Jeremiah 4:23

21 How long will I see the¹ standard,
And hear the sound of the trumpet?

22 “For My people are foolish,
They have not known Me.
They are¹ silly children,
And they have no understanding.
^aThey are wise to do evil,
But to do good they have no knowledge.”

23 ^aI beheld the earth, and indeed it was ^bwithout form, and void;
And the heavens, they had no light.

24 ^aI beheld the mountains, and indeed they trembled,
And all the hills moved back and forth.

25 I beheld, and indeed there was no man,
And ^aall the birds of the heavens had fled.

26 I beheld, and indeed the fruitful land was a ^awilderness,
And all its cities were broken down
At the presence of the Lord,
By His fierce anger.

27 For thus says the Lord:
“The whole land shall be desolate;
^aYet I will not make a full end.

28 For this ^ashall the earth mourn,
And ^bthe heavens above be black,
Because I have spoken.
I have ^cpurposed and ^dwill not relent,
Nor will I turn back from it.

29 The whole city shall flee from the noise of the horsemen and bowmen.
They shall go into thickets and climb up on the rocks.
Every city shall be forsaken,
And not a man shall dwell in it.

30 “And when you are plundered,
What will you do?
Though you clothe yourself with crimson,
Though you adorn yourself with ornaments of gold,
^aThough you enlarge your eyes with paint,
In vain you will make yourself fair;
^bYour lovers will despise you;
They will seek your life.

31 “For I have heard a voice as of a woman in¹ labor,
The anguish as of her who brings forth her first child,
The voice of the daughter of Zion bewailing herself;
She ^aspreads her hands, saying,
‘Woe is me now, for my soul is¹ weary
Because of murderers!’

Commentaries:

Barnes' Notes

<< Jeremiah 4:22

Jeremiah 4:24 >>

Jeremiah 4:23-26

In four verses each beginning with "I beheld," the prophet sees in vision the desolate condition of Judaea during the Babylonian captivity.

Jeremiah 4:23

Without form, and void - Desolate and void (see Genesis 1:2 note). The land has returned to a state of chaos (marginal reference note).

And the heavens - And upward to the heavens. The imagery is that of the last day of judgment. To Jeremiah' s vision all was as though the day of the Lord had come, and earth returned to the state in which it was before the first creative word (see II Peter 3:10).

Jeremiah 4:24

Moved lightly - " Reeled to and fro," from the violence of the earthquake.

Jeremiah 4:26

The fruitful place - The Carmel Jeremiah 2:7, where the population had been most dense, and the labors of the farmer most richly rewarded, has become the wilderness.

At the presence - i. e., because of, at the command of Yahweh, and because of His anger.

Other Barnes' Notes entries containing Jeremiah 4:23:

Genesis 1:2
Jeremiah 4:23-26

<< Jeremiah 4:22

Jeremiah 4:24 >>

DISCLAIMER: Church of the Great God (CGG) provides these resources to aid the individual in studying the Bible. However, it is up to the individual to "prove all things, and hold fast to that which is good" (I Thessalonians 5:21). The content of these resources does not necessarily reflect the views of CGG. They are provided for information purposes only.

Join 137,263+ readers

A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning

Consistent Bible study is hard to start.

The Berean gives you the starting point: one scripture and a focused commentary in your inbox each morning — read it in minutes, or go as deep as you like.

Free, daily, and spam-free. We never share your address. Unsubscribe anytime.

A Verse and a Thought,Every Morning

A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning