Their nobles —i.e. the upper classes of Judah and Jerusalem— have sent their little ones ; rather, their mean ones ; i.e. their servants, or perhaps (as Naegelsbach and Payne Smith) simply, "the common people;" it was not a matter concerning the rich alone. To the pits ; i.e. to the cisterns. Covered their heads ; a sign of the deepest mourning ( 2 Samuel 15:30 ; 2 Samuel 19:4 ; Esther 6:12 ). read more
The ground is chapt . Perhaps: but it is more obvious to render, is dismayed , according to the usual meaning of the word. Words which properly belong to human beings are often, by a "poetic fallacy," applied to inanimate objects (as in Jeremiah 14:2 ). In the earth ; rather, in the land . read more
Little ones - mean ones, the common people. The word is unique to Jeremiah Jeremiah 48:4.The pits - i. e., tanks for holding water.Covered their heads - The sign of grief. read more
Is chapt - Rather, is dismayed. “The ground” is used metaphorically for the people who until the ground.In the earth - i. e., “in the land.” read more
Jeremiah 14:3-6. And their nobles, &c. This scarcity of water afflicted not poor persons only, who had not such means of supplying their necessities as the rich; but the greatest among them, who sent their little ones, (or inferiors, as צעיריהם , seems here rather to signify,) to the places made to receive and retain water; who, finding none, returned with their vessels empty, like persons ashamed, and troubled upon seeing their expectations frustrated. Jerusalem, it must be... read more
Drought, disease and war (14:1-15:9)A severe drought had hit Judah. People in all walks of life, from nobles to farmers, were affected by it, and they covered their heads as a sign of their distress. They had difficulty in getting enough water to keep themselves alive, and their animals were beginning to suffer from disease. Some had already died because of the lack of food (14:1-6).Pleading on behalf of the people, Jeremiah confesses the nation’s sins. He asks God to cease acting as if he were... read more
to the waters: i.e. to fetch water. and. Some codices, with two early printed editions, Aramaean, Septuagint, and Syriac, read this "and" in the text. covered their heads. The symbol of mourning (2 Samuel 15:30 ; 2 Samuel 19:4 .Esther 6:12; Esther 6:12 ). read more
chapt = cleft, cracked, open in slits. From Old Dutch, "koppen", to cut off; "kappen", to cut, or chop (hence Eng. "chops", from Eng. "chapped" and "chip"). Gk. koptein, to cut. Hebrew here, hathath = to be broken. ashamed. Absence of rain causes today great anxiety (Job 29:23 ). read more
Jeremiah 14:3. Little ones to the waters, &c.— Their younger ones for water. Jeremiah 14:6. The wild asses, &c.] The wild asses stood upon the cliffs. These animals are said to stand on the high places or cliffs, because in that situation the current of air is stronger and cooler than in lower places: and for the same reason it is that they are said to snuff up the air like dragons, because they are reputed to delight in cool places. The LXX. omit the words like dragons. AElian tells... read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Jeremiah 14:1-22
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