TRV
Translation
King James Version
And the wild asses did stand in the high places, they snuffed up the wind like dragons; their eyes did fail, because there was no grass.
Complete Jewish Bible
The wild donkeys standing on the bare heights gasp for air like jackals; their eyes grow dim from trying to spot any vegetation."
Berean Standard Bible
Wild donkeys stand on barren heights; they pant for air like jackals; their eyes fail for lack of pasture.”
American Standard Version
And the wild asses stand on the bare heights, they pant for air like jackals; their eyes fail, because there is no herbage.
World English Bible Messianic
The wild donkeys stand on the bare heights, they pant for air like jackals; their eyes fail, because there is no herbage.
Geneva Bible (1599)
And the wilde asses did stande in the hygh places, and drew in their winde like dragons their eyes did faile, because there was no grasse.
Young's Literal Translation
And wild asses have stood on high places, They have swallowed up wind like dragons, Consumed have been their eyes, for there is no herb.
In the KJVVerse 19,300 of 31,102
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Commentary on Jeremiah 14 verses 1–9
1 ¶ The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the dearth.
2 Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish; they are black unto the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up.
3 And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters: they came to the pits, and found no water; they returned with their vessels empty; they were ashamed and confounded, and covered their heads.
4 Because the ground is chapt, for there was no rain in the earth, the plowmen were ashamed, they covered their heads.
5 Yea, the hind also calved in the field, and forsook it, because there was no grass.
6 And the wild asses did stand in the high places, they snuffed up the wind like dragons; their eyes did fail, because there was no grass.
7 O LORD, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy name's sake: for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee.
8 O the hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in time of trouble, why shouldest thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night?
9 Why shouldest thou be as a man astonied, as a mighty man that cannot save? yet thou, O LORD, art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name; leave us not.
The first verse is the title of the whole chapter: it does indeed all concern the dearth, but much of it consists of the prophet's prayers concerning it; yet these are not unfitly said to be, The word of the Lord which came to him concerning it, for every acceptable prayer is that which God puts into our hearts; nothing is our word that comes to him but what is first his word that comes from him. In these verses we have,
I. The language of nature lamenting the calamity. When the heavens were as brass, and distilled no dews, the earth was as iron, and produced no fruits; and then the grief and confusion were universal. 1. The people of the land were all in tears. Destroy their vines and their fig-trees and you cause all their mirth to cease, Hos 2:11, Hos 2:12. All their joy fails with the joy of harvest, with that of their corn and wine. Judah mourns (Jer 14:2), not for the sin, but for the trouble - for the withholding of the rain, not for the withdrawing of God's favour. The gates thereof, all that go in and out at their gates, languish, look pale, and grow feeble, for want of the necessary supports of life and for fear of the further fatal consequences of this judgment. The gates, through which supplies of corn formerly used to be brought into their cities, now look melancholy, when, instead of that, the inhabitants are departing through them to seek for bread in other countries. Even those that sit in the gates languish; they are black unto the ground, they go in black as mourners and sit on the ground, a the poor beggars at the gates are black in the face for want of food, blacker than a coal, Lam 4:8. Famine is represented by a black horse, Rev 6:5. They fall to the ground through weakness, not being able to go along the streets. The cry of Jerusalem has gone up; that is, of the citizens (for the city is served by the field), or of people from all parts of the country met at Jerusalem to pray for rain; so some. But I fear it was rather the cry of their trouble, and the cry of their prayer. 2. The great men of the land felt from this judgment (Jer 14:3): The nobles sent their little ones to the water, perhaps their own children, having been forced to part with their servants because they had not wherewithal to keep them, and being willing to train up their children, when they were little, to labour, especially in a case of necessity, as this was. We find Ahab and Obadiah, the king and the lord chamberlain of his household, in their own persons, seeking for water in such a time of distress as this was, Kg1 18:5, Kg1 18:6. Or, rather, their meaner ones, their servants and inferior officers; these they sent to seek for water, which there is no living without; but there was none to be found: They returned with their vessels empty; the springs were dried up when there was no rain to feed them; and then they (their masters that sent them) were ashamed and confounded at the disappointment. They would not be ashamed of their sins, nor confounded at the sense of them, but were unhumbled under the reproofs of the word, thinking their wealth and dignity set them above repentance; but God took a course to make them ashamed of that which they were so proud of, when they found that even on this side hell their nobility would not purchase them a drop of water to cool their tongue. Let our reading the account of this calamity make us thankful for the mercy of water, that we may not by the feeling of the calamity be taught to value it. What is most needful is most plentiful. 3. The husbandmen felt most sensibly and immediately from it (Jer 14:4): The ploughmen were ashamed, for the ground was so parched and hard that it would not admit the plough even when it was so chapt and cleft that it seemed as if it did not need the plough. They were ashamed to be idle, for there was nothing to be done, and therefore nothing to be expected. The sluggard, that will not plough by reason of cold, is not ashamed of his own folly; but the diligent husbandman, that cannot plough by reason of heat, is ashamed of his own affliction. See what an immediate dependence husbandmen have upon the divine Providence, which therefore they should always have an eye to, for they cannot plough nor sow in hope unless God water their furrows, Psa 65:10. 4. The case even of the wild beasts was very pitiable, Jer 14:5, Jer 14:6. Man's sin brings those judgments upon the earth which make even the inferior creatures groan: and the prophet takes notice of this as a plea with God for mercy. Judah and Jerusalem have sinned, but the hinds and the wild asses, what have they done? The hinds are pleasant creatures, lovely and loving, and particularly tender of their young; and yet such is the extremity of the case that, contrary to the instinct of their nature, they leave their young, even when they are newly calved and most need them, to seek for grass elsewhere; and, if they can find none, they abandon them, because not able to suckle them. It grieved not the hind so much that she had no grass herself as that she had none for her young, which will shame those who spend that upon their lusts which they should preserve for their families. The hind, when she has brought forth her young, is said to have cast forth her sorrows (Job 39:3), and yet she continues her cares; but, as it follows there, she soon sees the good effect of them, for her young ones in a little while grow up, and trouble her no more, Jer 14:4. But here the great trouble of all is that she has nothing for them. Nay, one would be sorry even for the wild asses (though they are creatures that none have any great affection for); for, though the barren land is made their dwelling at the best (Job 39:5, Job 39:6), yet even that is now made too hot for them, so hot that they cannot breathe in it, but they get to the highest places they can reach, where the air is coolest, and snuff up the wind like dragons, like those creatures which, being very hot, are continually panting for breath. Their eyes fail, and so does their strength, because there is no grass to support them. The tame ass, that serves her owner, is welcome to his crib (Isa 1:3) and has her keeping for her labour, when the wild ass, that scorns the crying of the driver, is forced to live upon air, and is well enough served for not serving. He that will not labour, let him not eat.
II. Here is the language of grace, lamenting the iniquity, and complaining to God of the calamity. The people are not forward to pray, but the prophet here prays for them, and so excites them to pray for themselves, and puts words into their mouths, which they may make use of, in hopes to speed, Jer 14:7-9. In this prayer, 1. Sin is humbly confessed. When we come to pray for the preventing or removing of any judgment we must always acknowledge that our iniquities testify against us. Our sins are witnesses against us, and true penitents see them to be such. They testify, for they are plain and evident; we cannot deny the charge. They testify against us, for our conviction, which tends to our present shame and confusion, and our future condemnation. They disprove and overthrow all our pleas for ourselves; and so not only accuse us, but answer against us. If we boast of our own excellencies, and trust to our own righteousness, our iniquities testify against us, and prove us perverse. If we quarrel with God as dealing unjustly or unkindly with us in afflicting us, our iniquities testify against us that we do him wrong; "for our backslidings are many and our revolts are great, whereby we have sinned against thee - too numerous to be concealed, for they are many, too heinous to be excused, for they are against thee." 2. Mercy is earnestly begged: "Though our iniquities testify against us, and against the granting of the favour which the necessity of our case calls for, yet do thou it." They do not say particularly what they would have done; but, as becomes penitents and beggars, they refer the matter to God: "Do with us as thou thinkest fit," Jdg 10:15. Not, Do thou it in this way or at this time, but "Do thou it for thy name's sake; do that which will be most for the glory of thy name." Note, Our best pleas in prayer are those that are fetched from the glory of God's own name. "Lord, do it, that they mercy may be magnified, thy promise fulfilled, and thy interest in the world kept up; we have nothing to plead in ourselves, but every thing in thee." There is another petition in this prayer, and it is a very modest one (Jer 14:9): "Leave us not, withdraw not thy favour and presence." Note, We should dread and deprecate God's departure from us more than the removal of any or all our creature-comforts. 3. Their relation to God, their interest in him, and their expectations from him grounded thereupon, are most pathetically pleaded with him, Jer 14:8, Jer 14:9. (1.) They look upon him as one they have reason to think should deliver them when they are in distress, yea, though their iniquities testify against them; for in him mercy has often rejoiced against judgment. The prophet, like Moses of old, is willing to make the best he can of the case of his people, and therefore, though he must own that they have sinned many a great sin (Exo 32:31), yet he pleads, Thou art the hope of Israel. God has encouraged his people to hope in him; in calling himself so often the God of Israel, the rock of Israel, and the Holy One of Israel, he has made himself the hope of Israel. He has given Israel his word to hope in, and caused them to hope in it; and there are those yet in Israel that make God alone their hope, and expect he will be their Saviour in time of trouble, and they look not for salvation in any other; "Thou hast many a time been such, in the time of their extremity." Note, Since God is his people's all-sufficient Saviour, they ought to hope in him in their greatest straits; and, since he is their only Saviour, they ought to hope in him alone. They plead likewise, "Thou art in the midst of us; we have the special tokens of thy presence with us, thy temple, thy ark, thy oracles, and we are called by the name, the Israel of God; and therefore we have reason to hope thou wilt not leave us; we are thine, save us. Thy name is called upon us, and therefore what evils we are under reflect dishonour upon thee, as if thou wert not able to relieve thy own." The prophet had often told the people that their profession of religion would not protect them from the judgments of God; yet here he pleads it with God, as Moses, Exo 32:11. Even this may go far as to temporal punishments with a God of mercy. Valeat quantum valere potest - Let the plea avail as far as is proper. (2.) It therefore grieves them to think that he does not appear for their deliverance; and, though they do not charge it upon him as unrighteous, they humbly plead it with him why he should be gracious, for the glory of his own name. For otherwise he will seem, [1.] Unconcerned for his own people: What will the Egyptians say? they will say, "Israel's hope and Saviour does not mind them; he has become as a stranger in the land, that does not at all interest himself in its interests; his temple, which he called his rest for ever, is no more so, but he is in it as a wayfaring man, that turns aside to tarry but for a night in an inn, which he never enquires into the affairs of, nor is in any care about." Though God never is, yet he sometimes seems to be, as if he cared not what became of his church: Christ slept when his disciples were in storm. [2.] Incapable of giving them any relief. The enemies once said, Because the Lord was not able to bring his people to Canaan, he let them perish in the wilderness (Num 14:16); so now they will say, "Either his wisdom or his power fails him; either he is as a man astonished (who, though he has the reason of a man, yet, being astonished, is quite at a loss and at his wits' end) or as a mighty man who is overpowered by such as are more mighty, and therefore cannot save; though mighty, yet a man, and therefore having his power limited." Either of these would be a most insufferable reproach to the divine perfections; and therefore, why has the God that we are sure is in the midst of us become as a stranger? Why does the almighty God seem as if he were no more than a mighty man, who, when he is astonished, though he would, yet cannot save? It becomes us in prayer to show ourselves concerned more for God's glory than for our own comfort. Lord, what wilt thou do unto thy great name?
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–9. Public domain.
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Origen of AlexandriaAD 253
COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 2:1
It will serve us to remember that what is called the Word came to certain persons, as “the word of the Lord which came to Hosea, the son of Beeri,” and “the word which came to Isaiah, the son of Amoz, concerning Judah and concerning Jerusalem,” and “the word that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought.” We must inquire how this Word came to Hosea, and how it came also to Isaiah the son of Amoz, and again to Jeremiah concerning the drought. The comparison may enable us to find out how the Word was with God. We will generalize by simply looking at what the prophets said, as if that were the Word of the Lord or the Word that came to them. May it not be … that … the Son, the Word, of whom we are now theologizing, came to Hosea, sent to him by the Father, historically, that is to say, to the son of Beeri, the prophet Hosea.… Similarly the Word comes also to Isaiah, teaching the things that are coming on Judea and Jerusalem in the last days. So also it comes to Jeremiah lifted up by a divine elation.… Thus to find out what is meant by the phrase “the Word was with God,” we have adduced the words used about the prophets, how he came to Hosea, to Isaiah, to Jeremiah.… We have to add that in his coming to the prophets he illuminates the prophets with the light of knowledge, causing them to see things that had been before them but that they had not understood until then.
John ChrysostomAD 407
AGAINST THE ANOMOEANS 8:5
Again, the Scriptures speak of God as asleep when the psalmist says, “Arise! Why do you sleep, O Lord?” He does not say this to make us suspect that God sleeps. This would be the utmost madness. By the word sleep the psalm shows God’s patience and forbearance toward us. Another prophet has said, “You will not be like a person who sleeps, will you?” Do you not see that we need much help from our understanding and reason when we are searching into the treasure house of the divine Scriptures? If we listen to the words only, if we do not think but take the words as they come, not only will those absurdities follow, but many a conflict will be seen in what has been said.
JeromeAD 420
SIX BOOKS ON JEREMIAH 3:41.1-3
After many and various thoughts, he returns to the prophecy’s title, in which it is written, “What the word of the Lord gave to Jeremiah concerning the drought.” This is why he says, in effect: “Because the idols of demons are unable to make it rain, and the heavens are unable to give showers in and of themselves, therefore give us rain, O Lord our God, on whom we always wait and toward whom we have turned our hope and devotion. For everything is yours, and whatever is good cannot be given without you, to whom it belongs.” Let us speak this word also against the heretics who are unable to grant rain showers of doctrine. Although they prefer themselves to be the heavens and thus glory in themselves, concerning what is written, “the heavens tell forth the glory of God,” they are nonetheless incapable of providing rain showers of doctrine. For it is God alone who instructs people and grants a diversity of graces to those who wait on him.
JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Jeremiah
(Verse 5, 6.) For even the deer (or deer) in the field give birth (or gave birth) and abandon (or abandoned) because there is no grass. And the wild donkeys stood on the cliffs, they drew in the wind like dragons, their eyes failed, because there is no grass (or hay). Great sterility, when even the deer in the field give birth and abandon their offspring, because there is no grass or hay; just as serpents draw out venomous animals from caves with the smell of their nostrils and kill them, they do not use food as a means of gratitude. And also about the wild donkeys it is written in Job: Who has let the wild donkey go free into the wilderness? (Job 39:5) They wander about for food, seeking sustenance in the desert. They live among the rocks and make their home in the cliffs. They cannot run but drag themselves along like serpents. Their eyesight fails, and they cannot see. They survive on sparse vegetation. This drought often happens in the churches, when deer and wild donkeys are found among the people, and there is a scarcity of teachers: there are those who can learn, but there are not those who can teach.
If our iniquities answer (or resist) against us, O Lord, do it for your name's sake, because our turnings away (or sins) are many. We have sinned against you, O expectation of Israel: the Savior thereof in time of trouble. If we doubt why the rains do not descend upon the earth, why all things wither with dryness, let us hear. Our iniquities have resisted against us; therefore, O Lord, not according to our works, but according to your holy name, overcome our many turnings away (or sins). For we have sinned against you, whom the secrets of the heart do not deceive, and we wait for you, who are the true hope and expectation of Israel: and you save them in the time of tribulation, according to what is written: I cried to the Lord in my trouble, and he heard me (Psalm 119:1). Let us also say in the time of drought and shortage of water: We have sinned against you, and we have done evil before you (Psalm 50:5), we await your coming, who save Israel, not by their own merit, but by your mercy.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Jeremiah 14:6 offers a profoundly poignant and graphic depiction of the devastating drought afflicting Judah, showcasing the extreme suffering endured by even the most resilient of creatures—the wild asses. These animals, typically adapted to harsh, arid environments, are portrayed in a state of utter desperation: standing on barren heights, gasping for non-existent moisture, and succumbing to the effects of starvation and dehydration. This vivid imagery serves to underscore the severity of God's judgment upon a disobedient people, demonstrating how their persistent sin has tangible and widespread repercussions, extending even to the natural world.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Jeremiah 14:6 is exceptionally rich in Imagery, painting a vivid, distressing, and unforgettable picture of the drought's pervasive and destructive impact. The initial image of the "wild asses... in the high places" immediately conveys a sense of desolation, vulnerability, and profound desperation, especially given that these animals are typically robust and resilient. The most striking and impactful device employed is the Simile, "they snuffed up the wind like dragons." This comparison is extraordinarily effective, evoking a sense of monstrous, desperate, and guttural gasping, thereby emphasizing the extreme suffering and the raw, horrifying sounds of animals on the very brink of death. The term "dragons" (tannîyn) itself carries potent Symbolism, often associated with desolate wildernesses, chaos, or powerful, frightening creatures, thereby amplifying the horror and grotesque nature of the scene. Furthermore, the entire verse functions as a powerful Synecdoche, where the acute suffering of these specific wild asses represents the widespread, pervasive, and indiscriminate suffering of all life in Judah, including its human inhabitants, directly attributable to the severe and relentless drought. This Pathos-laden description is masterfully crafted to elicit a strong emotional response from the reader, underscoring with devastating clarity the severity of God's righteous judgment and the dire consequences of persistent sin.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Jeremiah 14:6 profoundly illustrates the enduring biblical principle that human sin has far-reaching and devastating consequences, extending far beyond humanity to impact the created order itself. This verse stands as a stark and sobering reminder of the covenant curses meticulously outlined in the Torah, where agricultural blight and severe drought were explicitly promised as direct results of disobedience to God's commands. The agonizing suffering of the wild asses serves as a powerful and undeniable testimony to the broken relationship between God and His people, demonstrating with chilling clarity that when humanity defiantly rejects its Creator, the very fabric of creation groans and suffers under the immense weight of that rebellion. It underscores God's absolute sovereignty over nature and His divine prerogative to utilize natural phenomena as potent instruments of judgment, meticulously designed to call His people to profound repentance and a renewed, humble understanding of their utter dependence on Him for all provision and sustenance.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
The desperate and harrowing scene depicted in Jeremiah 14:6 serves as a potent spiritual mirror for us today, compelling us to profound introspection. It vividly reminds us that our actions, particularly our rebellion against God and our neglect of His ways, have ripple effects that extend far beyond our immediate selves, impacting the communities we inhabit, the societies we build, and even the natural world around us. This verse calls us to profound humility and earnest self-examination, prompting us to consider what "droughts" we might be experiencing in our contemporary context—be they spiritual barrenness, relational brokenness, societal decay, or ecological distress—and to discern if these are, in fact, consequences of our collective or individual turning away from God. It challenges us to recognize our absolute and unwavering dependence on God as the ultimate source of all life and provision, just as the wild asses were utterly dependent on grass and water for their very existence. Furthermore, it compels us to cultivate a deeper sense of faithful stewardship for creation, understanding that its well-being is intricately and divinely linked to our faithfulness to the Creator. When we bear witness to suffering, whether in humanity or in the natural world, this passage urgently urges us to look beyond immediate, superficial causes to the deeper spiritual realities at play and to respond with genuine repentance, fervent intercession, and a renewed, unwavering commitment to living in alignment with God's perfect will.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What is the significance of the "wild asses" in this verse?
Answer: The wild asses (onagers) are profoundly significant in this verse because they are renowned for their extreme hardiness and remarkable ability to survive and even thrive in very arid, desolate environments. By depicting even these exceptionally resilient creatures in such a state of utter desperation—standing on barren heights, gasping for air, with their eyes failing—the prophet Jeremiah dramatically emphasizes the unprecedented and catastrophic severity of the drought. It powerfully underscores that the famine is so pervasive and extreme that it has overwhelmed even the most robust forms of life, making the wild asses a potent and distressing symbol of the widespread and inescapable judgment affecting all of Judah.
Why are the wild asses described as "snuffing up the wind like dragons"?
Answer: The phrase "snuffed up the wind" vividly portrays their desperate and futile attempt to inhale any moisture or relief from the parched, dusty air, indicating extreme thirst and impending suffocation. The comparison to "dragons" (Hebrew tannîyn) is a powerful and unsettling simile. While tannîyn can refer to large sea creatures, serpents, or jackals, in this context, it most likely evokes a monstrous, guttural, and terrifying sound or appearance. It suggests the wild asses are panting and gasping with such intensity and raw desperation that their actions resemble the fearsome, deep breathing of a mythical beast or the eerie, rasping sounds of creatures of desolation. This vivid imagery amplifies the horror and extremity of their suffering, making the scene even more impactful and unforgettable.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Jeremiah 14:6, with its stark and agonizing portrayal of creation groaning under the crushing weight of sin and the righteous judgment of God, finds its ultimate fulfillment and profound resolution in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The devastating drought and the agonizing suffering of the wild asses are a tangible and visceral manifestation of the brokenness and curse introduced by human sin, revealing a world desperately longing for redemption. Christ, the true Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, willingly entered this cursed creation not to bring further judgment, but to bear its full, crushing weight. He is the one who experienced the ultimate "drought" on the cross, crying out in profound agony, "I thirst" (John 19:28), thereby absorbing the divine wrath that brings such desolation. Through His perfect and atoning sacrifice, Jesus provides the living water that truly satisfies the soul's deepest thirst (John 4:10-14), offering abundant spiritual nourishment where there was once only barrenness and despair. Furthermore, Christ's redemptive work initiates the new creation, promising a glorious future where creation itself will be miraculously liberated from its bondage to decay and futility (Romans 8:21) and where there will be no more thirst, for the Lamb will lead His redeemed people to springs of living water (Revelation 7:16-17). Thus, the despair and desolation vividly depicted in Jeremiah 14:6 powerfully point forward to the ultimate hope and restoration found exclusively in Christ, who perfectly redeems both fallen humanity and groaning creation from the pervasive curse of sin.