What is the meaning of Jeremiah 4:31? For I hear a cry like a woman in labor Jeremiah reports what he hears, not a distant rumor but a vivid, God-given sound of distress. • Labor cries signal the onset of something unavoidable; Judah’s judgment is now inescapable, exactly as foretold in Jeremiah 4:5-7. • Such pain illustrates the certainty and intensity of coming disaster (Isaiah 13:8; John 16:21 reminds that birth pains are real, inevitable, and purposeful). • Because Scripture is literal and accurate, the prophet truly anticipates the invading armies bearing down on Jerusalem, much as Romans 8:22 pictures creation groaning under the weight of sin. …a cry of anguish like one bearing her first child First labor is fiercest; Jerusalem will face suffering like nothing in her past. • Hosea 13:13 links first-time birth pangs to Israel’s refusal to repent; Micah 4:9-10 echoes the same birth-pain imagery pointing to Babylonian exile. • The comparison underscores Judah’s unpreparedness—having ignored repeated warnings (Jeremiah 3:6-14), the nation will be stunned by the severity of judgment. …the cry of the Daughter of Zion gasping for breath “Daughter of Zion” personalizes Jerusalem; her gasp reveals life draining away. • Siege warfare literally cuts off breath—supplies, hope, and spiritual vitality (Lamentations 1:1-2; 4:17-19). • God’s covenant people, once secure (Psalm 76:2), now experience the suffocating consequences of persistent rebellion (Jeremiah 2:19). …stretching out her hands to say, A final, frantic gesture—hands raised in desperation, surrender, and plea. • Lamentations 1:17 pictures Jerusalem spreading hands with none to comfort; Psalm 28:2 shows righteous prayer in the same posture, highlighting Judah’s tragic distance from God. • The pose also signals helplessness before attackers (Jeremiah 6:24-26), confirming that human strength cannot avert divine judgment. “Woe is me, for my soul faints before the murderers!” The lament reaches its climax; Judah confesses terror but too late. • Deuteronomy 28:47-52 had warned that refusing to serve the LORD joyfully would bring enemies whose cruelty would exhaust the nation’s soul. • “Murderers” points to Babylon’s troops (2 Kings 25:8-10), but behind them stands God’s righteous wrath (Jeremiah 25:9). • Spiritual lesson: sin always invites destruction, and delayed repentance leaves only exhaustion and woe (Hebrews 3:12-13). summary Jeremiah 4:31 portrays Jerusalem hearing, feeling, and finally voicing the agony of judgment. Like a first-time mother in unbearable labor, the city gasps and surrenders, overwhelmed by enemies God has allowed because of persistent sin. The verse warns that ignoring the Lord’s call to repentance results in unavoidable, intense suffering; yet its birth-pain imagery also hints that beyond judgment God can bring new life to those who return to Him. |
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