What is the meaning of Jeremiah 9:15? Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: The verse opens with a double title for God—“LORD of Hosts” and “God of Israel.” This framing signals a solemn, authoritative declaration. By naming Himself this way, the Lord reminds Judah that: • He commands all heavenly armies (1 Samuel 17:45) and therefore has unlimited power to enforce His words. • He is still their covenant God (Exodus 3:15), the One who lovingly chose Israel yet now must discipline them for covenant breach (Leviticus 26:14–17). Because the statement begins with “Therefore,” it attaches directly to the previous verses, where Judah’s deceit, idolatry, and refusal to repent have provoked divine wrath (Jeremiah 9:13–14). God’s impending action flows from righteous judgment, not caprice. Behold, I will feed this people wormwood “Behold” calls for focused attention: something startling follows. Wormwood is a bitter desert shrub; its taste makes food unpalatable and can symbolize sorrow and calamity (Proverbs 5:4; Lamentations 3:19). When God says He will feed the nation wormwood: • He promises that life’s “menu” will turn unbearably bitter—exile, famine, grief (Jeremiah 8:21–22; 16:4–6). • The imagery echoes earlier covenant warnings: disobedience would plant a “root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit” (Deuteronomy 29:18). • Later prophets pick up the same metaphor for judgment (Jeremiah 23:15) and Revelation uses wormwood for global catastrophe (Revelation 8:10–11). Thus the Lord is declaring that Judah’s chosen sins will now become the bitterness they must ingest. and give them poisoned water to drink. Moving from food to water intensifies the picture: essential sustenance becomes lethal. Jeremiah elsewhere records the people’s fear of drinking water laden with divine wrath (Jeremiah 8:14). God’s words stress: • Comprehensive judgment—what should sustain life (water) will instead bring harm, recalling the plagues of Egypt when the Nile turned to blood (Exodus 7:20–21). • Inescapability—everyone needs water; therefore no one will avoid the consequences (Jeremiah 25:15–16, “Take this cup of the wine of My wrath and make all the nations drink”). • Fulfillment of covenant curses—“The LORD will send on you curses…until you are destroyed” (Deuteronomy 28:20). Physical hardship, military defeat, and spiritual despair will flow together like a poisoned stream. The phrase underscores that Judah’s rebellion has contaminated even the basic fabric of daily life. summary Jeremiah 9:15 is God’s sober verdict on a people who persistently spurned His truth. The Lord of Hosts—fully able to carry out His decree—announces that Judah will taste the bitterness of wormwood and the deadly sting of tainted water. These vivid images portray comprehensive, covenant-driven judgment: life itself will turn bitter and lethal because sin has saturated the nation. Yet even in pronouncing discipline, God’s titles remind His people that He remains their covenant Lord, ready to restore when repentance comes (Jeremiah 3:12; 31:20). |
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