Jeremiah 16:6

Both the great and the small shall die in this land: they shall not be buried, neither shall [men] lament for them, nor cut themselves, nor make themselves bald for them:

Both the great {H1419} and the small {H6996} shall die {H4191} in this land {H776}: they shall not be buried {H6912}, neither shall men lament {H5594} for them, nor cut {H1413} themselves, nor make themselves bald {H7139} for them:

'Great and small alike will die in this land; they will not be buried, people will not lament them; nor will they cut their flesh or shave their heads for them.

“Both great and small will die in this land. They will not be buried or mourned, nor will anyone cut himself or shave his head for them.

Both great and small shall die in this land; they shall not be buried, neither shall men lament for them, nor cut themselves, nor make themselves bald for them;

Jeremiah 16:6 delivers a chilling prophecy of the severe judgment awaiting the people of Judah, highlighting the catastrophic consequences of their persistent disobedience to God.

Context of Jeremiah 16:6

The prophet Jeremiah was called by God to deliver messages of warning and judgment to the southern kingdom of Judah during its final decades before the Babylonian exile. This particular chapter, Jeremiah 16, focuses on the Lord's command to Jeremiah to refrain from marriage, children, and even participation in funerals or feasts, as a prophetic sign of the impending desolation. The verse underscores the extreme nature of the coming calamity, where death would be so widespread and devastating that traditional funeral rites and mourning customs would be completely abandoned.

Key Themes and Messages

  • Widespread Death and Desolation: The phrase "Both the great and the small shall die in this land" emphasizes that no one, regardless of social status or age, would be spared from the coming judgment. The scale of death would be unprecedented.
  • Lack of Burial and Dignity: "They shall not be buried" signifies a profound dishonor and a sign of God's curse. In ancient cultures, proper burial was a crucial act of respect for the dead and a deep societal expectation. The absence of burial points to a complete breakdown of order and a lack of compassion amidst overwhelming death. This grim reality is also prophesied in Jeremiah 7:33 and Jeremiah 8:2.
  • Absence of Lamentation: "Neither shall [men] lament for them" indicates that the sorrow would be so overwhelming, or the survivors so few and broken, that even the customary wailing and mourning would cease. This points to a state of utter hopelessness and despair.
  • Forbidden Mourning Practices: The mention of "nor cut themselves, nor make themselves bald for them" refers to pagan mourning rituals that were explicitly forbidden by God's law for Israel (Deuteronomy 14:1). The irony here is that even these forbidden, idolatrous expressions of grief would be absent, not out of obedience, but due to the sheer magnitude of death that would render such practices impossible or meaningless.

Linguistic Insights

The Hebrew words used convey a stark picture:

  • "Lament" comes from the Hebrew root saphad, meaning to beat the breast, to wail, or to mourn loudly. Its absence highlights the profound silence of desolation.

  • The phrase "cut themselves" is from gadad, referring to self-mutilation, often associated with idolatrous mourning practices or Baal worship, as seen in 1 Kings 18:28.

  • "Make themselves bald" is from qarach, meaning to make bald or shave the head, another common (though often forbidden for Israelites) sign of extreme grief in the ancient Near East.

Practical Application and Reflection

Jeremiah 16:6 serves as a powerful reminder of the serious consequences of sustained disobedience to God. It underscores God's justice and the inevitable outcomes when a people turn away from His covenant. While the specific judgment was for ancient Judah, the principle remains: rebellion against divine commands brings severe repercussions. For believers today, it emphasizes the importance of heeding God's warnings, living in obedience, and understanding the gravity of sin. It also highlights the profound value placed on human dignity, even in death, a dignity that was tragically denied to the people of Judah due to their choices, as a stark warning of the ultimate wages of sin, which is death.

Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • Deuteronomy 14:1

    ¶ Ye [are] the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.

  • Jeremiah 41:5

    That there came certain from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, [even] fourscore men, having their beards shaven, and their clothes rent, and having cut themselves, with offerings and incense in their hand, to bring [them] to the house of the LORD.

  • Jeremiah 47:5

    Baldness is come upon Gaza; Ashkelon is cut off [with] the remnant of their valley: how long wilt thou cut thyself?

  • Leviticus 19:28

    Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I [am] the LORD.

  • Jeremiah 48:37

    For every head [shall be] bald, and every beard clipped: upon all the hands [shall be] cuttings, and upon the loins sackcloth.

  • Isaiah 22:12

    And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:

  • Jeremiah 16:4

    They shall die of grievous deaths; they shall not be lamented; neither shall they be buried; [but] they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth: and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and their carcases shall be meat for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.

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