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.
• 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.
• 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

12Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; they will be brought down when they are punished, says the Lord. 13“ ‘I will take away their harvest, declares the Lord. There will be no grapes on the vine. There will be no figs on the tree, and their leaves will wither. What I have given them will be taken from them.’ ” 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. 15We hoped for peace but no good has come, for a time of healing but there is only terror. 16The snorting of the enemy’s horses is heard from Dan; at the neighing of their stallions the whole land trembles. They have come to devour the land and everything in it, the city and all who live there.

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 with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate. They said to each other, “Why stay here until we die?
• Jeremiah 4:5“Announce in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem and say: ‘Sound the trumpet throughout the land!’ Cry aloud and say: ‘Gather together! Let us flee to the fortified cities!’
• Jeremiah 35:11But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded this land, we said, ‘Come, we must go to Jerusalem to escape the Babylonian and Aramean armies.’ So we have remained in Jerusalem.”
• 2 Samuel 20:6David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba son of Bikri will do us more harm than Absalom did. Take your master’s men and pursue him, or he will find fortified cities and escape from us.”
• Leviticus 10:3Moses then said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord spoke of when he said: “ ‘Among those who approach me I will be proved holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.’ ” Aaron remained silent.
• Psalms 39:2So I remained utterly silent, not even saying anything good. But my anguish increased;
• Lamentations 3:27It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young.
• Amos 6:10And if the relative who comes to carry the bodies out of the house to burn them asks anyone who might be hiding there, “Is anyone else with you?” and he says, “No,” then he will go on to say, “Hush! We must not mention the name of the Lord.”
• Habakkuk 2:20The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.
• Zechariah 2:13Be still before the Lord, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.”
• Jeremiah 9:13The Lord said, “It is because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them; they have not obeyed me or followed my law.
• Jeremiah 23:15Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says concerning the prophets: “I will make them eat bitter food and drink poisoned water, because from the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has spread throughout the land.”
• Numbers 5:18After the priest has had the woman stand before the Lord, he shall loosen her hair and place in her hands the reminder-offering, the grain offering for jealousy, while he himself holds the bitter water that brings a curse.
• Deuteronomy 32:32Their vine comes from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah. Their grapes are filled with poison, and their clusters with bitterness.
• Psalms 69:21They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.
• Lamentations 3:19I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness 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