Jeremiah 14:17 · Bible study
Jeremiah 14:17 Commentary: Tears Over a Broken People
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why does God command unceasing tears over Judah’s wound? A study of God’s heart in judgment and the call to lament.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God commands Jeremiah to weep publicly over the ruin of Judah, revealing that judgment comes with deep sorrow.
- Key words: “tears” (dim’ah), “broken” (nishberah), “virgin daughter” (betulat bat), “breach” (shever).
- Main debate: Whether the tears express God’s own emotions or Jeremiah’s commanded response (likely both).
- Theological theme: Compassionate judgment, God’s grief even as He destroys.
- Best use: As a text for lament, confession, and reminding the church that God does not afflict willingly (Lam 3:33).
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
You are to speak this word to them: ‘My eyes overflow with tears; day and night they do not cease, for the virgin daughter of my people has been shattered by a crushing blow, a severely grievous wound.
WEB World English Bible 2000
“You shall say this word to them: “‘Let my eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease; for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous wound.
KJV King James Version 1769
Therefore thou shalt say this word unto them; Let mine eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease: for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous blow.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And thou shalt say this word unto them, Let mine eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease; for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous wound.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And thou hast said unto them this word: Tears come down mine eyes night and day, And they do not cease, For, with a great breach, Broken hath been the virgin daughter of my people, A very grievous stroke.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And thou shalt say this word unto them: Let mine eyes run down with tears, night and day, and not cease; for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous blow.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And thou shalt speak this word to them: Let my eyes shed down tears night and day, and let them not cease, because the virgin daughter of my people is afflicted with a great affliction, with an exceeding grievous evil.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Decirles has, pues, esta palabra: Córranse mis ojos en lágrimas noche y día, y no cesen; porque de gran quebrantamiento es quebrantada la virgen hija de mi pueblo, de plaga muy recia.
Portanto tu lhes dirás esta palavra: Corram meus olhos em lágrimas noite e dia, e não cessem; porque a virgem filha de meu povo está quebrada de grande quebrantamento, de praga muito dolorosa.
Dis-leur cette parole:
Und du sollst zu ihnen sagen dies Wort: Meine Augen fließen von Tränen Tag und Nacht und hören nicht auf; denn die Jungfrau, die Tochter meines Volks, ist greulich zerplagt und jämmerlich geschlagen.
Daarom zult gij dit woord tot hen zeggen: Mijn ogen zullen van tranen nederdalen nacht en dag, en niet ophouden; want de jonkvrouw der dochter Mijns volks is gebroken met een grote breuk, een plage, die zeer smartelijk is.
Di’ loro dunque questa parola: Struggansi gli occhi miei in lacrime giorno e notte, senza posa; poiché la vergine figliuola del mio popolo è stata fiaccata in modo straziante, ha ricevuto un colpo tremendo.
Przetoż rzeczesz do nich to słowo: Oczy moje wylewają łzy w nocy i we dnie bez przestanku; bo skruszeniem wielkiem skruszona będzie panna, córka ludu mojego, i raną bardzo bolesną.
И скажи им слово сие: да льются из глаз моих слезы ночь и день, и да не перестают; ибо великим поражением поражена дева, дочь народа моего, тяжким ударом.
你要將 這 話 對他們 說：願我眼 淚 汪汪，晝 夜 不 息，因為 我百姓（原文是民的處女）受了 裂口 破壞的 大 傷。
And you are to say this word to them, Let my eyes be streaming with water night and day, and let it not be stopped; for the virgin daughter of my people is wounded with a great wound, with a very bitter blow.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Jeremiah 14:17
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that this verse presents a startling shift: God, who had forbidden Jeremiah to intercede (v.11), now places a lament in the prophet’s mouth. Calvin notes that God commands this public weeping to shame the people’s hardness: “Let mine eyes run down with tears” becomes a mirror for their dry-eyed carelessness. Gill emphasizes that the prophet is given a “doleful lamentation” to pronounce, not a prayer, in order to assure them of the certainty of calamity. Barnes observes that the phrase “virgin daughter of my people” underscores God’s prior protective care, Judah had been sheltered like a virgin in an Eastern household. Matthew Henry treats the passage as intercession after all, suggesting that even in judgment the prophet pleads. The consensus is clear: the tears are real (Jeremiah’s grief) and commanded (God’s message). They reveal that divine judgment does not issue from a cold heart but from One who is himself broken by the wound of His people.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: God commands a public lament over the brokenness of His people, showing that He is not indifferent to the suffering that judgment brings.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Whose tears are these? | The words come from God’s command to the prophet. | Some see them primarily as Jeremiah’s personal grief (Matthew Henry), while others emphasize that they are God’s own voice through Jeremiah (Calvin, Gill). |
| Purpose of the lament | The lament is meant to confront the people with the gravity of their situation. | Some see it as a final call to repentance (Calvin), others as a pure announcement of doom with no hope (Gill). |
| Meaning of ‘virgin daughter’ | It indicates God’s prior protection and care. | Barnes stresses the idea of being jealously guarded; others see it as a marker of vulnerability now exposed. |
| Continuity of tears | The tears are unceasing (day and night, no cessation). | Whether this is a literal prophecy of unending weeping or a rhetorical hyperbole to stress the depth of grief. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Jeremiah 14 opens with a severe drought (vv.1, 6). The ground is cracked, the farmers ashamed, the animals panting for air. In that distress the people cry out (vv.7, 9), but God rejects their shallow repentance. He tells Jeremiah not to pray for this people (v.11), and He condemns the false prophets who promised peace (vv.13, 16). Then, in v.17, God commands a lament. The drought was the present affliction; the “great breach” and “grievous wound” look to a far worse future: the Babylonian invasion, likely within a decade or two. Clarke lists three blows that already struck: Pharaoh Necho’s incursion, a heavy tribute, then famine. But the culminating blow would be the siege and exile.
The phrase “virgin daughter of my people” is a term of endearment used elsewhere (Isa 37:22; Lam 2:13). In the ancient Near East, a virgin in a household was jealously guarded. By calling Judah a “virgin daughter,” God reminds them that He has kept them pure and safe. Now that protection is shattered. The word “broken” (nishberah) echoes the noun “breach” (shever), a pun that hammers home the completeness of the ruin. God’s tears flow not because He is surprised, but because He loves what He must judge.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Jeremiah 14:17. The Masoretic Text is stable, and the ancient versions (LXX, Syriac, Vulgate) render the verse consistently. A few manuscripts read “my eyes will flow” as a simple future rather than an imperative, but the command form (jussive) is well-supported and fits the context of divine instruction.
Reception History
In the early church, this verse was used liturgically during penitential seasons, emphasizing that God himself mourns over sin. The phrase “virgin daughter of my people” was taken up in the Book of Lamentations, traditionally attributed to Jeremiah, which became the source for Tenebrae readings during Holy Week. Medieval commentators such as Jerome read the tears as a type of Christ weeping over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41). Protestant expositors like Calvin and Matthew Henry used the passage to vindicate the seriousness of God’s warnings and to call pastors to genuine pastoral grief. In both Catholic and Orthodox traditions, the “virgin daughter” imagery has been applied to the Church as a bride, reminding her of God’s tender love even in discipline. Modern usage often finds the verse in sermons on lament and divine emotion.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Tears as a divine message. God commands a public lament to show that judgment is never without grief. The tears themselves preach.
- Severity of the breach. The triple repetition, “broken with a great breach, a very grievous wound”, drives home that no human repair is possible. Only God can heal such a wound.
- Hope beneath the tears. God weeps over His people. That sorrow is the first hint of restoration; a God who weeps will not abandon forever.
Five-point outline
- The audience. “Say this word to them”, the lament is public, not private. It confronts the hard-hearted with emotion.
- The intensity. “Night and day, let them not cease”, uninterrupted weeping. The Hebrew verb tiddemeynah (they cease) is negated; the tears can never stop.
- The object. “Virgin daughter of my people”, a tender title that recalls God’s protective love.
- The cause. “Broken with a great breach”, sin has shattered the nation. The verb nishberah (Niphal perfect) describes a completed, passive destruction.
- The response. Jeremiah’s tears become a model for the congregation. If the prophet weeps, the people should learn to weep.
Illustration hooks
- A parent who disciplines a child but weeps before and after, the punishment is real, but so is the love.
- A mayor standing at a mass funeral, reading names with a trembling voice, the authority figure shares the grief he cannot stop.
- A doctor delivering a terminal diagnosis, the professional detachment cracks because the news hurts the giver too.
Questions your congregation is asking
- If God is in control, why does He sound so helpless here?
- How do I weep for my own sin when I feel hardened?
- Does this verse mean God changes His mind about judgment?
Leading a Discussion
This verse shows us a God who is not cold or distant when He judges. He weeps. The command to Jeremiah is also an invitation to the people: feel what I feel. Discuss how this reshapes your understanding of judgment, repentance, and God’s heart.
Discussion questions
- Read verses 17, 18 slowly. Which word or phrase strikes you most? Why?
- Why does God command Jeremiah to speak these words instead of keeping them private?
- What does the title “virgin daughter” tell us about God’s relationship with Judah?
- The Hebrew uses both the noun “breach” (shever) and the verb “broken” (nishberah). Why the repetition?
- How does this passage challenge or comfort your view of God’s anger against sin?
- When have you sensed that God was grieved over something you or your community did?
- How can we hold together God’s justice and His compassion without losing either?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Psalms 39:10 | Remove your scourge away from me. I am overcome by the blow of your hand. |
| Psalms 80:4 | Yahweh God of Armies, how long will you be angry against the prayer of your people? |
| Psalms 80:5 | You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in large measure. |
| Psalms 119:136 | Streams of tears run down my eyes, because they don’t observe your law. TZADHE |
| Isaiah 37:22 | this is the word which Yahweh has spoken concerning him: The virgin daughter of Zion has despised you and ridiculed you. The daughter of Jerusalem has shaken her head at you. |
| Jeremiah 8:18 | Oh that I could comfort myself against sorrow! My heart is faint within me. |
| Jeremiah 8:21 | For the hurt of the daughter of my people, I am hurt. I mourn. Dismay has taken hold of me. |
| Jeremiah 9:1 | Oh that my head were waters, and my eyes a spring of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people! |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke identifies three specific calamities that together form the "great breach" described: distress under Pharaoh-necho, heavy tribute under Nebuchadnezzar, and near desolation by famine. These successive blows, falling within a few years, made the blow truly grievous.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes draws attention to the phrase "virgin daughter of my people" as evidence of God's previous protective care over Judah. The calamity is so severe that it calls for perpetual weeping, and the image of a guarded virgin underscores how tenderly God had sheltered His people before this devastation.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin emphasizes that God commands Jeremiah to weep publicly, not as a private expression of grief, but as a deliberate spectacle meant to shame the people. Their stubborn hardness left them dry-eyed at impending judgment, so the prophet's tears become a mirror to confront their carelessness and provoke fear.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
grievous ] Heb. sick . See on Jer_10:19 .
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
Therefore thou shalt say this worde vnto them, Let mine eyes drop downe teares night and day without ceasing: for the virgine daughter of my people is destroyed with a great destruction, and with a sore grieuous plague.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill notes that the command to weep can be read two ways: either as the prophet's own anguished lament that will not stop, or as a direct instruction for the people to pour out tears. He explains that "virgin daughter" means Jerusalem, untouched until now, but about to suffer an overwhelming disaster.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB notes that the nation is called a "virgin" because it had never before been subjected to a foreign yoke. The prophet is called to weep without ceasing over the disasters about to fall on his people, a calamity unlike anything they had experienced.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch stresses that God rejects Jeremiah's prayer because the people "loved to wander" after other gods, a persistent idolatry that hollows out their fasting and sacrifices. The false prophets' lies do not excuse the people, since they willingly believed flattering deceptions that matched their own sinful passions.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry sees the prophet's lament and prayer here as effectively reversing the earlier command not to intercede for Judah. He notes that the prophet understood that prohibition as a discouragement, not an absolute ban, since he now prays freely for the people.