Jeremiah 14:8
O you hope of Israel, its savior in time of trouble, why should you be like a stranger in the land, like a traveler who turns aside to tarry for a night?
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
Jeremiah highlights that God’s presence should feel permanent, not like a fleeting traveler who sets up a tent for a single night and moves on. This imagery emphasizes that God isn't just passing through their lives but is meant to be an integral, settled part of their land and their existence.
In this passage, Jeremiah addresses God directly amidst a devastating drought and impending judgment on Judah. The people are suffering intensely, and Jeremiah questions why God, their ultimate hope and rescuer, seems absent and detached from their plight, like a mere transient visitor who has no stake in their land or future. This plea for God's presence and intervention comes just before Jeremiah confesses the nation's sins and acknowledges that their current suffering is a consequence of their unfaithfulness to God.
Jeremiah's prayer opens with a bold declaration: God is Israel's only hope. But in this moment of crisis, something feels deeply wrong. What does it mean for God to be our hope, especially when we can't feel His presence?
Jeremiah addresses God as "the hope of Israel." This isn't just a nice title; it speaks to the core identity of God's relationship with his people.
The Foundation of Faith
The prophet uses vivid imagery: God acting like a stranger, a temporary guest. This isn't about God literally leaving, but about how His people are experiencing His absence during a devastating drought and famine.
Jeremiah's desperate question, "why should you be like a stranger in the land, like a traveler who turns aside to tarry for a night?" paints a heartbreaking picture.
Understanding the Metaphor
Understand the original words
miqveh · Hebrew Noun
An expectant, confident trust in God's promises and character. It is not wishful thinking but a secure anchor for the soul based on God's proven faithfulness throughout history.
yasha · Hebrew Noun/Participle
One who delivers, rescues, or preserves from danger and destruction. Biblically, God is the ultimate Savior who intervenes for His people, bringing salvation from enemies, circumstances, and ultimately, sin.
gur · Hebrew Noun/Adjective
A person unknown or an outsider who does not belong to the covenant community. It implies distance, lack of intimacy, and unfamiliarity with the ways of God.
This Psalm echoes Jeremiah's sentiment, calling God 'my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?' highlighting God as the ultimate source of security and hope, even when circumstances make Him seem distant.
Hosea 11:8-9In a similar lament, God questions why He should give Ephraim (Israel) over, expressing His deep conflict between judgment and His steadfast love, mirroring Jeremiah's plea for God not to act like a stranger.
Isaiah 49:14-16Here, Zion feels abandoned, asking if God has forgotten her, but God reassures them of His unfailing love, comparing it to a mother's memory, which directly counters the imagery of God being a temporary 'stranger' or 'traveler'.
Matthew 1:23This verse points to Jesus as 'Immanuel,' meaning 'God with us,' fulfilling the deep desire expressed by Jeremiah that God would not be a stranger but would dwell among His people.
cambridgeJeremiah 14:8: "O the hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in time of trouble, why shouldest thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night?"
8 . a sojourner in the land, etc .] a passing traveller, with no interest in the country or in the people. turneth aside ] mg., less well, spreadeth his tent.
ellicottJeremiah 14:8: "O the hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in time of trouble, why shouldest thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night?"
(8) As a wayfaring man . . . —No image could paint more vividly the sense of abandonment which weighed on the prophet’s heart. Israel had looked to Jehovah as its help and stay, its watchful guardian. Now he seemed as indifferent to it as the passing traveller is to the interests of the city in the inn or…
Jeremiah highlights that God’s presence should feel permanent, not like a fleeting traveler who sets up a tent for a single night and moves on. This imagery emphasizes that God isn't just passing through their lives but is meant to be an integral, settled part of their land and their existence.
In this passage, Jeremiah addresses God directly amidst a devastating drought and impending judgment on Judah. The people are suffering intensely, and Jeremiah questions why God, their ultimate hope and rescuer, seems absent and detached from their plight, like a mere transient visitor who has no stake in their land or future. This plea for God's presence and intervention comes just before Jeremiah confesses the nation's sins and acknowledges that their current suffering is a consequence of their unfaithfulness to God.
In this passage, Jeremiah addresses God directly amidst a devastating drought and impending judgment on Judah. The people are suffering intensely, and Jeremiah questions why God, their ultimate hope and rescuer, seems absent and detached from their plight, like a mere transient visitor who has no stake in their land or future. This plea for God's presence and intervention comes just before Jeremiah confesses the nation's sins and acknowledges that their current suffering is a consequence of their unfaithfulness to God.
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Jeremiah 14:8 is available in the Sola app.
"O you hope of Israel, its savior in time of trouble, why should you be like a stranger in the land, like a traveler who turns aside to tarry for a night?" — Jeremiah highlights that God’s presence should feel permanent, not like a fleeting traveler who sets up a tent for a single night and moves on. This imagery emphasizes that God isn't just passing thr…
