Jeremiah 14:17-18
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
Jeremiah is told to weep uncontrollably because "the virgin daughter of my people" is shattered. This isn't just about a political defeat; it uses "virgin" to highlight how precious and vulnerable Judah was, suggesting a deep violation beyond mere conquest. The devastating "breach" and "blow" paint a picture of a society so fundamentally broken that it can't even be healed.
“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. If I go out into the field, behold, those pierced by the sword! And if I enter the city, behold, the diseases of famine! For both prophet and priest ply their trade through the land and have no knowledge.’”
English Standard Version (ESV)
God is instructing Jeremiah to speak a harsh truth to the people, emphasizing the deep sorrow and devastation that is coming upon them. This follows a period where God has rebuked false prophets and the people for their spiritual blindness and reliance on empty hopes, highlighting the impending judgment. The prophet is to express his own profound grief, as if his tears will never stop, because the "virgin daughter of my people" – representing Jerusalem and its people in their vulnerability and former purity – is being shattered by a terrible blow.
Why would God command his prophet to weep relentlessly? This isn't just human sadness; it's a divine expression of grief.
In Jeremiah 14:17, God instructs the prophet to say, 'Let my eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease.' This command reveals a profound truth: God’s sorrow over sin and its consequences is so immense that He experiences it through His servants.
A Shared Grief
Jeremiah’s tears are presented not merely as personal anguish, but as a prophetic enactment of God’s own heartbreak. The destruction awaiting Judah is so severe that it demands an unending outpouring of grief. This shows us that God is not distant or unfeeling when His people suffer; He feels the pain deeply, even amidst judgment.
Empathy in Ministry
This serves as a powerful model for anyone called to speak God's truth. True ministry involves bearing the weight of people’s sin and its repercussions, experiencing a measure of holy sorrow for the brokenness that sin causes. It’s a call to deep empathy, reflecting God’s own tender heart.
What does the imagery of a 'virgin daughter' being 'broken' reveal about God's view of Judah and the severity of their sin?
Jeremiah calls the people of Judah the 'virgin daughter of my people.' This poignant term carries significant weight.
Ask a follow-up
Purity and Privilege
'Virgin' speaks of purity, innocence, and a special relationship. God had set Judah apart, cherishing them as a bride. They were His chosen people, under His unique care and protection. This imagery emphasizes the preciousness of their identity in God's eyes and the high standard to which they were held.
Devastating Destruction
However, this 'virgin daughter' is now 'broken with a great breach, with a very grievous blow.' This vivid language describes a catastrophic defeat, a shattering blow that has fundamentally wounded the nation. It signifies not just physical destruction but the violation and ruin of all that they were meant to be. The severity of the wound underscores the extreme consequences of their unfaithfulness and rebellion against God.
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.
nābî' · Hebrew Noun
A generic term for spiritual leaders or prophets; in this context, it refers to those who claim to speak for God but operate without divine understanding or authority.
kōhēn · Hebrew Noun
An office established by God to represent the people before Him through sacrifices and intercession; failure in this role leads to spiritual blindness and national decay.
The 'virgin daughter' is a poignant metaphor for Judah, emphasizing its purity and God's protective care, now tragically shattered by the brutal Babylonian conquest and exile. The verse captures the profound grief over a once-protected people facing utter devastation.
Late 8th Century BC
Assyrian Invasions
Though not the immediate context for Jeremiah, these earlier invasions under Sennacherib significantly weakened Judah and set a precedent for foreign domination.
609 BC
Battle of Carchemish
Egypt and remnants of the Assyrian army were defeated by the Babylonians. This shifted regional power, leading to increased Babylonian influence and eventual invasions of Judah.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar, after defeating the Egyptians, besieged Jerusalem and deported a portion of the Judean elite, including Daniel, marking the beginning of the Babylonian exile.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Following a rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar deported King Jehoiachin and many more Judeans, including the prophet Ezekiel, further depleting Jerusalem's strength and resources.
586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem and Third Deportation
After a prolonged siege and further rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple, deporting the majority of the remaining population. This event represents the 'great breach' described in the verse.
c. 586 BC onwards
Babylonian Exile
The Judean people lived in exile in Babylon, facing loss of homeland, temple, and national identity, a period of deep sorrow and reflection that Jeremiah's prophecy foreshadowed.
This passage echoes Jeremiah's deep sorrow, describing the prophet's eyes flowing with tears over the destruction of Jerusalem, mirroring the profound grief expressed in Jeremiah 14:17 for the 'virgin daughter of my people'.
Lamentations 2:13The imagery of being 'broken with a great breach' and a 'grievous blow' resonates powerfully with Lamentations 2:13, which speaks of Jerusalem's destruction as a wound too great to heal.
Jeremiah 13:17This verse shares the same profound expression of sorrow from Jeremiah, where he states 'my eyes will weep in secret for your pride,' showing a consistent pattern of the prophet's deep personal grief over his people's sin and impending judgment.
Isaiah 22:4Isaiah uses similar language of sorrow and weeping ('Look away from me; I will weep bitterly; do not further comfort me') when lamenting the impending destruction of Jerusalem, highlighting the common prophetic response to national catastrophe.
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…
Jeremiah is told to weep uncontrollably because "the virgin daughter of my people" is shattered. This isn't just about a political defeat; it uses "virgin" to highlight how precious and vulnerable Judah was, suggesting a deep violation beyond mere conquest. The devastating "breach" and "blow" paint a picture of a society so fundamentally broken that it can't even be healed.
God is instructing Jeremiah to speak a harsh truth to the people, emphasizing the deep sorrow and devastation that is coming upon them. This follows a period where God has rebuked false prophets and the people for their spiritual blindness and reliance on empty hopes, highlighting the impending judgment. The prophet is to express his own profound grief, as if his tears will never stop, because the "virgin daughter of my people" – representing Jerusalem and its people in their vulnerability and former purity – is being shattered by a terrible blow.
God is instructing Jeremiah to speak a harsh truth to the people, emphasizing the deep sorrow and devastation that is coming upon them. This follows a period where God has rebuked false prophets and the people for their spiritual blindness and reliance on empty hopes, highlighting the impending judgment. The prophet is to express his own profound grief, as if his tears will never stop, because the "virgin daughter of my people" – representing Jerusalem and its people in their vulnerability and former purity – is being shattered by a terrible blow.
"“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. If I go out…" — Jeremiah is told to weep uncontrollably because "the virgin daughter of my people" is shattered. This isn't just about a political defeat; it uses "virgin" to highlight how precious and vulnerable Ju…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026
