Jeremiah 9:10

Grief

⁸ Their tongues are deadly arrows; they speak deception. With his mouth a man speaks peace to his neighbor, but in his heart he sets a trap for him.

⁹ Should I not punish them for these things? declares the LORD. Should I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?”

I will take up a weeping and wailing for the mountains, a dirge over the wilderness pasture, for they have been scorched so no one passes through, and the lowing of cattle is not heard. Both the birds of the air and the beasts have fled; they have gone away.

¹¹ “And I will make Jerusalem a heap of rubble, a haunt for jackals; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.”

¹² Who is the man wise enough to understand this? To whom has the mouth of the LORD spoken, that he may explain it? Why is the land destroyed and scorched like a desert, so no one can pass through it?

This was said to Israel at a particular time, so it is wise to read it together with the surrounding text. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: I will take up a weeping and wailing for the mountains, a dirge over the wilderness pasture, for they have been scorched so no one passes through, and the lowing of cattle is not heard. Both the birds of the air and the beasts have fled; they have gone away.
KJV: For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so that none can pass through them; neither can men hear the voice of the cattle; both the fowl of the heavens and the beast are fled; they are gone.
WEB: I will weep and wail for the mountains, and lament for the pastures of the wilderness, because they are burned up, so that no one passes through; Men can’t hear the voice of the livestock. Both the birds of the sky and the animals have fled. They are gone.
ASV: For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the pastures of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so that none passeth through; neither can men hear the voice of the cattle; both the birds of the heavens and the beasts are fled, they are gone.
DARBY: For the mountains will I take up weeping and wailing, and for the pastures of the wilderness, a lamentation; for they are burnt up, so that none passeth through them; and the voice of the cattle is not heard. Both the fowl of the heavens and the beasts are fled; they are gone.
BLB: Over the mountains I will take up weeping and wailing, and over the pastures of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up without man passing through, and they do not hear the voice of the cattle; from the birds of the heavens even to the beast they have fled; they have gone away.

ÅB: Over fjellene vil jeg oppløfte gråt og klage og over ørkenens beitemarker en klagesang; for de er brent opp, så ikke noen ferdes der, og det ikke høres lyd av fe; både himmelens fugler og dyrene har flyktet og draget bort.
OTB: Jeg vil ta opp en gråt og klage for fjellene og en klagesang for ørkenens beitemarker, fordi de er øde og ufarne, og lyden av buskap høres ikke. Himmelens fugler og dyrene har flyktet; de er borte.
B1930: Over fjellene vil jeg opløfte gråt og klage og over ørkenens beitemarker en klagesang; for de er opbrent, så ikke nogen ferdes der, og det ikke høres lyd av fe; både himmelens fugler og dyrene har flyktet og draget bort.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Jeremiah 12:4
How long will the land mourn and the grass of every field be withered? Because of the evil of its residents, the animals and birds have been swept away, for the people have said, “He cannot see what our end will be.”
Read in context
Hosea 4:3
Therefore the land mourns, and all who dwell in it will waste away with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air; even the fish of the sea disappear.
Read in context
Ezekiel 29:11
No foot of man or beast will pass through, and it will be uninhabited for forty years.
Read in context
Ezekiel 33:28
I will make the land a desolate waste, and the pride of her strength will come to an end. The mountains of Israel will become desolate, so that no one will pass through.
Read in context
Jeremiah 7:29
Cut off your hair and throw it away. Raise up a lamentation on the barren heights, for the LORD has rejected and forsaken the generation of His wrath.’
Read in context
Jeremiah 12:10
Many shepherds have destroyed My vineyard; they have trampled My plot of ground. They have turned My pleasant field into a desolate wasteland.
Read in context
Ezekiel 14:15
Or if I send wild beasts through the land to leave it childless and desolate, with no man passing through it for fear of the beasts,
Read in context
Jeremiah 4:19–26
My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain! Oh, the pain in my chest! My heart pounds within me; I cannot be silent. For I have heard the sound of the horn, the alarm of battle.
Read in context