Jeremiah 14:17-18
“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)
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The phrase "virgin daughter of my people" isn't just a poetic description; it highlights God's deep, protective care for Israel, making their severe breaking and grievous blow all the more tragic. This tenderness of God, now contrasted with immense suffering, underscores the devastating impact of their sin and the profound sorrow it brings.
God instructs Jeremiah to relay a message of profound sorrow, describing his own tears as unceasing because his people, symbolized as a pure, precious virgin, are severely wounded and broken. This declaration follows the people's persistent reliance on false prophets and their turning away from God, despite previous warnings and hardship. The prophet’s lament underscores the devastating blow that has struck them, highlighting the severity of their impending judgment.
Why would God command His prophet to cry? This verse reveals a powerful truth about God's heart and the severity of sin.
Jeremiah isn't just expressing his personal sadness; God is directing him to say, 'Let my eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease.' This isn't a suggestion, but a divine instruction. It highlights how deeply God grieves over sin and its consequences.
This isn't about Jeremiah being overly emotional. It's about God showing His people, through their prophet, the immense sorrow that their rebellion has caused. The tears are meant to be a stark message, a public display of the devastation wrought by sin, aiming to shock the people into realizing the gravity of their situation.
The Bible calls Judah the 'virgin daughter of my people.' What makes this image so poignant, and what does her 'great breach' signify?
The term 'virgin daughter' carries a powerful meaning of preciousness and purity. It speaks to God's tender, protective care over His people, Israel, as if they were a cherished maiden. She was meant to be set apart, guarded, and pure.
But now, this 'virgin daughter' is 'shattered with a great wound, with a very grievous blow.' This isn't just physical destruction; it's a deep, soul-shattering trauma. It signifies a complete breaking of their national identity, their relationship with God, and their security. The wound is so severe that it represents a near-total collapse, a devastating consequence of turning away from God's protection.
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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.
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 powerful metaphor for Judah, representing its cherished status and vulnerability. The 'great breach' and 'grievous blow' powerfully describe the catastrophic destruction of Jerusalem and the nation's subsequent exile, a devastating reality Jeremiah wept over and prophesied.
c. 609 BC
Pharaoh Necho's Invasion
The Egyptian Pharaoh Necho defeats King Josiah of Judah at Megiddo. This marks a period of significant Egyptian influence and control over Judah, leading to increased tribute and political instability.
605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar I of Babylon defeats the Egyptians at Carchemish and then besieges Jerusalem. Members of the Judean royal family and elite, including the prophet Daniel, are taken captive to Babylon.
c. 597 BC
Second Babylonian Deportation
Following a rebellion by King Jehoiachin, Nebuchadnezzar II again besieges Jerusalem. King Jehoiachin and thousands more Judeans, including the prophet Ezekiel, are deported to Babylon.
c. 587-586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem and Third Deportation
After a prolonged siege and a final rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and its Temple. The remaining population, except for a few left in the land, is exiled to Babylon. This event is the devastating climax that Jeremiah has been prophesying.
c. 586-539 BC
Babylonian Exile
The people of Judah live in exile in Babylon, experiencing immense loss and longing for their homeland. The prophet Jeremiah continues to lament their condition and the destruction of Jerusalem.
This passage echoes Jeremiah's profound grief and sorrow over the destruction of Jerusalem, describing the weeping of eyes and the lament for a devastated city, mirroring the 'great breach' mentioned in Jeremiah 14:17.
Jeremiah 13:17This verse uses very similar language to describe the prophet's sorrow over the pride and stubbornness of Judah, prefiguring the deep, unending tears for the impending calamity.
Ezekiel 24:16Like Jeremiah's lament, Ezekiel is forbidden to mourn publicly for his wife's death, symbolizing the overwhelming devastation of Jerusalem so that normal expressions of grief are overshadowed by the magnitude of the disaster.
Isaiah 22:4Isaiah also expresses a similar, intense sorrow, calling for 'tears' and 'rivers of water' for the destruction of the daughter of his people, highlighting the shared prophetic burden of grief over national ruin.
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…
The phrase "virgin daughter of my people" isn't just a poetic description; it highlights God's deep, protective care for Israel, making their severe breaking and grievous blow all the more tragic. This tenderness of God, now contrasted with immense suffering, underscores the devastating impact of their sin and the profound sorrow it brings.
God instructs Jeremiah to relay a message of profound sorrow, describing his own tears as unceasing because his people, symbolized as a pure, precious virgin, are severely wounded and broken. This declaration follows the people's persistent reliance on false prophets and their turning away from God, despite previous warnings and hardship. The prophet’s lament underscores the devastating blow that has struck them, highlighting the severity of their impending judgment.
God instructs Jeremiah to relay a message of profound sorrow, describing his own tears as unceasing because his people, symbolized as a pure, precious virgin, are severely wounded and broken. This declaration follows the people's persistent reliance on false prophets and their turning away from God, despite previous warnings and hardship. The prophet’s lament underscores the devastating blow that has struck them, highlighting the severity of their impending judgment.
"“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…" — The phrase "virgin daughter of my people" isn't just a poetic description; it highlights God's deep, protective care for Israel, making their severe breaking and grievous blow all the more tragic. Th…
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