Jeremiah 8:2

And they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and whom they have sought, and whom they have worshipped: they shall not be gathered, nor be buried; they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth.

And they shall spread {H7849} them before the sun {H8121}, and the moon {H3394}, and all the host {H6635} of heaven {H8064}, whom they have loved {H157}, and whom they have served {H5647}, and after {H310} whom they have walked {H1980}, and whom they have sought {H1875}, and whom they have worshipped {H7812}: they shall not be gathered {H622}, nor be buried {H6912}; they shall be for dung {H1828} upon the face {H6440} of the earth {H127}.

They will spread them out, exposed to the sun, the moon and the entire army of heaven, whom they loved, served, walked after, sought after and worshipped. The bones will not be collected or reburied but will be left lying on the ground like dung.

They will be exposed to the sun and moon, and to all the host of heaven which they have loved, served, followed, consulted, and worshiped. Their bones will not be gathered up or buried, but will become like dung lying on the ground.

and they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, which they have loved, and which they have served, and after which they have walked, and which they have sought, and which they have worshipped: they shall not be gathered, nor be buried, they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth.

Jeremiah 8:2 KJV delivers a stark prophecy of divine judgment against the people of Judah for their persistent idolatry. It graphically describes the fate of those who turned away from the true God to worship celestial bodies, revealing the ultimate futility and disgrace awaiting those who betray their covenant.

Context

This verse is part of a larger lament and prophecy of judgment delivered by the prophet Jeremiah against Judah and Jerusalem. Following Jeremiah 8:1, which speaks of the bones of kings, princes, priests, prophets, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem being dug out of their graves, verse 2 describes what will happen to these unearthed remains. The immediate context is God's fierce anger over Judah's spiritual apostasy, particularly their worship of the "host of heaven" (the sun, moon, and stars), a practice explicitly forbidden in the Mosaic Law (Deuteronomy 4:19). This judgment is set against the backdrop of the impending Babylonian invasion, which God uses as an instrument of His wrath against a rebellious nation.

Key Themes

  • The Severity of Divine Judgment: The verse paints a horrifying picture of utter desecration. For ancient cultures, proper burial was paramount for honor and peace in the afterlife. To be unburied and left exposed was the ultimate sign of disgrace and divine curse, as foretold in the covenant warnings (Deuteronomy 28:26). God's judgment is so complete that it extends even beyond death.
  • The Futility of Idolatry: The very celestial bodies the people "loved," "served," "walked after," "sought," and "worshipped" become silent witnesses to their worshippers' humiliation. Their devotion to false gods yielded nothing but shame and destruction, highlighting the vanity of turning away from the Creator to the created.
  • Reversal of Devotion: The intense devotion described ("loved," "served," "walked," "sought," "worshipped") contrasts sharply with the ignominious end. The objects of their worship are powerless to save them from becoming "dung upon the face of the earth," a phrase emphasizing their utter worthlessness and contemptible state.

Linguistic Insights

The phrase "all the host of heaven" refers to the sun, moon, and stars, which were commonly worshipped as deities in surrounding pagan cultures. This astrolatry was a direct violation of the first commandment, which demands exclusive worship of the Lord God. The KJV's use of "dung" (Hebrew: דֶּמֶן, demen) powerfully conveys the extreme contempt and degradation of the unburied bodies. It signifies refuse, something utterly worthless and loathsome, fit only for decay and decomposition.

Practical Application

Jeremiah 8:2 serves as a timeless warning against misplaced devotion. While modern idolatry may not involve literal sun worship, it can manifest in worshipping wealth, power, fame, self, or anything that takes precedence over God in our lives. This verse reminds us:

  • God Demands Exclusive Devotion: Our ultimate love, service, and pursuit must be directed toward the one true God, as emphasized throughout Scripture (Matthew 6:24).
  • There Are Consequences for Disobedience: God is merciful, but He is also just. Persistent rebellion and idolatry incur divine judgment, whether in this life or the next.
  • The Futility of False Hopes: Anything we put our ultimate trust in, apart from God, will ultimately fail and lead to disappointment or destruction. Only devotion to the Creator offers true and lasting hope.

This powerful imagery from Jeremiah underscores the seriousness of covenant faithfulness and the profound consequences of spiritual adultery.

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.

  • 2 Kings 23:5

    And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven.

  • Jeremiah 9:22

    Speak, Thus saith the LORD, Even the carcases of men shall fall as dung upon the open field, and as the handful after the harvestman, and none shall gather [them].

  • Acts 7:42

    ¶ Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices [by the space of] forty years in the wilderness?

  • Deuteronomy 4:19

    And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, [even] all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.

  • Jeremiah 22:19

    He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.

  • Jeremiah 36:30

    Therefore thus saith the LORD of Jehoiakim king of Judah; He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David: and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost.

  • Zephaniah 1:5

    And them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship [and] that swear by the LORD, and that swear by Malcham;

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