God’s Word Translation
Jeremiah 9:20
20Listen to the Lord’s word, you women, and open your ears to hear his words. Teach your daughters how to cry. Teach your neighbors funeral songs.
Jeremiah 9:20 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Yet hear the word of the Lord, O ye women, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth, and teach your daughters wailing, and every one her neighbour lamentation.
- New International Version (NIV)Now, you women, hear the word of the Lord; open your ears to the words of his mouth. Teach your daughters how to wail; teach one another a lament.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Hear, O women, the word of the Lord, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth; teach to your daughters a lament, and each to her neighbor a dirge.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Yet hear the word of the Lord, O women, And let your ear receive the word of His mouth; Teach your daughters wailing, And everyone her neighbor a lamentation.
Context of Jeremiah 9:20
18They should come quickly and cry for us. Our eyes will run with tears. Our eyelids will flow with water. 19The sound of crying is heard from Zion. “We’re ruined! We’re very ashamed. We must leave our land because our homes have been torn down.” Listen to the Lord’s word, you women, and open your ears to hear his words. Teach your daughters how to cry. Teach your neighbors funeral songs. 21Death has come through our windows and entered our palaces. Death has cut down the children in the streets and the young men in the marketplaces. 22This is what the Lord says: Dead bodies will fall like manure on the field. They will be like grain that has been cut but not gathered.
Read all of Jeremiah 9Jeremiah 9:20 word by word
כִּֽי־שְׁמַ֤עְנָה נָשִׁים֙ דְּבַר־יְהוָ֔ה וְתִקַּ֥ח אָזְנְכֶ֖ם דְּבַר־פִּ֑יו וְלַמֵּ֤דְנָה בְנֽוֹתֵיכֶם֙ נֶ֔הִי וְאִשָּׁ֥ה רְעוּתָ֖הּ קִינָֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Yet hearשָׁמַעshâma‛ · to hear: hearH8085
- the wordדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
- of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- O ye womenאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · womanH802
- and let your earאֹ֫זֶן'ôzen · earH241
- receiveלָקַחlâqach · to take: recieveH3947
- of his mouthפֶּהpeh · lipH6310
- and teachלָמַדlâmad · to learn: teachH3925
- your daughtersבַּתbath · daughterH1323
- wailingנְהִיnehîy · wailingH5092
- and every oneאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · woman: anotherH802
- her neighbourרְעוּתre‛ûth · neighborH7468
- lamentationקִינָהqîynâh · dirgeH7015
Cross-references for Jeremiah 9:20
- Isaiah 3:16The Lord adds, “The women of Zion are arrogant. They walk with their noses in the air, making seductive glances, taking short little steps, jingling the ankle bracelets on their feet.”
- Isaiah 32:9Get up, and listen to me, you pampered women. Hear what I say, you overconfident daughters.
- Luke 23:27A large crowd followed Jesus. The women in the crowd cried and sang funeral songs for him.
- Job 22:22Accept instruction from his mouth, and keep his words in your heart.
- Jeremiah 9:17This is what the Lord of Armies says: Consider this: Call for the women who cry at funerals. Send for those who are the most skilled.
Commentaries on Jeremiah 9:20
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20Teach your daughters - This is not a common dirge that shall last only till the body is consigned to the earth; it must last longer; teach it to your children, that it may be continued through every generation, till God turn again your captivity.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 10-22Verses 10-22 The punishment described in general terms in the preceding three verses is now detailed at great length. Jeremiah 9:10 The habitations i. e - the temporary encampments of the shepherds (see Jeremiah 6:3). So that none can - Or, “They are parched up, with no man to pass through them; neither do they hear the voice of cattle; from the birds of the heaven even to the beasts they “are fled, they are gone.” Jeremiah 9:11 Dragons - Rather…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 12-22Verses 12-22 In Zion the voice of joy and praise used to be heard, while the people kept close to God; but sin has altered the sound, it is now the voice of lamentation. Unhumbled hearts lament their calamity, but not their sin, which is the cause of it. Let the doors be shut ever so fast, death steals upon us. It enters the palaces of princes and great men, though stately, strongly built, and guarded. Nor are those more safe that are abroad; death cuts…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 20-21Due to many deaths in the city, there were not enough professional mourners. Women were encouraged to quickly teach their daughters how to mourn skillfully.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. Yet--rather, "Only" [Henderson]. This particle calls attention to what follows. teach ... daughters wailing--The deaths will be so many that there will be a lack of mourning women to bewail them. The mothers, therefore, must teach their daughters the science to supply the want.Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 9:20
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Jeremiah 9
- 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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
Commentaries