Jeremiah 8:1-9

1 In that time, saith the Lord, they shall cast out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of princes thereof, and the bones of priests, and the bones of prophets, and the bones of them that dwelled in Jerusalem, from their sepulchres; (At that time, saith the Lord, they shall cast out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of its princes, or of its leaders, and the bones of its priests, and the bones of its prophets, and the bones of those who lived in Jerusalem, from their tombs, or out of their graves;)

2 and they shall lay abroad those bones to the sun, and [the] moon, and to all the knighthood of (the) heaven(s), which they loved, and which they served, and after which they went, and which they sought, and worshipped; they shall not be gathered, and shall not be buried; they shall be into a dunghill on the face of [the] earth. (and they shall lay abroad those bones before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, which they loved, and which they sought after, and which they worshipped, and served; they shall not be gathered, and shall not be buried; they shall be like a mound of dung upon the face of the earth.)

3 And all men shall choose death more than life, which be residue, either left, of this worst kindred, in all (the) places that be left, to which places I casted them out, saith the Lord of hosts.

4 And thou shalt say to them, The Lord saith these things, Whether he that shall fall, shall not rise again? and whether he that is turned away, shall not turn again?

5 Why therefore is this people in Jerusalem turned away by turning away full of strife? They have taken leasing, and would not turn again (They have taken hold of lies, and would not return to me).

6 I perceived, and harkened; no man speaketh that that is good, none there is that doeth penance for his sin, and saith, What have I done? All be turned together to their course, as an horse going by fierceness to battle. (I perceived, and harkened; there is no one who speaketh what is good, there is no one who doeth penance for his sin, and saith, What have I done? They all be altogether turned to their course, like a horse going by fierceness to battle.)

7 A kite in the air knew his time; a turtle, and a swallow, and a ciconia, kept the time of their coming; but my people knew not the doom of the Lord, (A kite in the air knew its time; a turtledove, and a swallow, and a stork, kept the time of their coming back, or of their return; but my people did not know the judgement of the Lord/did not know the justice, or the laws, of the Lord,)

8 How say ye, We be wise men, and the law of the Lord is with us? Verily the false stylus, either writing, of scribes wrought leasing. (How can ye say, We be wise men, and the Law of the Lord is with us? Truly the false stylus, or the deceitful writing, of the writers hath wrought lies.)

9 [The] Wise men be shamed, they be made afeared and taken. For they cast away the word of the Lord, and no wisdom is in them.

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.