Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?

JEREMIAH 8:22KJV
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Jeremiah 8:22 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 8:22 mean?

Jeremiah 8:22 describes the prophet Jeremiah asking why there is no healing for his people, using the image of a healing balm from Gilead and a physician, even though both were famously available. The verse is a lament that, despite resources that should bring relief, the suffering of the people of Judah continues without remedy.

Jeremiah is speaking to the people of Judah during a time of national crisis, warning them about the consequences of their unfaithfulness to God. Gilead was known for its healing balm, and the mention of a physician highlights the expectation of healing. The verse expresses Jeremiah’s deep sorrow that, although help seems available, the spiritual and physical wounds of the nation remain untreated.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 8:22

  • בָּשָׂם (basam, "balm"): This word refers to a valuable resin used for healing, especially known from the region of Gilead. Its mention emphasizes that the people have access to what should be a cure.
  • גִּלְעָד (Gil'ad, "Gilead"): Gilead was a region east of the Jordan River, famous for its medicinal balm. The reference underlines that the best-known source of healing is nearby, making the lack of recovery more striking.
  • רָפָא (rapha, "physician"): This word means healer or doctor. Jeremiah’s question points out that even with skilled healers, the people’s wounds persist, suggesting a problem deeper than physical illness.
  • עֲלוּת (alut, "recovered"): This word carries the sense of rising up or being restored. The verse’s final question highlights the absence of true recovery, despite all the apparent remedies.

Why Jeremiah 8:22 matters

  • Jeremiah 8:22 clears up the idea that the people’s suffering is due to a lack of resources; instead, the problem is spiritual and moral, not physical or material.
  • The verse emphasizes Jeremiah’s heartbreak and the seriousness of Judah’s condition, showing that their wounds are not just physical but deeply rooted in their relationship with God.
  • This verse connects to the wider passage by highlighting the futility of outward remedies when the real issue is unaddressed, setting the stage for Jeremiah’s continued call to repentance.

Where else these words appear

“balm” Hebrew H6875 · used in 6 verses

  • Genesis 37:25 And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.
  • Genesis 43:11 And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds:
  • Jeremiah 51:8 Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed.

“health” Hebrew H724 · used in 6 verses

  • 2 Chronicles 24:13 So the workmen wrought, and the work was perfected by them, and they set the house of God in his state, and strengthened it.
  • Nehemiah 4:7 But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth,
  • Jeremiah 30:17 For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD; because they called thee an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after.

“then” Hebrew H3588 · used in 43 verses

  • Genesis 1:4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
  • Exodus 13:17 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt:
  • Joshua 2:12 Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father's house, and give me a true token:

“physician” 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.