For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation because they are burned up so that none can pass through them; neither can men hear the voice of the cattle; both the fowl of the heavens and the beast are fled; they are gone.Jeremiah 9:10 Explainer ## Introduction - In Plain Language: God announces deep desolation—cities and wild places will be laid waste, the animals will be silent and flee, and the land will be empty. - Big idea: This verse paints a picture of total ruin as the consequence of judgment and expresses the sorrow and seriousness of that judgment. - Key points: - The language is poetic and shows both God's control and the tragic results of sin. - Creation’s silence (animals and birds gone) underscores how complete the ruin will be. - The verse blends divine announcement with lament—God (and the landscape) expresses grief over destruction. ## Context - Where this verse fits in: Jeremiah 9 is a lament and a denunciation. The prophet condemns deceit, social breakdown, and religious hypocrisy, then describes the consequences—devastation and mourning across the land. - Story timeline: Jeremiah prophesied in Judah in the late 7th / early 6th century BCE as Babylonian power rose. His audience is the people of Judah and Jerusalem; the speaker is the LORD through Jeremiah, warning and mourning over coming judgment and exile. - Surrounding passage: - Verses before (roughly vv. 8–9): God accuses people of deceitful language and betrayal; there are warnings of slaughter because people will not heed correction. - This verse (v. 10): Pictures the landscape and life emptied out—mountains and wilderness cry, no passage, animals silent or fled. - Verses after (vv. 11–12): Continue with images of desolation and silence—cities and villages become wastes and the people cannot find safety or hope; the prophet calls attention to the depth of the calamity. ## Explanation - Quick take: Jeremiah 9:10 uses stark, poetic imagery to show how total the consequence of judgment will be—human society fractured, nature thrown into silence, and the land rendered impassable and empty. - In Depth: - Poetic voice and personification: Mountains, hills, and wilderness are described as taking up a cry. This is a common prophetic technique: the environment joins human lament, emphasizing the moral and cosmic weight of the crisis. - Totality of desolation: “None can pass through them” and the silence of cattle and birds signal that life, travel, and ordinary sounds of community have stopped. It’s not just ruined buildings—economy, social life, and daily rhythms are broken. - Why this is happening: Earlier in the chapter Jeremiah lists social and spiritual corruption—lies, betrayal, empty religion—so the destruction is presented as the result of persistent disobedience and injustice. The verse communicates both judgment and sorrow: a just consequence, portrayed with grief. - Tone and theology: The verse doesn’t read like triumphal gloating; rather it is part of a lament. God’s announcement of devastation is framed in language that evokes mourning—an indication that judgment, while necessary in the narrative, is painful and lamented rather than celebrated. ## Key Words - bekhi (בְּכִי) — “weeping” or lament: emotional expression of grief, often communal or ritual in prophetic poetry. - yalal (יָלַל) — “wailing” or loud lament: an intensified cry of sorrow, often used in contexts of mourning for loss. - midbar (מִדְבָּר) — “wilderness” or desert: areas outside settled towns; can emphasize emptiness or places people flee to. - nadad (נָדַד) — “to flee, wander, be dispersed”: used here of birds and beasts fleeing—images of abandonment and loss of habitation. ## Background - Literary and cultural notes: Ancient Near Eastern prophets commonly used images of the land and nature to symbolize national fate. When cities fall in antiquity, the landscape and animals often figure in laments as signs that human order has collapsed. - Historical note: Jeremiah prophesied as Babylon threatened and then destroyed Jerusalem (586 BCE). The book reflects warnings, the actual fall, and the trauma of exile. This verse fits the prophetic tradition of using nature’s silence to portray societal collapse. ## Theology - Theological insights: - God’s judgment can have catastrophic consequences, but the prophetic voice often frames judgment with grief—divine actions are serious and sorrowful. - Creation’s response (silence, flight) signals that human sin has ripple effects beyond people: social, economic, and ecological life are interconnected. - The imagery calls readers to recognize that covenant unfaithfulness leads to communal breakdown, not just individual consequences. ## Application To Your Life - For workers: Consider how workplace dishonesty or exploitation harms the whole community. Small compromises can contribute to larger breakdowns; pursue integrity as a practical way to avert “desolation.” - For parents: Teach children about consequences—actions ripple beyond the individual. Model lament when things go wrong and hopeful responsibility when fixing them. - For seekers/people processing grief: This verse acknowledges the reality of ruin and silence. It’s okay to mourn losses deeply; prophetic lament gives language for grief even when we believe God is just. - For church leaders: Beware of empty ritual that masks injustice; genuine faith requires aligning action with God’s standards. - Reflection questions: - Where in my life or community is there silence or loss that needs lament? - Are there small acts of injustice or neglect I tolerate that could lead to wider harm? - How do I balance recognizing the seriousness of consequences with hope and restoration? - Short prayer: Lord, help me to see the cost of wrongdoing, to mourn what is broken, and to do the work that leads toward restoration. ## Translation Comparison - KJV: “For the mountains shall I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so that none can pass through them; neither can men hear the voice of the cattle; both the fowl of the heavens and the beast are fled; they are gone.” - ESV: “For I will make the mountains mourn, and the hills shall wail; I will make the ravines of the wilderness a mourning, and their pasturelands shall be stripped away, so that no one shall pass through them; there is no sound of the cattle; both birds of the heavens and beasts are fled away.” - NASB: “For I will make the mountains a wasteland and the hills a desolation; I will make their valleys a desolation so that no one can pass through them; there is no sound of cattle, and the birds of the heavens and the animals have fled.” - NLT: “I will make the mountains cry out with sadness, and the hills will wail. I will make the deserts a sorrowful wasteland. The land will be laid waste, and no one will be able to travel through it. The cattle will have no sound, and the birds and wild animals are gone.” - Why differences matter: Translators make choices about tone and imagery. Words like “weep/wail” vs “mourn,” “habitations” vs “ravines/valleys,” and “burned up” vs “laid waste” affect whether the focus feels more like scorched destruction, economic ruin, or poetic lament. Some versions emphasize God’s agency (“I will make”) while others emphasize the state (“they are burned up”), shifting nuance between divine action and resultant condition. ## FAQs - Q: Is this verse saying God delights in destroying the land and animals? A: No. The broader context of Jeremiah shows that the destruction is presented as a consequence of covenant unfaithfulness, injustice, and persistent rebellion. The verse’s language is lament-like: mountains “take up a weeping and wailing.” That sorrowful tone indicates the seriousness and painfulness of judgment. The prophetic books often describe God as initiating discipline for the purpose of justice and, ultimately in the larger biblical narrative, correction and restoration. Still, the verse is blunt about consequences—the imagery underscores the cost when a society turns away from covenant responsibilities. - Q: Does the silence of animals mean nature is being punished? A: The silence and flight of animals function as symbolic confirmation that human society and the normal order of life are broken. In ancient poetic imagery, when humans are driven out or killed and agriculture collapses, the animals either are gone (because they’ve been taken away, starved, or fled) or their sounds cease, indicating desolation. It’s not primarily a teaching about ecological punishment; rather it amplifies the portrait of total social and economic collapse that affects all of life in the land. ## Cross References - Isaiah 24:4–6 — Describes the land languishing and being polluted because its inhabitants have broken God’s laws; similar picture of broad devastation. - Joel 1:4–7 — Shows crops destroyed and animals affected; like Jeremiah, Joel links human sin and national disaster. - Nahum 1:5–6 — Creation trembles and mountains melt before God—an image of cosmic awe and the power behind judgment. - Ezekiel 7:15 — “I will lay the land waste”—another prophetic oracle of desolation emphasizing consequences of iniquity. - Jeremiah 4:25 — Earlier Jeremiah oracle announcing mountains tremble and desolation due to invasion. ## Deeper Study - Commentary synthesis (high-level): Most commentators note the verse’s vivid, poetic language as typical of prophetic laments. They highlight two threads: (1) this is an announcement of judgment by God in response to social and religious failure, and (2) the lament tone underscores the tragedy of such judgment. Scholars point out the literary device of having creation mirror human judgment—mountains, valleys, animals—to show the scope of collapse. - Group study bullets: - Read vv. 8–12 together and identify how the poet mixes accusation with lament—where do you hear God’s anger, and where do you hear sorrow? - Discuss modern parallels: what does “desolation” look like in a community today (economic collapse, social fragmentation, environmental damage)? Who is affected? - Reflect on responses: When a community fails, what are practical steps toward restoration (justice initiatives, reconciliation, structural change)? - Pray and lament together for broken places, naming both sin and hope for renewal. ## Related verses (compare and contrast) - Isaiah 24:4–6 — Compare: both describe the land suffering because people have rejected God’s ways; contrast: Isaiah expands to cosmic judgment and restoration themes. - Joel 1:4–7 — Compare: animals and crops are affected by calamity; contrast: Joel’s immediate cause is locusts/ disaster, while Jeremiah ties the cause to moral failure and approaching exile. - Nahum 1:5–6 — Compare: both depict creation reacting to God’s power; contrast: Nahum emphasizes God’s sovereign might more than lamenting grief over judgment. ## Talk to the Bible Try the “Talk To The Bible” feature to explore this verse further. Suggested prompts: - “Explain Jeremiah 9:10 in modern, everyday language and what it would have sounded like to the original audience.” - “How does Jeremiah 9:10 shape our understanding of judgment and lament—can judgment be both just and sorrowful?” - “Give practical steps a church can take if it recognizes signs of moral decay in its community, inspired by Jeremiah’s warnings.”
