For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.

JEREMIAH 8:11KJV
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Jeremiah 8:11 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 8:11 mean?

Jeremiah 8:11 describes leaders who pretend to fix the deep pain of the people by offering false reassurance, saying “Peace, peace,” even though there is no real peace or safety. The verse warns that these promises are shallow and do not address the real problems facing the nation.

In this verse, the prophet Jeremiah is speaking about the spiritual and national crisis in Judah. He points out that priests and prophets are telling the people everything is fine, when in reality, disaster is coming because of their unfaithfulness to God. The verse highlights the danger of ignoring real issues by covering them up with comforting but empty words.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 8:11

  • “healed” (רָפָא, rapha): This word means to mend, cure, or restore. Here, it is used ironically—the leaders claim to heal the people’s hurt, but their efforts are only surface-level.
  • “hurt” (שֶׁבֶר, shever): This word refers to a fracture, breaking, or serious wound. The verse emphasizes that the people’s suffering is deep and not easily fixed.
  • “slightly” (קָלַל, qalal): This word means to make light of or treat as insignificant. The leaders are treating a serious injury as if it were minor, downplaying the real crisis.
  • “Peace” (שָׁלוֹם, shalom): This word means peace, wholeness, or well-being. The leaders repeat “shalom, shalom,” but there is no true shalom—only the illusion of it.

Why Jeremiah 8:11 matters

  • Jeremiah 8:11 clears up the misunderstanding that everything was fine in Judah; it shows that official reassurances were misleading and did not match reality.
  • The verse emphasizes how dangerous it is when leaders minimize serious problems instead of addressing them honestly.
  • This verse connects to the wider passage by showing why judgment is coming: the people are being misled by those who should guide them, leaving them unprepared for what is ahead.

Where else these words appear

“hurt” Hebrew H7667 · used in 41 verses

  • Leviticus 21:19 Or a man that is brokenfooted, or brokenhanded,
  • Isaiah 30:26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.
  • Jeremiah 30:15 Why criest thou for thine affliction? thy sorrow is incurable for the multitude of thine iniquity: because thy sins were increased, I have done these things unto thee.

“healed” Hebrew H7495 · used in 62 verses

  • Genesis 20:17 So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children.
  • 2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
  • Jeremiah 3:22 Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the LORD our God.

“slightly” Hebrew H7043 · used in 79 verses

  • Genesis 8:8 Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground;
  • 2 Samuel 16:7 And thus said Shimei when he cursed, Come out, come out, thou bloody man, and thou man of Belial:
  • Psalms 62:4 They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah.