Jeremiah 8:18

Jer 8:18 [When] I would comfort myself against sorrow, my heart [is] faint in me.

Ver. 18. When I would comfort myself, &c.] Or, as some render it, O my comfort against sorrow, i.e., O my God; others, My recreation is joined with sorrow.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Jer 8:18-19. When I would comfort myself, &c. — “When I would apply comfort to myself, my heart misgives me: I find great reason for my fears, and none for my hopes.” Blaney translates the verse, sorrow is upon me past my remedying; my heart within me is faint. They seem to be the words of the prophet, who had endeavoured to comfort himself in his trouble by acquiescing in the will of God; but the miseries coming on his countrymen continually occurring to his mind in all their horrors and aggravations, deprived him of all comfort, and rendered him inconsolable. Behold the voice of the cry — The bitter cries and lamentations, which methinks I hear; of the daughter of my people — To whose welfare I cannot be indifferent; because of them that dwell in a far country — Namely, their enemies the Chaldeans, who were coming against them. But the words may be rendered more agreeably to the Hebrew thus, The voice of the cry of the daughter of my people from a land afar off. Compare Isa 33:17, where the phrase in the original, ארצ מרחקים, is the same. Thus interpreted, the words express the doleful complaints of the Jews in their state of captivity, as if God had quite forsaken and disowned them. In this light many commentators understand the prophet. He “anticipates,” says Blaney, “in his imagination, the captivity of his countrymen in Babylon, a far country; and represents them there as asking, with a mixture of grief and astonishment, if there was no such being as JEHOVAH, who presided in Zion, that he so neglected his people, and suffered them to continue in such a wretched plight. Upon this complaint of theirs, God justly breaks in with a question on his part, and demands why, if they acknowledged such a protector as himself, they had deserted his service, and by going over to idols, with which they had no natural connection, had forfeited all title to his favour.” Why have they provoked me to anger? — Some translators, to render the sense more evident, supply here the words, saith God; for it is evident that it is God, and not the prophet, who speaks here, telling them that their sins were the cause of his forsaking them; and that as they provoked him to anger by their idolatries, so he would no longer defend them.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

CAPTIVITY AND SORROW, Jer_8:18-22.

18. When I would comfort, etc. — The original for “comfort” is a noun used vocatively, and occurs only here. Hence, the rendering should be, O my comfort in sorrow, my heart grows sick in me.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

8:18–9:26 The priests in the Temple expertly memorized and repeated carefully crafted prayers as rituals in the Temple worship. Repeating the precise wording of the prayers was thought to be very important; failure to do so drained the prayers of their perceived magical power. The character of the priests who uttered the prayers was considered of minor importance. The same was true of lamentations. In contrast, Jeremiah’s prayers and lamentations were spontaneous and occupied him to the depths of his being.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Read Jer. 4:19.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

(Isa 22:4). The lamentation of the prophet for the impending calamity of his country.

against sorrow--or, with respect to sorrow. MAURER translates, "Oh, my exhilaration as to sorrow!" that is, "Oh, that exhilaration ('comfort', from an Arabic root, to shine as the rising sun) would shine upon me as to my sorrow!"

in me--within me.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Interpreters explain differently the word מבלגיתי, mebelgiti. Some take מ, mem, in the sense of ב, beth; but others, with whom I agree, regard it as a servile, deriving the word from בלג, belag; and this letter is prefixed to it to shew that it is a noun. The ת, tau, also at the end, is a servile.

The Prophet then means, that he sought strength in his sorrow, but that his heart was weak He no doubt, I think, sets forth in this verse the perverse character of the people, — that they sought through their obstinacy to drive away every punishment. This could not indeed be referred to himself, or to those who were like him, as we know how fearful are God’s servants with regard to his wrath; for as the fear of God prevails in their hearts, so they are easily terrified by his judgment; but hypocrites and wicked men ever harden themselves as far as they can. They then strengthened themselves against God, and thought in this way to be conquerors. Since they thus perversely contended with God, the Prophet sets forth here the great hardness of the people: I would, he says, strengthen myself in my sorrow; but my heart is within me weak; that is, “In vain are these remedies tried; in vain have ye hitherto endeavored to strengthen yourselves, and have sought fortresses and strongholds against God; for sorrow will at length prevail, as the Lord will add troubles to troubles, so that ye must at length succumb under them.”

He means the same when he says, his heart was within him weak: “I have, “he says, “been oppressed with sorrow, when I thought I had strength enough to resist.” For thus the ungodly think manfully to act, when they madly resist God; but at length they find by the event that they in vain seek thus to strengthen themselves; for our heart, he says, will become within us weak, and debility itself will at last oppress and overwhelm us.

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

(18) When I would comfort myself . . .—The word translated comfort is not found elsewhere, and has been very differently understood. Taking the words as spoken after a pause, they come as a cry of sorrow following the proclamation of the judgment of Jehovah, Ah, my comfort against sorrow! (mourning for it as dead and gone); my heart is sick within me. The latter phrase is the same as in Isa_1:5.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

18. Oh that I could comfort myself] lit. brighten myself. The Hebrew verb occurs here only, but is found in Arabic in this sense. See further in Dr., p. 352.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Behold, the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people,.... This was what made his heart faint, such was his sympathy with his countrymen, his people in distress, whom he affectionately calls the daughter of his people, whose cry was loud, and whose voice he heard lamenting their case:

because of them that dwell in a far country; because of the Chaldeans, who came from a far country; see Jer 5:15 who were come into their land, and devoured it; through fear of them, and because of the devastation they made; hence the voice of their cry: or this is to be understood of the Jews in a far country, carried captive into Babylon, and the voice of their cry there, because of their captivity and oppression. So Abarbinel and the Targum,

"lo, the voice of the cry of the congregation of my people from a far country;''

and so read the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Arabic versions.

Is not the Lord in Zion? is not her King in her? these are the words of the people, complaining of the Lord, calling in question whether he was in Zion, and whether he was King there; and if he was, how came it to pass that he did not protect it; that he suffered the city to be taken, and the inhabitants to be carried captive?

Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, and with their strange vanities? that is, with their idols, and their idolatrous worship; this is the Lord's answer to them, giving a reason why he suffered the enemy to come in among them, and prevail over them, namely, their idolatry. It may be rendered, "with the vanities of a stranger" (n); of a strange people, or of a strange god.

(n) "in vanitatibus alienigenae", Montanus; "sub. populi", Vatablus; "dei alieni", Pagninus So Ben Melech.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Rather, “O my comfort in sorrow: my heart faints for me.” The word translated “comfort” is by some supposed to be corrupt. With these mournful ejaculations a new strophe begins, ending with Jer 9:1, in which the prophet mourns over the miserable fate of his countrymen, among whom he had been earnestly laboring, but all in vain.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Me. God, Jeremias, the people, or rather Jerusalem bewails her children. (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

The language of the people, being long shut up in their cities, and finding no relief, at last faint, Lam 4:17. But more probably the prophet now seems to speak his own resentments, how greatly the calamity of his people did affect him; the like Isa 22:4; when he would sometimes refresh himself with the comfortable refreshments of nature, the thoughts of his people’s misery do so afflict him, that his heart is ready to faint, to sink within him.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Ver. 18-Jer 9:50 The captivity of Judah and the deep sorrow of Jeremiah.

When I would comfort myself, etc. The text is here extremely difficult, and if there is corruption anywhere it is in the opening of this verse. Ewald and Graf suppose an ellipsis, and render, "(Oh for) my enlivening i.e. an enlivening for me in trouble!" Hitzig more naturally renders in the vocative, "My enlivener in trouble" which he supposes to be in apposition to my heart. Do Dieu (1648) wavers between this and the view that it is an address to his wife, "Quae marito solatio est." (See, however, Jer_16:2)

Ver. 18 -Jer_9:1) Ver. 18, "When I would comfort myself," etc. All hope dies down, is crushed beneath the overwhelming evidence of the hopelessness of his people"s condition. Ver. 21: he is as if wounded, his heart is clad in the garb of deepest woe, the black raiment of the mourner. Jer_9:1: he has exhausted his power of telling forth his deep grief, his eyes refuse to weep more, though his heart be sore pierced, and the troubles of his people are unrelieved. Therefore he desires that he might weep continually.

II ITS GROUNDS.

1. They were still trusting in lying words (ver, 19), reckoning that, because the temple of Jehovah and the throne of David belonged, to them, therefore they should have been secure. Though in distant lands, in actual captivity for there the prophet contemplates them they were still imagining that the possession of the temple and David"s throne should have been their sure safeguard. It is terrible to see God"s judgments coming upon guilty men, but when these judgments themselves seem to fail in teaching the needed lesson, that is a greater sorrow still.

2. The time of redemption was over. (Ver. 20) The long harvest days, the bright summer weather symbols of all days of opportunity these were gone, The days when they might have turned to God and found deliverance, "the wrath of God had arisen against them, and there was no remedy." But what a retrospect is his who has to say as did Post Israel, The harvest is past," etc.! For:

(1) Such seasons remind us of our privileges and obligations.

(a) It is a time of fruitfulness, of great privilege, grace, and goodness. God makes man"s cup to overflow. Youth and days of gospel privilege. Sundays, sacred services, etc.

(b) It should be a time of great activity. The natural harvest and summertime is so. For:

(c) It is a season of such limited duration.

(2) But men often let these times pass away unimproved.

(a) The world hinders them.

(b) Perversion of Scripture truths.

(c) Belief that they are well enough as they are.

(d) Procrastination.

(3) But once gone, the fruits of that summer and that harvest can never be saved. Such facts as these open the floodgates of grief in hearts like that of Jeremiah.

3. He could see no means of restoration or recovery whatsoever (Ver. 22), no balm and no physician anywhere.

III ITS WORD TO ALL WHO SHOULD KNOW OR ARE THE CAUSES OF SUCH GRIEF NOW.

1. Christ"s servants should be in sympathy with the prophet"s lament. It is because we are so indifferent the world is so. "Si vis me flere flendum est," it is ever saying, but in vain, to the professing Church. Oh for the compassion of Jeremiah and yet more of Christ! If we sowed in tears we should reap in joy. If so we went forth "bearing precious seed, we shall doubtless come again rejoicing, bringing," etc.

2. But you who cause such grief, think you not that if such be the result of anticipating God"s judgments upon sin, the enduring of them must be far worse? And that is your part in them. Christ himself assured the weeping women who followed him to Calvary that the woes of them who crucified him would be worse than his own. "If they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?

CONCLUSION. Then, instead of causing sorrow to the faithful servants of God by resisting their appeals, yield to them, and so gladden these servants, and the angels of God, and the heart of God, and the Son of God. So you yourself shall enter into the joy of your Lord. C.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Sorrow - The prophet now seems to speak, how greatly the calamity of this people affected him.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

General Information:

Jeremiah and Yahweh have a conversation about the people of Judah.

My sorrow has no end

The word "my" refers to Jeremiah. The original text is unclear and is interpreted here in different ways by modern versions.

has no end

These words are an exaggeration that express the great extent of Jeremiah's sorrow. AT: "is very great" (See: Hyperbole and Generalization)

my heart is sick

Here "heart" represents Jeremiah, emphasizing his feelings and emotions. AT: "I feel sick deep down inside me" (See: Synecdoche)

Behold!

This alerts the reader to pay attention to what follows. "Pay attention!"

the daughter of my people

Jeremiah is speaking about the people of Judah in a way that shows his affection for them, as if for a daughter. See how you translated this in Jeremiah 4:11. AT: "my dear people" (See: Metaphor)

from a land far away

Possible meanings are 1) From exile. AT: "from exile in a distant land" or 2) From throughout the land of Judah. AT: "throughout our land"

Is Yahweh not in Zion? Is her king no longer there?

These two questions are similar in meaning. They imply that the people of Judah are wondering why Yahweh is not saving them. AT: "Why does Yahweh not save us if he is the king in Zion?" (See: Parallelism and Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information and Rhetorical Question)

Why then do they provoke me to anger with their carved figures and their worthless foreign idols?

The word "me" refers to Yahweh. This question can be translated as a statement. AT: "If they want me to save them, then they must not offend me with their carved figures." (See: Rhetorical Question)

translationWords

heart

voice

Zion

king

image

worthy

alien

false god

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

Were I to suppress my grief Heb. מבליגיתי, my suppression, and it is a noun, (mes estenimenc in O.F.). That is to say, if I said, I will suppress and keep in my grief.

my heart is sick within me From the voice of the prophecies that are revealed to me of the coming retributions.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.