141 That which hath been the word of Jehovah unto Jeremiah concerning the matters of the dearths: 2 Mourned hath Judah, and her gates have languished, They have mourned to the earth, And the cry of Jerusalem hath gone up. 3 And their honourable ones have sent their little ones to the water, They have come unto ditches, They have not found water, They have turned back—their vessels empty! They have been ashamed, And have blushed and covered their head. 4 Because the ground hath been broken, For there hath been no rain in the land, Ashamed have been husbandmen, They have covered their head. 5 For even the hind in the field hath brought forth—to forsake 'it!' For there hath been no grass. 6 And wild asses have stood on high places, They have swallowed up wind like dragons, Consumed have been their eyes, for there is no herb. 7 Surely our iniquities have testified against us, O Jehovah, work for Thy name's sake, For many have been our backslidings, Against Thee we have sinned. 8 O Hope of Israel—its saviour in time of trouble, Why art Thou as a sojourner in the land? And as a traveller turned aside to lodge? 9 Why art Thou as one dumb? As a mighty one not able to save? And Thou 'art' in our midst, O Jehovah, And Thy name over us is called, leave us not.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Jeremiah 14:1-9
Commentary on Jeremiah 14:1-9
(Read Jeremiah 14:1-9)
The people were in tears. But it was rather the cry of their trouble, and of their sin, than of their prayer. Let us be thankful for the mercy of water, that we may not be taught to value it by feeling the want of it. See what dependence husbandmen have upon the Divine providence. They cannot plough nor sow in hope, unless God water their furrows. The case even of the wild beasts was very pitiable. The people are not forward to pray, but the prophet prays for them. Sin is humbly confessed. Our sins not only accuse us, but answer against us. Our best pleas in prayer are those fetched from the glory of God's own name. We should dread God's departure, more than the removal of our creature-comforts. He has given Israel his word to hope in. It becomes us in prayer to show ourselves more concerned for God's glory than for our own comfort. And if we now return to the Lord, he will save us to the glory of his grace.