Jeremiah 16:6

6 Both great and small will die in this land without burial. No lament will be made for them, nor will anyone cut himself or shave his head for them.^[a]

Jeremiah 16:6 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 16:6

Both the great and the small shall die in this land
The nobles as well as the common people, high and low, rich and poor; none shall be exempted from the grievous deaths by the sword, famine, and pestilence. They shall not be buried, neither shall men lament for them;
as before, ( Jeremiah 16:4 ) , this shall be the common case of them all; the great and the rich shall have no more care and notice taken of them than the poor: nor cut themselves;
their flesh, with their nails, or with knives, to show their grief for the dead, and to alleviate the sorrow of surviving friends, by bearing a part with them: nor make themselves bald for them;
by plucking off the hair of their heads, or by shaving them, and between their eyes; which though forbidden the Jews by the law of God, as being Heathenish customs, yet obtained in the times of Jeremiah, and were usually done; see ( Deuteronomy 14:1 ) .

Jeremiah 16:6 In-Context

4 They will die from deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buried but will be like manure on the face of the earth. They will be finished off by sword and famine. Their corpses will become food for the birds of the sky and for the wild animals of the land.

5 "For this is what the Lord says: Don't enter a house where a mourning feast is taking place. Don't go to lament or sympathize with them, for I have removed My peace from these people"-[this is] the Lord's declaration-"[as well as My] faithful love and compassion.

6 Both great and small will die in this land without burial. No lament will be made for them, nor will anyone cut himself or shave his head for them.

7 Food won't be provided for the mourner to comfort him because of the dead. A cup of consolation won't be given him because of [the loss of] his father or mother.

8 You must not enter the house where feasting is taking place to sit with them to eat and drink.

Footnotes

• [a]. Cutting and shaving were pagan mourning rituals; Jr 41:5; 47:5; Dt 14:1.