Breakdown of Jeremiah 9:20-22

"Hear, O women, the word of the LORD, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth; teach to your daughters a lament, and each to her neighbor a dirge. For death has come up into our windows; it has entered our…" — Jeremiah instructs the women to teach their daughters a lament not just as a ritual, but as a deep, learned skill, implying that the coming devastation will be so widespread that there won't be enoug…

Jeremiah 9:20-22 Meaning Explained

All verses

Jeremiah 9:20-22

Hear, O women, the word of the LORD, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth; teach to your daughters a lament, and each to her neighbor a dirge. For death has come up into our windows; it has entered our palaces, cutting off the children from the streets and the young men from the squares. Speak: “Thus declares the LORD, ‘The dead bodies of men shall fall like dung upon the open field, like sheaves after the reaper, and none shall gather them.’”

English Standard Version (ESV)

Jeremiah instructs the women to teach their daughters a lament not just as a ritual, but as a deep, learned skill, implying that the coming devastation will be so widespread that there won't be enough professional mourners. This highlights how the prophet envisioned the profound, practical, and even generational impact of God's judgment.

What Jeremiah 9:20-22 means

Jeremiah has just described the utter devastation and exile awaiting Judah due to their unfaithfulness. Now, he directly addresses the women, charging them to not just mourn, but to teach lamentation as a vital skill. This isn't for a typical death, but a national dirge, so profound and widespread that mothers must train their daughters and neighbors to prepare for the overwhelming loss.

Women as Grief's Messengers

Why does Jeremiah specifically address the women of Judah in this moment of impending doom?

Jeremiah's message is directed to the women because they were traditionally the ones who would publicly express the nation's grief. Think of the women singing and dancing in celebration of triumphs; here, they are called to channel that expressive energy into lamenting the coming judgment.

This wasn't just casual sadness. Wailing and dirges were considered an art form, with specific cries and tones suited to particular sorrows. The mothers were to teach their daughters this skill, ensuring the communal grief would be deeply felt and passed down, especially as the expected number of deaths would be overwhelming.

The Unavoidable Art of Lament

The verse commands teaching a 'lament' and a 'dirge.' What's the difference, and why is it so crucial?

Jeremiah is not asking for a fleeting, superficial sadness. The command to 'teach your daughters a lament, and each to her neighbor a dirge' points to a deep, pervasive sorrow that must be learned and passed on.

A lament is an expression of grief or sorrow, while a dirge is a song of mourning. The emphasis here is on the skill and intentionality required to mourn properly. Given the scale of the impending judgment—a 'harvest of death'—the normal number of mourning women would be insufficient. Therefore, the art of lament needed to be taught so that the grief would be universal and enduring, lasting through generations until God's restorative work would bring an end to such sorrow.

Understand the original words

Original language

dirgeקִינָה

qinah · Hebrew Noun

A funeral song or a song expressing intense grief and sorrow. In the prophetic books, it is often employed to highlight the severity of impending judgment or the tragic loss of the nation.

LORDיְהוָה

YHWH · Hebrew Proper Noun

The supreme, covenant-keeping name of God in the Old Testament, representing His holiness, self-existence, and personal relationship with His people.

Historical context

Written: Late 7th to early 6th century BC, during the reigns of Josiah, Jehoiakim, or Zedekiah.
Author: Jeremiah, traditionally understood as the sole author, though some scholars suggest possible editorial additions.
Location: Written from Judah, likely Jerusalem, during the prophet's ministry there.
Genre: Prophecy with strong elements of lament poetry, featuring direct address and vivid imagery.

Historical background

This instruction to the women reflects the immense scale of loss and the pervasive grief following the destruction of Jerusalem. It underscores that the mourning required was not just a ritual but a deep, national expression of sorrow for a devastating historical catastrophe.

Late 8th century BC
Assyrian Conquest of Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquers the Northern Kingdom of Israel, exiling many of its inhabitants. This event serves as a stark warning of future judgments for the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, conquers Judah and deports a group of its elite, including the prophet Daniel, to Babylon. This marks the beginning of Judah's exile.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Following a revolt, Nebuchadnezzar deports more of Judah's population and treasures, including King Jehoiachin and the prophet Ezekiel. The situation in Jerusalem grows increasingly dire.
586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem and Destruction of Temple
The Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar destroy Jerusalem and its Temple, exiling the majority of the remaining population. This catastrophic event is the fulfillment of God's judgment through Jeremiah's prophecies.

Key themes

01Divine Word's Authority
02Mourning's Urgent Call
03Generational Instruction
04National Calamity Foretold

Cross-references

1 Samuel 18:6

This passage shows women singing and dancing with tambourines and joys, a contrast to the lamenting instructed in Jeremiah, highlighting the sharp turn from celebration to sorrow the nation faces.

2 Samuel 1:24

The women of Israel are depicted here singing a lament for Saul and Jonathan, showing the established role of women in expressing national grief through song, a practice Jeremiah is now calling them to learn in a new, urgent context.

Luke 23:27-28

Jesus' words to the women weeping for Him, telling them to weep for themselves and their children, echo Jeremiah's message, drawing a parallel between the impending destruction of Jerusalem and the crucifixion, both calling for profound mourning.

Amos 5:16

This verse speaks of wailing filling the streets and courtyards, mirroring Jeremiah's prophecy that the lament would be widespread and communal, affecting everyone, 'every woman her neighbor'.

Scholarly commentary

Jeremiah 9:20: "Yet hear the word of the LORD, O ye women, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth, and teach your daughters wailing, and every one her neighbour lamentation."

The command is addressed to the women because it was more especially their part to express the general feelings of the nation. See 1 Samuel 18:6 ; 2 Samuel 1:24 . The women utter now the death-wail over the perishing nation. They are to teach their daughters and neighbors the "lamentation, i. e., dirge," because th…
barnes

Jeremiah 9:20: "Yet hear the word of the LORD, O ye women, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth, and teach your daughters wailing, and every one her neighbour lamentation."

Teach your daughters - This is not a common dirge that shall last only till the body is consigned to the earth; it must last longer; teach it to your children, that it may be continued through every generation, till God turn again your captivity.
clarke

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What Jeremiah 9:20-22 means

Original language

dirgeקִינָה

qinah · Hebrew Noun

A funeral song or a song expressing intense grief and sorrow. In the prophetic books, it is often employed to highlight the severity of impending judgment or the tragic loss of the nation.

LORDיְהוָה

YHWH · Hebrew Proper Noun

The supreme, covenant-keeping name of God in the Old Testament, representing His holiness, self-existence, and personal relationship with His people.

Historical context

Written: Late 7th to early 6th century BC, during the reigns of Josiah, Jehoiakim, or Zedekiah.
Author: Jeremiah, traditionally understood as the sole author, though some scholars suggest possible editorial additions.
Location: Written from Judah, likely Jerusalem, during the prophet's ministry there.
Genre: Prophecy with strong elements of lament poetry, featuring direct address and vivid imagery.

Historical background

Late 8th century BC

Assyrian Conquest of Northern Kingdom

The Assyrian Empire conquers the Northern Kingdom of Israel, exiling many of its inhabitants. This event serves as a stark warning of future judgments for the Southern Kingdom of Judah.

605 BC

First Deportation to Babylon

Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, conquers Judah and deports a group of its elite, including the prophet Daniel, to Babylon. This marks the beginning of Judah's exile.

597 BC

Second Deportation to Babylon

Following a revolt, Nebuchadnezzar deports more of Judah's population and treasures, including King Jehoiachin and the prophet Ezekiel. The situation in Jerusalem grows increasingly dire.

586 BC— this verse

Fall of Jerusalem and Destruction of Temple

The Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar destroy Jerusalem and its Temple, exiling the majority of the remaining population. This catastrophic event is the fulfillment of God's judgment through Jeremiah's prophecies.