A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land;

JEREMIAH 5:30KJV
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Jeremiah 5:30 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 5:30 mean?

Jeremiah 5:30 states that something astonishing and dreadful has happened in the land, highlighting a situation that is both shocking and deeply troubling. The verse draws attention to a crisis so serious that it stands out as both remarkable and horrifying to those who witness it.

The prophet Jeremiah is speaking to the people of Judah, describing the moral and spiritual collapse he sees around him. This verse sets the stage for the next verse, where Jeremiah explains what this "wonderful and horrible thing" is: the prophets and priests are misleading the people, and the people accept it. The language is meant to jolt the listeners into recognizing the seriousness of what is happening in their society.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 5:30

  • The word translated "wonderful" is שַׁמָּה (shammah), which often means "appalling" or "horrifying" rather than "wonderful" in a positive sense. Here, it emphasizes something that causes shock or dismay.
  • The word translated "thing" is תֵּמָה (temah), which refers to something astonishing or a cause for wonder, usually in a negative or alarming way. The pairing of these two words intensifies the sense of outrage and surprise.
  • The word translated "committed" is הָיָה (hayah), which simply means "has happened" or "has come to pass," stressing that this event is a real occurrence, not just a possibility.
  • The word translated "land" is אֶרֶץ (erets), meaning the land of Judah, making clear that this crisis is happening among Jeremiah's own people.

Why Jeremiah 5:30 matters

  • Jeremiah 5:30 helps clear up that "wonderful" here does not mean something good, but something shockingly bad; the original Hebrew words point to horror and astonishment.
  • This verse sets up the explanation in the next verse, making the reader pause and pay attention to the seriousness of the situation before hearing what exactly has gone wrong.
  • The verse highlights the depth of the crisis in Judah, showing that the problems are not minor but are so severe that they are described as both astonishing and horrifying.

Where else these words appear

“thing” Hebrew H8186 · used in 4 verses

  • Jeremiah 18:13 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ask ye now among the heathen, who hath heard such things: the virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing.
  • Jeremiah 23:14 I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.
  • Hosea 6:10 I have seen an horrible thing in the house of Israel: there is the whoredom of Ephraim, Israel is defiled.

“wonderful” Hebrew H8047 · used in 39 verses

  • Deuteronomy 28:37 And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee.
  • Jeremiah 18:16 To make their land desolate, and a perpetual hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head.
  • Jeremiah 49:17 Also Edom shall be a desolation: every one that goeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss at all the plagues thereof.

“committed” Hebrew H1961 · used in 72 verses

  • Genesis 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
  • Exodus 12:4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
  • 2 Samuel 7:24 For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee for ever: and thou, LORD, art become their God.