Jeremiah 9

King James Version

Full text for Jeremiah Chapter 9

1¶ Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!

2Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring men; that I might leave my people, and go from them! for they [be] all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men.

3And they bend their tongues [like] their bow [for] lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the LORD.

4Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders.

5And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, [and] weary themselves to commit iniquity.

6Thine habitation [is] in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the LORD.

7Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and try them; for how shall I do for the daughter of my people?

8Their tongue [is as] an arrow shot out; it speaketh deceit: [one] speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in heart he layeth his wait.

9Shall I not visit them for these [things]? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

10For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so that none can pass through [them]; neither can [men] hear the voice of the cattle; both the fowl of the heavens and the beast are fled; they are gone.

11And I will make Jerusalem heaps, [and] a den of dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant.

12¶ Who [is] the wise man, that may understand this? and [who is he] to whom the mouth of the LORD hath spoken, that he may declare it, for what the land perisheth [and] is burned up like a wilderness, that none passeth through?

13And the LORD saith, Because they have forsaken my law which I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, neither walked therein;

14But have walked after the imagination of their own heart, and after Baalim, which their fathers taught them:

15Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will feed them, [even] this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink.

16I will scatter them also among the heathen, whom neither they nor their fathers have known: and I will send a sword after them, till I have consumed them.

17Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Consider ye, and call for the mourning women, that they may come; and send for cunning [women], that they may come:

18And let them make haste, and take up a wailing for us, that our eyes may run down with tears, and our eyelids gush out with waters.

19For a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion, How are we spoiled! we are greatly confounded, because we have forsaken the land, because our dwellings have cast [us] out.

20Yet 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.

21For death is come up into our windows, [and] is entered into our palaces, to cut off the children from without, [and] the young men from the streets.

22Speak, Thus saith the LORD, Even the carcases of men shall fall as dung upon the open field, and as the handful after the harvestman, and none shall gather [them].

23¶ Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise [man] glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty [man] glory in his might, let not the rich [man] glory in his riches:

24But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I [am] the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these [things] I delight, saith the LORD.

25Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will punish all [them which are] circumcised with the uncircumcised;

26Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all [that are] in the utmost corners, that dwell in the wilderness: for all [these] nations [are] uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel [are] uncircumcised in the heart.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

Jeremiah laments the deep corruption and impending destruction of his people, Judah. The Lord declares judgment for their pervasive deceit, idolatry, and forsaking of His law, promising desolation and scattering. He emphasizes that true glory lies not in worldly attainments but in knowing Him, who exercises lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness.

Medium Summary

Jeremiah expresses profound sorrow, wishing for endless tears for his people's ruin and desiring to flee their pervasive treachery and deceit. The Lord condemns Judah for their widespread lies, slanders, and refusal to acknowledge Him, declaring that He will "melt and try" them. As a consequence of forsaking His law and following idolatry, the land will be desolated, Jerusalem reduced to heaps, and the people scattered among foreign nations, drinking bitter judgment. The prophet calls for lamentation over the coming death and destruction. Amidst this, the Lord contrasts worldly glory with the true glory of understanding and knowing Him, who delights in lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, concluding with a warning that both outwardly circumcised and uncircumcised nations, including Israel with an uncircumcised heart, will face His punishment.

Long Summary

The chapter opens with Jeremiah's poignant lament, wishing his eyes were a fountain of tears for the slain of his people and desiring to escape their pervasive treachery and deceit. He describes Judah as an assembly of adulterers and treacherous men who bend their tongues for lies, refusing to know the Lord. The prophet warns against trusting neighbors or brothers, as all are prone to supplanting and slander. The Lord declares His intention to "melt and try" them, asserting that He will surely visit them for their deceitful ways. He prophesies the desolation of the land, stating that the mountains will weep, the wilderness habitations will be burned, and Jerusalem will become heaps and a den of dragons, devoid of inhabitants. The reason for this calamity is explicitly stated: they have forsaken God's law, disobeyed His voice, and followed the imagination of their own hearts and the worship of Baalim. Consequently, the Lord promises to feed them with wormwood and gall, scattering them among unknown heathen nations and pursuing them with a sword until their consumption. A call is issued for mourning women to lament, as a voice of wailing is heard from Zion over their despoiled land and cast-out dwellings. Death is depicted as entering windows and palaces, cutting off children and young men, with their ungathered carcases falling as dung upon the open field. Amidst these pronouncements of judgment, the Lord delivers a profound instruction: let no one glory in wisdom, might, or riches, but rather in understanding and knowing Him, who exercises lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness on the earth, for in these things He delights. The chapter concludes with a declaration that the Lord will punish both the outwardly circumcised nations (Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab) and those dwelling in the wilderness, for all these nations are uncircumcised, and the house of Israel itself is "uncircumcised in the heart."

Core Concepts

  • Pervasive Deceit and TreacheryThe people of Judah are characterized by widespread lying, slandering, and an inability to trust even their closest kin, leading to a refusal to know the Lord.
  • Divine JudgmentThe Lord declares His intent to "melt and try" His people and to "visit them" for their iniquity, promising severe consequences for their rebellion and idolatry.
  • Desolation of the LandAs a direct result of their sin, the land of Judah, including Jerusalem, is prophesied to become barren, burned, and uninhabited, a place of wailing and ruin.
  • Idolatry and Forsaking God's LawThe primary cause for the impending destruction is identified as the people's abandonment of the Lord's law and their adherence to the imagination of their own hearts and the worship of Baalim.
  • Call for LamentationJeremiah and the Lord call for mourning women to lament over the impending death and destruction that will befall the people and the land.
  • True GloryThe chapter contrasts worldly boasts in wisdom, might, or riches with the singular, true glory found in understanding and knowing the Lord, who embodies lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness.
  • Uncircumcised HeartDespite their physical circumcision, the house of Israel is condemned for having an "uncircumcised in the heart," signifying a spiritual rebellion and lack of true devotion to God, placing them alongside other uncircumcised nations in facing divine punishment.