New English Translation
Jeremiah 8:2
2They will be spread out and exposed to the sun, the moon and the stars. These are things they adored and served, things to which they paid allegiance, from which they sought guidance, and worshiped. The bones of these people will never be regathered and reburied. They will be like manure used to fertilize the ground.
Jeremiah 8:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and whom they have sought, and whom they have worshipped: they shall not be gathered, nor be buried; they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth.
- New International Version (NIV)They will be exposed to the sun and the moon and all the stars of the heavens, which they have loved and served and which they have followed and consulted and worshiped. They will not be gathered up or buried, but will be like dung lying on the ground.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And they shall be spread before the sun and the moon and all the host of heaven, which they have loved and served, which they have gone after, and which they have sought and worshiped. And they shall not be gathered or buried. They shall be as dung on the surface of the ground.
- New King James Version (NKJV)They shall spread them before the sun and the moon and all the host of heaven, which they have loved and which they have served and after which they have walked, which they have sought and which they have worshiped. They shall not be gathered nor buried; they shall be like refuse on the face of the earth.
Context of Jeremiah 8:2
1The Lord says, “When that time comes, the bones of the kings of Judah and its leaders, the bones of the priests and prophets and of all the other people who lived in Jerusalem will be dug up from their graves. They will be spread out and exposed to the sun, the moon and the stars. These are things they adored and served, things to which they paid allegiance, from which they sought guidance, and worshiped. The bones of these people will never be regathered and reburied. They will be like manure used to fertilize the ground. 3However, I will leave some of these wicked people alive and banish them to other places. But wherever these people who survive may go, they will wish they had died rather than lived,” says the Lord who rules over all. 4The Lord said to me, “Tell them, ‘The Lord says, Do people not get back up when they fall down? Do they not turn around when they go the wrong way?
Read all of Jeremiah 8Jeremiah 8:2 word by word
וּשְׁטָחוּם֩ לַשֶּׁ֨מֶשׁ וְלַיָּרֵ֜חַ וּלְכֹ֣ל׀ צְבָ֣א הַשָּׁמַ֗יִם אֲשֶׁ֨ר אֲהֵב֜וּם וַאֲשֶׁ֤ר עֲבָדוּם֙ וַֽאֲשֶׁר֙ הָלְכ֣וּ אַֽחֲרֵיהֶ֔ם וַאֲשֶׁ֣ר דְּרָשׁ֔וּם וַאֲשֶׁ֥ר הִֽשְׁתַּחֲו֖וּ לָהֶ֑ם לֹ֤א יֵאָֽסְפוּ֙ וְלֹ֣א יִקָּבֵ֔רוּ לְדֹ֛מֶן עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הָאֲדָמָ֖ה יִֽהְיֽוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And they shall spreadשָׁטַחshâţach · to spreadH7849
- them before the sunשֶׁ֫מֶשׁshemesh · sunH8121
- and the moonיָרֵחַyârêach · moonH3394
- and all the hostצָבָאtsâbâ' tsebâ'âh · armyH6635
- of heavenשָׁמַיִםshâmayim shâmeh · heavenH8064
- whom they have lovedאָהֵב'âhab 'âhêb · to love: loverH157
- and whom they have servedעָבַד‛âbad · to serve: ministerH5647
- and afterאַחַר'achar · afterH310
- whom they have walkedהָלַךְhâlak · to go: followH1980
- and whom they have soughtדָּרַשׁdârash · to seekH1875
- and whom they have worshippedשָׁחָהshâchâh · to bowH7812
- they shall not be gatheredאָסַף'âsaph · to gatherH622
- nor be buriedקָבַרqâbar · to buryH6912
- they shall be for dungדֹּ֫מֶןdômen · dungH1828
- upon the faceפָּנֶהpânîym · face: surfaceH6440
- of the earthאֲדָמָה'ădâmâh · land: soilH127
Cross-references for Jeremiah 8:2
- Jeremiah 19:13The houses in Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be defiled by dead bodies just like this place, Topheth. For they offered sacrifice to the stars and poured out drink offerings to other gods on the roofs of those houses.’”
- Jeremiah 44:17Instead we will do everything we vowed we would do. We will sacrifice and pour out drink offerings to the goddess called the Queen of Heaven just as we and our ancestors, our kings, and our leaders previously did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of food, were well-off, and had no troubles.
- Deuteronomy 4:19When you look up to the sky and see the sun, moon, and stars – the whole heavenly creation – you must not be seduced to worship and serve them, for the Lord your God has assigned them to all the people of the world.
- Deuteronomy 17:3by serving other gods and worshiping them – the sun, moon, or any other heavenly bodies which I have not permitted you to worship.
- 2 Kings 17:16They abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God; they made two metal calves and an Asherah pole, bowed down to all the stars in the sky, and worshiped Baal.
- 2 Kings 21:3He rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he set up altars for Baal and made an Asherah pole just like King Ahab of Israel had done. He bowed down to all the stars in the sky and worshiped them.
- 2 Kings 23:5He eliminated the pagan priests whom the kings of Judah had appointed to offer sacrifices on the high places in the cities of Judah and in the area right around Jerusalem. (They offered sacrifices to Baal, the sun god, the moon god, the constellations, and all the stars in the sky.)
- 2 Chronicles 33:3He rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he set up altars for the Baals and made Asherah poles. He bowed down to all the stars in the sky and worshiped them.
- Ezekiel 8:16Then he brought me to the inner court of the Lord’s house. Right there at the entrance to the Lord’s temple, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs to the Lord’s temple, facing east – they were worshiping the sun toward the east!
- Zephaniah 1:5I will remove those who worship the stars in the sky from their rooftops, those who swear allegiance to the Lord while taking oaths in the name of their ‘king,’
- Acts 7:42But God turned away from them and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: ‘It was not to me that you offered slain animals and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness, was it, house of Israel?
- Jeremiah 9:22Tell your daughters and neighbors, ‘The Lord says, “The dead bodies of people will lie scattered everywhere like manure scattered on a field. They will lie scattered on the ground like grain that has been cut down but has not been gathered.”’”
- Jeremiah 16:4They will die of deadly diseases. No one will mourn for them. They will not be buried. Their dead bodies will lie like manure spread on the ground. They will be killed in war or die of starvation. Their corpses will be food for the birds and wild animals.
- Jeremiah 22:19He will be left unburied just like a dead donkey. His body will be dragged off and thrown outside the gates of Jerusalem.’”
- Jeremiah 36:30So the Lord says concerning King Jehoiakim of Judah, “None of his line will occupy the throne of David. His dead body will be thrown out to be exposed to scorching heat by day and frost by night.
- 2 Kings 9:36When they went back and told him, he said, “The Lord’s word through his servant, Elijah the Tishbite, has come to pass. He warned, ‘In the plot of land at Jezreel, dogs will devour Jezebel’s flesh.
Commentaries on Jeremiah 8:2
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2Loved served walked sought worshipped - There is great force in the piled-up verbs by which their worship of the heavenly bodies is described. The prophet beginning with the heart‘s “love” describes that worship) in the various stages of its development, and then contrasts its fulness with the miserable reward which ensues.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-2Scattering the bones of the dead showed the greatest disrespect to a defeated nation. Jerusalem's favorite pagan gods—the sun, moon, and stars—could not stop it.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. spread ... before the sun, &c.--retribution in kind. The very objects which received their idolatries shall unconcernedly witness their dishonor. loved ... served ... after ... walked ... sought ... worshipped--Words are accumulated, as if enough could not be said fully to express the mad fervor of their idolatry to the heavenly host (2Ki 23:5). nor ... buried--(Jr 22:19). dung--(Jr 9:22; Psa 83:10).Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 8:2
In the dictionaries
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
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Commentaries