Focused Passage

Jeremiah 9:17-22

Let the One Who Boasts Boast in Knowing the LORD

The chapter moves from Jeremiah's overwhelming grief, to the LORD's exposure of a society trained in falsehood, to the refining judgment of the people, to a lament over ruined land and scattered bones, to the summoning of mourning women, to the call to reject boasting in wisdom, strength, and riches, and finally to the warning that outward circumcision without heart reality leaves Judah under judgment with the nations.

Berean Standard Bible, Public Domain - Translation notes - Reference sources

17 This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Take note, and summon the wailing women; send for the most skillful among them.

18 Let them come quickly and take up a lament over us, that our eyes may overflow with tears, and our eyelids may gush with water.

19 For the sound of wailing is heard from Zion: ‘How devastated we are! How great is our shame! For we have abandoned the land because our dwellings have been torn down.’”

20 Now, O women, hear the word of the LORD. Open your ears to the word of His mouth. Teach your daughters to wail, and one another to lament.

21 For death has climbed in through our windows; it has entered our fortresses to cut off the children from the streets, the young men from the town squares.

22 Declare that this is what the LORD says: “The corpses of men will fall like dung upon the open field, like newly cut grain behind the reaper, with no one to gather it.”

Study Helps

References and Original Words

Verse 17

Original words

This is what כֹּ֤ה H3541 Adverb the LORD יְהוָ֣ה H3068 Noun - proper - masculine singular of Hosts צְבָא֔וֹת H6635 Noun - common plural says אָמַר֙ H559 Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular Take note הִתְבּֽוֹנְנ֛וּ H995 Verb - Hitpael - Imperative - masculine plural and summon וְקִרְא֥וּ H7121 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural the wailing women לַמְקוֹנְנ֖וֹת H6969 Preposition-l, Article | Verb - Piel - Participle - feminine plural . . . וּתְבוֹאֶ֑ינָה H935 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect - third person feminine plural send שִׁלְח֖וּ H7971 Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural . . . וְתָבֽוֹאנָה׃ H935 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect - third person feminine plural for וְאֶל־ H413 Conjunctive waw | Preposition the [most] skillful [among them] הַחֲכָמ֥וֹת H2450 Article | Adjective - feminine plural
Verse 18

Original words

Let them come quickly וּתְמַהֵ֕רְנָה H4116 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive imperfect - third person feminine plural and take up וְתִשֶּׂ֥נָה H5375 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect - third person feminine plural a lament נֶ֑הִי H5092 Noun - masculine singular over us עָלֵ֖ינוּ H5921 Preposition | first person common plural that our eyes עֵינֵ֙ינוּ֙ H5869 Noun - cdc | first person common plural may overflow וְתֵרַ֤דְנָה H3381 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect - third person feminine plural with tears דִּמְעָ֔ה H1832 Noun - feminine singular and our eyelids וְעַפְעַפֵּ֖ינוּ H6079 Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine dual construct | first person common plural may gush יִזְּלוּ־ H5140 Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural with water מָֽיִם׃ H4325 Noun - masculine plural
Verse 19

Original words

For כִּ֣י H3588 Conjunction the sound ק֥וֹל H6963 Noun - masculine singular construct of wailing נְהִ֛י H5092 Noun - masculine singular is heard נִשְׁמַ֥ע H8085 Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person masculine singular from Zion מִצִּיּ֖וֹן H6726 Preposition-m | Noun - proper - feminine singular How אֵ֣יךְ H349 Interjection devastated we are שֻׁדָּ֑דְנוּ H7703 Verb - Pual - Perfect - first person common plural How great מְאֹד֙ H3966 Adverb is our shame בֹּ֤שְׁנֽוּ H954 Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common plural For כִּֽי־ H3588 Conjunction we have abandoned עָזַ֣בְנוּ H5800 Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common plural the land אָ֔רֶץ H776 Noun - feminine singular because כִּ֥י H3588 Conjunction our dwellings מִשְׁכְּנוֹתֵֽינוּ׃ס H4908 Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common plural have been torn down הִשְׁלִ֖יכוּ H7993 Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person common plural
Verse 20

Original words

Now כִּֽי־ H3588 Conjunction O women נָשִׁים֙ H802 Noun - feminine plural hear שְׁמַ֤עְנָה H8085 Verb - Qal - Imperative - feminine plural the word דְּבַר־ H1697 Noun - masculine singular construct of the LORD יְהוָ֔ה H3068 Noun - proper - masculine singular Open וְתִקַּ֥ח H3947 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect - third person feminine singular your ears אָזְנְכֶ֖ם H241 Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine plural to the word דְּבַר־ H1697 Noun - masculine singular construct of His mouth פִּ֑יו H6310 Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular Teach וְלַמֵּ֤דְנָה H3925 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Imperative - feminine plural your daughters בְנֽוֹתֵיכֶם֙ H1323 Noun - feminine plural construct | second person masculine plural to wail נֶ֔הִי H5092 Noun - masculine singular and one וְאִשָּׁ֥ה H802 Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular another רְעוּתָ֖הּ H7468 Noun - feminine singular construct | third person feminine singular to lament קִינָֽה׃ H7015 Noun - feminine singular
Verse 21

Original words

For כִּֽי־ H3588 Conjunction death מָ֙וֶת֙ H4194 Noun - masculine singular has climbed in עָ֤לָה H5927 Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular through our windows בְּחַלּוֹנֵ֔ינוּ H2474 Preposition-b | Noun - common plural construct | first person common plural it has entered בָּ֖א H935 Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular our fortresses בְּאַרְמְנוֹתֵ֑ינוּ H759 Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common plural to cut off לְהַכְרִ֤ית H3772 Preposition-l | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct the children עוֹלָל֙ H5768 Noun - masculine singular from the streets מִח֔וּץ H2351 Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular the young men בַּחוּרִ֖ים H970 Noun - masculine plural from the town squares מֵרְחֹבֽוֹת׃ H7339 Preposition-m | Noun - masculine plural
Verse 22

Original words

Declare that דַּבֵּ֗ר H1696 Verb - Piel - Imperative - masculine singular this is what כֹּ֚ה H3541 Adverb the LORD יְהוָ֔ה H3068 Noun - proper - masculine singular says נְאֻם־ H5002 Noun - masculine singular construct The corpses נִבְלַ֣ת H5038 Noun - feminine singular construct of men הָֽאָדָ֔ם H120 Article | Noun - masculine singular will fall וְנָֽפְלָה֙ H5307 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person feminine singular like dung כְּדֹ֖מֶן H1828 Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular upon עַל־ H5921 Preposition the open פְּנֵ֣י H6440 Noun - common plural construct field הַשָּׂדֶ֑ה H7704 Article | Noun - masculine singular like newly cut grain וּכְעָמִ֛יר H5995 Conjunctive waw, Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular behind מֵאַחֲרֵ֥י H310 Preposition-m the reaper הַקֹּצֵ֖ר H7114 Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular with no וְאֵ֥ין H369 Conjunctive waw | Adverb one to gather it מְאַסֵּֽף׃ס H622 Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine singular

Berean Standard Bible (BSB): CC0 Public Domain Scripture text. Focused passages are drawn from the same reader contract as the full chapter. Reference sources explains external study-link sources.