Jeremiah 9

Jeremiah 9 continues the lament from the latter part of Jeremiah 8. It deals with the sins of Judah and its coming destruction. The Hebrew Masoretic Text numbers the verse that appears as 9:1 in Korean and English Bibles as 8:23, so the verse numbers throughout chapter 9 are offset by one.

Outline

• Verses 1–2 The speaker wishes he could weep day and night for the slain of his people. At the same time, he laments that he longs to leave this rebellious people and go into the wilderness.
• Verses 3–9 The LORD indicts the people for their falsehood. Their tongues are like a bow and "an arrow shot out"; with their mouths they speak peaceably, but in their hearts they plot harm. The LORD declares that He will melt them and try them.
• Verses 10–16 The speaker mourns over the burned mountains and wilderness. Jerusalem is to become "a den of dragons." The cause is that the people forsook the law and followed Baal, as their fathers had taught them. As a consequence, wormwood, "water of gall," and scattering among the nations are foretold.
• Verses 17–22 The LORD commands that the mourning women be summoned to raise a lament. Death is said to come up into the windows, and carcasses will fall "as dung upon the open field."
• Verses 23–24 People are to glory not in wisdom, might, or riches, but in knowing the LORD.
• Verses 25–26 The LORD declares that He will punish Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, and Moab. Israel, too, will be punished along with them, for "all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart."

Key Verses

• Jeremiah 9:1 "Mine eyes a fountain of tears." This verse is the principal basis for calling Jeremiah "the weeping prophet."
• Jeremiah 9:24 "That he understandeth and knoweth me." This verse declares that the LORD is the one who exercises lovingkindness (hesed), judgment, and righteousness, and that knowing Him is the true ground for glorying.
• Jeremiah 9:26 "All the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart." The concern here is the heart rather than outward signs.

People and Places

• Jeremiah: The prophet understood to be the lamenting speaker in this chapter, although his name does not appear in the text itself.
• Zion: A name for Jerusalem; in this chapter it is the place from which the voice of wailing is heard.
• Those "in the utmost corners": A desert-dwelling people who appear to have been distinguished by their custom of clipping the hair at the temples.

Points for Reflection

• Interpreters differ on whether the "I" of verses 1 and 10 is the prophet or the LORD. Some read these verses as expressing God's own grief.
• Circumcision of the heart moves the meaning of circumcision inward. This connects with Paul's teaching in Romans 2:28–29 (Romans 2).
• Paul quotes verses 23–24 in condensed form in 1 Corinthians 1:31 and 2 Corinthians 10:17: "He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord."

In the Korean Church

• Verse 1 is commonly used in sermons and Sunday school when introducing Jeremiah as "the weeping prophet."
• Verses 23–24 are frequently cited in sermons on boasting and humility.