Jeremiah 9:20
Jeremiah 9:20 in Multiple Translations
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.
Yet hear the word of the LORD, O ye women, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth, and teach your daughters wailing, and every one her neighbour lamentation.
Yet hear the word of Jehovah, O ye women, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth; and teach your daughters wailing, and every one her neighbor lamentation.
But even now, give ear to the word of the Lord, O you women; let your ears be open to the word of his mouth, training your daughters to give cries of sorrow, everyone teaching her neighbour a song of grief.
Women, listen to the Lord's message, hear what he has to say. Teach your daughters to mourn and sing songs of sadness.
Therefore heare the worde of the Lord, O ye women, and let your eares regard the words of his mouth, and teach your daughters to mourne, and euery one her neighbour to lament.
But hear, ye women, a word of Jehovah, And your ear receiveth a word of His mouth, And teach ye your daughters wailing, and each her neighbour lamentation.
Yet hear the LORD’s word, you women. Let your ear receive the word of his mouth. Teach your daughters wailing. Everyone teach her neighbor a lamentation.
Yet hear the word of the LORD, O ye women, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth, and teach your daughters wailing, and every one her neighbor lamentation.
Hear therefore, ye women, the word of the Lord: and let your ears receive the word of his mouth: and teach your daughters wailing: and every one her neighbor mourning.
You women, listen to what Yahweh says [MTY]. Pay attention to his words [DOU]. Teach your daughters to wail. Teach each other how to sing funeral songs,
Berean Amplified Bible — Jeremiah 9:20
BAB
Word Study
Hover over any word to see its amplified meaning. Click a word to explore its full definition and translation comparisons.
Amplified text is generated using scripting to tie together English translations for comparison. Always refer to the core BSB translation and original Hebrew/Greek text for accuracy. Anomalies may occur.
Jeremiah 9:20 Interlinear (Deep Study)
BIB
HEB
כִּֽי
עָ֤לָה
מָ֨וֶת֙
בְּ/חַלּוֹנֵ֔י/נוּ
בָּ֖א
בְּ/אַרְמְנוֹתֵ֑י/נוּ
לְ/הַכְרִ֤ית
עוֹלָל֙
מִ/ח֔וּץ
בַּחוּרִ֖ים
מֵ/רְחֹבֽוֹת
כִּֽי
kîy
H3588
for
Conj
עָ֤לָה
ʻâlâh
H5927
to ascend
V-Qal-Perf-3ms
מָ֨וֶת֙
mâveth
H4194
death
N-ms
בְּ/חַלּוֹנֵ֔י/נוּ
challôwn
H2474
window
Prep | N-cp | Suff
בָּ֖א
bôwʼ
H935
Lebo
V-Qal-Perf-3ms
בְּ/אַרְמְנוֹתֵ֑י/נוּ
ʼarmôwn
H759
citadel
Prep | N-mp | Suff
לְ/הַכְרִ֤ית
kârath
H3772
to cut
Prep | V-Hiphil-Inf-a
עוֹלָל֙
ʻôwlêl
H5768
infant
N-ms
מִ/ח֔וּץ
chûwts
H2351
outside
Prep | N-ms
בַּחוּרִ֖ים
bâchûwr
H970
youth
N-mp
מֵ/רְחֹבֽוֹת
rᵉchôb
H7339
street/plaza
Prep | N-fp
Hebrew Word Study
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Hebrew Word Reference — Jeremiah 9:20
כִּֽי
kîy
H3588
"for"
Conj
A conjunction used to show cause or connection, as in Genesis 2:23 where Adam says the woman is bone of his bone because she was taken out of him. It is often translated as 'for', 'because', or 'since'.
Definition: 1) that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since 1a) that 1a1) yea, indeed 1b) when (of time) 1b1) when, if, though (with a concessive force) 1c) because, since (causal connection) 1d) but (after negative) 1e) that if, for if, indeed if, for though, but if 1f) but rather, but 1g) except that 1h) only, nevertheless 1i) surely 1j) that is 1k) but if 1l) for though 1m) forasmuch as, for therefore
Usage: Occurs in 3910 OT verses. KJV: and, + (forasmuch, inasmuch, where-) as, assured(-ly), + but, certainly, doubtless, + else, even, + except, for, how, (because, in, so, than) that, + nevertheless, now, rightly, seeing, since, surely, then, therefore, + (al-) though, + till, truly, + until, when, whether, while, whom, yea, yet. See also: Genesis 1:4; Genesis 26:16; Genesis 42:15.
עָ֤לָה
ʻâlâh
H5927
"to ascend"
V-Qal-Perf-3ms
To ascend means to go up or rise, like the smoke from an altar going up to God, as described in many Bible passages, including Leviticus and Psalms.
Definition: : rise/go 1) to go up, ascend, climb 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to go up, ascend 1a2) to meet, visit, follow, depart, withdraw, retreat 1a3) to go up, come up (of animals) 1a4) to spring up, grow, shoot forth (of vegetation) 1a5) to go up, go up over, rise (of natural phenomenon) 1a6) to come up (before God) 1a7) to go up, go up over, extend (of boundary) 1a8) to excel, be superior to 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be taken up, be brought up, be taken away 1b2) to take oneself away 1b3) to be exalted 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to bring up, cause to ascend or climb, cause to go up 1c2) to bring up, bring against, take away 1c3) to bring up, draw up, train 1c4) to cause to ascend 1c5) to rouse, stir up (mentally) 1c6) to offer, bring up (of gifts) 1c7) to exalt 1c8) to cause to ascend, offer 1d) (Hophal) 1d1) to be carried away, be led up 1d2) to be taken up into, be inserted in 1d3) to be offered 1e) (Hithpael) to lift oneself
Usage: Occurs in 817 OT verses. KJV: arise (up), (cause to) ascend up, at once, break (the day) (up), bring (up), (cause to) burn, carry up, cast up, [phrase] shew, climb (up), (cause to, make to) come (up), cut off, dawn, depart, exalt, excel, fall, fetch up, get up, (make to) go (away, up); grow (over) increase, lay, leap, levy, lift (self) up, light, (make) up, [idiom] mention, mount up, offer, make to pay, [phrase] perfect, prefer, put (on), raise, recover, restore, (make to) rise (up), scale, set (up), shoot forth (up), (begin to) spring (up), stir up, take away (up), work. See also: Genesis 2:6; Exodus 34:4; Joshua 7:6.
מָ֨וֶת֙
mâveth
H4194
"death"
N-ms
In the Bible, this word refers to death, whether natural or violent, and is used in books like Genesis and Isaiah. It can also mean the place of the dead, or a state of ruin. This concept is seen in the story of Moses, where death is a punishment for disobedience.
Definition: 1) death, dying, Death (personified), realm of the dead 1a) death 1b) death by violence (as a penalty) 1c) state of death, place of death Aramaic equivalent: mot (מוֹת "death" H4193)
Usage: Occurs in 153 OT verses. KJV: (be) dead(-ly), death, die(-d). See also: Genesis 21:16; Job 38:17; Psalms 6:6.
בְּ/חַלּוֹנֵ֔י/נוּ
challôwn
H2474
"window"
Prep | N-cp | Suff
A window in ancient times was a hole in the wall, as described in the Bible. The Hebrew word for window is used in the story of Jezebel's death in 2 Kings 9:30-33. Windows were also mentioned in the Song of Solomon.
Definition: window (piercing of the wall)
Usage: Occurs in 27 OT verses. KJV: window. See also: Genesis 8:6; Proverbs 7:6; Jeremiah 9:20.
בָּ֖א
bôwʼ
H935
"Lebo"
V-Qal-Perf-3ms
This verb means to go or come, and is used in many contexts, such as entering a place or approaching someone, as seen in the book of Genesis. It can also mean to abide or apply, and is translated in various ways in the KJV Bible. This term is related to the name Lebo Hamath.
Definition: A shortened name of Lebo Hamath complined withcha.mat (חֲמָת "Hamath" H2574) This name means to go in, enter
Usage: Occurs in 2307 OT verses. KJV: abide, apply, attain, [idiom] be, befall, [phrase] besiege, bring (forth, in, into, to pass), call, carry, [idiom] certainly, (cause, let, thing for) to come (against, in, out, upon, to pass), depart, [idiom] doubtless again, [phrase] eat, [phrase] employ, (cause to) enter (in, into, -tering, -trance, -try), be fallen, fetch, [phrase] follow, get, give, go (down, in, to war), grant, [phrase] have, [idiom] indeed, (in-) vade, lead, lift (up), mention, pull in, put, resort, run (down), send, set, [idiom] (well) stricken (in age), [idiom] surely, take (in), way. See also: Genesis 2:19; Genesis 32:7; Exodus 1:19.
בְּ/אַרְמְנוֹתֵ֑י/נוּ
ʼarmôwn
H759
"citadel"
Prep | N-mp | Suff
The Hebrew word for a high palace or fortress, like a citadel, appears in the Bible as a place of strength and power. It is often translated as castle or palace in the KJV. This word is used to describe the strongholds of kings and rulers.
Definition: : palace citadel, palace, fortress Also means: ar.mon (אַרְמוֹן ": fortress" H0759H)
Usage: Occurs in 31 OT verses. KJV: castle, palace. Compare H2038 (הַרְמוֹן). See also: 1 Kings 16:18; Jeremiah 49:27; Psalms 48:4.
לְ/הַכְרִ֤ית
kârath
H3772
"to cut"
Prep | V-Hiphil-Inf-a
This Hebrew word means to cut or destroy something, but it also has a special meaning related to making a covenant or agreement. In Genesis 15:18, God makes a covenant with Abram, symbolized by cutting animals in half, showing the seriousness of the promise. This word is used to describe important agreements and alliances.
Definition: : cut/fell 1) to cut, cut off, cut down, cut off a body part, cut out, eliminate, kill, cut a covenant 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to cut off 1a1a) to cut off a body part, behead 1a2) to cut down 1a3) to hew 1a4) to cut or make a covenant 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be cut off 1b2) to be cut down 1b3) to be chewed 1b4) to be cut off, fail 1c) (Pual) 1c1) to be cut off 1c2) to be cut down 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to cut off 1d2) to cut off, destroy 1d3) to cut down, destroy 1d4) to take away 1d5) to permit to perish 1e) (Hophal) cut off
Usage: Occurs in 280 OT verses. KJV: be chewed, be con-(feder-) ate, covenant, cut (down, off), destroy, fail, feller, be freed, hew (down), make a league (covenant), [idiom] lose, perish, [idiom] utterly, [idiom] want. See also: Genesis 9:11; 1 Samuel 24:6; Psalms 12:4.
עוֹלָל֙
ʻôwlêl
H5768
"infant"
N-ms
This word refers to a young child or infant, often describing a baby or toddler. It is used in the Bible to describe the early stages of life.
Definition: child, boy
Usage: Occurs in 20 OT verses. KJV: babe, (young) child, infant, little one. See also: 1 Samuel 15:3; Jeremiah 44:7; Psalms 8:3.
מִ/ח֔וּץ
chûwts
H2351
"outside"
Prep | N-ms
This word means outside or outdoors, referring to something beyond a wall or boundary. It can also mean a street or highway, as seen in various KJV translations, including abroad, field, and without.
Definition: outside, outward, street, the outside
Usage: Occurs in 158 OT verses. KJV: abroad, field, forth, highway, more, out(-side, -ward), street, without. See also: Genesis 6:14; 2 Chronicles 24:8; Psalms 18:43.
בַּחוּרִ֖ים
bâchûwr
H970
"youth"
N-mp
In the Bible, this word refers to a young person, often a chosen or select individual, like a young man in his prime. It appears in various contexts, including descriptions of young soldiers. The term emphasizes the idea of being selected or set apart.
Definition: youth, young man
Usage: Occurs in 45 OT verses. KJV: (choice) young (man), chosen, [idiom] hole. See also: Deuteronomy 32:25; Jeremiah 18:21; Psalms 78:31.
מֵ/רְחֹבֽוֹת
rᵉchôb
H7339
"street/plaza"
Prep | N-fp
A street or plaza, referring to a public area or open space, like a marketplace or a thoroughfare. This word is used to describe urban settings and community gathering places, often in stories about city life and trade. It appears in books like Nehemiah and Jeremiah.
Definition: broad or open place or plaza
Usage: Occurs in 41 OT verses. KJV: broad place (way), street. See also H1050 (בֵּית רְחוֹב). See also: Genesis 19:2; Proverbs 7:12; Psalms 55:12.
Study Notes — Jeremiah 9:20
Show Verse Quote Highlights
- Context
- Cross References
- Jeremiah 9:20 Summary
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Reflection Questions
- Gill's Exposition on Jeremiah 9:20
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Jeremiah 9:20
- Matthew Poole's Commentary on Jeremiah 9:20
- Trapp's Commentary on Jeremiah 9:20
- Ellicott's Commentary on Jeremiah 9:20
- Adam Clarke's Commentary on Jeremiah 9:20
- Cambridge Bible on Jeremiah 9:20
- Sermons on Jeremiah 9:20
Context — A Lament over Zion
18Let them come quickly and take up a lament over us, that our eyes may overflow with tears, and our eyelids may gush with water.
19For 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.’”
20Now, 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.
21For 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. 22Declare 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.”Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luke 23:27–30 | A great number of people followed Him, including women who kept mourning and wailing for Him. But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. Look, the days are coming when people will say, ‘Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore, and breasts that never nursed!’ At that time ‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”’ |
| 2 | Isaiah 32:9–13 | Stand up, you complacent women; listen to me. Give ear to my word, you overconfident daughters. In a little more than a year you will tremble, O secure ones. For the grape harvest will fail and the fruit harvest will not arrive. Shudder, you ladies of leisure; tremble, you daughters of complacency. Strip yourselves bare and put sackcloth around your waists. Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vines, and for the land of my people, overgrown with thorns and briers— even for every house of merriment in this city of revelry. |
| 3 | Job 22:22 | Receive instruction from His mouth, and lay up His words in your heart. |
| 4 | Isaiah 3:16 | The LORD also says: “Because the daughters of Zion are haughty— walking with heads held high and wanton eyes, prancing and skipping as they go, jingling the bracelets on their ankles— |
| 5 | Jeremiah 9:17–18 | This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Take note, and summon the wailing women; send for the most skillful among them. 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. |
| 6 | Isaiah 3:4 | “I will make mere lads their leaders, and children will rule over them.” |
Jeremiah 9:20 Summary
[This verse is a call to the women of Judah to listen to God's Word and to teach their daughters to lament and wail over the sins of the nation, as seen in Jeremiah 9:18-19. It's a reminder that we all have a role to play in acknowledging and turning away from sin, and that we should be willing to express deep sorrow and grief over our mistakes, as seen in Psalm 51:17. By doing so, we can help to promote repentance and spiritual renewal in our own lives and in the lives of those around us, as seen in 2 Chronicles 7:14. As it says in Lamentations 3:40, we should examine and test our ways, and return to the Lord, and He will restore us and bring us back to Himself.]
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is God addressing women specifically in Jeremiah 9:20?
God is addressing women because they have a significant role in teaching and influencing the next generation, as seen in Deuteronomy 6:7 and Proverbs 31:26, and He wants them to understand the gravity of the situation and to teach their daughters to lament and wail over the sins of the nation.
What does it mean to 'wail' and 'lament' in this context?
To wail and lament means to express deep sorrow and grief over the sins of the nation and the resulting judgment, as seen in Jeremiah 9:18-19 and Ezekiel 30:2, and to mourn the loss of spiritual vitality and the absence of God's presence.
Is this verse only applicable to women?
Although the verse is addressed to women, the message of repentance and lamentation is applicable to all people, as seen in Joel 2:12-13 and 2 Chronicles 7:14, and it serves as a reminder that everyone has a role to play in acknowledging and turning away from sin.
How can we apply this verse to our lives today?
We can apply this verse by recognizing the importance of teaching the next generation about God's Word and His ways, as seen in Psalm 78:4, and by being willing to lament and repent over our own sins and the sins of our nation, as seen in 1 John 1:9 and 2 Corinthians 7:10.
Reflection Questions
- What are some ways that I can teach my children or younger friends about the importance of following God's Word and lamenting over sin?
- How can I balance the need to lament and repent over sin with the need to have hope and joy in God's presence, as seen in Psalm 42:11?
- What are some sins in my own life or in my community that I need to lament and repent over, and how can I take steps to turn away from them, as seen in Acts 3:19?
- How can I use my influence and role in my family or community to teach others about God's Word and to promote repentance and lamentation over sin?
Gill's Exposition on Jeremiah 9:20
Yet hear the word of the Lord, O ye women,.... Not the mourning women, but others who had lost their husbands and their children, and had just reason for real mourning; and therefore they are called
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Jeremiah 9:20
Yet hear the word of the LORD, O ye women, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth, and teach your daughters wailing, and every one her neighbour lamentation. Yet - rather, 'Only' (Henderson).
Matthew Poole's Commentary on Jeremiah 9:20
Yet, or therefore, hear the word of the Lord, i.e. do not think I speak words out of my own mind or fancy, but what I speak is from the Lord. O ye women; either those hired women mentioned before, or rather the women of the land; for God would have it not a mercenary, but a real mourning; and he mentioneth women, 1. To upbraid the men with their stupidity. 2. As being more apt to grieve, thereby to express the readiness that he would have the land to be in for mourning. 3. Because of the decay and want there would be of men, as is expressed in the next verse, by reason partly of the slaughter, and partly of the captivity; therefore here is mention of women with reference to children in the next verse, after whom their bowels would yearn; and daughters, either the scholars of the mourning women, or rather, with reference to young men, unto whom they might be given in marriage. 4. Because the female sex is least able to help themselves in a common calamity. Or, 5. Because they would be least solicitous, but would indulge their delicacies, pride, sloth, and wantonness, ,11. Every one her neighbour, Heb. a woman her friend; namely, that the grief might spread the further, and become deeper; for affections and passions, of what kind soever, are augmented by company: it notes how large and universal the mourning shall be, .
Trapp's Commentary on Jeremiah 9:20
Jeremiah 9:20 Yet hear the word of the LORD, O ye women, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth, and teach your daughters wailing, and every one her neighbour lamentation.Ver. 20. Yet hear the word of the Lord, O ye women.] For souls have no sexes, and ye are likely to have your share as deep as any in the common calamity. You also are mostly more apt to weep than men, and may sooner work your men to godly sorrow than those lamentations.
Ellicott's Commentary on Jeremiah 9:20
(20) Teach your daughters wailing.—The thought of Jer 9:9 is continued. The words rest upon the idea that wailing was an art, its cries and tones skilfully adapted to the special sorrows of which it was in theory the expression. They perhaps imply also that death would do its work so terribly that the demand for mourners would be greater than the supply, and that supernumeraries must be trained to meet it. Looking to the many other coincidences between our Lord’s teaching and that of Jeremiah, it is not too much to see in His words to the daughter of Jerusalem, “Weep for yourselves and for your children” (Luke 23:27-28), a parallel to what we read here.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on Jeremiah 9:20
Verse 20. Teach your daughters] This is not a common dirge that shall last only till the body is consigned to the earth; it must last longer; teach it to your children, that it may be continued through every generation, till God turn again your captivity.
Cambridge Bible on Jeremiah 9:20
20. No traditional formula will suffice; Jehovah will dictate a dirge, and it shall be for universal use.
Sermons on Jeremiah 9:20
| Sermon | Description | |
|---|---|---|
|
Weep Not for Me by Vance Havner | In this sermon, the preacher reflects on the scene where Jesus is being crucified and the women are crying for him. He explains that Jesus was not a helpless victim, but willingly |
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And There Followed Him a Great Company of People by C.H. Spurgeon | C.H. Spurgeon reflects on the profound sorrow of the women who mourned Jesus as He carried His cross to Calvary, emphasizing that their grief, while deep, pales in comparison to th |
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My Having Been His Murderer! by C.H. Spurgeon | C.H. Spurgeon reflects on the profound sorrow of the women mourning for Jesus as He carries His cross to Calvary, emphasizing that while their grief is deep, his own sorrow is even |
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Call for the Wailing Women - Part 1 by Nancy Leigh DeMoss | This sermon emphasizes the urgency of recognizing the spiritual danger we are in and the need for repentance and turning back to God. It draws parallels between the moral decline i |
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Ephraim Is a Cake Not Turned by Aaron Hurst | In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of surrendering everything to God and not holding back. He urges the audience to examine their lives and identify any "stuff" |
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Are We Christians? or Are We Worldlings? by Horatius Bonar | In this sermon, the preacher addresses the issue of Christians becoming too comfortable and indulgent in the world. He emphasizes the need for self-denial and separation from world |
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Sinners in Zion Described and Doomed. by Edward Payson | Edward Payson preaches about the importance of not being at ease in Zion, emphasizing that true Christians are engaged in a spiritual warfare, constantly seeking to work out their |