King James Version:
(The Lord speaking is red text)
Be thou instructed, O Jerusalem, lest my soul depart from thee; lest I make thee desolate, a land not inhabited.
Complete Jewish Bible:
Accept correction, Yerushalayim, or I will be estranged from you and turn you into a desolate waste, a land without inhabitants."
Berean Standard Bible:
Be forewarned, O Jerusalem, or I will turn away from you; I will make you a desolation, a land without inhabitant.”
American Standard Version:
Be thou instructed, O Jerusalem, lest my soul be alienated from thee; lest I make thee a desolation, a land not inhabited.
KJV with Strong’s Numbers:
Be thou instructed{H3256}, O Jerusalem{H3389}, lest my soul{H5315} depart{H3363} from thee; lest I make{H7760} thee desolate{H8077}, a land{H776} not inhabited{H3427}.
Cross-References (KJV):
Ezekiel 23:18
- So she discovered her whoredoms, and discovered her nakedness: then my mind was alienated from her, like as my mind was alienated from her sister.
Hosea 9:12
- Though they bring up their children, yet will I bereave them, [that there shall] not [be] a man [left]: yea, woe also to them when I depart from them!
Jeremiah 17:23
- But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction.
Jeremiah 32:33
- And they have turned unto me the back, and not the face: though I taught them, rising up early and teaching [them], yet they have not hearkened to receive instruction.
Zephaniah 3:7
- I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction; so their dwelling should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them: but they rose early, [and] corrupted all their doings.
Psalms 50:17
- Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee.
Jeremiah 35:13
- Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will ye not receive instruction to hearken to my words? saith the LORD.
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Commentary for Jeremiah 6:8
Jeremiah 6:8 is a verse set within the broader context of the prophetic book of Jeremiah, which addresses the moral and spiritual decline of Judah, particularly its capital, Jerusalem. This verse is part of a larger prophecy delivered by Jeremiah, who is often called the "weeping prophet," because of his deep sorrow over the impending judgment of his people.
In this verse, God, speaking through Jeremiah, warns Jerusalem to be instructed or to learn the lessons of obedience and righteousness. The imperative "Be thou instructed" suggests an urgency for the city and its inhabitants to heed the divine counsel. The reason for this urgency is made clear: if Jerusalem fails to learn and correct its ways, God's protective presence will depart from them. This departure is not merely a withdrawal of divine favor but carries with it dire consequences—God himself will actively make the city desolate, reducing it to an uninhabited land.
The historical context of this verse is critical. It comes at a time when the Southern Kingdom of Judah was facing severe threats from the rising Babylonian Empire. Despite the warnings of prophets like Jeremiah, the people of Jerusalem continued to engage in idolatry, injustice, and moral decay. Jeremiah's message is a last-ditch effort to call the people to repentance before judgment falls. The verse reflects the conditional nature of God's covenant with Israel: obedience brings blessing, while disobedience leads to curse.
In essence, Jeremiah 6:8 encapsulates the themes of divine warning, the consequences of disobedience, and the possibility of redemption through repentance. It serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of heeding God's instructions and the sobering reality that God's judgment is not arbitrary but a response to the choices of His people.
*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model
Strong's Numbers and Definitions:
Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)
- Strong's Number: H3256
There are 38 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: יָסַר
Transliteration: yâçar
Pronunciation: yaw-sar'
Description: a primitive root; to chastise, literally (with blows) or figuratively (with words); hence, to instruct; bind, chasten, chastise, correct, instruct, punish, reform, reprove, sore, teach. - Strong's Number: H3389
There are 600 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם
Transliteration: Yᵉrûwshâlaim
Pronunciation: yer-oo-shaw-lah'-im
Description: rarely יְרוּשָׁלַיִם; a dual (in allusion to its two main hills (the true pointing, at least of the former reading, seems to be that of יְרוּשָׁלֵם)); probably from (the passive participle of) יָרָה and שָׁלַם; founded peaceful; Jerushalaim or Jerushalem, the capital city of Palestine; Jerusalem. - Strong's Number: H5315
There are 683 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: נֶפֶשׁ
Transliteration: nephesh
Pronunciation: neh'-fesh
Description: from נָפַשׁ; properly, a breathing creature, i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental); any, appetite, beast, body, breath, creature, [idiom] dead(-ly), desire, [idiom] (dis-) contented, [idiom] fish, ghost, [phrase] greedy, he, heart(-y), (hath, [idiom] jeopardy of) life ([idiom] in jeopardy), lust, man, me, mind, mortally, one, own, person, pleasure, (her-, him-, my-, thy-) self, them (your) -selves, [phrase] slay, soul, [phrase] tablet, they, thing, ([idiom] she) will, [idiom] would have it. - Strong's Number: H3363
There are 8 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: יָקַע
Transliteration: yâqaʻ
Pronunciation: yaw-kah'
Description: a primitive root; properly, to sever oneself, i.e. (by implication) to be dislocated; figuratively, to abandon; causatively, to impale (and thus allow to drop to pieces by rotting); be alienated, depart, hang (up), be out of joint. - Strong's Number: H7760
There are 550 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: שׂוּם
Transliteration: sûwm
Pronunciation: soom
Description: or שִׂים; a primitive root; to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically); [idiom] any wise, appoint, bring, call (a name), care, cast in, change, charge, commit, consider, convey, determine, [phrase] disguise, dispose, do, get, give, heap up, hold, impute, lay (down, up), leave, look, make (out), mark, [phrase] name, [idiom] on, ordain, order, [phrase] paint, place, preserve, purpose, put (on), [phrase] regard, rehearse, reward, (cause to) set (on, up), shew, [phrase] stedfastly, take, [idiom] tell, [phrase] tread down, (over-)turn, [idiom] wholly, work. - Strong's Number: H8077
There are 54 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: שְׁמָמָה
Transliteration: shᵉmâmâh
Pronunciation: shem-aw-maw'
Description: or שִׁמָמָה; feminine of שָׁמֵם; devastation; figuratively, astonishment; (laid, [idiom] most) desolate(-ion), waste. - Strong's Number: H776
There are 2739 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אֶרֶץ
Transliteration: ʼerets
Pronunciation: eh'-rets
Description: from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth (at large, or partitively a land); [idiom] common, country, earth, field, ground, land, [idiom] natins, way, [phrase] wilderness, world. - Strong's Number: H3427
There are 980 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: יָשַׁב
Transliteration: yâshab
Pronunciation: yaw-shab'
Description: a primitive root; properly, to sit down (specifically as judge. in ambush, in quiet); by implication, to dwell, to remain; causatively, to settle, to marry; (make to) abide(-ing), continue, (cause to, make to) dwell(-ing), ease self, endure, establish, [idiom] fail, habitation, haunt, (make to) inhabit(-ant), make to keep (house), lurking, [idiom] marry(-ing), (bring again to) place, remain, return, seat, set(-tle), (down-) sit(-down, still, -ting down, -ting (place) -uate), take, tarry.