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Jeremiah 14

KJV · Chapter 14/52

1The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the dearth.

2Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish; they are black unto the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up.

3And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters: they came to the pits, and found no water; they returned with their vessels empty; they were ashamed and confounded, and covered their heads.

4Because the ground is chapt, for there was no rain in the earth, the plowmen were ashamed, they covered their heads.

5Yea, the hind also calved in the field, and forsook it, because there was no grass.

6And the wild asses did stand in the high places, they snuffed up the wind like dragons; their eyes did fail, because there was no grass.

7O Lord, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy name’s sake: for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee.

8O the hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in time of trouble, why shouldest thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night?

9Why shouldest thou be as a man astonied, as a mighty man that cannot save? yet thou, O Lord, art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name; leave us not.

10Thus saith the Lord unto this people, Thus have they loved to wander, they have not refrained their feet, therefore the Lord doth not accept them; he will now remember their iniquity, and visit their sins.

11Then said the Lord unto me, Pray not for this people for their good.

12When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.

13Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place.

14Then the Lord said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.

15Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land; By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed.

16And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and they shall have none to bury them, them, their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters: for I will pour their wickedness upon them.

17Therefore 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.

18If I go forth into the field, then behold the slain with the sword! and if I enter into the city, then behold them that are sick with famine! yea, both the prophet and the priest go about into a land that they know not.

19Hast thou utterly rejected Judah? hath thy soul lothed Zion? why hast thou smitten us, and there is no healing for us? we looked for peace, and there is no good; and for the time of healing, and behold trouble!

20We acknowledge, O Lord, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers: for we have sinned against thee.

21Do not abhor us, for thy name’s sake, do not disgrace the throne of thy glory: remember, break not thy covenant with us.

22Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can the heavens give showers? art not thou he, O Lord our God? therefore we will wait upon thee: for thou hast made all these things.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

A severe drought strikes Judah, and the people cry out to God, but He reveals that He will not hear their prayers as long as they keep following false prophets who promise a false peace.

Explanation

The drought described here was a very real and concrete threat to the region's rain-dependent agriculture, which relied on seasonal rains — its absence meant widespread famine, pictured in the image of the deer abandoning their fawns for lack of pasture. The harshest point in the chapter is God's command that Jeremiah not even pray for the people anymore, showing the severity of the situation. At the same time, God denounces the false prophets who promise 'true peace' without divine authorization — a warning about the danger of comforting but dishonest religious messages, even in the face of real crises.

Fun facts

  • Agriculture in Judah depended almost entirely on the autumn and spring rains; their absence, as described here, was catastrophic and well documented in other texts from the ancient Near East.
  • The tension between true and false prophets, central to this chapter, is dealt with more extensively in chapter 23 and in Deuteronomy 18, which sets out criteria for telling them apart.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Jeremiah 14:1Drought was seen in Judah’s agricultural culture as a direct sign of God’s wrath or favor (see Deuteronomy 28). This whole chapter grows out of a real crisis caused by a lack of rain, used as a starting point to speak of a greater spiritual crisis.
  2. Jeremiah 14:2Opens the description of the great drought mentioned in verse 1: the whole nation is in mourning, including the very gates of the cities, personified as weakened by the crisis.
  3. Jeremiah 14:3Even the richest and most important people in society send their servants to fetch water and they come back empty-handed — the drought hits every level of society, with no exception.
  4. Jeremiah 14:4The ground cracked by drought is a concrete, visible image of the agricultural disaster — covering one’s head was a traditional gesture of shame and mourning.
  5. Jeremiah 14:5Even wild animals like the doe, known for caring well for their young, abandon their fawns for lack of food — the crisis reaches even the most instinctive parts of nature.
  6. Jeremiah 14:6Describes wild animals desperate for water and food, practically gasping for breath in high places — it reinforces the scale of the environmental crisis caused by the drought.
  7. Jeremiah 14:7It is the voice of the people, or of Jeremiah on their behalf, acknowledging guilt but asking God to act anyway — not for their own merit, but for the honor of His own name.
  8. Jeremiah 14:8The people ask, almost hurt, why God seems to be acting like a stranger just passing through, not truly caring about their anguish.
  9. Jeremiah 14:9Continues the desperate appeal: the people ask God not to abandon them, arguing that they bear His name — an appeal based on shared identity, not merit.
  10. Jeremiah 14:10God responds to the people’s appeal by saying that they themselves repeatedly chose to wander away — so now He will finally hold them accountable for that constant unfaithfulness.
  11. Jeremiah 14:11God actually forbids Jeremiah from interceding for the people — something rare and shocking, since intercession was one of a prophet’s central roles. It is a sign that the judgment had already been decided and would not be reversed by pleading.
  12. Jeremiah 14:12Even religious rituals like fasting and sacrifices will not move God this time — He has already decided that judgment will come through war, famine, and disease.
  13. Jeremiah 14:13Jeremiah intervenes, mentioning that other prophets are promising peace and security, directly contradicting what God has just announced.
  14. Jeremiah 14:14God denies these prophets: they were never sent by Him, and the messages of peace they announce come from their own imagination, not from a real revelation.
  15. Jeremiah 14:15As a consequence of lying in God’s name, these false prophets will themselves die by the very things they promised would not happen: sword and famine.
  16. Jeremiah 14:16The people who believed these false prophets will also suffer the consequences, dying without even receiving a proper burial — the leaders’ lie costs dearly for those who trusted it.
  17. Jeremiah 14:17Jeremiah is ordered to weep continually over the destruction drawing near, calling the people “the virgin daughter of my people,” an affectionate expression that makes the sorrow more personal.
  18. Jeremiah 14:18Describes a scene with no escape: death by war outside the walls, death by famine inside them, and even the religious leaders lost, not knowing what to do.
  19. Jeremiah 14:19A new outcry from the people, desperately asking whether God has truly abandoned Judah for good, since every hope for peace and healing has only brought more confusion.
  20. Jeremiah 14:20The people finally openly acknowledge their own guilt and that of their ancestors — a direct confession in the midst of the despair of drought and the threat of war.
  21. Jeremiah 14:21The people appeal to the honor of God’s own name and to the ancient covenant, asking Him not to abandon for good the commitment made with their ancestors.
  22. Jeremiah 14:22Closes the chapter with an important acknowledgment: only the true God has real power over the rain — the idols of the other nations cannot do anything like it.

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