Cut off thine hair, O Jerusalem, and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on high places; for the LORD hath rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath.

JEREMIAH 7:29KJV
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Jeremiah 7:29 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 7:29 mean?

Jeremiah 7:29 describes God telling Jerusalem to cut off her hair and mourn on the high places because the LORD has rejected and abandoned the people of this generation due to their wrongdoing. The verse uses a vivid image to show that God’s patience has run out, and judgment is coming.

The prophet Jeremiah is speaking to the people of Jerusalem, warning them that their unfaithfulness and disobedience have led God (the LORD) to turn away from them. Cutting off hair was a sign of deep mourning or disgrace in ancient Israel. The “high places” were often sites of idol worship, so the command to lament there highlights the seriousness of their sin and the public nature of their coming sorrow.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 7:29

  • "Cut off" (גָּזַז, gazaz): This word is often used for shearing or cutting, especially hair or wool. Here, it signals a dramatic act of mourning or humiliation.
  • "Hair" (נֵזֶר, nezer): This word can mean a consecrated or dedicated hair, sometimes linked to a Nazirite vow. Its use here suggests something once set apart for God is now to be cast away, emphasizing loss of special status.
  • "Lamentation" (קִינָה, qinah): This is a word for a formal, often public, mourning song or dirge, underlining the depth of grief called for.
  • "Rejected" (מָאַס, ma'as) and "forsaken" (נָטַשׁ, natash): These words stress that God has not just turned away in disappointment but has decisively rejected and abandoned this generation because of their actions.

Why Jeremiah 7:29 matters

  • The verse clears up that God’s rejection is not random or sudden; it is a response to persistent disobedience and idolatry, especially in places meant for worship.
  • The image of cutting off hair and public lamentation shows the depth of loss and shame involved, not just personal sorrow but a national disgrace.
  • This verse connects to the larger message of Jeremiah 7, where God warns that religious rituals cannot make up for injustice and unfaithfulness, and that real repentance is needed.

Where else these words appear

“places” Hebrew H8205 · used in 10 verses

  • Numbers 23:3 And Balaam said unto Balak, Stand by thy burnt offering, and I will go: peradventure the LORD will come to meet me: and whatsoever he sheweth me I will tell thee. And he went to an high place.
  • Isaiah 49:9 That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.
  • Jeremiah 4:11 At that time shall it be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A dry wind of the high places in the wilderness toward the daughter of my people, not to fan, nor to cleanse,

“off” Hebrew H1494 · used in 15 verses

  • Genesis 31:19 And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father's.
  • 1 Samuel 25:2 And there was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats: and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.
  • 2 Samuel 13:24 And Absalom came to the king, and said, Behold now, thy servant hath sheepshearers; let the king, I beseech thee, and his servants go with thy servant.

“lamentation” Hebrew H7015 · used in 16 verses

  • 2 Samuel 1:17 And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son:
  • Ezekiel 19:1 Moreover take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,
  • Ezekiel 28:12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.

“hair” Hebrew H5145 · used in 22 verses

  • Exodus 29:6 And thou shalt put the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the mitre.
  • Numbers 6:8 All the days of his separation he is holy unto the LORD.
  • 2 Samuel 1:10 So I stood upon him, and slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen: and I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them hither unto my lord.