Jeremiah 9:20 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 9:20 mean?

Jeremiah 9:20 calls on the women of Jerusalem to listen to God’s message and to teach their daughters and neighbors how to mourn and lament. The verse highlights the need for everyone, even the next generation, to understand and express grief because of the coming disaster.

In this verse, the prophet Jeremiah is speaking during a time of great trouble for Judah. God’s message is directed specifically to women, who were often the traditional mourners in ancient Israel. Jeremiah urges them not only to listen (“hear the word of the LORD”) but also to pass on the skills of wailing and lamentation, showing that the coming sorrow will be so widespread that everyone will need to know how to grieve.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 9:20

• hear (שָׁמַע, shamaʿ): This word means more than just listening; it often carries the sense of paying attention and responding. Jeremiah is urging the women to truly take in God’s warning, not just hear it as background noise.
• teach (לָמַד, lamad): The instruction to “teach” wailing shows that lamentation is not just a spontaneous reaction but something that can and must be learned and passed on. This underlines how severe the coming judgment will be.
• wailing (נֵהִי, nehi) and lamentation (קִינָה, qinah): These are technical terms for public mourning rituals in ancient Israel. The use of both words suggests a deep, communal sorrow that will affect every household.

Why Jeremiah 9:20 matters

• Jeremiah 9:20 shows that the disaster coming on Jerusalem is so great that even the skills of mourning must be taught to those who do not yet know them, emphasizing the scale of the tragedy.
• The verse highlights the role of women in communal life, especially in times of crisis, as both recipients and transmitters of important traditions.
• This verse connects to the wider passage by illustrating how the consequences of the people’s actions will touch every part of society, requiring everyone to prepare for grief.