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Commentary on Jeremiah 8 verses 13–22
In these verses we have,
I. God threatening the destruction of a sinful people. He has borne long with them, but they are still more and more provoking, and therefore now their ruin is resolved on: I will surely consume them (Jer 8:13), consuming I will consume them, not only surely, but utterly, consume them, will follow them with one judgment after another, till they are quite consumed; it is a consumption determined, Isa 10:23. 1. They shall be quite stripped of all their comforts (Jer 8:13): There shall be no grapes on the vine. Some understand this as intimating their sin; God came looking for grapes from this vineyard, seeking fruit upon this fig-tree, but he found none (as Isa 5:2, Luk 13:6); nay, they had not so much as leaves, Mat 21:19. But it is rather to be understood of God's judgments upon them, and may be meant literally - The enemy shall seize the fruits of the earth, shall pluck the grapes and figs for themselves and beat down the very leaves with them; or, rather, figuratively - They shall be deprived of all their comforts and shall have nothing left them wherewith to make glad their hearts. It is expounded in the last clause: The things that I have given them shall pass away from them. Note, God's gifts are upon condition, and revocable upon non-performance of the condition. Mercies abused are forfeited, and it is just with God to take the forfeiture. 2. They shall be set upon by all manner of grievances, and surrounded with calamities (Jer 8:17): I will send serpents among you, the Chaldean army, fiery serpents, flying serpents, cockatrices; these shall bite them with their venomous teeth, give them wounds that shall be mortal; and they shall not be charmed, as some serpents used to be, with music. These are serpents of another nature, that are not so wrought upon, or they are as the deaf adder, that stops her ear, and will not hear the voice of the charmer. The enemies are so intent upon making slaughter that it will be to no purpose to accost them gently, or offer any thing to pacify them, or mollify them, or to bring them to a better temper. No peace with God, therefore none with them.
II. The people sinking into despair under the pressure of those calamities. Those that were void of fear (when the trouble was at a distance) and set it at defiance, are void of hope now that it breaks in upon them, and have no heart either to make head against it or to bear up under it, Jer 8:14. They cannot think themselves safe in the open villages: Why do we sit still here? Let us assemble, and go into a body into the defenced cities. Though they could expect no other than to be surely cut off there at last, yet not so soon as in the country, and therefore, "Let us go, and be silent there; let us attempt nothing, nor so much as make a complaint; for to what purpose?" It is not a submissive, but a sullen silence, that they here condemn themselves to. Those that are most jovial in their prosperity commonly despond most, and are most melancholy, in trouble. Now observe what it is that sinks them.
1.They are sensible that God is angry with them: "'The Lord our God has put us to silence, has struck us with astonishment, and given us water of gall to drink, which is both bitter and stupifying, or intoxicating. Psa 60:3, Thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment. We had better sit still than rise up and fall; better say nothing than say nothing to the purpose. To what purpose is it to contend with our fate when God himself has become our enemy and fights against us? Because we have sinned against the Lord, therefore we are brought to the plunge." This may be taken as the language, (1.) Of their indignation. They seem to quarrel with God as if he had dealt hardly with them in putting them to silence, not permitting them to speak for themselves, and then telling them that it was because they had sinned against him. Thus men's foolishness perverts their way, and then their hearts fret against the Lord. Or rather, (2.) Of their convictions. At length they begin to see the hand of God lifted up against them, and stretched out in the calamities under which they are now groaning, and to own that they have provoked him to contend with them. Note, Sooner or later God will bring the most obstinate to acknowledge both his providence and his justice in all the troubles they are brought into, to see and say both that it is his hand and that he is righteous.
2.They are sensible that the enemy is likely to be too hard for them, Jer 8:16. They are soon apprehensive that it is to no purpose to make head against such a mighty force; they and their people are quite dispirited; and, when the courage of a nation is gone, their numbers will stand them in little stead. The snorting of the horses was heard from Dan, that is, the report of the formidable strength of their cavalry was soon carried all the nation over and every body trembled at the sound of the neighing of his steeds; for they have devoured the land and all that is in the city; both town and country are laid waste before them, not only the wealth, but the inhabitants, of both, those that dwell therein. Note, When God appears against us, every thing else that is against us appears very formidable; whereas, if he be for us, every thing appears very despicable, Rom 8:31.
3.They are disappointed in their expectations of deliverance out of their troubles, as they had been surprised when their troubles came upon them; and this double disappointment very much aggravated their calamity. (1.) The trouble came when they little expected it (Jer 8:15): We looked for peace, the continuance of our peace, but no good came, no good news from abroad; we looked for a time of health and prosperity to our nation, but, behold, trouble, the alarms of war; for, as it follows (Jer 8:16), the noise of the enemies' horses was heard from Dan. Their false prophets had cried Peace, peace, to them, which made it the more terrible when the scene of war opened on a sudden. This complaint will occur again, ch. 14:19. (2.) The deliverance did not come when they had long expected it (Jer 8:20): The harvest is past, the summer is ended; that is, there is a great deal of time gone. Harvest and summer are parts of the year, and when they are gone the year draws towards a conclusion; so the meaning is, "One year passes after another, one campaign after another, and yet our affairs are in as bad a posture as ever they were; no relief comes, nor is any thing done towards it: We are not saved." Nay, there is a great deal of opportunity lost, the season of action is over and slipped, the summer and harvest are gone, and a cold and melancholy winter succeeds. Note, The salvation of God's church and people often goes on very slowly, and God keeps his people long in the expectation of it, for wise and holy ends. Nay, they stand in their own light, and put a bar in their own door, and are not saved because they are not ready for salvation.
4.They are deceived in those things which were their confidence and which they thought would have secured their peace to them (Jer 8:19): The daughter of my people cries, cries aloud, because of those that dwell in a far country, because of the foreign enemy that invades them, that comes from a far country to take possession of ours; this occasions the cry; and what is the cry? It is this: Is not the Lord in Zion? Is not her king in her? These were the two things that they had all along buoyed up themselves with and depended upon, (1.) That they had among them the temple of God, and the tokens of his special presence with them. The common cant was, "Is not the Lord in Zion? What danger then need we fear?" And they held by this when the trouble was breaking in upon them. "Surely we shall do well enough, for have we not God among us?" But, when it grew to an extremity, it was an aggravation of their misery that they had thus flattered themselves. (2.) That they had the throne of the house of David. As they had a temple, so they had a monarchy, jure divino - by divine right: Is not Zion's king in her? And will not Zion's God protect Zion's king and his kingdom? Surely he will; but why does he not? "What" (say they) "has Zion neither a God nor a king to stand by her and help her, that she is thus run down and likely to be ruined?" This outcry of theirs reflects upon God, as if his power and promise were broken or weakened; and therefore he returns an answer to it immediately: Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images? They quarrel with God as if he had dealt unkindly by them in forsaking them, whereas they by their idolatry had driven him from them; they have withdrawn from their allegiance to him, and so have thrown themselves out of this protection. They fret themselves, and curse their king and their God (Isa 8:21), when it is their own sin that separates between them and God (Isa 59:2); they feared not the Lord, and then what can a king do for them? Hos 10:3.
III. We have here the prophet himself bewailing the calamity and ruin of his people; for there were more of the lamentations of Jeremiah than those we find in the book that bears that title. Observe here, 1. How great his griefs were. He was an eyewitness of the desolations of his country, and saw those things which by the spirit of prophecy he had foreseen. In the foresight, much more in the sight, of them, he cries out, "My heart is faint in me, I sink, I die away at the consideration of it, Jer 8:18. When I would comfort myself against my sorrow, I do but labour in vain; nay, every attempt to alleviate the grief does but aggravate it." It is our wisdom and duty, under mournful events, to do what we can to comfort ourselves against our sorrow, by suggesting to ourselves such considerations as are proper to allay the grief and balance the grievance. But sometimes the sorrow is such that the more it is repressed the more strongly it recoils. This may sometimes be the case of very good men, as of the prophet here, whose soul refused to be comforted and fainted at the cordial, Psa 77:2, Psa 77:3. He tells us (Jer 8:21) what was the matter: "It is for the hurt of the daughter of my people that I am thus hurt; it is for their sin, and the miseries they have brought upon themselves by it; it is for this that I am black, that I look black, that I go in black as mourners do, and that astonishment has taken hold on me, so that I know not what to do nor which way to turn." Note, The miseries of our country ought to be very much the grief of our souls. A gracious spirit will be a public spirit, a tender spirit, a mourning spirit. It becomes us to lament the miseries of our fellow-creatures, much more to lay to heart the calamities of our country, and especially of the church of God, to grieve for the affliction of Joseph. Jeremiah had prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem, and, though the truth of his prophecy was questioned, yet he did not rejoice in the proof of the truth of his prophecy was questioned, yet he did not rejoice in the proof of the truth of it by the accomplishment of it, preferring the welfare of his country before his own reputation. If Jerusalem had repented and been spared, he would have been far from fretting as Jonah did. Jeremiah had many enemies in Judah and Jerusalem, that hated, and reproached, and persecuted him; and in the judgments brought upon them God reckoned with them for it and pleaded his prophet's cause; yet he was far from rejoicing in it, so truly did he forgive his enemies and desire that God would forgive them. 2. How small his hopes were (Jer 8:22): "Is there no balm in Gilead - no medicine proper for a sick and dying kingdom? Is there no physician there - no skilful faithful hand to apply the medicine?" He looks upon the case to be deplorable and past relief. There is no balm in Gilead that can cure the disease of sin, no physician there that can restore the health of a nation quite overrun by such a foreign army as that of the Chaldeans. The desolations made are irreparable, and the disease has presently come to such a height that there is no checking it. Or this verse may be understood as laying all the blame of the incurableness of their disease upon themselves; and so the question must be answered affirmatively: Is there no balm in Gilead - no physician there? Yes, certainly there is; God is able to help and heal them, there is a sufficiency in him to redress all their grievances. Gilead was a place in their own land, not far off. They had among themselves God's law and his prophets, with the help of which they might have been brought to repentance, and their ruin might have been prevented. They had princes and priests, whose business it was to reform the nation and redress their grievances. What could have been done more than had been done for their recovery? Why then was not their health restored? Certainly it was not owing to God, but to themselves; it was not for want of balm and a physician, but because they would not admit the application nor submit to the methods of cure. The physician and physic were both ready, but the patient was wilful and irregular, would not be tied to rules, but must be humoured. Note, If sinners die of their wounds, their blood is upon their own heads. The blood of Christ is balm in Gilead, his Spirit is the physician there, both sufficient, all-sufficient, so that they might have been healed, but would not.
Let no one, then, run down the law, as if, on account of the penalty, it were not beautiful and good. Shouldn’t he who drives away bodily disease appear as a benefactor? Shouldn’t he who attempts to deliver the soul from iniquity even more appear as a friend since the soul is a more precious thing than the body? Besides, for the sake of bodily health we submit to incisions, cauterization and medicinal draughts. He who administers them is called savior and healer. He is called this even though he amputates parts, but he works not from a grudge or ill will toward the patient. He instead acts according to the principles that the art prescribes so that the sound parts may not perish along with them. No one accuses the physician’s art of wickedness. In the same way, shouldn’t we submit, for the soul’s sake, to either banishment, or punishment or bonds, as long as from unrighteousness we shall obtain righteousness?
“Shall not he that falls rise again, and he that is turned away, shall he not turn again?” Why, then, is the virgin “turned away with a stubborn revolting,” even though she heard Christ, her spouse, saying through Jeremiah: “And when she had committed all these fornications, I said: Return to me, and she did not return?” “Is there no balm in Gilead? Or is there no physician there? Why, then, is not the wound of the daughter of my people closed?” Indeed, you will find many safeguards against evil in the divine Scripture, and many remedies which from destruction bring salvation. There are the mysteries of death and resurrection, the words of terrible judgment and everlasting punishment, the doctrines of repentance and the forgiveness of sin and those innumerable examples of conversion. There are the drachma, the sheep and the son who spent his livelihood with harlots, who was lost and found, was dead and lived again. Let us use these safeguards against evil. Through them, let us heal our soul.…While we can, let us lift ourselves from the fall. Let us never despair of ourselves, if only we depart from evil. Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. “O come, let us worship and fall down; let us weep before him.” The Word who invited us to repentance calls aloud, “Come unto me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” There is, then, a way of salvation, if we want it. “Death in his might has swallowed up, but again the Lord has wiped away tears from off all faces” of those who repent. The Lord is faithful in all his words. He does not lie when he says, “Though your sins are scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” The great Physician of souls who is the ready liberator, not of you alone, but of all who are enslaved by sin, is ready to heal your sickness. From him come the words, it was his sweet and saving lips that said, “They who are whole do not need a physician but those who are sick.… I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” What excuse have you, what excuse has anyone, when he speaks in this way? The Lord wishes to cleanse you from the trouble of your sickness and to show you light after darkness. The good Shepherd who left those who had not wandered away is seeking after you. If you give yourself to him, he will not hold back. He, in his love, will not disdain even to carry you on his own shoulders, rejoicing that he has found his sheep that was lost. The Father stands and awaits your return from your wandering. Only come back, and while you are yet far off, he will run and fall on your neck, and, now that you are cleansed by repentance, will enfold you in embraces of love. He will clothe with the chief robe the soul that has put off the old person with all his works. He will put a ring on hands that have washed off the blood of death and will put shoes on feet that have turned from the evil way to the path of the gospel of peace. He will announce the day of joy and gladness to those who are his own, both angels and human beings, and will celebrate your salvation far and wide. For “truly I say unto you,” he says, “there is joy in heaven before God over one sinner who repents.”
What should we do? Let us allow a spring of tears to flow every day, day and night. Let us, too, say with the weeping Jeremiah, the great prophet, “Who will give some water to my head, and a spring of tears to my eyes? I would weep for my sins day and night.” Let us first of all confess our sins before this.… which is full of terror and trembling tears. Let us invoke the goodness and mercy of our God, while we are in this exile of tears, before death overtakes us.
(Verse 18) My sorrow is upon sorrow, my heart is mourning within me. As we have said before, the previous seventy sentences, which were said, were connected in order to establish: 'And they will bite you,' says the Lord, 'incurably: with the pain of your heart, you will faint.' However, in Hebrew, the word for pain, which is translated into Greek as ὀδύνη, is not so much a physical pain as it is a grimace of the mouth, contracted and resembling a laugh. These words must be read emphatically from the perspective of God, mourning the downfall of Jerusalem and not enduring its miseries.
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SUMMARY
Jeremiah 8:18 captures the prophet Jeremiah's profound and debilitating sorrow, a grief so overwhelming that his attempts at self-consolation prove utterly futile. This poignant lament reflects not only Jeremiah's personal anguish but also his deep empathetic identification with God's heartbroken grief over Judah's unrepentant sin and the impending divine judgment and desolation. The verse powerfully illustrates the limits of human comfort in the face of spiritual brokenness and national catastrophe, portraying a heart utterly consumed by despair.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: Jeremiah 8:18 is a deeply personal interjection within a broader prophetic oracle (Jeremiah 8-9) that pronounces God's judgment against Judah for their persistent apostasy and false security. Immediately preceding this verse, God Himself expresses dismay over His people's stubborn refusal to return to Him, noting that even migratory birds understand their appointed times, but His people do not know the ordinances of the Lord, as stated in Jeremiah 8:7. The prophet's cry of uncomforted sorrow in verse 18 thus resonates powerfully with the divine lament, underscoring the tragic consequences of Judah's sin and leading seamlessly into further expressions of grief and impending ruin in Jeremiah 9. This personal lament serves to humanize the prophetic message, demonstrating the immense emotional toll of delivering such a dire word.
Historical & Cultural Context: Jeremiah's prophetic ministry unfolded during the tumultuous late 7th and early 6th centuries BCE, a period marked by Judah's spiritual decline and the looming threat of Babylonian invasion, culminating in the exile. Jerusalem, despite its status as the holy city and the presence of the Temple, was steeped in idolatry, social injustice, and a superficial religiosity, with many falsely believing they were immune to judgment (Jeremiah 7:4). False prophets and priests offered deceptive messages of "peace, peace," even when there was no peace, directly contradicting Jeremiah's warnings of impending destruction (e.g., Jeremiah 6:14). As God's chosen messenger, Jeremiah bore the immense burden of delivering an unpopular message of divine wrath to a rebellious people. His personal anguish in this verse is a direct reflection of the profound isolation, heartbreak, and spiritual agony he experienced as he witnessed his beloved nation hurtling towards the catastrophe he tirelessly warned them about.
Key Themes: Jeremiah 8:18 profoundly contributes to several overarching themes within the book of Jeremiah. Firstly, it exemplifies the theme of Prophetic Suffering, highlighting the immense personal cost and emotional burden of being God's faithful messenger to a resistant people. Jeremiah's anguish is not merely personal but serves as an empathetic reflection of God's own deep sorrow over His people's rebellion and the inevitable judgment. Secondly, the verse underscores the Inability of Self-Comfort in the face of overwhelming spiritual and national distress; human attempts to alleviate such profound grief are shown to be utterly futile without divine intervention. This implicitly points to God as the ultimate and only true source of comfort. Thirdly, Jeremiah's sorrow is a direct, visceral response to the consequences of Judah's unrepentant sin, thereby reinforcing the theme of Divine Justice and Judgment. It serves as a stark reminder that persistent rebellion against God leads to inevitable and painful consequences, even for His chosen people, as vividly detailed in prophecies like Jeremiah 25.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Jeremiah 8:18 is saturated with Pathos, powerfully evoking a profound sense of pity and sorrow for the prophet's overwhelming anguish. The verse employs Hyperbole in describing the "faint" heart, emphasizing the extreme and debilitating nature of Jeremiah's grief, suggesting a sorrow so immense it transcends normal human capacity for endurance. The phrase "my heart is faint in me" also utilizes Personification, attributing a physical state of weakness and collapse to the abstract concept of the heart, which in Hebrew thought represents the seat of emotions, will, and intellect. This vivid imagery powerfully conveys the prophet's complete inner collapse. Furthermore, there is a stark Contrast between Jeremiah's desire to "comfort myself" and the immediate, crushing reality that his heart is "faint," highlighting the utter futility of human effort in the face of such profound, divinely ordained sorrow.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Jeremiah 8:18 stands as a profound theological statement on the nature of human suffering, the inherent limits of self-reliance, and the ultimate source of true comfort. The prophet's inability to comfort himself underscores a fundamental biblical truth: while human empathy and support are valuable, there are sorrows so deep—particularly those connected to spiritual brokenness, national calamity, and divine judgment—that only God can truly console. Jeremiah's experience foreshadows the New Testament revelation of God as the "Father of mercies and God of all comfort" (2 Corinthians 1:3), who actively comforts His people in all their affliction. It also speaks to the profound grief that sin causes, not only for humanity but also for God Himself, as evidenced by His own lament over Israel's rebellion. The verse serves as a powerful reminder that true solace for the soul's deepest wounds comes from a transcendent source, pointing to a divine comfort that far exceeds any human capacity to provide.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Jeremiah 8:18 offers a powerful validation for those experiencing overwhelming grief or despair, demonstrating that even a prophet of God could reach a point where self-comfort was utterly impossible. It reminds us that there are moments in life when our own resources, resilience, or coping mechanisms are simply insufficient to bear the weight of our sorrow. This is not a sign of weakness but a profound acknowledgment of the human condition and the limits of our self-sufficiency. In such moments, the verse implicitly directs us beyond ourselves, to the only source of true and lasting comfort: God. It encourages us to acknowledge our brokenness and turn to Him when our hearts are faint, trusting that His comfort is limitless and sovereign, capable of sustaining us even in the deepest valleys of despair. Furthermore, Jeremiah's empathetic suffering should cultivate in us a greater compassion for others who are overwhelmed by sorrow, prompting us to offer not just trite words or quick fixes, but genuine support and to humbly point them towards the divine Comforter, understanding that true healing often requires a supernatural touch.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why was Jeremiah experiencing such profound sorrow?
Answer: Jeremiah's sorrow was deeply multifaceted. Primarily, it stemmed from his prophetic burden: he was God's messenger to a people—his own beloved nation, Judah—who stubbornly refused to repent, despite repeated warnings of impending judgment and destruction by the Babylonians. His anguish was an empathetic identification with God's own heartbroken grief over their persistent sin and the inevitable suffering they would endure. He foresaw the national calamity with vivid clarity, and his personal grief was inextricably linked to the tragic fate of Jerusalem and Judah, making his ministry one of profound personal agony and isolation.
Does this verse suggest that it's wrong to try to comfort oneself?
Answer: No, the verse does not suggest that attempting to comfort oneself is inherently wrong or sinful. Rather, it highlights the limits of self-comfort, particularly in the face of overwhelming, divinely ordained sorrow or the profound consequences of deep spiritual brokenness. Jeremiah's experience shows that there are moments when human resources for comfort are utterly insufficient, and the heart becomes "faint" despite one's best efforts. It implicitly points to the need for a comfort that transcends human capacity, directing us towards God as the ultimate source of solace when our own strength and self-sufficiency inevitably fail.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Jeremiah's profound and uncomforted sorrow in Jeremiah 8:18 finds its ultimate fulfillment, resolution, and answer in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Jeremiah's lament over the sin of his people and the impending judgment foreshadows the even greater sorrow of Christ, who truly became the "man of sorrows" (Isaiah 53:3). In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus experienced an overwhelming anguish that caused Him to sweat drops of blood, crying out, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death" (Matthew 26:38). Unlike Jeremiah, who could not comfort himself, Jesus, though experiencing the depths of human and divine abandonment on the cross, provided the means for ultimate comfort for all humanity. His suffering and death on the cross were the ultimate act of taking away the "sorrow" of sin, offering reconciliation with God and eternal peace. Through His glorious resurrection, He conquered the power of death, sin, and despair, and through the Holy Spirit, He sends the "Comforter" (John 14:26), who indwells believers and provides divine comfort that transcends all human capacity. Thus, where Jeremiah's heart was faint, Christ's sacrifice provides the strength and eternal solace that enables believers to find comfort even when their own hearts are faint, knowing that in Him, all sorrow will ultimately be swallowed up in victory (1 Corinthians 15:54).