Jeremiah 14:3

Jeremiah 14:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters: they came to the pits, and found no water; they returned with their vessels empty; they were ashamed and confounded, and covered their heads.
• New International Version (NIV)The nobles send their servants for water; they go to the cisterns but find no water. They return with their jars unfilled; dismayed and despairing, they cover their heads.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Her nobles send their servants for water; they come to the cisterns; they find no water; they return with their vessels empty; they are ashamed and confounded and cover their heads.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Their nobles have sent their lads for water; They went to the cisterns and found no water. They returned with their vessels empty; They were ashamed and confounded And covered their heads.

Context of Jeremiah 14:3

1The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought: 2“Judah mourns And her gates languish; Her people sit on the ground in mourning clothes And the cry of Jerusalem has gone up. Their nobles have sent their servants for water; They have come to the cisterns and found no water. They have returned with empty vessels; They have been shamed and humiliated, And they cover their heads. 4The ground is cracked Because there has been no rain on the land; The farmers are distressed, And they have covered their heads [in shame]. 5The doe in the field has given birth only to abandon her young Because there is no grass.

Jeremiah 14:3 word by word

וְאַדִּ֣רֵיהֶ֔ם שָׁלְח֥וּ צְעִירֵיהֶ֖ם לַמָּ֑יִם בָּ֣אוּ עַל־גֵּבִ֞ים לֹא־מָ֣צְאוּ מַ֗יִם שָׁ֤בוּ כְלֵיהֶם֙ רֵיקָ֔ם בֹּ֥שׁוּ וְהָכְלְמ֖וּ וְחָפ֥וּ רֹאשָֽׁם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And their noblesאַדִּיר'addîyr · greatH117
• have sentשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: departH7971
• their little onesצָעִירtsâ‛îyr tsâ‛ôr · littleH6810
• to the watersמַיmayim · waterH4325
• they cameבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• to the pitsגֶּ֫בֶאgebe' · cisternH1360
• to the pitsגֵּבgêb · cisternH1356
• foundמָצָאmâtsâ' · to findH4672
• they returnedשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
• with their vesselsכְּלִיkelîy · article/utensilH3627
• emptyרֵיקָםrêyqâm · emptilyH7387
• they were ashamedבּוֹשׁbûsh · be ashamedH954
• and confoundedכָּלַםkâlam · be humiliatedH3637
• and coveredחָפָהchâphâh · to coverH2645
• their headsרֹאשׁrô'sh · headH7218

Cross-references for Jeremiah 14:3

• 1 Kings 18:5Then Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go into the land to all the sources of water and to all the streams; perhaps we may find grass and keep the horses and mules alive, and not have to kill some of the cattle.”
• Jeremiah 2:13“For My people have committed two evils: They have abandoned (rejected) Me, The fountain of living water, And they have carved out their own cisterns, Broken cisterns That cannot hold water.
• 1 Kings 17:7It happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.
• 2 Kings 18:31Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria: “Surrender to me and come out to [meet] me, and every man may eat from his own vine and fig tree, and every man may drink the waters of his own well,
• Joel 1:20Even the wild animals pant [in longing] for You; For the water brooks are dried up And fire has consumed the pastures of the wilderness.
• Amos 4:8So [the people of] two or three cities would stagger into one city to drink water, But would not be satisfied; Yet you have not returned to Me [in repentance],” says the Lord.
• Jeremiah 2:26“As the thief is shamed when he is caught, So the house of Israel is shamed— They, their kings, their leaders, Their priests, and their prophets—
• Jeremiah 20:11But the Lord is with me as a dread champion [one to be greatly feared]; Therefore my persecutors will stumble and not overcome [me]. They will be completely shamed, for they have not acted wisely and have failed [in their schemes]; Their eternal dishonor will never be forgotten.
• Psalms 40:14Let those be ashamed and humiliated together Who seek my life to destroy it; Let those be turned back [in defeat] and dishonored Who delight in my hurt.
• Psalms 109:29Let my attackers be clothed with dishonor, And let them cover themselves with their own shame as with a robe.
• Isaiah 45:16They will be put to shame and also humiliated, all of them; They who make idols will go away together in humiliation.
• Jeremiah 14:4The ground is cracked Because there has been no rain on the land; The farmers are distressed, And they have covered their heads [in shame].
• 2 Samuel 15:30And David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, with his head covered and walking barefoot [in despair]. And all the people who were with him covered their heads and went up, weeping as they went.
• 2 Samuel 19:4But the king covered his face and cried out with a loud voice, “O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!”
• Esther 6:12Then Mordecai returned to the king’s gate. But Haman hurried to his [own] house, mourning and with his head covered [in sorrow].

Commentaries on Jeremiah 14:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Their nobles have sent their little ones - So general was this calamity, that the servants no longer attended to their lords, but every one was interested alone for himself; and the nobles of the land were obliged to employ their own children to scour the land, to see if any water could be found in the tanks or the pits. In the dearth in the time of Elijah, Ahab the king, and Obadiah his counselor, were obliged to traverse the land themselves, in order to…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3Little ones - mean ones, the common people. The word is unique to Jeremiah Jeremiah 48:4. The pits - i. e., tanks for holding water. Covered their heads - The sign of grief.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2-3During a drought, no crops were sold in the markets at the Jerusalem gates. People could not store previous harvests for long, so starvation threatened them. Cisterns built to collect water dried up, and without rain, no water was available for drinking or cooking meals. As a result, a great cry rose from Jerusalem.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. little ones--rather, "their inferiors," that is, domestics. pits--cisterns for collecting rain water, often met with in the East where there are no springs. covered ... heads--(2Sa 15:30). A sign of humiliation and mourning.Read the comment

Topics related to Jeremiah 14:3

• Drought
• Famine
• Impenitence
• Mourning

In the dictionaries

• Gebim
• Heal
• Pit
• Ashamed
• Cistern; Well; Pool; Aqueduct
• Gesture
• Head

Commentaries on Jeremiah 14

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings