Jeremiah 19:8
And I will make this city a horror, a thing to be hissed at. Everyone who passes by it will be horrified and will hiss because of all its wounds.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The chilling "hissing" isn't just about being scorned; it captures the sound of stunned disbelief and even malicious delight at the totality of God's judgment. This wasn't merely a punishment, but a spectacle so devastating it would provoke a visceral, shocked reaction from everyone who witnessed its ruin.
Earlier, Jeremiah shattered a potter's flask to symbolize Jerusalem's impending destruction. Now, the Lord declares that the city itself will become a horrifying spectacle, a place of utter ruin. Anyone passing by will be stunned and express disgust, hissing in shock at the devastating plagues God will inflict upon them.
Imagine a city once renowned, a beacon of pride, now reduced to a spectacle of ruin. Jeremiah's prophecy paints a stark picture of divine judgment.
Jeremiah 19:8 announces a drastic reversal for Jerusalem. What was once a source of honor and praise is now destined to become an object of horror and scorn.
From Praise to Hissing
This transformation is a direct consequence of their sin, turning what was meant for God's praise into a testament to His judgment.
The verse speaks of "wounds" and "plagues." What do these terms reveal about the nature of God's judgment?
Jeremiah 19:8 links the horrifying state of the city directly to "all its plagues." This highlights that the desolation is not random misfortune but the result of God's deliberate actions.
Understanding 'Plagues'
Understand the original words
šammâ · Hebrew Noun
A state of extreme distress, devastation, or shocking ruin that causes onlookers to feel fear, astonishment, or revulsion; often used to describe the consequences of divine judgment.
šāraq · Hebrew Verb
A common ancient Near Eastern gesture indicating scorn, mockery, or astonishment at someone’s downfall, often signaling that the object of the hissing has become an object of divine or public derision.
makkâ · Hebrew Noun
A term referring to physical injury, stripes, or deep affliction, often used in prophetic literature to describe the consequences of divine judgment upon a disobedient nation.
Jeremiah's prophecy envisions Jerusalem, once a source of pride, becoming a desolate ruin and a hissing stock – a shocking testament to God's judgment on the city's persistent sin, fulfilled in its utter destruction by Babylon.
Late 8th century BC
Assyrian Siege of Jerusalem
The Assyrian king Sennacherib besieged Jerusalem, but miraculously failed to conquer it, bolstering the city's sense of security.
605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon deports some of Jerusalem's elite, including Daniel, marking the beginning of Judah's vassalage to Babylon.
597 BC
Second Babylonian Deportation
After a rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar deports more citizens, including King Jehoiachin and the prophet Ezekiel, further weakening Jerusalem.
c. 588-586 BC— this verse
Siege and Fall of Jerusalem
Nebuchadnezzar lays siege to Jerusalem, eventually breaching its walls, destroying the Temple, and deporting the majority of the remaining population.
This passage parallels Jeremiah's prophecy by describing how the Israelites would become a horror, a proverb, a taunt, and a byword among all the nations to which the Lord would exile them due to their disobedience.
Psalm 79:4This psalm reflects a similar sentiment of shame and reproach, as the psalmist laments that Jerusalem has become a reproach to its neighbors, a mockery and a scorn to those around it.
Lamentations 2:15-16The book of Lamentations vividly portrays the desolation of Jerusalem after its destruction, fulfilling Jeremiah's prophecy by describing how enemies clap their hands and hiss at the ruined city.
Ezekiel 5:14-15Ezekiel echoes Jeremiah's prophecy with a similar judgment, stating that Jerusalem will become a desolation and a reproach among the surrounding nations, and a hissing and a curse to all who pass by.
gillJeremiah 19:8: "And I will make this city desolate, and an hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished and hiss because of all the plagues thereof."
And I will make this city desolate, and an hissing,.... An hissing to its enemies; an hissing because desolate; when its walls should be broken down, its houses burnt with fire, and its inhabitants put to the sword, or carried captive: everyone that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and hiss; surprised to see the desolations of i…
ellicottJeremiah 19:8: "And I will make this city desolate, and an hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished and hiss because of all the plagues thereof."
(8) Desolate, and an hissing. —See Jeremiah 18:16 . Because of all the plagues thereof.—The word is used in its wider, and yet stricter, sense as including all the blows or smitings (as in Isaiah 14:6) that are thought of as coming from the hand of God.
The chilling "hissing" isn't just about being scorned; it captures the sound of stunned disbelief and even malicious delight at the totality of God's judgment. This wasn't merely a punishment, but a spectacle so devastating it would provoke a visceral, shocked reaction from everyone who witnessed its ruin.
Earlier, Jeremiah shattered a potter's flask to symbolize Jerusalem's impending destruction. Now, the Lord declares that the city itself will become a horrifying spectacle, a place of utter ruin. Anyone passing by will be stunned and express disgust, hissing in shock at the devastating plagues God will inflict upon them.
Earlier, Jeremiah shattered a potter's flask to symbolize Jerusalem's impending destruction. Now, the Lord declares that the city itself will become a horrifying spectacle, a place of utter ruin. Anyone passing by will be stunned and express disgust, hissing in shock at the devastating plagues God will inflict upon them.
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586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
The Babylonians utterly destroy Jerusalem, leaving it in ruins as a stark warning and a symbol of divine judgment.
"And I will make this city a horror, a thing to be hissed at. Everyone who passes by it will be horrified and will hiss because of all its wounds." — The chilling "hissing" isn't just about being scorned; it captures the sound of stunned disbelief and even malicious delight at the totality of God's judgment. This wasn't merely a punishment, but a…
