Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the LORD.

JEREMIAH 8:7KJV
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Jeremiah 8:7 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 8:7 mean?

Jeremiah 8:7 says that even birds like the stork, turtle-dove, crane, and swallow know the right times for their migrations, but God’s people do not recognize or understand the judgment of the LORD. The verse uses the instincts of animals to highlight how the people of Judah are less aware of God’s ways than creatures with no reasoning.

The prophet Jeremiah is speaking to the people of Judah, pointing out their spiritual blindness. While birds naturally follow the seasons set for them, the people ignore the clear warnings and instructions from God. This verse is part of a larger section where Jeremiah laments the stubbornness and unresponsiveness of his nation to God’s guidance.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 8:7

  • מּוֹעֵד (mo'ed, H4150): This word means "appointed time" or "season." It emphasizes that the birds follow their God-given schedule, suggesting an order in creation that even animals obey.
  • יָדַע (yada', H3045): This verb means "to know." The verse uses it to contrast the birds’ instinctive knowledge with the people’s lack of understanding about God’s judgment.
  • מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat, H4941): This word means "judgment" or "justice." Here, it refers to God’s decisions or decrees, which the people fail to recognize or heed.

Why Jeremiah 8:7 matters

  • Jeremiah 8:7 clears up the idea that God’s people were simply ignorant; instead, it shows they are willfully ignoring what should be obvious, even to animals.
  • The verse highlights the seriousness of ignoring God’s guidance, especially when nature itself follows God’s order.
  • This comparison sets up the wider theme in Jeremiah 8, where the prophet mourns the stubbornness and spiritual dullness of Judah, making the coming judgment more understandable.

Where else these words appear

“swallow” Hebrew H5693 · used in 2 verses

  • Isaiah 38:14 Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail with looking upward: O LORD, I am oppressed; undertake for me.

“stork” Hebrew H2624 · used in 6 verses

  • Leviticus 11:19 And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.
  • Deuteronomy 14:18 And the stork, and the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.
  • Psalms 104:17 Where the birds make their nests: as for the stork, the fir trees are her house.

“turtle” Hebrew H8449 · used in 14 verses

  • Genesis 15:9 And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.
  • Leviticus 12:6 And when the days of her purifying are fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtledove, for a sin offering, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest:
  • Leviticus 15:14 And on the eighth day he shall take to him two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, and come before the LORD unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and give them unto the priest:

“crane” Hebrew H5483 · used in 131 verses

  • Genesis 47:17 And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year.
  • 2 Kings 14:20 And they brought him on horses: and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David.
  • Jeremiah 12:5 If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?