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Jeremiah 18:16

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Jeremiah 18:16 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “to make their land an astonishment, and a perpetual hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and shake his head.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

to make their land an astonishment, and a perpetual hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and shake his head.
Jeremiah 18:16 — American Standard Version

Context — Jeremiah 18

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
13Therefore thus saith Jehovah: Ask ye now among the nations, who hath heard such things; the virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing.
14Shall the snow of Lebanon fail from the rock of the field? [or] shall the cold waters that flow down from afar be dried up?
15For my people have forgotten me, they have burned incense to false [gods]; and they have been made to stumble in their ways, in the ancient paths, to walk in bypaths, in a way not cast up;
16to make their land an astonishment, and a perpetual hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and shake his head.
17I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will show them the back, and not the face, in the day of their calamity.
18Then said they, Come, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words.
19Give heed to me, O Jehovah, and hearken to the voice of them that contend with me.
← Jeremiah 18:15Jeremiah 18:17 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“To make their land desolate, etc.] Not that this was the intention either of those that led them out of the right way into those wrong paths, or of them that went into them; but so it was eventually; this was the issue of things; their idolatry and other sins were the cause of their land being desolate; through the ravage of the enemy, let in upon them by way of judgment; and through the destruction of men by them; so that there were few or none to cultivate and manure it: [and] a perpetual hissing; to be hissed at perpetually by the enemy, whenever they passed by it, and observed its desolation; thereby expressing their hatred at its inhabitants; their joy at its desolation; and their…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“hissing-- (Kg1 9:8). In sign of contempt. That which was to be only the event is ascribed to the purpose of the people, although altogether different from what they would have been likely to hope for. Their purpose is represented as being the destruction of their country, because it was the inevitable result of their course of acting. wag . . . head--in mockery (Kg2 19:21; Mat 27:39). As "wag . . . head" answers to "hissing," so "astonished" answers to "desolate," for which, therefore, MUNSTER and others rather translate, "an object of wonder" (Jer 19:8).”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Hissing - Not derision, but the drawing in of the breath quickly as men do when they shudder. Way his head - Or, “shake his head,” a sign among the Jews not of scorn but of pity. The desolation of the land of Israel is to fill people with dismay. return to 'Top of Page'”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Desolate - Not that this was the end they aimed at, but it was the end these courses would certainly issue in. Jeremiah 18:17”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“18:16-17 The Lord pronounced sentence on Judah and Jerusalem. • their land will become desolate . . . I will scatter my people: In 605–586 BC, Judah and Jerusalem were progressively emptied of residents. • as the east wind scatters dust: During the summer, a strong hot wind from the east can blow sand and dust from the desert into Judah. • I will turn my back on them: The people would no longer experience a covenant relationship with the Lord.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“make: Jer 9:11, Jer 19:8, Jer 25:9, Jer 49:13, Jer 50:13; Lev 26:33, Lev 26:34, Lev 26:43; Deu 29:23; Isa 6:11; Eze 6:14, Eze 12:19, Eze 33:28, Eze 33:29 a perpetual: Kg1 9:8; Ch2 7:20, Ch2 7:21; Lam 2:15, Lam 2:16; Mic 6:16 shall be: Deu 28:59; Psa 22:7, Psa 44:14; Isa 37:22; Mat 27:39; Mar 15:29 Jeremiah 18:17”
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Related study paths

Read Jeremiah 18 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification