Jeremiah 18:16
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It's easy to read "hissing" and "wag his head" as simple expressions of contempt, but the original languages suggest something more profound. The "hissing" here is an onomatopoeic sound of shuddering or amazement, and the "shaking of the head" is a gesture of pity, not scorn. God's judgment on sin doesn't just bring mockery, but a profound, awe-filled desolation that evokes stunned pity from onlookers.
making their land a horror, a thing to be hissed at forever. Everyone who passes by it is horrified and shakes his head.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jeremiah is delivering a stark warning from God, likening the nation to clay in a potter's hands. If they refuse to repent of their destructive ways, God will bring disaster upon them, turning their once fruitful land into a scene of ruin. This desolation will be so profound that anyone passing by will be filled with horror and bewilderment, shaking their heads at the utter downfall of a people who once prospered.
Jeremiah paints a stark picture of judgment. But what's the real emotional tone? Is it just emptiness, or something more piercing?
The prophecy in Jeremiah 18:16 describes a land not just empty, but actively evoking a visceral reaction. The word for 'hissing' here isn't just about being scorned. It's about a sound made when seeing something profoundly shocking, a shuddering gasp of dismay. Think of the sound you might make when witnessing something truly horrific or unnatural. This wasn't just about the land being barren; it was about its state being so unnatural and devastating that it would cause passersby to gasp, shudder, and shake their heads in a mixture of awe, pity, and deep unease. This is judgment that leaves an indelible, disturbing mark on the world's memory.
Did Israel want their land to become a horrific example? Jeremiah clarifies that this wasn't their goal, but an inevitable outcome.
It's crucial to understand that the 'hissing' and 'horror' were not the aim of the people's actions. They weren't actively trying to make their land a cursed spectacle. Instead, their persistent sin—forsaking God, turning to idols, and abandoning the 'ancient paths'—had this devastating consequence as its 'end of the work,' not its 'end of the worker.' Their destructive choices, like walking in the dangerous 'way of iniquity' instead of the safe 'highway' of God's law, were like a faulty construction that was bound to collapse spectacularly. The result was a land that stood as a testament to disobedience, leaving everyone who saw it astonished at the ruin.
Understand the original words
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shammah · Hebrew Noun
A strong feeling of intense fear, shock, or disgust. In biblical contexts, it often describes the overwhelming reaction to divine judgment or the destructive consequences of sin.
sheriqah · Hebrew Noun
A sound expressing contempt, derision, or mocking judgment. In the prophets, it signifies the public shame and disgrace of a nation under God's judgment.
Jeremiah's prophecy paints a vivid picture of the devastation that awaits Judah if they don't repent. The 'perpetual hissing' isn't just mockery; it's a visceral reaction of horror and pity from onlookers witnessing a once-great land reduced to ruins – a fate tragically realized after the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem.
c. 722 BC
Fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel
The Assyrian Empire conquers the northern ten tribes of Israel, exiling many and scattering them among other conquered peoples. This serves as a stark warning to the southern Kingdom of Judah.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon begins his campaigns against Judah, taking some of the royal family and elite into exile. This marks the start of Judah's subjugation by Babylon.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Following a revolt, Nebuchadnezzar again attacks Judah, exiling King Jehoiachin and thousands more, including the prophet Ezekiel. The temple in Jerusalem is partially plundered.
586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
Nebuchadnezzar's final siege results in the utter destruction of Jerusalem, the burning of Solomon's Temple, and the exile of the remaining population. Judah ceases to exist as a kingdom.
c. 586 BC - 538 BC
The Babylonian Exile
The Judean people live in exile in Babylon, stripped of their land and national identity. The prophet Jeremiah's words about their land becoming a desolate horror are fulfilled during this period.
538 BC
Cyrus the Great Allows Return
The Persian Empire, under Cyrus, conquers Babylon and allows the exiled Judeans to return to their homeland and rebuild the Temple. However, the land remains a shadow of its former glory.
This passage describes a similar fate for Israel, becoming a reproach and a byword among the nations due to their disobedience, mirroring the horror and astonishment mentioned in Jeremiah.
Lamentations 2:15This describes the enemies of Jerusalem clapping and hissing at its destruction, showing the same theme of a ruined land becoming an object of scorn and dismay.
Zephaniah 2:15This verse directly links the pride and destructive actions of a nation to becoming a hissing and a reproach, fulfilling the prophecy of Jeremiah.
Psalm 44:13-14This psalm reflects on Israel's suffering and shame among their neighbors, highlighting how sin leads to becoming a 'proverb' and 'reproach,' which resonates with the fate described in Jeremiah 18:16.
clarkeJeremiah 18:16: "To make their land desolate, and a perpetual hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head."
A perpetual hissing - שריקות sherikoth. a shrieking, hissing; an expression of contempt.
pulpitJeremiah 18:16: "To make their land desolate, and a perpetual hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head."
Verse 16. - The effect of this is to make the land of the transgressors an object of horror and astonishment (so render rather than desolate).
It's easy to read "hissing" and "wag his head" as simple expressions of contempt, but the original languages suggest something more profound. The "hissing" here is an onomatopoeic sound of shuddering or amazement, and the "shaking of the head" is a gesture of pity, not scorn. God's judgment on sin doesn't just bring mockery, but a profound, awe-filled desolation that evokes stunned pity from onlookers.
Jeremiah is delivering a stark warning from God, likening the nation to clay in a potter's hands. If they refuse to repent of their destructive ways, God will bring disaster upon them, turning their once fruitful land into a scene of ruin. This desolation will be so profound that anyone passing by will be filled with horror and bewilderment, shaking their heads at the utter downfall of a people who once prospered.
Jeremiah is delivering a stark warning from God, likening the nation to clay in a potter's hands. If they refuse to repent of their destructive ways, God will bring disaster upon them, turning their once fruitful land into a scene of ruin. This desolation will be so profound that anyone passing by will be filled with horror and bewilderment, shaking their heads at the utter downfall of a people who once prospered.
"making their land a horror, a thing to be hissed at forever. Everyone who passes by it is horrified and shakes his head." — It's easy to read "hissing" and "wag his head" as simple expressions of contempt, but the original languages suggest something more profound. The "hissing" here is an onomatopoeic sound of shuddering…
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Last reviewed October 2026
