Jeremiah 8:14

Jeremiah 8:14 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the defenced cities, and let us be silent there: for the Lord our God hath put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against the Lord.
• New International Version (NIV)Why are we sitting here? Gather together! Let us flee to the fortified cities and perish there! For the Lord our God has doomed us to perish and given us poisoned water to drink, because we have sinned against him.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Why do we sit still? Gather together; let us go into the fortified cities and perish there, for the Lord our God has doomed us to perish and has given us poisoned water to drink, because we have sinned against the Lord.
• New King James Version (NKJV)“Why do we sit still? Assemble yourselves, And let us enter the fortified cities, And let us be silent there. For the Lord our God has put us to silence And given us water of gall to drink, Because we have sinned against the Lord.

Context of Jeremiah 8:14

12They are not ashamed of the disgusting things that they do. They do not even know what shame is. They have forgotten how to be ashamed. So they will fall to the ground, as other people have fallen. When I punish them, that will be the end of them.’ That is what the Lord says. 13The Lord says, ‘I will take away the crops from their fields.’ ‘No figs or grapes will grow on their trees. The leaves on their trees will dry up and die. All the good things that I gave to them will disappear.’ The people say: ‘We should not sit here and do nothing. We must all go together into our strong cities. If we have to die, we will die there! The Lord our God has said that we must die. We have done bad things against him. He has decided to punish us with death. He has given us water to drink that has poison in it. 15We wanted to have peace, but nothing good has happened to us. We wanted to rest without trouble, but instead we are afraid. 16In the city of Dan, people can already hear the noise of the enemy's horses. They are coming to attack our land, so everyone shakes with fear. They will destroy the whole land and everything in it. They will destroy the cities and all the people who live in them.’

Jeremiah 8:14 word by word

עַל־מָה֙ אֲנַ֣חְנוּ יֹֽשְׁבִ֔ים הֵֽאָסְפ֗וּ וְנָב֛וֹא אֶל־עָרֵ֥י הַמִּבְצָ֖ר וְנִדְּמָה־שָּׁ֑ם כִּי֩ יְהוָ֨ה אֱלֹהֵ֤ינוּ הֲדִמָּ֙נוּ֙ וַיַּשְׁקֵ֣נוּ מֵי־רֹ֔אשׁ כִּ֥י חָטָ֖אנוּ לַיהוָֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Why do we sit stillיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
• assembleאָסַף'âsaph · to gatherH622
• yourselves, and let us enterבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• into the defencedמִבְצָרmibtsâr mibtsârâh · fortificationH4013
• citiesעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
• and let us be silentדָּמַםdâmam · to silence: destroyedH1826
• there: for the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• our Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• and given us waterמַיmayim · waterH4325
• of gallרֹאשׁrô'sh rôsh · poisonH7219
• to drinkשָׁקָהshâqâh · to water: drinkH8248
• because we have sinnedחָטָאchâţâ' · to sinH2398

Cross-references for Jeremiah 8:14

• 2 Kings 7:3At this time, there were four men who had leprosy. They were at Samaria's gate where people went in to the city. They said to each other, ‘We should not stay here. If we wait here we will die.
• Jeremiah 4:5The Lord said: ‘Shout this message to the people in Jerusalem and in all Judah: “Make a loud noise with trumpets in all the land!” Shout loudly, “Come together! We must all run to the cities with strong walls!”
• Jeremiah 35:11But when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked our land, we decided to come to Jerusalem. We said, “We must leave here and go to Jerusalem. We must escape from the armies of Babylon and Syria.” That is why we are now living in Jerusalem.’
• 2 Samuel 20:6Then David said to Abishai, ‘Bicri's son, Sheba, will cause us more trouble than Absalom did. Take my soldiers and chase after him. If you do not catch him, his people will hide in towns with strong walls. Then he will escape from us.’
• Leviticus 10:3Then Moses said to Aaron, ‘This is what the Lord said, “People may come near to me. But those people must see that I am holy. All the people must give honour to me.” ’ Aaron did not reply.
• Psalms 39:2So I did not speak a word, even about good things. That made me very upset.
• Lamentations 3:27It is also good for people to obey God when they are young. They should work well for him.
• Amos 6:10When a man comes to carry a dead body outside to burn it, he will ask his relative, ‘Is there anyone with you in the house?’ The relative will answer, ‘No.’ Then the man will say, ‘Be quiet!. Do not speak the name of the Lord!’
• Habakkuk 2:20But the Lord rules from his holy temple. Everybody on the earth should be quiet in front of him.’
• Zechariah 2:13Be quiet, all people, because the Lord has left his home in heaven to come among you.’
• Jeremiah 9:13The Lord answered, ‘It is because my people have not accepted the laws that I gave to them. They have not obeyed me. They have not lived in the way that I told them to live.
• Jeremiah 23:15So I, the Lord Almighty, say this about these prophets: I will cause them to have much pain and trouble. They will eat bitter food. They will drink water that is poison. It is because of Jerusalem's prophets that people do wicked things everywhere in the land.’
• Numbers 5:18Then the priest must bring the woman in front of the Lord. The priest must make the woman's hair free. He must put into her hands the grain offering. That is the offering because the man does not trust his wife. The priest must hold the bowl that contains the bitter water. The bitter water brings a curse.
• Deuteronomy 32:32Our enemies are like grapes full of poison. They are like grapes that have grown in the fields of Sodom and Gomorrah.
• Psalms 69:21Instead, my enemies put poison in my food. When I was thirsty, they gave me vinegar to drink.
• Lamentations 3:19Lord, please remember all my troubles, because I am sad. Remember that I am very lonely. My troubles are like poison for me.

Commentaries on Jeremiah 8:14

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 14The people rouse one another to exertion. “Why,” they ask, “do we remain here to be overwhelmed?” They are ready now to follow the command given (see the marginal reference), but with the conviction that all hope is over. Let us be silent there - Rather, let us perish there, literally “be put to silence.” Water of gall - i. e., poison. The word rendered “gall” was probably the belladonna, or night-shade, to the “berries” of which the grapes of Israel were…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 14-22Verses 14-22 At length they begin to see the hand of God lifted up. And when God appears against us, every thing that is against us appears formidable. As salvation only can be found in the Lord, so the present moment should be seized. Is there no medicine proper for a sick and dying kingdom? Is there no skilful, faithful hand to apply the medicine? Yes, God is able to help and to heal them. If sinners die of their wounds, their blood is upon their own…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 14-15The people heard Jeremiah announce the Lord's decree. They realized they deserved punishment for sinning against the Lord. Even though their fate was decided, they did not ask for forgiveness.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1414. assemble--for defense. let us be silent--not assault the enemy, but merely defend ourselves in quiet, until the storm blow over. put us to silence--brought us to that state that we can no longer resist the foe; implying silent despair. water of gall--literally, "water of the poisonous plant," perhaps the poppy (Jr 9:15; 23:15).Read the comment

Topics related to Jeremiah 8:14

• Backsliders
• Church
• Impenitence
• Repentance
• Sin
• Wicked (People)

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Gall
• Poison
• Repent
• Snorting
• Covenant, the New
• Exodus, the Book of
• Jeremiah (2)
• Silence

Commentaries on Jeremiah 8

• 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