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.
• 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.
• New Living Translation (NLT)“Then the people will say, ‘Why should we wait here to die? Come, let’s go to the fortified towns and die there. For the Lord our God has decreed our destruction and has given us a cup of poison to drink because we sinned against the Lord.

Context of Jeremiah 8:14

12Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among the fallen; when I punish them, they shall be overthrown, says the Lord. 13When I would gather them, declares the Lord, there are no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree; even the leaves are withered, and what I gave them has passed away from them." 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. 15We looked for peace, but no good came; for a time of healing, but behold, terror. 16"The snorting of their horses is heard from Dan; at the sound of the neighing of their stallions the whole land quakes. They come and devour the land and all that fills it, the city and those who dwell in it.

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 7:3Now there were four men who were lepers at the entrance to the gate. And they said to one another, "Why are we sitting here until we die?
• Jeremiah 4:5Declare in Judah, and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say, "Blow the trumpet through the land; cry aloud and say, 'Assemble, and let us go into the fortified cities!'
• Jeremiah 35:11But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against the land, we said, 'Come, and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans and the army of the Syrians.' So we are living in Jerusalem."
• 2 Samuel 20:6And David said to Abishai, "Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom. Take your lord's servants and pursue him, lest he get himself to fortified cities and escape from us."
• Leviticus 10:3Then Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the Lord has said: 'Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.'" And Aaron held his peace.
• Psalms 39:2I was mute and silent; I held my peace to no avail, and my distress grew worse.
• Lamentations 3:27It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
• Amos 6:10And when one's relative, the one who anoints him for burial, shall take him up to bring the bones out of the house, and shall say to him who is in the innermost parts of the house, "Is there still anyone with you?" he shall say, "No"; and he shall say, "Silence! We must not mention the name of the Lord."
• Habakkuk 2:20But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him."
• Zechariah 2:13Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.
• Jeremiah 9:13And the Lord says: "Because they have forsaken my law that I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice or walked in accord with it,
• Jeremiah 23:15Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets: "Behold, I will feed them with bitter food and give them poisoned water to drink, for from the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has gone out into all the land."
• Numbers 5:18And the priest shall set the woman before the Lord and unbind the hair of the woman's head and place in her hands the grain offering of remembrance, which is the grain offering of jealousy. And in his hand the priest shall have the water of bitterness that brings the curse.
• Deuteronomy 32:32For their vine comes from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah; their grapes are grapes of poison; their clusters are bitter;
• Psalms 69:21They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.
• Lamentations 3:19Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall!

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