Jeremiah 14:17
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This verse reveals that "virgin daughter" isn't just a poetic term for Jerusalem; it highlights God's tender care and protective relationship with His people, making their shattering wound all the more profound and sorrowful. The "great breach" and "grievous blow" emphasize that this isn't a minor setback but a deep, disfiguring rupture that strikes at the very core of their identity and security.
“You shall say to them this word: ‘Let my eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease, for the virgin daughter of my people is shattered with a great wound, with a very grievous blow.
English Standard Version (ESV)
God instructs Jeremiah to declare a profound lament, framing it as his own sorrow that will not cease. This heartbroken cry reflects the shattering blow dealt to the "virgin daughter" of his people, an image of Judah's former purity and God's protective care, now broken and grievously wounded. This prophetic expression of grief sets the stage for the subsequent verses where Jeremiah intercedes on behalf of his people's deep sin and impending destruction.
Why would God command his prophet to weep perpetually? Discover the deep empathy behind divine judgment.
God doesn't just announce judgment; He invites His people into its gravity. In Jeremiah 14:17, God commands Jeremiah to express His own sorrow through ceaseless tears. This isn't about Jeremiah's personal sadness, but about God modeling the profound grief that accompanies His judgment against sin.
What does it mean for Judah to be called a 'virgin daughter'? Explore the tender imagery and the devastating nature of her 'great breach'.
The phrase 'the virgin daughter of my people' is a tender and tragic image. It speaks of Judah's potential purity, her unique status as God's chosen people, and the intimate relationship God had with them, much like a father cherishes a daughter, or a bridegroom his bride.
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Understand the original words
bətûlāh · Hebrew Noun
A symbolic title for a city or nation (like Israel/Judah) that implies purity, vulnerability, or a lack of defilement prior to its downfall or judgment.
Jeremiah's words in this verse capture the profound grief and devastation of Jerusalem's final destruction and the ensuing exile, a national catastrophe that shattered the very identity of God's people.
c. 605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquers Judah, deporting some of its elite, including the prophet Daniel, to Babylon. This marks the beginning of Judah's vassalage to Babylon.
c. 597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Following a rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar deports more of Judah's population and wealth, including King Jehoiachin and the prophet Ezekiel, to Babylon. Jerusalem remains under Babylonian control.
c. 587-586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem and Third Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, exiling the majority of the remaining population to Babylon. This devastating event fulfills many of Jeremiah's prophecies.
c. 585-538 BC
Babylonian Exile
The Judean people live in exile in Babylon, enduring hardship and loss while preserving their religious identity and traditions.
This passage echoes Jeremiah's deep sorrow, describing Jerusalem, the 'virgin daughter of my people,' as weeping throughout the night, unable to find comfort due to its great distress and captivity.
Lamentations 2:13Similar to Jeremiah's lament, this verse describes Jerusalem's affliction as a 'great breach' and a 'grievous blow,' emphasizing the magnitude of the devastation that befell the city and its people.
Jeremiah 13:17This verse from earlier in Jeremiah's prophecy uses almost identical language, with the prophet declaring 'my eyes will weep, and run down with tears' because of pride leading to captivity, highlighting a recurring theme of sorrow over national sin and its consequences.
Ezekiel 6:11-12This passage describes a similar sense of overwhelming destruction and grief, where the people will cry out because of the sword, famine, and pestilence, reflecting the 'grievous blow' and 'great breach' that Jeremiah laments.
barnesJeremiah 14:17: "Therefore thou shalt say this word unto them; Let mine eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease: for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous blow."
A message from God to the effect that the calamity would be so overwhelming as to cause perpetual weeping; it is set before the people under the representation of Jeremiah's own sorrow. The virgin daughter of my people - The epithet testifies to God's previous care o…
pulpitJeremiah 14:17: "Therefore thou shalt say this word unto them; Let mine eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease: for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous blow."
Verses 17-21. - The prophet's grief, and second intercession. Verse 17. - Therefore thou shalt say, etc. There is something strange and contrary to verisimilitude in the prefixing of this formula, not to a Divine revelation, but to a mere expression of the pained hum…
This verse reveals that "virgin daughter" isn't just a poetic term for Jerusalem; it highlights God's tender care and protective relationship with His people, making their shattering wound all the more profound and sorrowful. The "great breach" and "grievous blow" emphasize that this isn't a minor setback but a deep, disfiguring rupture that strikes at the very core of their identity and security.
God instructs Jeremiah to declare a profound lament, framing it as his own sorrow that will not cease. This heartbroken cry reflects the shattering blow dealt to the "virgin daughter" of his people, an image of Judah's former purity and God's protective care, now broken and grievously wounded. This prophetic expression of grief sets the stage for the subsequent verses where Jeremiah intercedes on behalf of his people's deep sin and impending destruction.
God instructs Jeremiah to declare a profound lament, framing it as his own sorrow that will not cease. This heartbroken cry reflects the shattering blow dealt to the "virgin daughter" of his people, an image of Judah's former purity and God's protective care, now broken and grievously wounded. This prophetic expression of grief sets the stage for the subsequent verses where Jeremiah intercedes on behalf of his people's deep sin and impending destruction.
"“You shall say to them this word: ‘Let my eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease, for the virgin daughter of my people is shattered with a great wound, with a very grievous blow." — This verse reveals that "virgin daughter" isn't just a poetic term for Jerusalem; it highlights God's tender care and protective relationship with His people, making their shattering wound all the mo…
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Last reviewed October 2026
