Jeremiah 8:6

King James Version:

(The Lord speaking is red text)

I hearkened and heard, [but] they spake not aright: no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle.

Complete Jewish Bible:

I listened attentively but they spoke nothing right. No one repents of his wickedness, saying, "What have I done!" Each runs off in his own direction, like a horse plunging headlong into battle.

Berean Standard Bible:

I have listened and heard; they do not speak what is right. No one repents of his wickedness, asking, ‘What have I done?’ Everyone has pursued his own course like a horse charging into battle.

American Standard Version:

I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright: no man repenteth him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? every one turneth to his course, as a horse that rusheth headlong in the battle.

KJV with Strong’s Numbers:

I hearkened^{H7181} and heard^{H8085}, but they spake not aright^{H1696}: no man^{H376} repented^{H5162} him of^{H5921} his wickedness^{H7451}, saying^{H559}, What have I done^{H6213}? every one turned^{H7725} to his course^{H4794}, as the horse^{H5483} rusheth^{H7857} into the battle^{H4421}.

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Commentary for Jeremiah 8:6

Jeremiah 8:6 is a verse that captures the prophet Jeremiah's lament over the spiritual and moral state of Judah, which is set within the broader historical context of the late 7th and early 6th centuries BCE. Jeremiah, often called the "weeping prophet," is known for his messages of judgment and calls for repentance as the kingdom of Judah faces impending doom due to its unfaithfulness to God.

In this verse, Jeremiah describes his attentiveness to the people's conversations, indicating that he has listened carefully ("I hearkened and heard"), but he finds their words lacking truth and righteousness ("they spake not aright"). The verse reflects a society that has turned away from God's laws and is in denial about the severity of its sins. The people do not exhibit genuine repentance or self-examination ("no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done?"). Instead, they are depicted as being stubbornly set in their ways, obstinately pursuing their own courses of action ("every one turned to his course").

The simile of the horse rushing into battle emphasizes the reckless abandon with which the people of Judah are plunging ahead in their sinful behaviors. Just as a warhorse might charge headlong into the fray without considering the danger, the people are blindly rushing toward their own destruction without heeding the warnings of the prophet. This verse encapsulates the themes of unrepentance, self-deception, and the consequences of turning away from divine guidance, which are central to the message of Jeremiah and resonate with the broader concerns of the prophetic literature in the Bible.

*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model

Strong's Numbers and Definitions:

Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)

1. Strong's Number: H7181
   There are 45 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: קָשַׁב
   Transliteration: qâshab
   Pronunciation: kaw-shab'
   Description: a primitive root; to prick up the ears, i.e. hearken; attend, (cause to) hear(-ken), give heed, incline, mark (well), regard.
   
2. Strong's Number: H8085
   There are 1072 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: שָׁמַע
   Transliteration: shâmaʻ
   Pronunciation: shaw-mah'
   Description: a primitive root; to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.); [idiom] attentively, call (gather) together, [idiom] carefully, [idiom] certainly, consent, consider, be content, declare, [idiom] diligently, discern, give ear, (cause to, let, make to) hear(-ken, tell), [idiom] indeed, listen, make (a) noise, (be) obedient, obey, perceive, (make a) proclaim(-ation), publish, regard, report, shew (forth), (make a) sound, [idiom] surely, tell, understand, whosoever (heareth), witness.
   
3. Strong's Number: H1696
   There are 1050 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: דָבַר
   Transliteration: dâbar
   Pronunciation: daw-bar'
   Description: a primitive root; perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdue; answer, appoint, bid, command, commune, declare, destroy, give, name, promise, pronounce, rehearse, say, speak, be spokesman, subdue, talk, teach, tell, think, use (entreaties), utter, [idiom] well, [idiom] work.
   
4. Strong's Number: H376
   There are 1507 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: אִישׁ
   Transliteration: ʼîysh
   Pronunciation: eesh
   Description: contracted for אֱנוֹשׁ (or perhaps rather from an unused root meaning to be extant); a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation); also, another, any (man), a certain, [phrase] champion, consent, each, every (one), fellow, (foot-, husband-) man, (good-, great, mighty) man, he, high (degree), him (that is), husband, man(-kind), [phrase] none, one, people, person, [phrase] steward, what (man) soever, whoso(-ever), worthy. Compare אִשָּׁה.
   
5. Strong's Number: H5162
   There are 100 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: נָחַם
   Transliteration: nâcham
   Pronunciation: naw-kham'
   Description: a primitive root; properly, to sigh, i.e. breathe strongly; by implication, to be sorry, i.e. (in a favorable sense) to pity, console or (reflexively) rue; or (unfavorably) to avenge (oneself); comfort (self), ease (one's self), repent(-er,-ing, self).
   
6. Strong's Number: H5921
   There are 48 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: עַל
   Transliteration: ʻal
   Pronunciation: al
   Description: properly, the same as עַל used as a preposition (in the singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a particle following); above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications; above, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, [idiom] as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, [idiom] both and, by (reason of), [idiom] had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-) on, over, than, through(-out), to, touching, [idiom] with.
   
7. Strong's Number: H7451
   There are 623 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: רַע
   Transliteration: raʻ
   Pronunciation: rah
   Description: from רָעַע; bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral); adversity, affliction, bad, calamity, [phrase] displease(-ure), distress, evil((-favouredness), man, thing), [phrase] exceedingly, [idiom] great, grief(-vous), harm, heavy, hurt(-ful), ill (favoured), [phrase] mark, mischief(-vous), misery, naught(-ty), noisome, [phrase] not please, sad(-ly), sore, sorrow, trouble, vex, wicked(-ly, -ness, one), worse(-st), wretchedness, wrong. (Incl. feminine raaah; as adjective or noun.).
   
8. Strong's Number: H559
   There are 4434 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: אָמַר
   Transliteration: ʼâmar
   Pronunciation: aw-mar'
   Description: a primitive root; to say (used with great latitude); answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, [phrase] (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, [idiom] desire, determine, [idiom] expressly, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] intend, name, [idiom] plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), [idiom] still, [idiom] suppose, talk, tell, term, [idiom] that is, [idiom] think, use (speech), utter, [idiom] verily, [idiom] yet.
   
9. Strong's Number: H6213
   There are 2286 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: עָשָׂה
   Transliteration: ʻâsâh
   Pronunciation: aw-saw'
   Description: a primitive root; to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application; accomplish, advance, appoint, apt, be at, become, bear, bestow, bring forth, bruise, be busy, [idiom] certainly, have the charge of, commit, deal (with), deck, [phrase] displease, do, (ready) dress(-ed), (put in) execute(-ion), exercise, fashion, [phrase] feast, (fight-) ing man, [phrase] finish, fit, fly, follow, fulfill, furnish, gather, get, go about, govern, grant, great, [phrase] hinder, hold (a feast), [idiom] indeed, [phrase] be industrious, [phrase] journey, keep, labour, maintain, make, be meet, observe, be occupied, offer, [phrase] officer, pare, bring (come) to pass, perform, pracise, prepare, procure, provide, put, requite, [idiom] sacrifice, serve, set, shew, [idiom] sin, spend, [idiom] surely, take, [idiom] thoroughly, trim, [idiom] very, [phrase] vex, be (warr-) ior, work(-man), yield, use.
   
10. Strong's Number: H7725
    There are 952 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: שׁוּב
    Transliteration: shûwb
    Pronunciation: shoob
    Description: a primitive root; to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point); generally to retreat; often adverbial, again; ((break, build, circumcise, dig, do anything, do evil, feed, lay down, lie down, lodge, make, rejoice, send, take, weep)) [idiom] again, (cause to) answer ([phrase] again), [idiom] in any case (wise), [idiom] at all, averse, bring (again, back, home again), call (to mind), carry again (back), cease, [idiom] certainly, come again (back), [idiom] consider, [phrase] continually, convert, deliver (again), [phrase] deny, draw back, fetch home again, [idiom] fro, get (oneself) (back) again, [idiom] give (again), go again (back, home), (go) out, hinder, let, (see) more, [idiom] needs, be past, [idiom] pay, pervert, pull in again, put (again, up again), recall, recompense, recover, refresh, relieve, render (again), requite, rescue, restore, retrieve, (cause to, make to) return, reverse, reward, [phrase] say nay, send back, set again, slide back, still, [idiom] surely, take back (off), (cause to, make to) turn (again, self again, away, back, back again, backward, from, off), withdraw.
    
11. Strong's Number: H4794
    There are 3 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: מְרוּצָה
    Transliteration: mᵉrûwtsâh
    Pronunciation: mer-oo-tsaw'
    Description: or מְרֻצָה; feminine of מֵרוֹץ; a race (the act), whether the manner or the progress; course, running. Compare מְרֻצָה.
    
12. Strong's Number: H5483
    There are 131 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: סוּס
    Transliteration: çûwç
    Pronunciation: soos
    Description: or סֻס; from an unused root meaning to skip (properly, for joy); a horse (as leaping); also a swallow (from its rapid flight); crane, horse (-back, -hoof). Compare פָּרָשׁ.
    
13. Strong's Number: H7857
    There are 30 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: שָׁטַף
    Transliteration: shâṭaph
    Pronunciation: shaw-taf'
    Description: a primitive root; to gush; by implication, to inundate, cleanse; by analogy, to gallop, conquer; drown, (over-) flow(-whelm, rinse, run, rush, (throughly) wash (away).
    
14. Strong's Number: H4421
    There are 308 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: מִלְחָמָה
    Transliteration: milchâmâh
    Pronunciation: mil-khaw-maw'
    Description: from לָחַם (in the sense of fighting); a battle (i.e. the engagement); generally, war (i.e. warfare); battle, fight(-ing), war(-rior).