUCTORY 1. The Terms (1) Mediation (2) Mediator 2. The Principle of Mediation II. MEDIATION IN THE OLD TESTAMENT 1. Negative Teaching in the Old Testament 2. The Pos...

  • Kings, The Books of

    [ebd] The two books of Kings formed originally but one book in the Hebrew Scriptures. The present division into two books was first made by the LXX., which now, with the Vulgate, numbers them as the third and fourth books of Kings...

  • Israel

    [nave] ISRAEL 1. A name given to Jacob, Gen. 32:24-32; 2 Kin. 17:34; Hos. 12:3, 4. 2. A name of the Christ in prophecy, Isa. 49:3. 3. A name given to the descendants of Jacob, a nation. Called also Israelites, and Hebrews, Gen. 4...

  • HEALING

    [isbe] HEALING - hel'-ing (marpe', te`alah, kehah): In the Old Testament this word is always used in its figurative sense; marpe', which literally means "a cure," is used in Jer 14:19 twice, and in Mal 4:2; te`alah, which literally...

  • GHOST

    [ebd] an old Saxon word equivalent to soul or spirit. It is the translation of the Hebrew nephesh_ and the Greek _pneuma, both meaning "breath," "life," "spirit," the "living principle" (Job 11:20; Jer. 15:9; Matt. 27:50; John 19:...
    [isbe] GHOST - gost (nephesh; pneuma) : "Ghost," the middle-English word for "breath," "spirit," appears in the King James Version as the translation of nephesh ("breath," "the breath of life," animal soul or spirit, the vital prin...

  • FOUR

    [isbe] FOUR - for ('arba`; tessares): "Four" (cardinal number) was a sacred and complete number with the Hebrews, as well as with several other peoples. It occurs very frequently in the Old Testament and the New Testament. (1) It i...

  • FAN, FANNER

    [isbe] FAN, FANNER - fan'-er: The word "fan" occurs 3 times only in the American Standard Revised Version (Jer 15:7; Mt 3:12; Lk 3:17). In Isa 30:24 mizreh is translated "fork," which is a much better translation if the instrument ...

  • CEASE

    [isbe] CEASE - ses: A remarkable array of 20 Hebrew and 6 Greek words is so translated. In the King James Version 15 of the former and 3 of the latter are used only once with this rendering. The originals most frequently in use are...

  • Backsliders

    [nave] BACKSLIDERS. Lev. 26:14-42; Deut. 4:9; Deut. 8:11-14; Deut. 28:58, 59, 63 vs. 15-68;; 1 Kin. 9:6-9; Deut. 29:18 vs. 18-28.; Deut. 32:15-30; Josh. 24:27 vs. 20-27.; 2 Chr. 15:2-4; Ezra 8:22; Job 34:26, 27; Psa. 44:20, 21; Ps...

  • BREACH

    [isbe] BREACH - brech: Represented by (1) perets = "a tear," "a rending asunder," "a break," hence, figuratively "enmity," "disruption," "strife" (Gen 38:29; Jdg 21:15; 2 Sam 5:20; 1 Ch 15:13; Neh 6:1; Job 16:14; Ps 106:23; Isa 30:...

  • BLOW

    [isbe] BLOW - blo (nashaph): Used with reference to the wind (Ex 15:10; Ps 78:26; 147:18; pneo, "to breathe," Lk 12:55; Jn 3:8; Rev 7:1); taqa`, with reference to trumpet sound (Nu 10:3-10; 31:6 the King James Version; Jdg 7:18,20;...

  • ASHAMED

    [isbe] ASHAMED - a-shamd': Almost exclusively moral in significance; confusion or abashment through consciousness of guilt or of its exposure. Often including also a sense of terror or fear because of the disgrace connected with th...

  • APPOINT

    [isbe] APPOINT - a-point': This word is used for the expression of a large variety of ideas and the translation of almost as many words. naqabh = "stipulate" (Gen 30:28). paqadh = "put into office" (Gen 41:34; Nu 1:50; Est 2:3); "s...

Arts

Questions

  • The following material from The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia should be helpful here: III. Significant numbers Numbers are also used with a symbolical or theological significance. One is used to convey th...

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • The people's rebellion against God was not something they could undo. Consequences would follow. Nevertheless Samuel counselled them to follow and serve the Lord faithfully from then on. They should not fear that God would ab...
  • Manasseh was one of the few examples of an evil Judean king who turned out good. Nevertheless his wickedness made captivity inevitable for Judah (2 Kings 23:26; Jer. 15:4)."Manasseh's acts are . . . a calculated attempt to th...
  • The biblical records of the times in which Jeremiah ministered are 2 Kings 21-25 and 2 Chronicles 33-36. His contemporary prophets were Zephaniah and Habakkuk before the Exile, and Ezekiel and Daniel after it began.King Manas...
  • Jeremiah's purpose was to call his hearers to repentance in view of God's judgment on Judah, which would come soon from an army from the north (chs. 2-45). Judgment was coming because God's people had forsaken Yahweh and had ...
  • I. Introduction ch. 1A. The introduction of Jeremiah 1:1-3B. The call of Jeremiah 1:4-191. The promise of divine enablement 1:4-102. Two confirming visions 1:11-19II. Prophecies about Judah chs. 2-45A. Warnings of judgment on...
  • 1:4 The prophet now began speaking to his readers and telling them what the Lord had said to him. Throughout this book, an indication that the Lord had told Jeremiah something is often the sign of a new pericope, as here (cf....
  • Chapters 2-25 contain warnings and appeals to the Judahites in view of their sins and the consequences of those sins.
  • 8:18 The prospect of this catastrophic invasion overwhelmed Jeremiah with sorrow. It made him weak, and he could not get over his anguish.8:19 He could hear his people in captivity bitterly crying out. They longed for Jerusal...
  • The national defeat pictured in this lament was a serious one. It may have been the first Babylonian invasion of Judah in 597 B.C., which resulted in severe destruction and exile for some Judeans.14:17 Jeremiah was to tell th...
  • Invasion and war had already overtaken Jerusalem when Jeremiah wrote this lament, but more destruction was to come (v. 9).15:5 The Lord said that no one would have pity on Jerusalem when she had experienced His judgment (cf. ...
  • This section of the book contains some of Jeremiah's messages concerning Judah's kings (21:1-23:8) and false prophets (23:9-40) that he delivered closer to the time of Jerusalem's invasion than the previous chapters.300Beginn...
  • 25:30 Jeremiah was also to announce that God would prepare to judge all the inhabitants of the earth (v. 29). As a lion announces its intent to attack with a roar, so Yahweh would one day announce His attack on earth dwellers...
  • These chapters contrast the true prophet of Yahweh with the false prophets. Distinguishing between them was difficult for Jeremiah's contemporaries, but their essential difference is clear. The true prophets proclaimed the Lo...
  • The Book of Consolation contained messages of future hope for Judah (chs. 30-33). Now Jeremiah returned to document her present judgment. Chapters 34-45 continue the theme of judgment on Judah and Jerusalem from chapters 2-29...
  • This chapter belongs after chapter 36 chronologically, either after 36:8 or 36:32. It serves as an appendix to the historical incidents recorded there. Perhaps the writer or final editor placed it here to show that Yahweh exe...
  • This chapter on Egypt contains three separate prophecies that Jeremiah delivered about the fate of that nation. Their purpose seems to have been to discourage King Jehoiakim (609-598 B.C.) and the pro-Egyptian party in Judah ...
  • Aharoni, Yohanan, and Michael Avi-Yonah. The Macmillan Bible Atlas. Revised ed. London: Collier Macmillan Publishers; and New York: Macmillan Publishers Co., 1977.Albright, William Foxwell. The Archaeology of Palestine. Revis...
  • The following section of the lament falls into two parts marked by Jeremiah's use of the plural (vv. 41-47) and singular personal pronouns (vv. 48-66). In the first part he called on the Judahites to confess their sins to God...
  • Ezekiel was also to do something else during the time he was dramatizing the siege of Jerusalem with his model (ch. 4)."After Ezekiel represented the factof the siege (first sign [4:1-3]), the lengthof the siege (second sign ...
  • This prophecy continues the emphasis on judgment from the previous one and stresses the irrevocability of Jerusalem's destruction (cf. Jer. 7:16; 15:1-4).14:12-14 The Lord spoke to Ezekiel again. He revealed that Jerusalem's ...
  • 1:2-3 Joel called on everyone, from the most respected ruling elders of the land (cf. 1 Sam. 30:26-31; 2 Sam. 19:11-15; 2 Kings 23:1; Ezra 10:8; Prov. 31:23; Jer. 26:17; Lam. 5:12, 14) to the ordinary inhabitants, to pay atte...
  • The first part of this oracle focused particularly on the true King who would come and exercise sovereignty over the nations (ch. 9). Now the emphasis changes to the people of the King, the Israelites, who will return to the ...
  • This material occurs in no other Gospel. The destruction of Jerusalem that Jesus predicted here was an important event for Luke. It showed God's judgment on Israel for rejecting His Son and provided evidence that God had turn...
  • 6:7 The Lamb broke the fourth seal, and the fourth living creature called the fourth horseman out.6:8 John next saw an ashen (lit. pale green) horse the color of a human corpse. Presumably Antichrist, the cause of this death,...
  • 13:9 God and John called on the readers of this book to pay attention. Particularly those living at this time in the future should do so. Note that John made no reference to "the churches"as in similar exhortations in chapter...
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