Movatterモバイル変換

Jeremiah 26:18
Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spake to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Zion shall be plowedlike a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest.

Jeremiah 51:37
And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwellingplace for dragons, an astonishment, and an hissing, without an inhabitant.

Nehemiah 4:2
And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?

a den.

Jeremiah 10:22
Behold, the noise of the bruit is come, and a great commotion out of the north country, to make the cities of Judah desolate,and a den of dragons.

Isaiah 13:22
And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons intheir pleasant palaces: and her timeis near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.

Isaiah 34:13
And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof: and it shall be an habitation of dragons,and a court for owls.

the cities.

Jeremiah 34:22
Behold, I will command, saith the LORD, and cause them to return to this city; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire: and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without an inhabitant.

Isaiah 44:26
That confirmeth the word of his servant, and performeth the counsel of his messengers; that saith to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the decayed places thereof:

Lamentations 2:2,7,8
The Lord hath swallowed up all the habitations of Jacob, and hath not pitied: he hath thrown down in his wrath the strong holds of the daughter of Judah; he hath broughtthem down to the ground: he hath polluted the kingdom and the princes thereof…

desolate.

Jeremiah 25:11,18
And this whole land shall be a desolation,and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years…

Lamentations 3:47
Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction.

Micah 6:16
For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab, and ye walk in their counsels; that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof an hissing: therefore ye shall bear the reproach of my people.

a haunt for jackals
The mention of jackals, animals known to inhabit desolate and abandoned places, highlights the extent of Jerusalem's desolation. In ancient Near Eastern culture, jackals were often associated with desolation and ruin. This imagery reinforces the idea that the city, once bustling with life and activity, would become so deserted that only wild animals would dwell there. This desolation is a direct result of the people's sin and rebellion against God.

and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation
The judgment is not limited to Jerusalem but extends to the entire region of Judah. The cities of Judah, once thriving communities, would face the same fate of destruction and abandonment. This reflects the comprehensive nature of God's judgment due to the widespread unfaithfulness of the people. The desolation of these cities serves as a testament to the seriousness of God's warnings through the prophets and the inevitable consequences of ignoring them.

without inhabitant
The phrase "without inhabitant" emphasizes the complete and utter abandonment that would follow the destruction. This desolation is a fulfillment of the covenant curses outlined inDeuteronomy 28, where God warned that disobedience would lead to the land becoming desolate and its people scattered. The absence of inhabitants signifies not only physical destruction but also the spiritual and communal breakdown of the nation. This foreshadows the exile and the scattering of the people, yet it also sets the stage for future restoration and hope, as God promises to eventually bring His people back and restore the land.

Jeremiah speaks God’s sober verdict on a city that once carried His name. The phrase is not poetic exaggeration but a literal forecast. When Babylon’s armies arrived in 586 BC, they tore down walls, burned homes, leveled the temple, and left little standing (2 Kings 25:9-10;Lamentations 2:8-9).

• God’s justice matches His warnings—He had pleaded for repentance through prophets (Jeremiah 7:3-7).

• The ruins themselves became a visual sermon, reminding survivors and later generations that covenant unfaithfulness carries consequences (Deuteronomy 28:15-52).

Jackals flourish where people no longer live. Their appearance signals utter abandonment, emphasizing that the holy city will resemble barren wilderness rather than bustling streets. Similar imagery paints fallen Babylon and Edom (Isaiah 13:20-22; 34:13).

• The contrast is stark: Jerusalem was meant to be “the joy of the whole earth” (Psalm 48:2), yet sin turns promised blessing into wasteland.

• Even creation seems to testify against rebellion, as scavengers occupy what once housed worshipers.

God’s judgment is not contained to the capital; every fortified town and village that shared Judah’s idolatry faces the same fate (Jeremiah 4:7; 7:34).

• National sin produces national devastation.

• The scope underscores that trust in alliances, walls, or traditions is futile when hearts remain hard (Jeremiah 17:5;Micah 3:9-12).

The prophecy ends with total emptiness—no one left to light lamps, sing hymns, or till fields. Exile would remove nearly the entire population (Jeremiah 25:11; 44:2).

• Absence magnifies loss; silence where worship once rose drives home the cost of dismissing God’s word (Jeremiah 6:8).

• Yet this emptiness prepares for mercy: God later promises return and rebuilding (Jeremiah 29:10-14), proving judgment is a severe mercy meant to restore.

Jeremiah 9:11 combines four pictures—rubble, jackals, desolate cities, and uninhabited land—to declare that persistent sin brings real, historical ruin. The fulfilled devastation of 586 BC validates the literal truthfulness of God’s warnings and His unwavering righteousness. At the same time, the verse implicitly calls every generation to repent while mercy is offered, remembering that the God who judges also redeems all who turn back to Him.