Jeremiah 18 · Verse 14

Jeremiah 18:14

Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon which cometh from the rock of the field? or shall the cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken?
Jeremiah 18:14, King James Version

Jeremiah 18:14 in other translations

BSBDoes the snow of Lebanon ever leave its rocky slopes? Or do its cool waters flowing from a distance ever run dry?
WEBWill the snow of Lebanon fail from the rock of the field? Will the cold waters that flow down from afar be dried up?
ASVShall the snow of Lebanon fail from the rock of the field? or shall the cold waters that flow down from afar be dried up?
YLTDoth snow of Lebanon Cease from the rock of the field? Failed are the cold strange waters that flow?
DARBYShall the snow of Lebanon cease from the rock of the field? Shall the cool flowing waters coming from afar be dried up?
BBEWill the white snow go away from the top of Sirion? will the cold waters flowing from the mountains become dry?
WebsterWill a man leave the snow of Lebanon which cometh from the rock of the field? or shall the cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken?

What does Jeremiah 18:14 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
14. Is there any man (living near it) who would leave the snow of Lebanon (that is, the cool melted snow water of Lebanon, as he presently explains), which cometh from the rock of the field (a poetical name for Lebanon, which towers aloft above the surrounding field, or comparatively plain country)? None. Yet Israel forsakes Jehovah, the living fountain close at hand, for foreign broken cisterns. Jr 17:13; 2:13, accord with English Version here. Maurer translates, "Shall the snow of Lebanon cease from the rock to water (literally, 'forsake') My fields" (the whole land around being peculiarly Jehovah's)? Lebanon means the "white mountain"; so called from the perpetual snow which covers that part called Hermon, stretching northeast of Palestine. that come from another place--that come from far, namely, from the distant lofty rocks of Lebanon. Henderson translates, "the compressed waters," namely, contracted within a narrow channel while descending through the gorges of the rocks; "flowing" may in this view be rather "flowing down" (So 4:15). But the parallelism in English Version is better, "which cometh from the rock," "that cometh from another place." be forsaken--answering to the parallel, "Will a man leave," &c. Maurer translates, "dry up," or "fail" (Is 19:5); the sense thus being, Will nature ever turn aside from its fixed course? The "cold waters" (compare Pr 25:25) refer to the perennial streams, fed from the partial melting of the snow in the hot weather.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 14 Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon - Lebanon was the highest mountain in Judea. Would any man in his senses abandon a farm that was always watered by the melted snows of Lebanon, and take a barren rock in its place? How stupid therefore and absurd are my people, who abandon the everlasting God for the worship of idols!

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Jeremiah 18:11-17

Sinners call it liberty to live at large; whereas for a man to be a slave to his lusts, is the very worst slavery. They forsook God for idols. When men are parched with heat, and meet with cooling, refreshing streams, they use them. In these things men will not leave a certainty for an uncertainty; but Israel left the ancient paths appointed by the Divine law. They walked not in the highway, in which they might…

Read the full comment on Jeremiah 18:11-17 →

Jeremiah 18:14 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

הֲיַעֲזֹ֥בha.ya.'a.Zo¿ does it leaveH5800
מִצּ֛וּרmi.Tzurfrom [the] rock ofH6697
שָׂדַ֖יsa.Dai[the] fieldH7704
שֶׁ֣לֶגShe.leg[the] snow ofH7950
לְבָנ֑וֹןle.va.NonLebanonH3844
אִם\־'im-or?H518
יִנָּתְשׁ֗וּyi.na.te.Shuare they plucked upH5428
מַ֛יִםMa.yimwatersH4325
זָרִ֥יםza.RimstrangeH2114
קָרִ֖יםka.RimcoolH7119
נוֹזְלִֽים\׃noz.LimflowingH5140

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Jeremiah 18:14

  • John 6:68

    Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Will.
Joh 6:68
the snow, etc. or, my fields for a rock, or for the snow ofLebanon? shall the running waters be forsaken for the strange cold waters? Parkhurst renders, "Will the snow of Lebanon fail from the rock of the field? or will the issuing cold flowing waters (from that mountain namely) be exhausted?" (See Targ., LXX., and Vulg.) No more could I fail my people if they trusted in me. (Compare ch. 2:13.) Maundrell says, "The chief benefit the mountain of Lebanon serves for, is, that by its exceeding height, it proves a conservatory for abundance of snow, which thawing in the heat of summer, affords supplies of water to the rivers and fountains in the valleys below."

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Jeremiah 18:13

    Therefore thus saith the Lord; Ask ye now among the heathen, who hath heard such things: the virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing.

  • Jeremiah 18:14

    Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon which cometh from the rock of the field? or shall the cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken?

  • Jeremiah 18:15

    Because my people hath forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity, and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not cast up;

Read all of Jeremiah 18

Jeremiah 18:14 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
¿Faltará la nieve del Líbano de la piedra del campo? ¿faltarán las aguas frías que corren de lejanas tierras?
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
La neige du Liban abandonnerait-elle le rocher du champ? Ou les eaux fraîches et ruisselantes qui viennent de loin tariraient-elles?
German
Elberfelder 1871
Verläßt wohl der Schnee des Libanon den Fels des Gefildes Oder versiegen weither kommende, kalte, rieselnde Wasser?
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Numquid deficiet de petra agri nix Libani? aut evelli possunt aquæ erumpentes frigidæ, et defluentes?