Concerning Damascus. Hamath is confounded, and Arpad: for they have heard evil tidings: they are fainthearted; there is sorrow on the sea; it cannot be quiet.

JEREMIAH 49:23KJV
Know the Bible

Jeremiah 49:23 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 49:23 mean?

Jeremiah 49:23 describes how the cities of Hamath and Arpad are thrown into confusion and fear because they have heard troubling news, and there is deep unrest that even affects the sea, which cannot become calm. The verse uses the distress of these cities and the image of a restless sea to show the overwhelming anxiety and sorrow spreading through the region.

The prophet Jeremiah is speaking God’s message about the coming judgment on Damascus, a major city in ancient Syria. Hamath and Arpad were important cities north of Damascus, and their panic signals a crisis affecting the whole area. The “evil tidings” refer to news of invasion or disaster, and the sorrow “on the sea” paints a vivid picture of turmoil that cannot be settled, emphasizing how widespread and unstoppable the distress is.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 49:23

  • "Confounded" (בּוֹשׁ, bosh): This word often means to be ashamed or deeply humiliated. Here, it highlights how Hamath and Arpad are not just afraid but also feel disgraced and overwhelmed by the bad news.
  • "Fainthearted" (מָגוּר, magur): This word carries the sense of being deeply anxious or terrified, not just mildly worried. It shows that the people’s courage has failed completely.
  • "Sorrow" (דְּאָגָה, de’agah): This word means anxiety or distress, especially the kind that gnaws at someone from within. The verse uses it to show the depth of emotional pain spreading through the region.
  • "Sea" (יָם, yam): The sea in Hebrew poetry often represents chaos or forces beyond human control. The image of the sea unable to be quiet adds to the sense of unstoppable trouble.

Why Jeremiah 49:23 matters

  • Jeremiah 49:23 shows that the coming disaster is not limited to one city but spreads panic and sorrow across a whole region, including places thought to be strong or secure.
  • The verse uses strong emotional language and vivid imagery to communicate the depth of fear and unrest, helping readers feel the seriousness of the situation.
  • By mentioning the sea’s inability to be quiet, the verse connects the emotional turmoil of the people to the natural world, emphasizing how all creation seems disturbed by what is coming.

Where else these words appear

“Arpad” Hebrew H774 · used in 6 verses

  • 2 Kings 18:34 Where are the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah? have they delivered Samaria out of mine hand?
  • 2 Kings 19:13 Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivah?
  • Isaiah 36:19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arphad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim? and have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?

“sorrow” Hebrew H1674 · used in 6 verses

  • Joshua 22:24 And if we have not rather done it for fear of this thing, saying, In time to come your children might speak unto our children, saying, What have ye to do with the LORD God of Israel?
  • Proverbs 12:25 Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.
  • Ezekiel 12:18 Son of man, eat thy bread with quaking, and drink thy water with trembling and with carefulness;

“fainthearted” Hebrew H4127 · used in 17 verses

  • Exodus 15:15 Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away.
  • Psalms 46:6 The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.
  • Isaiah 64:7 And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.

“tidings” Hebrew H8052 · used in 24 verses

  • 1 Samuel 2:24 Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the LORD'S people to transgress.
  • 2 Chronicles 9:6 Howbeit I believed not their words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the one half of the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me: for thou exceedest the fame that I heard.
  • Jeremiah 10:22 Behold, the noise of the bruit is come, and a great commotion out of the north country, to make the cities of Judah desolate, and a den of dragons.