New English Translation
Jeremiah 8:3
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.
Jeremiah 8:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue of them that remain of this evil family, which remain in all the places whither I have driven them, saith the Lord of hosts.
- New International Version (NIV)Wherever I banish them, all the survivors of this evil nation will prefer death to life, declares the Lord Almighty.’
- English Standard Version (ESV)Death shall be preferred to life by all the remnant that remains of this evil family in all the places where I have driven them, declares the Lord of hosts.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue of those who remain of this evil family, who remain in all the places where I have driven them,” says the Lord of hosts.
Context of Jeremiah 8:3
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. 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. However, 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? 5Why, then, do these people of Jerusalem continually turn away from me in apostasy? They hold fast to their deception. They refuse to turn back to me.
Read all of Jeremiah 8Jeremiah 8:3 word by word
וְנִבְחַ֥ר מָ֙וֶת֙ מֵֽחַיִּ֔ים לְכֹ֗ל הַשְּׁאֵרִית֙ הַנִּשְׁאָרִ֔ים מִן־הַמִּשְׁפָּחָ֥ה הָֽרָעָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את בְּכָל־הַמְּקֹמ֤וֹת הַנִּשְׁאָרִים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר הִדַּחְתִּ֣ים שָׁ֔ם נְאֻ֖ם יְהוָ֥ה צְבָאֽוֹת׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And deathמָ֫וֶתmâveth · deathH4194
- shall be chosenבָּחַרbâchar · to chooseH977
- rather than lifeחַיִּיםchay · lifeH2416
- by all the residueשְׁאֵרִיתshe'êrîyth · remnantH7611
- of them that remainשָׁאַרshâ'ar · to remainH7604
- of this evilרַעra‛ râ‛âh · bad: evilH7451
- familyמִשְׁפָּחָהmishpâchâh · familyH4940
- in all the placesמָקוֹםmâqôm mâqôm meqômâh meqômâh · placeH4725
- whither I have drivenנָדַחnâdach · to banishH5080
- them, saithנְאֻםne'ûm · utteranceH5002
- the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- of hostsצָבָאtsâbâ' tsebâ'âh · HostsH6635
Cross-references for Jeremiah 8:3
- Jeremiah 20:14Cursed be the day I was born! May that day not be blessed when my mother gave birth to me.
- 1 Kings 19:4while he went a day’s journey into the desert. He went and sat down under a shrub and asked the Lord to take his life: “I’ve had enough! Now, O Lord, take my life. After all, I’m no better than my ancestors.”
- Job 3:20“Why does God give light to one who is in misery, and life to those whose soul is bitter,
- Job 7:15so that I would prefer strangling, and death more than life.
- Jonah 4:3So now, Lord, kill me instead, because I would rather die than live!”
- Revelation 6:16They said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who is seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb,
- Revelation 9:6In those days people will seek death, but will not be able to find it; they will long to die, but death will flee from them.
- Jeremiah 23:3Then I myself will regather those of my people who are still alive from all the countries where I have driven them. I will bring them back to their homeland. They will greatly increase in number.
- Jeremiah 29:14I will make myself available to you,’ says the Lord. ‘Then I will reverse your plight and will regather you from all the nations and all the places where I have exiled you,’ says the Lord. ‘I will bring you back to the place from which I exiled you.’
- Jeremiah 32:36“You and your people are right in saying, ‘War, starvation, and disease are sure to make this city fall into the hands of the king of Babylon.’ But now I, the Lord God of Israel, have something further to say about this city:
- Jeremiah 40:12So all these Judeans returned to the land of Judah from the places where they had been scattered. They came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. Thus they harvested a large amount of wine and dates and figs.
- Deuteronomy 30:1“When you have experienced all these things, both the blessings and the curses I have set before you, you will reflect upon them in all the nations where the Lord your God has banished you.
- Daniel 9:7“You are righteous, O Lord, but we are humiliated this day – the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far away in all the countries in which you have scattered them, because they have behaved unfaithfully toward you.
Commentaries on Jeremiah 8:3
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3This evil family - The whole Jewish race. Which remain - The words are omitted by the Septuagint and Syriac versions.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-3This message announced death for the people of Judah. It came true with the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. The survivors shall be still worse off than the dead (Job 3:21, 22; Re 9:6). which remain in all the places--"in all places of them that remain, whither I ... that is, in all places whither I have driven them that remain [Maurer].Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 8:3
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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