Logos Bible Study

Jeremiah 14:3–6

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14:3The leading men of the cities send their servants for water.

They go to the cisterns,6 but they do not find any water there.

They return with their containers7 empty.

Disappointed and dismayed, they bury their faces in their hands.8

14:4They are dismayed because the ground is cracked9

because there has been no rain in the land.

The farmers, too, are dismayed

and bury their faces in their hands.

14:5Even the doe abandons her newborn fawn10 in the field

because there is no grass.

14:6Wild donkeys stand on the hilltops

and pant for breath like jackals.

Their eyes are strained looking for food,

because there is none to be found.”11

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Footnotes

  1. 6 Though the concept of “cisterns” is probably not familiar to some readers, it would be a mistake to translate this word as “well.” Wells have continual sources of water. Cisterns were pits dug in the ground and lined with plaster to hold rain water. The drought had exhausted all the water in the cisterns.
  2. 7 The word “containers” is a generic word in Hebrew = “vessels.” It would probably in this case involve water “jars” or “jugs.” But since in contemporary English one would normally associate those terms with smaller vessels, “containers” may be safer.
  3. 8 Heb “they cover their heads.” Some of the English versions have gone wrong here because of the “normal” use of the words translated here “disappointed” and “dismayed.” They are regularly translated “ashamed” and “disgraced, humiliated, dismayed” elsewhere (see e.g., Jer 22:22); they are somewhat synonymous terms which are often parallel or combined. The key here, however, is the expression “they cover their heads” which is used in 2 Sam 15:30 for the expression of grief. Moreover, the word translated here “disappointed” (בּוֹשׁ, bosh) is used that way several times. See for example Jer 12:13 and consult examples in 101 בּוֹשׁ Qal.2. A very similar context with the same figure is found in Jer 2:36–37.
  4. 9 For the use of the verb “is cracked” here see 369 חָתַת Qal.1 and compare the usage in Jer 51:56 where it refers to broken bows. The form is a relative clause without relative pronoun (cf., §155.f). The sentence as a whole is related to the preceding through a particle meaning “because of” or “on account of.” Hence the subject and verb have been repeated to make the connection.
  5. 10 Heb “she gives birth and abandons.”
  6. 11 Heb “their eyes are strained because there is no verdure.”

The NET Bible First Edition, Copyright 1996-2005 by Biblical Studies Press

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Her nobles send their servants for water;

they come to the cisterns;

they find no water;

they return with their vessels empty;

they are ashamed and confounded

and cover their heads.

Because of the ground that is dismayed,

since there is no rain on the land,

the farmers are ashamed;

they cover their heads.

Even the doe in the field forsakes her newborn fawn

because there is no grass.

The wild donkeys stand on the bare heights;

they pant for air like jackals;

their eyes fail

because there is no vegetation.

Copyright 2001 Crossway Bibles

NIVNew International Version (2011)

The nobles send their servants for water;

they go to the cisterns

but find no water.

They return with their jars unfilled;

dismayed and despairing,

they cover their heads.

The ground is cracked

because there is no rain in the land;

the farmers are dismayed

and cover their heads.

Even the doe in the field

deserts her newborn fawn

because there is no grass.

Wild donkeys stand on the barren heights

and pant like jackals;

their eyes fail

for lack of food.”

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica, Inc.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Their nobles send their servants for water.

They go to the cisterns;

they find no water;

their containers return empty.

They are ashamed and humiliated;

they cover their heads.

The ground is cracked

since no rain has fallen on the land.

The farmers are ashamed;

they cover their heads.

Even the doe in the field

gives birth and abandons her fawn

since there is no grass.

Wild donkeys stand on the barren heights

panting for air like jackals.

Their eyes fail

because there are no green plants.

Copyright 2017 Holman Bible Publishers

NLTNew Living Translation

The nobles send servants to get water,

but all the wells are dry.

The servants return with empty pitchers,

confused and desperate,

covering their heads in grief.

The ground is parched

and cracked for lack of rain.

The farmers are deeply troubled;

they, too, cover their heads.

Even the doe abandons her newborn fawn

because there is no grass in the field.

The wild donkeys stand on the bare hills

panting like thirsty jackals.

They strain their eyes looking for grass,

but there is none to be found.”

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And their nobles send their servants for water.

They come to the pits, they find no water.

They return with their vessels empty.

They are ashamed, and they are confounded,

and they cover their heads.

Because of the ground, which is cracked

because there was no rain on the ground.

The farmers are ashamed,

they cover their heads.

For even the doe in the field gives birth and forsakes her young,

because there is no green growth.

And wild asses stand on the barren heights,

they gasp for breath like the jackals.

Their eyes fail

because there is no vegetation.”

Copyright 2012 Lexham Press

KJV 1900King James Version

And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters:

They came to the pits, and found no water;

They returned with their vessels empty;

They were ashamed and confounded, and covered their heads.

Because the ground is chapt,

For there was no rain in the earth,

The plowmen were ashamed, they covered their heads.

Yea, the hind also calved in the field, and forsook it,

Because there was no grass.

And the wild asses did stand in the high places,

They snuffed up the wind like dragons;

Their eyes did fail, because there was no grass.

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