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Texts -- Jeremiah 9:2-26 (NET)

Context
9:2 I wish I had a lodging place in the desert where I could spend some time like a weary traveler . Then I would desert my people and walk away from them because they are all unfaithful to God, a congregation of people that has been disloyal to him.
The Lord Laments That He Has No Choice But to Judge Them
9:3 The Lord says , “These people are like soldiers who have readied their bows . Their tongues are always ready to shoot out lies . They have become powerful in the land , but they have not done so by honest means. Indeed , they do one evil thing after another and do not pay attention to me. 9:4 Everyone must be on his guard around his friends . He must not even trust any of his relatives . For every one of them will find some way to cheat him. And all of his friends will tell lies about him. 9:5 One friend deceives another and no one tells the truth . These people have trained themselves to tell lies . They do wrong and are unable to repent . 9:6 They do one act of violence after another, and one deceitful thing after another. They refuse to pay attention to me,” says the Lord . 9:7 Therefore the Lord who rules over all says , “I will now purify them in the fires of affliction and test them. The wickedness of my dear people has left me no choice . What else can I do ? 9:8 Their tongues are like deadly arrows . They are always telling lies . Friendly words for their neighbors come from their mouths . But their minds are thinking up ways to trap them. 9:9 I will certainly punish them for doing such things !” says the Lord . “I will certainly bring retribution on such a nation as this !”
The Coming Destruction Calls For Mourning
9:10 I said, “I will weep and mourn for the grasslands on the mountains , I will sing a mournful song for the pastures in the wilderness because they are so scorched no one travels through them. The sound of livestock is no longer heard there. Even the birds in the sky and the wild animals in the fields have fled and are gone .” 9:11 The Lord said, “I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins. Jackals will make their home there. I will destroy the towns of Judah so that no one will be able to live in them.” 9:12 I said, “Who is wise enough to understand why this has happened? Who has a word from the Lord that can explain it? Why does the land lie in ruins ? Why is it as scorched as a desert through which no one travels ?” 9:13 The Lord answered , “This has happened because these people have rejected my laws which I gave them. They have not obeyed me or followed those laws. 9:14 Instead they have followed the stubborn inclinations of their own hearts . They have paid allegiance to the gods called Baal , as their fathers taught them to do. 9:15 So then, listen to what I, the Lord God of Israel who rules over all , say . ‘I will make these people eat the bitter food of suffering and drink the poison water of judgment. 9:16 I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their ancestors have known anything about. I will send people chasing after them with swords until I have destroyed them.’” 9:17 The Lord who rules over all told me to say to this people, “Take note of what I say. Call for the women who mourn for the dead! Summon those who are the most skilled at it!” 9:18 I said, “Indeed, let them come quickly and sing a song of mourning for us. Let them wail loudly until tears stream from our own eyes and our eyelids overflow with water . 9:19 For the sound of wailing is soon to be heard in Zion . They will wail, ‘We are utterly ruined ! We are completely disgraced ! For our houses have been torn down and we must leave our land .’” 9:20 I said, “So now , you wailing women , hear what the Lord says . Open your ears to the words from his mouth . Teach your daughters this mournful song , and each of you teach your neighbor this lament . 9:21 ‘Death has climbed in through our windows . It has entered into our fortified houses . It has taken away our children who play in the streets . It has taken away our young men who gather in the city squares .’ 9:22 Tell your daughters and neighbors, ‘The Lord says , “The dead bodies of people will lie scattered everywhere like manure scattered on a field . They will lie scattered on the ground like grain that has been cut down but has not been gathered .”’” 9:23 The Lord says , “Wise people should not boast that they are wise . Powerful people should not boast that they are powerful . Rich people should not boast that they are rich . 9:24 If people want to boast , they should boast about this : They should boast that they understand and know me. They should boast that they know and understand that I , the Lord , act out of faithfulness , fairness , and justice in the earth and that I desire people to do these things ,” says the Lord . 9:25 The Lord says , “Watch out ! The time is soon coming when I will punish all those who are circumcised only in the flesh . 9:26 That is, I will punish the Egyptians , the Judeans , the Edomites , the Ammonites , the Moabites , and all the desert people who cut their hair short at the temples . I will do so because none of the people of those nations are really circumcised in the Lord’s sight. Moreover, none of the people of Israel are circumcised when it comes to their hearts .”

Pericope

NET
  • Jer 9:3-9 -- The Lord Laments That He Has No Choice But to Judge Them
  • Jer 9:10-26 -- The Coming Destruction Calls For Mourning

Bible Dictionary

  • Sin

    [nave] SIN. Index of Sub-Topics Miscellany of Minor Sub-Topics; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to, Defining, and Illustrating; Confession of; Consequences of, Entailed Upon Children; Conviction of; Forgiveness of; Fruits of; Kn...

  • 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...

  • War

    [nave] WAR Divine approval of, 2 Sam. 22:35. Civil, Judg. 12:1-6; 20; 2 Sam. 2:12-31; 3:1; 20; 1 Kin. 14:30; 16:21; Isa. 19:2; forbidden, 2 Chr. 11:4; averted, Josh. 22:11-34. Enemy harangued by general of opposing side, 2 Kin. 1...

  • Deceit

    [nave] DECEIT Is a lie, Psa. 119:118. The tongue an instrument of, Rom. 3:13. Comes from the heart, Mark 7:22. Characteristic of the heart, Jer. 17:9. God abhors, Psa. 5:6. Forbidden, Prov. 24:28; 1 Pet. 3:10. Christ was perf...

  • WOMAN

    [isbe] WOMAN - woom'-an ('ishshah, "a woman" (feminine of 'ish, "a man"]; gune, "a woman" "wife"): I. IN THE CREATIVE PLAN II. IN OLD TESTAMENT TIMES 1. Prominence of Women 2. Social Equality 3. Marriage Laws 4. Inheritance 5. Dome...

  • Dishonesty

    [nave] DISHONESTY. Lev. 6:2-7; Lev. 19:13, 35, 36; Deut. 25:13, 15, 16; Job 24:2-11; Psa. 37:21; Psa. 50:18; Psa. 62:10; Prov. 3:27, 28; Prov. 11:1; Prov. 20:10, 14, 17, 23; Isa. 32:7; Jer. 7:8-10; Jer. 9:4-6, 8; Jer. 22:13; Ezek....

  • Truth

    [isbe] TRUTH - trooth (`emeth, emunah, primary idea of "firmness," "stability" (compare Ex 17:12), hence "constancy," "faithfulness," etc.; the Septuagint's Apocrypha and the New Testament, aletheia (Rom 3:7), pistis (Rom 3:3); in ...
    [nave] TRUTH Saints should worship God in, John 4:24, with Psa. 145:18; serve God in, Josh. 24:14; 1 Sam. 12:24; walk before God in, 1 Kin. 2:4; 2 Kin. 20:3; keep religious feasts with, 1 Cor. 5:8; esteem, as inestimable, Prov. 23:...

  • Lies and Deceits

    [nave] LIES AND DECEITS Ex. 23:1; Lev. 6:2-7; Lev. 19:11, 12, 16 Ex. 20:16. Job 13:4; Job 21:34; Job 27:4; Job 31:5, 6, 33; Job 36:4; Psa. 5:6, 9; Psa. 10:7; Psa. 12:2, 3; Psa. 28:3; Psa. 31:18; Psa. 34:13 1 Pet. 3:10. Psa. 36:3; P...

  • MINSTREL

    [smith] The Hebrew word in (2 Kings 3:15) properly signifies a player upon a stringed instruments like the harp or kinnor [HARP], whatever its precise character may have been, on which David played before Saul, (1 Samuel 16:16;...

  • Wicked

    [nave] WICKED Compared with: Abominable branches, Isa. 14:19; ashes under the feet, Mal. 4:3; bad fishes, Matt. 13:48; beasts, Psa. 49:12; 2 Pet. 2:12; the blind, Zeph. 1:17; Matt. 15:14; bronze and iron, Jer. 6:28; Ezek. 22:18; br...

  • Wormwood

    [ebd] Heb. la'anah, the Artemisia absinthium of botanists. It is noted for its intense bitterness (Deut. 29:18; Prov. 5:4; Jer. 9:15; Amos 5:7). It is a type of bitterness, affliction, remorse, punitive suffering. In Amos 6:12 thi...
    [isbe] WORMWOOD - wurm'-wood (la'anah (Dt 29:18; Prov 5:4; Jer 9:15; 23:15; Lam 3:15,19; Am 5:7; 6:12, the King James Version hemlock); apsinthos (Rev 8:11)): What the Hebrew la`anah may have been is obscure; it is clear it was a b...
    [smith] Four kinds of wormwood are found in Palestine-- Artemisia nilotica , A. Judaica , A. fructicosa and A. cinerea . The word occurs frequently in the Bible, and generally in a metaphorical sense. In (Jeremiah 9:15; 23:15; Lament...
    [nave] WORMWOOD, a bitter plant, Deut. 29:18. Figurative Deut. 29:18; Prov. 5:4; Jer. 9:15; 23:15; Lam. 3:19. Symbolical, Rev. 8:11.

  • Dragon

    [isbe] DRAGON - drag'-un (tannin, plural tannim, tannoth; drakon): Tannin and the plural tanninim occur 14 t, and in English Versions of the Bible are variously rendered "dragon," "whale," "serpent" or "sea-monster"; but Lam 4:3, t...
    [smith] The translators of the Authorized Version, apparently following the Vulgate, have rendered by the same word "dragon" the two Hebrew words tan and tannin , which appear to be quite distinct in meaning. The former is used, alw...
    [nave] DRAGON Any terrible creature, as a venomous serpent, Deut. 32:33; Psa. 91:13; a sea serpent, Psa. 74:13; 148:7; Isa. 27:1; a jackal, Isa. 13:22; 34:13; 35:7; 43:20; Jer. 9:11; 10:22; 14:6; 49:33; 51:37; Mic. 1:8; Mal. 1:3. ...

  • Wisdom

    [isbe] WISDOM - wiz'-dum: 1. Linguistic 2. History 3. Religious Basis 4. Ideals 5. Teaching of Christ 6. Remainder of the New Testament (1) James (2) Paul 7. Hypostasis LITERATURE 1. Linguistic: In the Revised Version (British and ...
    [nave] WISDOM Of Joseph, Gen. 41:16, 25-39; Acts 7:10. Of Moses, Acts 7:22. Of Bezaleel, Ex. 31:3-5; 35:31-35; 36:1. Of Aholiab, Ex. 31:6; 35:34, 35; 36:1; of other skilled artisans, Ex. 36:2; of women, Ex. 35:26. Of Hiram, 1 K...

  • Edomites

    [nave] EDOMITES, called also Edom. Descendants of Esau, Gen. 36. Kings of, Gen. 36:31-39; Num. 20:14; 1 Chr. 1:43-50; Ezek. 32:29; Amos 2:1. Dukes of, Gen. 36:9-43; Ex. 15:15; 1 Chr. 1:51-54. Land of, Gen. 32:3; Deut. 2:4, 5, 12....

  • INN

    [isbe] INN - (malon; pandocheion, kataluma): 1. Earliest Night Resting-Places: The Hebrew word malon means literally, a "night resting-place," and might be applied to any spot where caravans (Gen 42:27; 43:21 the King James Version...
    [smith] The Hebrew word (malon) thus rendered literally signified "a lodging-place for the night." Inns, in our sense of the term were, as they still are, unknown in the East, where hospitality is religiously practiced. The khans or ...

  • Egypt

    [nave] EGYPT The country of: Called Rahab, Psa. 87:4; 89:10; Land of Ham, Psa. 105:23; 106:22. Limits of, Ezek. 29:10. Fertility of, Gen. 13:10. Productions of, Num. 11:5; Psa. 78:47; Prov. 7:16; Isa. 19:5-9. Irrigation employ...

  • Jackal

    [isbe] JACKAL - jak'-ol: (1) tannim, "jackals," the King James Version "dragons"; compare Arabic tinan, "wolf"; and compare tannin, Arab tinnin, "sea monster" or "monster" the English Revised Version "dragon" (Job 7:12 m; Ps 74:13;...
    [nave] JACKAL a carnivorous animal Neh. 2:13; Job 30:29; Psa. 44:19; 63:10; Isa. 13:21, 22; 34:13; 35:7; 43:20; Jer. 9:11; 10:22; 14:6; 49:33; 51:37; Lam. 4:3; 5:18; Ezek. 13:4; Mic. 1:8; Mal. 1:3

  • Church

    [nave] CHURCH, the collective body of believers. Miscellany of Minor Sub-Topics Called in the O.T., The Congregation, Ex. 12:3, 6, 19, 47; 16:1, 2, 9, 10, 22; Lev. 4:13, 15; 10:17; 24:14. Called in the N.T., Church, Matt. 16:18; ...

  • Archaeology

    [nave] ARCHAEOLOGY The study of past human life, especially through the study of ancient artifacts or relics. References in the Bible are merely allusional Lev. 26:31, 33; Deut. 13:16; Josh. 8:28, 11:13; 1 Kin. 18:30; 1 Chr. 20:1; ...

  • Ammonites

    [nave] AMMONITES Descendants of Ben-ammi, one of the sons of Lot, Gen. 19:38. Character of, Judg. 10:6; 2 Kin. 23:13; 2 Chr. 20:25; Jer. 27:3, 9; Ezek. 25:3, 6; Amos 1:13; Zeph. 2:10. Territory of, Num. 21:24; Deut. 2:19; Josh. 1...
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Arts

Hymns

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  • [Jer 9:7] O Beautiful For Spacious Skies
  • [Jer 9:23] Let Not The Wise His Wisdom Boast

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • 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.
  • These verses provide the answer to God's question in 3:1. This is the repentance that was necessary for Yahweh to return to His "wife."4:1a The Lord clarified that for His people to return to a blessed condition they must ret...
  • 9:2 Jeremiah longed for a place of retreat in the wilderness where he could go to get away from his fellow countrymen.196Their spiritual adultery and treachery repulsed him.9:3 The Lord added that they assassinated people wit...
  • 9:10 The Lord took up a lamentation on behalf of the land that suffered because of His people's sin. The coming invasion would leave the land deserted even by beasts and birds. The rest of this message indicates that the inva...
  • What follows is a brilliant prophetic elegy. It contains two pronouncements from the Lord (vv. 17-21 and 22).9:17 The Lord called Jeremiah to summon the professional mourners (Heb. meqonenoth) to come forward."In the Middle E...
  • This reflection on the nature of true wisdom contrasts strongly with the preceding dirge. In such crucial days, Judah's only hope lay in her relationship with God. The thematic connection with the context is judgment.9:23 The...
  • Trust in religious ritual is just as wrong as trust in human achievements."Just as the knowledge of God is more important than wisdom, power, or might, even so faith that springs from the heart is more important than any outw...
  • Most scholars believe this lament dates from the time when Jehoiakim revolted against Babylon after three years of submission (about 602 B.C.; cf. 2 Kings 24:1-2).225"The second part of God's reply is remarkable, saying in ef...
  • 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...
  • Having given a true prophecy about the future, Jeremiah proceeded to announce God's judgment on the false prophets who were misleading His people with false prophecies (cf. v. 1). This section consists of six different messag...
  • 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...
  • This section consists of four parts: a summary of Jeremiah's Temple Sermon (vv. 2-6), the prophet's arrest and trial (vv. 7-16), the elders' plea for his life (vv. 17-19, 24), and the incident involving Uriah and his executio...
  • 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 oracle is similar to the one in Isaiah 15 and 16.555Other oracles against Moab appear in Ezekiel 25:8-11, Amos 2:1-3, and Zephaniah 2:9, but this is the longest one. It is very difficult to say when Jeremiah gave this or...
  • 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...
  • This book does not identify its writer. The common view that Jeremiah wrote it rests on a preface in the Greek Septuagint, which the Latin Vulgate adopted and elaborated on. The Septuagint version of Lamentations begins, "And...
  • 22:17-20 The Lord also compared the present Judahites to the base metals that separate from silver in the refining process. He planned to gather them in Jerusalem, His crucible, and subject them to a trial by fire, as refiner...
  • This chapter ties in very closely with the preceding one. Evidently all the messages in these two chapters date from the beginning of the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem (24:1-2). Even though this chapter begins a series of mes...
  • 25:12 The Edomites had taken vengeance on the Judahites rather than helping them (cf. 36:1-7; Gen. 25:30; 27:41-46; 32:4; Lam. 4:21-22; Amos 1:11-12).25:13 For this reason the Lord promised to send judgment on them. He would ...
  • 31:15 On the day that God humbled Assyria, He caused many people and nations to mourn her demise. He made it impossible for that nation to revive; He did the same thing as burying it in the sea, and He kept its life-giving wa...
  • 32:1 This is the first of two messages that Ezekiel received from the Lord concerning Egypt in 585 B.C. Less than two months had passed since the exiles had learned of Jerusalem's fall, which had occurred several months earli...
  • 13:4 Yahweh had been Israel's God since the Israelites had lived in Egypt.83He had commanded the Israelites not to acknowledge any gods beside Himself because He was the only God who could save them (cf. Deut. 11:28; 32:17; J...
  • 5:1 This message begins as the previous two did, with a call to hear the Lord's word. However here Amos announced that what follows is a dirge (Heb. qinah) against the house of Israel. A dirge was a lament that was sung at th...
  • v. 11 God cited one specific instance of Edom's violence against her brother, but as I explained in the introduction, which instance is unclear. Edom's treachery against Judah had taken place on a particular "day"in the past....
  • 12:1 "The burden . . . concerning Israel"introduces chapters 12-14 as "The burden . . . against the land of Hadrach"(9:1) did chapters 9-11. By describing Yahweh as the creator of the heavens, earth, and man, Zechariah remind...
  • This pericope describes the character of the kingdom's subjects and their rewards in the kingdom.236"Looked at as a whole . . . the Beatitudes become a moral sketch of the type of person who is ready to possess, or rule over,...
  • This is one of the sections of Mark's Gospel that has a chiastic structure (cf. 3:22-30; 6:14-29; 11:15-19).A The appeal of Jairus for his daughter 5:21-24B The healing of the woman with the hemorrhage 5:25-34A' The raising o...
  • Stephen concluded his defense by indicting his accusers. They had brought charges against him, but now he brought more serious charges against them.In his first speech to the Sanhedrin, Peter had been quite brief and forthrig...
  • Even though the Jews had the advantages of the Mosaic Law and circumcision, their boasting and fruitlessness offset these advantages. Divinely revealed religion is no substitute for trust and obedience toward God. Verses 17-2...
  • Paul turned from the content of the gospel to the Corinthian believers to strengthen his argument that the gospel he preached contradicted human expectations. God had chosen "nobodies"rather than the "beautiful people"of Cori...
  • Paul defended his right to preach the gospel in Corinth and denied his critics' claim that they had been responsible for what God had done through Paul there. He did this to vindicate his former actions and to prepare for fut...
  • Paul proceeded to deal with a significant group of antagonists that the Philippians faced.3:2 Jesus and other prophets used the term "dogs"to refer to opponents of God's truth (Matt. 7:6; cf. Deut. 23:18; 1 Sam. 17:43; 24:14;...
  • Next a great star (meteor or comet?) fell from heaven on the fresh water sources on earth.316It too was on fire (vv. 7, 8). The ancients sometimes used "torch"(this Greek word, lampas) to describe a meteor shooting through th...
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