The wild donkeys stand on the bare heights; they pant for air like jackals; their eyes fail because there is no vegetation.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse vividly portrays the desperation of the wild asses, not just panting for air but actively sniffing the wind—an image suggesting they're trying to inhale any hint of moisture or life from the barren heights. Their "failing eyes" don't just mean poor vision, but a desperate searching that yields nothing but disappointment, highlighting how even nature's resilience is overcome by this profound absence of life-giving vegetation.
The wild donkeys stand on the bare heights; they pant for air like jackals; their eyes fail because there is no vegetation.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The prophet Jeremiah is describing a devastating drought that has gripped the land, leaving even the wild animals desperate. Following verses that show the people weeping and the parched earth, Jeremiah shifts focus to the plight of wildlife, illustrating the severity of God's judgment through their suffering, emphasizing that no living thing is spared when God's anger is roused.
God's judgment isn't just for humans; it impacts the entire created order. How does Jeremiah use the suffering of animals to speak to the people?
Jeremiah paints a stark picture of a land parched by drought, extending the consequences of sin beyond humanity.
A Universal Scarcity
The prophet describes the suffering of wild animals – the hind forsaking her young and the wild asses standing on barren heights. These creatures, often associated with untamed wilderness, are now reduced to desperate measures by the lack of vegetation.
God's Sovereignty Over Creation
This imagery highlights that God's rule extends to every part of His creation. When He withholds the rain, the entire ecosystem suffers. The animals' distress is a visible sign of a deeper spiritual crisis and God's displeasure with His people's sin.
Why does Jeremiah focus on wild asses? What does their behavior reveal about their desperate state and the intensity of the drought?
The image of the wild ass panting for air and its eyes failing is a powerful metaphor for extreme suffering and a futile search for relief.
A Creature of the Wild
Wild asses were known for their ability to endure harsh conditions and find sustenance in arid lands. Their distress signifies a drought so severe that even these resilient creatures are on the brink of collapse.
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Seeking Relief in Vain
Standing on high places and "snuffing up the wind" suggests a desperate attempt to find any moisture or coolness. The comparison to serpents or jackals highlights their open-mouthed panting, a sign of intense heat and thirst. Their eyes failing shows the futility of their search – there is simply no vegetation to be found, and thus no food or water.
A Mirror to the Soul
This desperate search mirrors the spiritual emptiness of a people who have turned away from the true source of life, desperately seeking satisfaction in empty things.
This vivid imagery of suffering animals reflects the extreme hardship of the drought and famine that accompanied the devastation of Judah, directly linked to the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem.
Late 8th century BC
Assyrian Campaigns in Judah
Assyrian forces under Tiglath-Pileser III and later Sargon II campaign in the region, subjugating various kingdoms and impacting Judah through tribute and political pressure.
701 BC
Sennacherib's Invasion of Judah
The Assyrian king Sennacherib invades Judah, conquering many fortified cities. Jerusalem is besieged but ultimately spared, likely due to a heavy tribute paid by King Hezekiah.
605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
Under Nebuchadnezzar II, Babylon defeats Egypt and begins deporting Judean elites, including young men like Daniel, to Babylon. This marks the start of sustained Babylonian influence.
597 BC
Second Babylonian Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar deports more Judeans, including King Jehoiachin and the prophet Ezekiel, after a rebellion. Jerusalem is left under a puppet king, Zedekiah.
586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem and Third Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, ending the Davidic monarchy. The majority of the remaining population is exiled to Babylon. This is the catastrophic event that Jeremiah has been prophesying about.
c. 582 BC
Final Babylonian Exile Group
A final group of Judeans is deported to Babylon following further unrest. The land of Judah is left largely desolate.
This verse speaks of eyes failing, but in this context, it's for the hope of the wicked and the finality of their despair, mirroring the ultimate failure of the wild asses' sight due to utter lack of sustenance.
Psalm 69:3The psalmist describes his eyes failing as he waits for his God, a picture of intense longing and dwindling hope, much like the wild asses searching vainly for grass in their desperate situation.
Lamentations 4:17This passage describes the people of Jerusalem whose eyes failed as they looked in vain for help, directly paralleling the physical failure of the wild asses' eyes due to the drought and famine.
Isaiah 35:7This verse presents a stark contrast, describing how the mirage will become a pool and the thirsty ground springs of water, directly addressing the desperate, parched conditions seen in Jeremiah's wild asses.
clarkeJeremiah 14:6: "And the wild asses did stand in the high places, they snuffed up the wind like dragons; their eyes did fail, because there was no grass."
Snuffed up the wind like dragons - תנים tannim here probably means the hippopotamus, who, after feeding under the water, is obliged to come to the surface in order to take in fresh draughts of air; or it may mean the wild asses.
calvinJeremiah 14:5-6: "Yea, the hind also calved in the field, and forsook it, because there was no grass."
- Et onagri steterunt super excelsa (diximus de hoc nomine, super labia, vel, eminentias, vel, rupes,) traxerunt (vel, hauserunt) ventum sicut serpentes; defecerunt oculi eorum, quia non fuit herba (utitur alio nomine, posuerat ds' prius, nunc ponit sv sed eodem sensu.)
Jeremiah now comes to animals: he said before, that men would be visited with thirst, and then that the ground would become…
The verse vividly portrays the desperation of the wild asses, not just panting for air but actively sniffing the wind—an image suggesting they're trying to inhale any hint of moisture or life from the barren heights. Their "failing eyes" don't just mean poor vision, but a desperate searching that yields nothing but disappointment, highlighting how even nature's resilience is overcome by this profound absence of life-giving vegetation.
The prophet Jeremiah is describing a devastating drought that has gripped the land, leaving even the wild animals desperate. Following verses that show the people weeping and the parched earth, Jeremiah shifts focus to the plight of wildlife, illustrating the severity of God's judgment through their suffering, emphasizing that no living thing is spared when God's anger is roused.
The prophet Jeremiah is describing a devastating drought that has gripped the land, leaving even the wild animals desperate. Following verses that show the people weeping and the parched earth, Jeremiah shifts focus to the plight of wildlife, illustrating the severity of God's judgment through their suffering, emphasizing that no living thing is spared when God's anger is roused.
"The wild donkeys stand on the bare heights; they pant for air like jackals; their eyes fail because there is no vegetation." — The verse vividly portrays the desperation of the wild asses, not just panting for air but actively sniffing the wind—an image suggesting they're trying to inhale any hint of moisture or life from…
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Last reviewed October 2026