TRV
See on the biblical-era map
Study This Verse
Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Jeremiah 9:12–22. His four-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
Two things the prophet designs, in these verses, with reference to the approaching destruction of Judah and Jerusalem: - 1. To convince people of the justice of God in it, that they had by sin brought it upon themselves and that therefore they had no reason to quarrel with God, who did them no wrong at all, but a great deal of reason to fall out with their sins, which did them all this mischief. 2. To affect people with the greatness of the desolation that was coming, and the miserable effects of it, that by a terrible prospect of it they might be awakened to repentance and reformation, which was the only way to prevent it, or, at least, mitigate their own share in it. This being designed,
I.He calls for the thinking men, by them to show people the equity of God's proceedings, though they seemed harsh and severe (Jer 9:12):
"Who, where, is the wise man, or the prophet, to whom the mouth of the Lord hath spoken? You boast of your wisdom, and of the prophets you have among you; produce me any one that has but the free use of human reason or any acquaintance with divine revelation, and he will soon understand this himself, and it will be so clear to him that he will be ready to declare it to others, that there is a just ground of God's controversy with this people." Do these wise men enquire, For what does the land perish? What is the matter, that such a change is made with this land? It used to be a land that God cared for, and he had his eyes upon it for good (Deu 11:12), but it is now a land that he has forsaken and that his face is against. It used to flourish as the garden of the Lord and to be replenished with inhabitants; but now it is burnt up like a wilderness, that none passeth through it, much less cares to settle in it. It was supposed, long ago, that it would be asked, when it came to this, Wherefore has the Lord done thus unto this land? What means the heat of this great anger? (Deu 29:24), to which question God here gives a full answer, before which all flesh must be silent. He produces out of the record,
1.The indictment preferred and proved against them, upon which they had been found guilty, Jer 9:13, Jer 9:14. It is charged upon them, and it cannot be denied,
(1.)That they have revolted from their allegiance to their rightful Sovereign. Therefore. God has forsaken their land, and justly, because they have forsaken his law, which he had so plainly, so fully, so frequently set before them, and had not observed his orders, not obeyed his voice, nor walked in the ways that he had appointed. Here their wickedness began, in the omission of their duty to their God and a contempt of his authority. But it did not end here. It is further charged upon them,
(2.)That they have entered themselves into the service of pretenders and usurpers, have not only withdrawn themselves from their obedience to their prince, but have taken up arms against him. For,
[1.]They have acted according to the dictates of their own lusts, have set up their own will, the wills of the flesh, and the carnal mind, in competition with, and contradiction to the will of God: They have walked after the imagination of their own hearts; they would do as they pleased, whatever God and conscience said to the contrary.
[2.]They have worshipped the creatures of their own fancy, the work of their own hands, according to the tradition received from their fathers: They have walked after Baalim: the word is plural; they had many Baals, Baal-peor and Baal-berith, the Baal of this place and the Baal of the other place; for they had lords many, which their fathers taught them to worship, but which the God of their fathers had again and again forbidden. This was it for which the land perished. The King of kings never makes war thus upon his own subjects but when they treacherously depart from him and rebel against him, and it has become necessary by this means to chastise their rebellion and reduce them to their allegiance; and they themselves shall at length acknowledge that he is just in all that is brought upon them.
2.The judgment given upon this indictment, the sentence upon the convicted rebels, which must now be executed, for it was righteous and nothing could be moved in arrest of it: The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, hath said it (Jer 9:15, Jer 9:16), and who can reverse it? (1.) That all their comforts at home shall be poisoned and embittered to them: I will feed this people with wormwood (or rather with wolf's-bane, for it signifies a herb that is not wholesome, as wormwood is though it be bitter, but some herb that is both nauseous and noxious), and I will give them water of gall (or juice of hemlock or some other herb that is poisonous) to drink. Every thing about them, till it comes to their very meat and drink, shall be a terror and torment to them. God will curse their blessings, Mal 2:2. (2.) That their dispersion abroad shall be their destruction (Jer 9:16): I will scatter them among the heathen. They were corrupted and debauched by their intimacy with the heathen, with whom they mingled and learned their works; and now they shall lose themselves, where they lost their virtue, among the heathen. They set up gods which neither they nor their fathers had known, strange gods, new gods (Deu 32:17); and now God will put them among neighbours whom neither they nor their fathers have known, whom they can claim no acquaintance with, and therefore can expect no favour from. And yet, though they are scattered so as that they will not know where to find one another. God will know where to find them all out (Psa 21:8) with that evil which still pursues impenitent sinners: I will send a sword after them, some killing judgment or other, till I have consumed them; for when God judges he will overcome, when he pursues he will overtake. And now we see for what the land perishes; all this desolation is the desert of their deeds and the performance of God's words.
II.He calls for the mourning women, and engages them, with the arts they practise to affect people and move their passions, to lament these sad calamities that had come or were coming upon them, that the nation might be alarmed to prepare for them: The Lord of hosts himself says, Call for the mourning women, that they may come, Jer 9:17. the scope of this is to show how very woeful and lamentable the condition of this people was likely to be.
1.Here is work for the counterfeit mourners: Send for cunning women, that know how to compose mournful ditties, or at least to sing them in mournful tunes and accents, and therefore are made use of at funerals to supply the want of true mourners. Let these take up a wailing for us, Jer 9:18. The deaths and funerals were so many that people wept for them till they had no power to weep, as those, Sa1 30:4. Let those therefore do it now whose trade it is. Or, rather, it intimates the extreme sottishness and stupidity of the people, that laid not to heart the judgments they were under, nor, even when there was so much blood shed, could find in their hearts to shed a tear. They cry not when God binds them, Job 36:13. God sent his mourning prophets to them, to call them to weeping and mourning, but his word in their mouths did not work upon their faith; rather therefore than they shall go laughing to their ruin, let the mourning women come, and try to work upon their fancy, that their eyes may at length run down with tears, and their eyelids gush out with waters. First or last, sinners must be weepers.
2.Here is work for the real mourners.
(1.)There is that which is a lamentation. The present scene is very tragical (Jer 9:19): A voice of wailing is heard out of Zion. Some make this to be the song of the mourning women: it is rather an echo to it, returned by those whose affections were moved by their wailings. In Zion the voice of joy and praise used to be heard, while the people kept closely to God. But sin has altered the note; it is now the voice of lamentation. It should seem to be the voice of those who fled from all parts of the country to the castle of Zion for protection. Instead of rejoicing that they had got safely thither, they lamented that they were forced to seek for shelter there: "How are we spoiled! How are we stripped of all our possessions! We are greatly confounded, ashamed of ourselves and our poverty;" for that is it that they complain of, that is it that they blush at the thoughts of, rather than of their sin: We are confounded because we have forsaken the land (forced so to do by the enemy), not because we have forsaken the Lord, being drawn aside of our own lust and enticed - because our dwellings have cast us out, not because our God has cast us off. Thus unhumbled hearts lament their calamity, but not their iniquity, the procuring cause of it.
(2.)There is more still to come which shall be for a lamentation. Things are bad, but they are likely to be worse. Those whose land has spued them out (as it did their predecessors the Canaanites, and justly, because they trod in their steps, Lev 18:28) complain that they are driven into the city, but, after a while, those of the city, and they with them, shall be forced thence too: Yet hear the word of the Lord; he has something more to say to you (Jer 9:20); let the women hear it, whose tender spirits are apt to receive the impressions of grief and fear, for the men will not heed it, will not give it a patient hearing. The prophets will be glad to preach to a congregation of women that tremble at God's word. Let your ear receive the word of God's mouth, and bid it welcome, though it be a word of terror. Let the women teach their daughters wailing; this intimates that the trouble shall last long, grief shall be entailed upon the generation to come. Young people are apt to love mirth, and expect mirth, and are disposed to be gay and airy; but let the elder women teach the younger to be serious, tell them what a vale of tears they must expect to find this world, and train them up among the mourners in Zion, Tit 2:4, Tit 2:5. Let every one teach her neighbour lamentation; this intimates that the trouble shall spread far, shall go from house to house. People shall not need to sympathize with their friends; they shall all have cause enough to mourn for themselves. Note, Those that are themselves affected with the terrors of the Lord should endeavour to affect others with them. The judgment here threatened is made to look terrible.
[1.]Multitudes shall be slain, Jer 9:21. Death shall ride in triumph, and there shall be no escaping his arrests when he comes with commission, neither within doors nor without. Not within doors, for let the doors be shut ever so fast, let them be ever so firmly locked and bolted, death comes up into our windows, like a thief in the night; it steals upon us ere we are aware. Nor does it thus boldly attack the cottages only, but it has entered into our palaces, the palaces of our princes and great men, though ever so stately, ever so strongly built and guarded. Note, No palaces can keep out death. Nor are those more safe that are abroad; death cuts off even the children from without and the young men from the streets. The children who might have been spared by the enemy in pity, because they had never been hurtful to them, and the young men who might have been spared in policy, because capable of being serviceable to them, shall fall together by the sword. It is usual now, even in the severest military executions, to put none to the sword. It is usual now, even in the severest military executions, to put none to the sword but those that are found in arms; but then even the boys and girls playing in the streets were sacrificed to the fury of the conqueror.
[2.]Those that are slain shall be left unburied (Jer 9:22): Speak, Thus saith the Lord (for the confirmation and aggravation of what was before said), Even the carcases of men shall fall as dung, neglected, and left to be offensive to the smell, as dung is. Common humanity obliges the survivors to bury the dead, even for their own sake; but here such numbers shall be slain, and those so dispersed all the country over, that it shall be an endless thing to bury them all, nor shall there be hands enough to do it, nor shall the conquerors permit it, and those that should do it shall be overwhelmed with grief, so that they shall have no heart to do it. The dead bodies even of the fairest and strongest, when they have lain awhile, become dung, such vile bodies have we. And here such multitudes shall fall that their bodies shall lie as thick as heaps of dung in the furrows of the field, and no more notice shall be taken of them than of the handfuls which the harvestman drops for the gleaners, for none shall gather them, but they shall remain in sight, monuments of divine vengeance, that the eye of the impenitent survivors may affect their heart. Slay them not, bury them not, lest my people forget, Psa 59:11.
Historical interpretation
Historical Reception
2 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
Select a marker to jump to its quote. Markers stagger vertically where authors wrote within a few decades of each other.
Because they had not been enlightened by the many exhortations he had delivered in Jerusalem, he wept for their blindness. The prophets also did this. Let us now do so as well. Now is the time to mourn and weep and lament. It is timely also for us to say now, “Call for the mourning women, and send to them that are wise women, and let them speak.” Perhaps we shall thus be able to drive the disease of avarice from those who are building elaborate homes, from those who are securing fields for themselves by fraud.
(Verse 17, 18.) Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider (or understand) and call for the mourning women, that they may come; and send for the wise women, that they may hurry, and let them take up a lamentation for us (or for you), and let our (or your) eyes shed tears, and let our (or your) eyelids flow with water; for the voice of lamentation is heard from Zion (or in Zion). Because of the future captivity and destruction of Jerusalem, he orders the mourners to be called, who are accustomed to wailing, striking their chests with a lamenting voice, to provoke the people to tears. For this custom remains in Judaea even to this day, that women with their hair scattered and their breasts exposed, with a melodious voice, stir everyone to weeping. And God joins Himself with compassionate feeling, or the Prophet, so that whatever the people endure, he may declare that he himself endures and feels it. But what follows is: Because the voice of lamentation is heard from Zion, immediately follows what this voice is.
Continue studying Jeremiah 9:17 across the web’s major study libraries — every link below opens this exact verse, chapter, or book on the destination site.
Read & Compare
BibleGatewayThis verse in more than 200 translations and 70 languages.
Bible.comThe YouVersion reader — hundreds of translations, reading plans, and highlights.
ESV.orgCrossway's official English Standard Version reader.
NET BibleThe NET translation with 60,000+ translators' notes on every rendering decision.
STEP BibleTyndale House's free study tool — original text, vocabulary, and scholarly resources.
BibliaLogos Bible Software's free web reader.
USCCBThe New American Bible (Revised Edition) with the U.S. bishops' study notes.
Commentaries
BibleHub CommentariesDozens of classic commentaries on this verse, gathered on one page.
StudyLightMore than 100 commentary sets — the largest collection on the web.
BibleRefPlain-English commentary on what this verse means, verse by verse.
Enduring WordDavid Guzik's free commentary on this chapter, widely used by Bible teachers.
Bible Study ToolsVerse commentary alongside Greek and Hebrew study aids.
Original Language & Research
- BibleHub InterlinearThe verse word by word — original language, transliteration, and English.
- BibleHub LexiconEvery word's original-language definition and Strong's entry.
Blue Letter BibleDeep-study tools — Strong's numbers, concordance, and word studies.
SefariaThe Hebrew text with Rashi and centuries of Jewish commentary.
Sermons, Hymns & Audio
TrulyRandomVerse is not affiliated with these sites and doesn’t control their content. They’re linked because they’re genuinely useful.
Summary
Jeremiah 9:17 presents a solemn divine command from the LORD of hosts, instructing the people of Judah to proactively summon professional mourning women. This stark decree underscores the absolute certainty and immense scale of the impending judgment and desolation that will befall the nation. It serves as a prophetic announcement that the time for profound sorrow and wailing is imminent, signifying that God's patience has reached its limit due to their persistent unfaithfulness, idolatry, and moral corruption, making the consequences of their rebellion unavoidable.
Context
Literary Context
Jeremiah 9:17 is situated within a chapter deeply saturated with themes of profound lament, divine judgment, and the impending desolation of Judah. The prophet Jeremiah, often known as the "weeping prophet," expresses intense grief over the moral decay and prophesied destruction of his own people. Prior verses, particularly Jeremiah 9:10-11, already articulate the land's desolation and issue a call for weeping, establishing a profoundly somber atmosphere. This specific verse intensifies the prophetic message by explicitly commanding the orchestration of grief, moving beyond spontaneous sorrow to a formal, societal acknowledgment of an impending catastrophe. The chapter as a whole paints a vivid picture of a nation utterly lost, deserving of the severe judgment that God, in His righteousness, is about to unleash.
Historical & Cultural Context
The divine imperative to "call for the mourning women" directly references a well-established and significant cultural practice in the ancient Near East. These women, known as professional lamenters or dirge-singers, were customarily hired for funerals and periods of great public calamity to lead and amplify communal expressions of grief. Their ritualistic wailing, gestures, and mournful songs were considered essential for a proper, public mourning process, believed to honor the deceased and express the profound depth of loss. At this historical juncture, Judah was deeply entrenched in apostasy, having systematically abandoned its covenant relationship with Yahweh in favor of idolatry and pervasive social injustice, as extensively detailed throughout the book of Jeremiah (e.g., Jeremiah 7:1-15). The impending judgment, often manifested through invasion and subsequent exile by formidable powers like Babylon, would result in widespread death and destruction, necessitating such an unprecedented and organized public display of sorrow on a national scale.
Key Themes
This verse profoundly contributes to several critical themes prevalent both in the book of Jeremiah and the broader prophetic literature. Firstly, it powerfully underscores the severity of divine judgment against persistent sin and rebellion. God's explicit command for professional mourners highlights that the impending catastrophe is not merely a possibility but a certain and overwhelming reality, serving as a direct and unavoidable consequence of Judah's unfaithfulness (Deuteronomy 28:15-20). Secondly, it emphasizes the inevitability of calamity when a nation defiantly turns its back on God; the call for organized lamentation signifies that death and destruction will be so widespread that they necessitate an expert, orchestrated response. Thirdly, it functions as a stark call to acknowledge reality, forcing the living to confront the dire consequences of their spiritual blindness and protracted disobedience. The very act of summoning these women is a potent prophetic act, strategically designed to awaken the people to the profound gravity of their national sin and the immense sorrow it will inevitably bring.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
Meaning "(the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God." This is the sacred covenant name of God, emphasizing His eternal, unchanging nature and His unique, personal relationship with His people. When used in conjunction with "of hosts," it underscores the absolute authority, omnipotence, and sovereign power of the God who is delivering this message.
A primitive root meaning "to strike a musical note, i.e. chant or wail (at a funeral); lament, mourning woman." This term specifically refers to professional women who were highly skilled in the art of lamentation, hired to perform dirges and evoke intense public grief. Their summoning indicates a catastrophe of such magnitude that spontaneous, familial mourning would be utterly insufficient to express the pervasive sorrow.
Meaning "wise, (i.e. intelligent, skilful or artful)." This word highlights the specialized expertise and proficiency of these women in their craft. They were not merely wailers but highly skilled artists of sorrow, capable of orchestrating and intensifying the communal expression of grief. This further emphasizes the profound and widespread nature of the impending national devastation, requiring the most adept practitioners of lament.
Verse Breakdown
"Thus saith the LORD of hosts"
This opening declaration unequivocally establishes the divine authority and absolute certainty of the message that follows. It is not Jeremiah's personal lament or opinion, but a direct, authoritative pronouncement from Yahweh Sabaoth, the Almighty God who commands all heavenly and earthly forces. This powerful introduction immediately signals the profound gravity and inevitability of the impending judgment.
"Consider ye, and call for the mourning women, that they may come;"
The imperative "Consider ye" (or "Reflect," "Understand") serves as a direct and urgent plea for the people to grasp the profound implications of the divine command. The subsequent imperative to "call for the mourning women" is a chilling directive. It signifies that the scale of death and destruction will be so vast and overwhelming that the customary, spontaneous lamentation of individual families and neighbors will prove entirely inadequate. Professional mourners, experts in public grief, will be required to adequately mourn the countless dead. This is a prophetic act, designed to shock the people into a stark realization of the depth of their impending sorrow.
"and send for cunning [women], that they may come:"
This clause powerfully reinforces the preceding command, emphasizing the urgent need to actively "send for" or dispatch messengers to bring these women from wherever they may be found. The term "cunning" (or "skillful," "wise") highlights their professional expertise and mastery in leading lamentation. It underscores that this is not a casual request but a formal, urgent summons for highly skilled individuals, further emphasizing the unprecedented nature and catastrophic scale of the national calamity that is about to unfold.
Literary Devices
Jeremiah 9:17 employs several potent literary devices to convey its urgent and dire message with maximum impact. The most prominent is the Imperative Mood, evident in the direct divine commands: "Consider ye," "call for," and "send for." These imperatives are not mere suggestions but absolute divine decrees, emphasizing the absolute certainty and necessity of the actions prescribed, thereby highlighting God's sovereign will in judgment. Symbolism is central to the verse, with the "mourning women" serving as a powerful and chilling symbol of the widespread death and utter desolation that will soon engulf Judah. Their very presence signifies an overwhelming catastrophe that demands a formal, orchestrated response of grief. The implied scale of death also borders on Hyperbole, suggesting a level of destruction so vast that it transcends normal mourning practices, necessitating professional intervention to adequately express the national sorrow. Furthermore, the passage uses Anthropomorphism by depicting God issuing direct commands to human agents for a culturally specific human practice, making His divine judgment tangible and immediately relatable to the people.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Jeremiah 9:17 powerfully articulates God's unwavering justice in the face of persistent rebellion and profound sin. It underscores the profound biblical truth that while God is indeed merciful, gracious, and slow to anger, He is also perfectly righteous and will not indefinitely tolerate unrepentant disobedience. The command to summon professional mourners is a vivid, culturally specific, and deeply unsettling illustration of the severe and inevitable consequences that follow a nation's deliberate rejection of its covenant relationship with God. This divine decree serves as a potent prophetic warning, not merely to ancient Judah, but to all generations, affirming that spiritual apathy, moral decay, and idolatry inevitably lead to profound sorrow and divine judgment. It implicitly highlights the deep grief that God Himself feels over His people's unfaithfulness, a grief that ultimately manifests in just retribution for their actions.
Reflection and Application
Jeremiah 9:17, while deeply rooted in a specific historical and cultural context, carries timeless spiritual weight and profound contemporary relevance. It challenges believers today to confront the gravity of sin, both individually and corporately, and to recognize that disobedience to God's commands inevitably carries severe consequences. The chilling image of professional mourners being summoned should evoke a profound sense of urgency and a godly sorrow over the spiritual condition of our own lives, our communities, and our nations. It calls us to cultivate a genuine, God-given sorrow for sin, not merely for its painful consequences, but primarily because it grieves the holy heart of God and breaks His covenant. This verse compels us to heed divine warnings with utmost seriousness, to not delay in turning from sin, and to earnestly seek God's mercy and forgiveness through genuine repentance. It serves as a stark reminder that true spiritual health involves a willingness to "consider" our fallenness and lament over it, allowing that sorrow to profoundly drive us to repentance and a renewed, unwavering commitment to God's righteous ways.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What was the role of "mourning women" in ancient Israelite culture?
In ancient Israel and the broader Near East, "mourning women" (also known as professional lamenters or dirge-singers) were highly skilled women hired to lead and intensify public expressions of grief during funerals and times of great national calamity. They would wail loudly, chant mournful dirges, tear their clothes, and perform other ritualistic acts designed to evoke and amplify sorrow among the bereaved. Their presence was considered crucial for a proper and communal mourning process, ensuring that the deceased were adequately mourned and that the community fully acknowledged its profound loss. The command in Jeremiah 9:17 for God's people to summon them indicates the immense, unprecedented scale of impending death and desolation.
Why would God command His people to "call for" these women?
God's command to "call for the mourning women" was a powerful prophetic act laden with multiple layers of meaning. Firstly, it underscored the absolute certainty and overwhelming scale of the impending judgment. The devastation would be so vast that spontaneous, familial grief would be utterly insufficient; professional, organized lamentation would be required to adequately mourn the multitudes. Secondly, it served as a stark and shocking wake-up call to the living, forcing them to confront the dire reality of their situation and the inescapable consequences of their persistent rebellion against God. It was a divine decree, signaling that the time for repentance was rapidly closing, and the time for profound, national sorrow was at hand. This act was meant to shock the people into recognizing the gravity of their national sin and the divine retribution it would inevitably bring, as prophesied throughout Jeremiah 9.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Jeremiah 9:17, with its somber and urgent call for lamentation over impending divine judgment, finds its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment in several profound and redemptive ways. The deep sorrow that God commands His people to express over their sin and its devastating consequences foreshadows the ultimate lament borne by Christ Himself. He, as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, voluntarily took upon Himself the full weight of humanity's sin, becoming the very object of divine judgment so that we, His people, might be eternally spared. His agonizing prayer in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-46) and His heart-wrenching cry of dereliction on the cross (Matthew 27:46) represent the ultimate lament, where the Son of God Himself experienced the crushing sorrow and profound separation from God that our sins justly deserved. Furthermore, Jesus Himself lamented deeply over Jerusalem's spiritual blindness and its impending destruction (Luke 19:41-44), echoing Jeremiah's prophetic grief. Thus, the call for mourning in Jeremiah 9:17 ultimately points beyond human sorrow to the profound, atoning sorrow for sin that leads to repentance and finds its complete resolution and eternal comfort in the finished work of Christ, who bore our judgment and transformed our mourning into everlasting joy (Matthew 5:4).