Jeremiah 22:8
New International Version
“People from many nations will pass by this city and will ask one another, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this great city?’

New Living Translation
“People from many nations will pass by the ruins of this city and say to one another, ‘Why did the LORD destroy such a great city?’

English Standard Version
“‘And many nations will pass by this city, and every man will say to his neighbor, “Why has the LORD dealt thus with this great city?”

Berean Standard Bible
And many nations will pass by this city and ask one another, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this great city?’

King James Bible
And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbour, Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this great city?

New King James Version
And many nations will pass by this city; and everyone will say to his neighbor, ‘Why has the LORD done so to this great city?’

New American Standard Bible
“Many nations will pass by this city; and they will say to one another, ‘Why has the LORD done this to this great city?’

NASB 1995
“Many nations will pass by this city; and they will say to one another, ‘Why has the LORD done thus to this great city?’

NASB 1977
“And many nations will pass by this city; and they will say to one another, ‘Why has the LORD done thus to this great city?’

Legacy Standard Bible
“Many nations will pass by this city; and they will say to one another, ‘Why has Yahweh done thus to this great city?’

Amplified Bible
“Many nations will pass by this city; and each man will say to another, ‘Why has the LORD done this to this great city?’

Christian Standard Bible
“Many nations will pass by this city and ask one another, ‘Why did the LORD do such a thing to this great city? ’

Holman Christian Standard Bible
“Many nations will pass by this city and ask one another, ‘Why did the LORD do such a thing to this great city?’

American Standard Version
And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbor, Wherefore hath Jehovah done thus unto this great city?

Contemporary English Version
People from different nations will pass by and ask, "Why did the LORD do this to such a great city as Jerusalem?"

English Revised Version
And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbour, Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this great city?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"People from many nations will pass by this city and ask each other, 'Why has the LORD done this to this important city?'

Good News Translation
"Afterward many foreigners will pass by and ask one another why I, the LORD, have done such a thing to this great city.

International Standard Version
"Many nations will pass by this city and say to one another, 'Why did the LORD do this to this great city?'

Majority Standard Bible
And many nations will pass by this city and ask one another, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this great city?’

NET Bible
"'People from other nations will pass by this city. They will ask one another, "Why has the LORD done such a thing to this great city?"

New Heart English Bible
Many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbor, 'Why has the LORD done thus to this great city?'

Webster's Bible Translation
And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbor, Why hath the LORD done thus to this great city?

World English Bible
“Many nations will pass by this city, and they will each ask his neighbor, ‘Why has Yahweh done this to this great city?’
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And many nations have passed by this city, "" And they have each said to his neighbor, “Why has YHWH done thus to this great city?”

Young's Literal Translation
And many nations have passed by this city, And they have said, each to his neighbour, For what hath Jehovah done thus to this great city?

Smith's Literal Translation
And many nations passed through this city, and they said a man to his neighbor, For what did Jehovah thus to this great city?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And many nations shall pass by this city: and they shall say every man to his neighbor: Why hath the Lord done so to this great city?

Catholic Public Domain Version
And many nations will pass through this city. And each one will say to his neighbor: ‘Why has the Lord acted in this way toward this great city?’

New American Bible
Many nations will pass by this city and ask one another: “Why has the LORD done this to so great a city?”

New Revised Standard Version
And many nations will pass by this city, and all of them will say one to another, “Why has the LORD dealt in this way with that great city?”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And many people shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbor, Wherefore has the LORD done such a thing to this great city?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And many nations shall pass by this great city. They shall say, a man to his neighbor: ‘Why did so LORD JEHOVAH to this great city?’
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbour: 'Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this great city?'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And nations shall pass through this city, and each shall say to his neighbour, Why has the Lord done thus to this great city?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
A Warning about the Palace
7I will appoint destroyers against you, each man with his weapons, and they will cut down the choicest of your cedars and throw them into the fire. 8And many nations will pass by this city and ask one another, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this great city?’ 9Then people will reply, ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God and have worshiped and served other gods.’ ”…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 29:24-28
So all the nations will ask, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land? Why this great outburst of anger?’ / And the people will answer, ‘It is because they abandoned the covenant of the LORD, the God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them out of the land of Egypt. / They went and served other gods, and they worshiped gods they had not known—gods that the LORD had not given to them. ...

1 Kings 9:8-9
And when this temple has become a heap of rubble, all who pass by it will be appalled and will hiss and say, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ / And others will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the LORD their God who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—because of this, the LORD has brought all this disaster upon them.’”

2 Chronicles 7:20-22
then I will uproot Israel from the soil I have given them, and I will banish from My presence this temple I have sanctified for My Name. I will make it an object of scorn and ridicule among all the peoples. / And when this temple has become a heap of rubble, all who pass by it will be appalled and say, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ / And others will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—because of this, He has brought all this disaster upon them.’”

Isaiah 1:7-9
Your land is desolate; your cities are burned with fire. Foreigners devour your fields before you—a desolation demolished by strangers. / And the Daughter of Zion is abandoned like a shelter in a vineyard, like a shack in a cucumber field, like a city besieged. / Unless the LORD of Hosts had left us a few survivors, we would have become like Sodom, we would have resembled Gomorrah.

Isaiah 64:10-11
Your holy cities have become a wilderness. Zion has become a wasteland and Jerusalem a desolation. / Our holy and beautiful temple, where our fathers praised You, has been burned with fire, and all that was dear to us lies in ruins.

Lamentations 2:15-16
All who pass by clap their hands at you in scorn. They hiss and shake their heads at the Daughter of Jerusalem: “Is this the city that was called the perfection of beauty, the joy of all the earth?” / All your enemies open their mouths against you. They hiss and gnash their teeth, saying, “We have swallowed her up. This is the day for which we have waited. We have lived to see it!”

Ezekiel 5:14-15
I will make you a ruin and a disgrace among the nations around you, in the sight of all who pass by. / So you will be a reproach and a taunt, a warning and a horror to the nations around you, when I execute judgments against you in anger, wrath, and raging fury. I, the LORD, have spoken.

Ezekiel 33:28-29
I will make the land a desolate waste, and the pride of her strength will come to an end. The mountains of Israel will become desolate, so that no one will pass through. / Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I have made the land a desolate waste because of all the abominations they have committed.’

Micah 6:16
You have kept the statutes of Omri and all the practices of Ahab’s house; you have followed their counsel. Therefore I will make you a desolation, and your inhabitants an object of contempt; you will bear the scorn of the nations.”

Matthew 23:37-38
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling! / Look, your house is left to you desolate.

Luke 19:41-44
As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it / and said, “If only you had known on this day what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden from your eyes. / For the days will come upon you when your enemies will barricade you and surround you and hem you in on every side. ...

Luke 21:20-24
But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, you will know that her desolation is near. / Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country stay out of the city. / For these are the days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. ...

Romans 9:27-29
Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the Israelites is like the sand of the sea, only the remnant will be saved. / For the Lord will carry out His sentence on the earth thoroughly and decisively.” / It is just as Isaiah foretold: “Unless the Lord of Hosts had left us descendants, we would have become like Sodom, we would have resembled Gomorrah.”

Romans 11:7-10
What then? What Israel was seeking, it failed to obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened, / as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see, and ears that could not hear, to this very day.” / And David says: “May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution to them. ...

Romans 11:25-27
I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you will not be conceited: A hardening in part has come to Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. / And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come from Zion; He will remove godlessness from Jacob. / And this is My covenant with them when I take away their sins.”


Treasury of Scripture

And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbor, Why has the LORD done thus to this great city?

Deuteronomy 29:23-25
And that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the LORD overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath: …

1 Kings 9:8,9
And at this house, which is high, every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and to this house? …

2 Chronicles 7:20-22
Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations…

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Jeremiah 22
1. He exhorts to repentance, with promises and threats.
10. The judgment of Shallum;
13. of Jehoiakim;
20. and of Coniah.














And many nations
The phrase "many nations" indicates a broad and diverse group of people, not limited to Israel or Judah. In the Hebrew context, "nations" (goyim) often refers to Gentile peoples. This highlights the universal scope of God's actions and judgments. Historically, Jerusalem was a city of great significance, and its fate would naturally draw the attention of surrounding nations. This phrase underscores the idea that God's dealings with His people are a testimony to the world, reflecting His justice and sovereignty.

will pass by this city
The act of passing by suggests movement and observation. In ancient times, cities were often located along trade routes, making them visible to travelers and merchants. The city in question is Jerusalem, a central hub in the ancient Near East. The phrase implies that the destruction or desolation of Jerusalem will be so significant that it will become a point of interest and inquiry for those who pass by. This serves as a reminder of the consequences of turning away from God and the visibility of His judgments.

and ask one another
This phrase indicates a communal reflection and discussion among the nations. The Hebrew root for "ask" (sha'al) can also mean to inquire or seek understanding. It suggests that the events surrounding the city will provoke curiosity and a search for meaning. This communal questioning reflects the human tendency to seek explanations for significant events, especially those involving divine intervention or judgment.

‘Why has the LORD done such a thing
The question posed here is central to understanding the nature of God's actions. The use of "LORD" (YHWH) emphasizes the covenantal relationship between God and His people. The inquiry into why the LORD has acted in such a way points to the need for understanding divine justice and righteousness. It reflects the biblical theme that God's actions, though sometimes severe, are always rooted in His holiness and desire for His people to return to Him.

to this great city?’
Jerusalem is referred to as "this great city," highlighting its importance and stature. In the biblical narrative, Jerusalem is not only a political and cultural center but also a spiritual one, being the location of the Temple. The greatness of the city makes its downfall even more poignant and serves as a powerful testament to the consequences of disobedience to God. The phrase calls readers to reflect on the transient nature of earthly power and the ultimate authority of God over all nations and cities.

(8, 9) Wherefore hath the Lord done thus . . .--The coincidence of thought and language with Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 29:24-26) again calls for notice.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And many
רַבִּ֔ים (rab·bîm)
Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 7227: Much, many, great

nations
גּוֹיִ֣ם (gō·w·yim)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 1471: A foreign nation, a Gentile, a troop of animals, a flight of locusts

will pass
וְעָֽבְרוּ֙ (wə·‘ā·ḇə·rū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 5674: To pass over, through, or by, pass on

by
עַ֖ל (‘al)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

this
הַזֹּ֑את (haz·zōṯ)
Article | Pronoun - feminine singular
Strong's 2063: Hereby in it, likewise, the one other, same, she, so much, such deed, that,

city
הָעִ֣יר (hā·‘îr)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5892: Excitement

and ask
וְאָֽמְרוּ֙ (wə·’ā·mə·rū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 559: To utter, say

one
אִ֣ישׁ (’îš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

another,
רֵעֵ֔הוּ (rê·‘ê·hū)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7453: Friend, companion, fellow

‘Why
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

has the LORD
יְהוָה֙ (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

done
עָשָׂ֤ה (‘ā·śāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make

such a thing
כָּ֔כָה (kā·ḵāh)
Adverb
Strong's 3602: Just so

to this
הַזֹּֽאת׃ (haz·zōṯ)
Article | Pronoun - feminine singular
Strong's 2063: Hereby in it, likewise, the one other, same, she, so much, such deed, that,

great
הַגְּדוֹלָ֖ה (hag·gə·ḏō·w·lāh)
Article | Adjective - feminine singular
Strong's 1419: Great, older, insolent

city?’
לָעִ֥יר (lā·‘îr)
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5892: Excitement


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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 22:8 Many nations shall pass by this city (Jer.)
Jeremiah 22:7
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