Jeremiah 8:1-9

The Sin and Treachery of Judah

1 "At that time," declares the LORD, "they will 1bring out the bones of the kings of Judah and the bones of its princes, and the bones of the priests and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem from their graves.
2 "They will spread them out to the sun, the moon and to all the 2host of heaven, which they have loved and which they have served, and which they have gone after and which they have sought, and which they have worshiped. They will not be gathered 3or buried; 4they will be as dung on the face of the ground.
3 "And 5death will be chosen rather than life by all the remnant that remains of this evil family, that remains in all the 6places to which I have driven them," declares the LORD of hosts.
4 "You shall say to them, 'Thus says the LORD, "Do men 7fall and not get up again? Does one turn away and not repent?
5 "Why then has this people, Jerusalem, 8Turned away in continual apostasy? They 9hold fast to deceit, They 10refuse to return.
6 "I 11have listened and heard, They have spoken what is not right; 12No man repented of his wickedness, Saying, 'What have I done?' Everyone turned to his course, Like a 13horse charging into the battle.
7 "Even the stork in the sky 14Knows her seasons; And the 15turtledove and the swift and the thrush Observe the time of their migration; But 16My people do not know The ordinance of the LORD.
8 "17How can you say, 'We are wise, And the law of the LORD is with us'? But behold, the lying pen of the scribes Has made it into a lie.
9 "The wise men are 18put to shame, They are dismayed and caught; Behold, they have 19rejected the word of the LORD, And what kind of wisdom do they have?

Jeremiah 8:1-9 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 8

In this chapter the prophet goes on to denounce grievous calamities upon the people of the Jews; such as would make death more eligible than life; and that because of their idolatry, Jer 8:1-3 and also because of their heinous backslidings in other respects, and continuance in them, Jer 8:4,5 likewise their impenitence and stupidity, Jer 8:6,7 their vain conceit of themselves and their own wisdom; their false interpretation of Scripture, and their rejection of the word of God, Jer 8:8,9 their covetousness, for which it is said their wives and fields should be given to others, Jer 8:10, their flattery of the people, and their impudence, on account of which, ruin and consumption, and a blast on their vines and fig trees, are threatened, Jer 8:11-13, their consternation is described, by their fleeing to their defenced cities; by their sad disappointment in the expectation of peace and prosperity; and the near approach of their enemies; devouring their land, and all in it; who are compared to serpents and cockatrices that cannot be charmed, Jer 8:14-17 and the chapter is closed with the prophet's expressions of sorrow and concern for his people, because of their distress their idolatry had brought upon them; and because of their hopeless, and seemingly irrecoverable, state and condition, Jer 8:18-22.

Cross References 19

  • 1. Ezekiel 6:5
  • 2. 2 Kings 23:5; Jeremiah 19:13; Zephaniah 1:5; Acts 7:42
  • 3. Jeremiah 22:19; Jeremiah 36:30
  • 4. 2 Kings 9:37; Psalms 83:10; Jeremiah 9:22
  • 5. Job 3:21, 22; Job 7:15, 16; Jonah 4:3; Revelation 9:6
  • 6. Deuteronomy 30:1, 4; Jeremiah 23:3, 8; Jeremiah 29:14
  • 7. Proverbs 24:16; Amos 5:2; Micah 7:8
  • 8. Jeremiah 5:6; Jeremiah 7:24
  • 9. Jeremiah 5:27; Jeremiah 9:6
  • 10. Jeremiah 5:3
  • 11. Psalms 14:2; Malachi 3:16
  • 12. Ezekiel 22:30; Micah 7:2; Revelation 9:20
  • 13. Job 39:21-25
  • 14. Proverbs 6:6-8; Isaiah 1:3
  • 15. Song of Songs 2:12
  • 16. Jeremiah 5:4
  • 17. Job 5:12, 13; Jeremiah 4:22; Romans 1:22
  • 18. Isaiah 19:11; Jeremiah 6:15; 1 Corinthians 1:27
  • 19. Jeremiah 6:19

Footnotes 2

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