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)
It's not just that people will stare in shock at the destruction; they will hiss in contempt and perhaps even in vindictive glee. This hissing isn't just astonishment at the "plagues" – the catastrophic blows God sends – but a profound expression of disgust and triumph over a city that once thought itself untouchable.
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)
In this chapter, God instructs Jeremiah to buy a potter's clay jar and smash it in the Valley of Hinnom, symbolizing the complete destruction of Jerusalem and its people. This act dramatically illustrates the coming judgment due to their persistent idolatry and disobedience, a stark contrast to their former pride. The shocking imagery highlights that those who witness the city's downfall will be astonished and express horror, hissing in disbelief and disgust at the devastating plagues God will bring upon them.
Imagine a city once known for its beauty and divine favor becoming an object of disgust and ridicule. Jeremiah's prophecy paints a stark picture of this reversal.
God declares through Jeremiah that Jerusalem, a city once celebrated and blessed, will be utterly destroyed and become a source of horror. The language is strong: 'a horror, a thing to be hissed at.' This wasn't just a physical destruction; it was a complete reversal of fortune. A city that once drew admiration for God's presence would now draw shock and scorn because of its sin and the resulting divine judgment.
The people passing by wouldn't just be sad; they would be astonished and 'hiss' – a gesture of contempt and disbelief at such a terrible ruin. This transformation was a direct consequence of Judah's deep-seated sin and rebellion against God, turning what was meant to be a place of praise into a spectacle of divine wrath.
What does it mean to 'hiss' as a reaction to judgment? It's more than just a sound; it's a profound expression of shock and condemnation.
The act of 'hissing' in this context is a powerful auditory and symbolic depiction of judgment. It signifies utter astonishment and disgust at the state of Jerusalem. The people who once prided themselves on their city, their temple, and God's favor would now become a spectacle of divine vengeance.
This wasn't a quiet judgment. The hissing would be audible, a public declaration of the city's downfall. It's a stark contrast to the joyous praises that should have filled God's holy city. The 'plagues' or 'blows' that struck Jerusalem were so severe that they elicited this extreme reaction, turning a place of honor into a source of everlasting reproach.
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Jerusalem's fate wasn't just about destruction; it was about a complete obliteration of its former glory, leaving nothing but ruin.
The prophecy doesn't just predict destruction; it foretells absolute 'desolation.' This means the city would be emptied, its lifeblood drained, its structures ruined. The purpose of the judgment was to make a definitive statement about the severity of sin and God's unwavering justice.
Jerusalem, chosen by God and central to His redemptive plan, was meant to be a beacon of holiness. But through persistent sin and rejection of God's messengers (like Jeremiah), it became a symbol of His wrath. The 'wounds' are the catastrophic results of God's judgment – the sword, famine, and captivity – leaving the city a horrifying testament to what happens when a people turns away from the Lord.
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 of Jerusalem becoming a horrifying spectacle and object of hissing refers directly to the devastating destruction of the city by the Babylonians in 586 BC. This event transformed Jerusalem from a symbol of God's favor into a stark warning of divine judgment for unfaithfulness.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquered the northern Kingdom of Israel, exiling its population. This event served as a stark warning of the consequences of disobedience to God for the southern Kingdom of Judah.
605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquered Judah and began deporting prominent citizens, including members of the royal family and skilled workers, to Babylon. This marked the initial stage of Judah's captivity.
597 BC
Second Babylonian Deportation
Following a rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar deported more of Judah's population and leadership, including the prophet Ezekiel and King Jehoiachin, to Babylon. Jerusalem's temple was partially plundered.
586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem and Destruction of Temple
Nebuchadnezzar's forces besieged and conquered Jerusalem, destroying the city walls and Solomon's Temple. The remaining population was exiled to Babylon, devastating the Judean nation.
c. 539 BC
Cyrus the Great's Conquest of Babylon
The Persian Empire, under Cyrus the Great, conquered Babylon. This event paved the way for the eventual return of Jewish exiles to Jerusalem.
538 BC
Decree of Return and First Returnees
Cyrus issued a decree allowing the Jewish exiles to return to their homeland and rebuild the Temple. This marked the beginning of the return from Babylonian exile.
This passage directly parallels Jeremiah's prophecy, stating that the Israelites will become a byword, a proverb, a hissing, and an astonishment among all nations where the Lord will scatter them. It shows this wasn't a new concept but a dire warning of consequences for disobedience.
1 Kings 9:8This verse describes the fate of Solomon's Temple and Jerusalem if they were to turn away from God. It echoes the idea that the city, once a place of honor, would become a desolation and a proverb, a stark warning of God's judgment.
Psalm 79:4This psalm expresses the deep shame and reproach experienced by Israel during their exile, lamenting, 'We have become a reproach to our neighbors, mocked and ridiculed by those around us.' It captures the very essence of being a 'hissing' to those who pass by.
Lamentations 2:15-16The book of Lamentations vividly describes Jerusalem's destruction, noting how 'all who pass by clap their hands at you; they hiss, they wag their heads at the daughter of Jerusalem.' This offers a poetic and emotional perspective on the prophecy of Jeremiah 19.
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.
It's not just that people will stare in shock at the destruction; they will hiss in contempt and perhaps even in vindictive glee. This hissing isn't just astonishment at the "plagues" – the catastrophic blows God sends – but a profound expression of disgust and triumph over a city that once thought itself untouchable.
In this chapter, God instructs Jeremiah to buy a potter's clay jar and smash it in the Valley of Hinnom, symbolizing the complete destruction of Jerusalem and its people. This act dramatically illustrates the coming judgment due to their persistent idolatry and disobedience, a stark contrast to their former pride. The shocking imagery highlights that those who witness the city's downfall will be astonished and express horror, hissing in disbelief and disgust at the devastating plagues God will bring upon them.
In this chapter, God instructs Jeremiah to buy a potter's clay jar and smash it in the Valley of Hinnom, symbolizing the complete destruction of Jerusalem and its people. This act dramatically illustrates the coming judgment due to their persistent idolatry and disobedience, a stark contrast to their former pride. The shocking imagery highlights that those who witness the city's downfall will be astonished and express horror, hissing in disbelief and disgust at the devastating plagues God will bring upon them.
"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." — It's not just that people will stare in shock at the destruction; they will hiss in contempt and perhaps even in vindictive glee. This hissing isn't just astonishment at the "plagues" – the catastr…
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Last reviewed October 2026