Jeremiah-4-19-31

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Tanakh versions:

Throughout this site I may use any of the following three versions of the TaNaKh: 1. “Jewish Publication Society” (JPS-1917), 2. Mechon-Mamre.org” (MEC), and 3. “Sefaria.org” (SEF).

Colour coded details of our beloved TaNaKh:

1. Torah = History & Law, 2. Nevi’im = The Prophets. 3. *Ketuvim = all other Writings.

*The Ketuvim - Includes, Poetical books - Psalms, Proverbs, Job, the Megillot, or Scrolls - Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations of Jeremiah, Ecclesiastes, and Esther, prophecy of Daniel, and history of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles I & II.

Please Note: Some alterations or (additions) have been made relating to ‘Names’ and ‘Attributes’ of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, having been corrected like it once was pre the “Masoretic Text”.

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Remember the following truth from our beloved Torah!

“Ye shall NOT ADD TO THE WORD which I command you, NEITHER SHALL YE DIMINISH FROM IT, that ye may keep the commandments of יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloleichem, which I command you”. Davarim - Deuteronomy 4:2. (JPS-1917).

However, sadly both the later priests as well as our rabbis of long ago and of today have, and are shamefully disobeying this command of אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה - the LORD Elohim, בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם קָדוֹשׁוֹ - ‘Baruch Shem Kadosho’ - ‘Blessed be His Holy Name!’

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“Jeremiah Chapter 4:19-31”

With Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.

Introduction for Jeremiah 4:19-31.

This final section of Jeremiah chapter 4 is one of the most emotionally charged passages in the entire book. The prophet is no longer simply warning Judah, he is feeling the catastrophe as if it is already happening. The tone shifts from ‘admonition’ to ‘lament’, from ‘warning’ to ‘heartbreak’.

Three movements shape this passage:

1. Jeremiah’s Personal Anguish:

The prophet experiences the coming judgment in his own body. His grief mirrors אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s sorrow over His people.

2. A Vision of Total Devastation:

Jeremiah describes the Babylonian invasion with vivid, almost apocalyptic imagery.
The land is emptied, the cities are abandoned, and creation itself seems to unravel.

3. The Futility of Judah’s Last Minute Efforts:

Jerusalem tries to save herself through alliances and outward adornment, but nothing can stop the consequences of long ignored warnings. The entire passage reads like a lamentation a cry of pain from both prophet and אֱלֹהִים.

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Let us now read Jeremiah Chapter 4:19-31: (JPS-1917 version of the Tanakh).

19. My bowels, my bowels! I writhe in pain! The chambers of my heart! My heart moaneth within me! I cannot hold my peace! because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the horn, the alarm of war.

20. Destruction followeth upon destruction, for the whole land is spoiled; suddenly are my tents spoiled, my curtains in a moment.

21. How long shall I see the standard, shall I hear the sound of the horn?

22. For My people is foolish, they know Me not; they are sottish children, and they have no understanding; they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge

23. I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was waste and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.

24. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved to and fro

25. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.

26. I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful field was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of יְהוָה - the LORD, and before His fierce anger.

27. For thus saith יְהוָה - the LORD: The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.

28. For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black; because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and I have not repented, neither will I turn back from it.

29. For the noise of the horsemen and bowmen the whole city fleeth; they go into the thickets, and climb up upon the rocks; every city is forsaken, and not a man dwelleth therein.

30. And thou, that art spoiled, what doest thou, that thou clothest thyself with scarlet, that thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, that thou enlargest thine eyes with paint? In vain dost thou make thyself fair; thy lovers despise thee, they seek thy life.

31. For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, the anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, that gaspeth for breath, that spreadeth her hands: 'Woe is me, now! for my soul fainteth before the murderers.'

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Let us now look at the ‘verse by verse’ with explantaions:

Verse 19. Jeremiah cries out with phrases like “My bowels, my bowels … my heart maketh a noise in me”. In Hebrew thought, the inner organs were the seat of deep emotion.

Meaning: Jeremiah feels the coming destruction so intensely that it is as if he is physically wounded. This is not theatrical, it is the prophet sharing in אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s grief.

Verse 20. “Destruction upon destruction is cried … “The prophet sees calamity rolling in waves across the land”.

Meaning: The collapse is not a single event. It is a chain reaction, ‘cities fall’, ‘defenses’ crumble, and the people scatter.

Verse 21. “How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet?” The “standard” is a battle flag; the trumpet is the alarm for war.

Meaning: Jeremiah longs for peace, but the invasion continues relentlessly. This is the bitter fruit of Judah’s refusal to repent.

Verse 22. “For My people are foolish … they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge”. This final section of Jeremiah chapter 4 is one of the most emotionally charged passages in the entire book. The prophet is no longer simply warning Judah - he is feeling the catastrophe as if it is already happening. The tone shifts from ‘admonition’ to ‘lament’, from ‘warning’ to ‘heartbreak’.

Meaning: The people are not unintelligent, they are morally inverted. They have become skilled at wrongdoing and unskilled at righteousness.

Verse 23. “I beheld the earth, and lo, it was waste and void … “This echoes Genesis 1:2 (“tohu va’vohu”).

Meaning: Sin has reversed creation. Where אֱלֹהִים once brought order, Judah’s rebellion brings chaos. Judgment is portrayed as de-creation, the undoing of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s work.

Verse 24. “I beheld the mountains, and lo, they trembled …” Even the most stable parts of creation shake.

Meaning: The invasion is not merely political; it is cosmic. The land itself reacts to the moral collapse of the people.

Verse 25. “I beheld, and lo, there was no man … all the birds of the heavens were fled”.
Life disappears from the land.

Meaning: This is a picture of total desolation, the opposite of Eden. Where sin reigns, life retreats.

Verse 26. “I beheld, and lo, the fruitful field was a wilderness…” Even fertile land becomes barren.

Meaning: Judgment affects not only people but the environment. The land mourns because it has been defiled.

Verse 27. “Yet will I not make a full end”. A sudden, quiet note of hope.

Meaning: אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s judgment is severe but not absolute. A remnant will survive. The covenant is wounded, not destroyed.

Verse 28. “For this shall the earth mourn …” The heavens grow dark.

Meaning: This symbolizes אֱלֹהִים withdrawing His protective presence. Yet He remains faithful to His word, both in judgment and in mercy.

Verse 29. “Every city fleeth … they go into thickets and rocks”. People hide in caves and forests to escape the invaders.

Meaning: The panic is total. The people who once felt secure now flee like prey.

Verse 30. “And thou, O desolate one … though thou deckest thyself with ornaments …”
Jerusalem is portrayed as a woman adorning herself to attract lovers (foreign allies).

Meaning: Her attempts to save herself through political alliances are useless. Her “lovers”, Egypt and others, will not rescue her.

Verse 31. “I hear a voice as of a woman in travail …” Jerusalem cries out like a woman giving birth, but this is not the birth of new life.

Meaning: It is the cry of a city dying. The people stretch out their hands in desperation, but the moment of rescue has passed.

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My Closing Message:

Jeremiah 4:19-31 is a window into the heart of אֱלֹהִים. For it shows: אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s sorrow over sin. The seriousness of moral rebellion. The unraveling of creation when humanity rejects its Maker. The hope of a remnant, even in judgment, for Jeremiah was not a cold messenger.
He feels the pain of the people, the grief of אֱלֹהִים, and the weight of the coming devastation. Yet even here, in the darkest imagery, אֱלֹהִים whispers, “I will not make a full end” for Judgment is real, but mercy is deeper!

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This site was originally created, for those who desired to return to our blessed and wonderful faith. Thus be wise and work on your faith and pray at least two or three times a day (if possible) and always seek our beloved אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s guidance, for His love is always with us, especially when we seek Him, blessed be He! However this site has become very much a teaching site with hundreds of studies!

Remember what אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, blessed be He, said the following via several of our prophets...

“Return unto Me, and I will return unto you, saith צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָה- the LORD of hosts”. Mal’a’chi - Malachi 3:7. (JPS).

And Remember ...

Enjoy your Sabbath Rest, Shabbat Shalom!

אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, בְּחֻקּוֹתַי לֵכוּ; וְאֶת-מִשְׁפָּטַי שִׁמְרוּ, וַעֲשׂוּ אוֹתָם

וְאֶת-שַׁבְּתוֹתַי, קַדֵּשׁוּ; וְהָיוּ לְאוֹת, בֵּינִי וּבֵינֵיכֶם-לָדַעַת, כִּי אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם

“I am אֱלֹהֵיכֶם יְהוָה - the LORD your Eloheichem; walk in My statutes, and keep Mine ordinances, and do them; and hallow My Sabbaths, and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that ye may know that I am אֱלֹהֵיכֶם יְהוָה - the LORD your Eloheichem”. Yechezkel - Ezekiel 20:19-20. (JPS).

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“Hebraic Studies” motto is as follows;

“The More Torah, the More Life”

For אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה - the LORD Elohim, Blessed be His Sanctified Name,

He is the one who gave us our Life!”

May the שָׁלוֹם - Shalom = Peace of צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָה= the LORD of hosts. be with you, and please always uphold our blessed שַׁבָּת - Shabbat, as well as the מוֹעֲדִים - Mo’a’dim - Feasts, and continue saying your daily תְּפִלָּה - Tefeelah’s (Prayers) and regular בְּרָכָה - Be’ra’chah’s (blessings) before food and drinks, etc!

שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם - Shalom Aleichem - Peace be with you!

Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.

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