Jeremiah 22 · Verse 18

Jeremiah 22:18

Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah; They shall not lament for him, saying, Ah my brother! or, Ah sister! they shall not lament for him, saying, Ah lord! or, Ah his glory!
Jeremiah 22:18, King James Version

Jeremiah 22:18 in other translations

BSBTherefore this is what the LORD says concerning Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah: “They will not mourn for him: ‘Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!’ They will not mourn for him: ‘Alas, my master! Alas, his splendor!’
WEBTherefore the LORD says concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: “They won’t lament for him, saying, ‘Ah my brother!’ or, ‘Ah sister!’ They won’t lament for him, saying ‘Ah lord!’ or, ‘Ah his glory!’
ASVTherefore thus saith Jehovah concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: they shall not lament for him, saying, Ah my brother! or, Ah sister! They shall not lament for him, saying Ah lord! or, Ah his glory!
YLTTherefore, thus said Jehovah concerning Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah: They do not lament for him, Ah, my brother, and Ah, sister, They do not lament for him, Ah, lord, and Ah, his honour.
DARBYTherefore thus saith Jehovah concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, the king of Judah: They shall not lament for him, Ah, my brother! or, Ah, sister! They shall not lament for him, Ah, lord! or Ah, his glory!
BBESo this is what the Lord has said about Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah: They will make no weeping for him, saying, Ah my brother! or, Ah sister! they will make no weeping for him, saying, Ah lord! or, Ah his glory!
WebsterTherefore thus saith the LORD concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah; They shall not lament for him, saying, Ah my brother! or, Ah sister! they shall not lament for him, saying, Ah lord! or, Ah his glory!

What does Jeremiah 22:18 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
18. Ah my brother! ... sister!--addressing him with such titles of affection as one would address to a deceased friend beloved as a brother or sister (compare 1Ki 13:30). This expresses, They shall not lament him with the lamentation of private individuals [Vatablus], or of blood relatives [Grotius]: as "Ah! lord," expresses public lamentation in the case of a king [Vatablus], or that of subjects [Grotius]. Henderson thinks, "Ah! sister," refers to Jehoiakim's queen, who, though taken to Babylon and not left unburied on the way, as Jehoiakim, yet was not honored at her death with royal lamentations, such as would have been poured forth over her at Jerusalem. He notices the beauty of Jeremiah's manner in his prophecy against Jehoiakim. In Jr 22:13, 14 he describes him in general terms; then, in Jr 22:15-17, he directly addresses him without naming him; at last, in Jr 22:18, he names him, but in the third person, to imply that God puts him to a distance from Him. The boldness of the Hebrew prophets proves their divine mission; were it not so, their reproofs to the Hebrew kings, who held the throne by divine authority, would have been treason. Ah his glory!--"Alas! his majesty."

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 18 They shall not lament for him, saying, Ah my brother! - These words were no doubt the burden of some funeral dirge. Alas! a brother, who was our lord or governor, is gone. Alas, our sister! his Queen, who has lost her glory in losing her husband. הדה hodah is feminine, and must refer to the glory of the queen. The mournings in the east, and lamentations for the dead, are loud, vehement, and distressing. For a child or a parent grief is expressed in a variety of impassioned sentences, each ending with a burden like that in the text, "Ah my child!" "Ah my mother!" as the prophet in this place: הוי אחי hoi achi, "Ah my brother!" הוי אחות hoi achoth, "Ah sister!" הוי אדון hoi adon, "Ah lord!" הוי הדה hoi hodah "Ah the glory." Mr. Ward, in his Manners and Customs of the Hindoos, gives two examples of lamentation; one of a mother for the death of her son, one of a daughter for her departed mother. "When a woman," says he, "is overwhelmed with grief for the death of her child, she utters her grief in some such language as the following: - Ah, my Hureedas, where is he gone? - 'Ah my child, my child!' My golden image, Hureedas, who has taken? - 'Ah my child, my child!' I nourished and reared him, where is he gone? - 'Ah my child, my child!' Take me with thee. - 'Ah my child, my child!' He played round me like a golden top. - 'Ah my child, my child!' Like his face I never saw one. - 'Ah my child, my child!' The infant continually cried, Ma Ma! - 'Ah my child, my child!' Ah my child, crying, Ma! come into my lap. - 'Ah my child, my child!' Who shall now drink milk? - 'Ah my child, my child!' Who shall now stay in my lap? - 'Ah my child, my child!' Our support is gone! - 'Ah my child, my child!' "The lamentations for a mother are in some such strains as these: - Mother! where is she gone? - 'Ah my mother, my mother!' You are gone, but what have you left for me? - 'Ah my mother, my mother!' Whom shall I now call mother, mother? - 'Ah my mother, my mother!' Where shall I find such a mother? - 'Ah my mother, my mother!'" From the above we may conclude that the funeral lamentations, to which the prophet refers, generally ended in this way, in each of the verses or interrogatories. There is another intimation of this ancient and universal custom in 1Kgs 13:30, where the old prophet, who had deceived the man of God, and who was afterwards slain by a lion, is represented as mourning over him, and saying, הוי אחי hoi achi, "Alas, my brother!" this being the burden of the lamentation which he had used on this occasion. Similar instances may be seen in other places, Jer 30:7; Eze 6:11; Joe 1:15; and particularly Amo 5:16, Amo 5:17, and Rev 18:10-19.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Jeremiah 22:10-19

Here is a sentence of death upon two kings, the wicked sons of a very pious father. Josiah was prevented from seeing the evil to come in this world, and removed to see the good to come in the other world; therefore, weep not for him, but for his son Shallum, who is likely to live and die a wretched captive. Dying saints may be justly envied, while living sinners are justly pitied. Here also is the doom of Jehoiakim…

Read the full comment on Jeremiah 22:10-19 →

Jeremiah 22:18 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.

לָכֵ֞ןla.Khen<to> thereforeH3651
כֹּֽה\־koh-thusH3541
אָמַ֣ר'a.Marhe saysH559
יְהוָ֗הYah.wehYahwehH3068
אֶל\־'el-toH413
יְהוֹיָקִ֤יםye.ho.ya.KimJehoiakimH3079
בֶּן\־ben-[the] son ofH1121
יֹאשִׁיָּ֙הוּ֙yo.shi.Ya.huJosiahH2977
מֶ֣לֶךְMe.lekh[the] king ofH4428
יְהוּדָ֔הye.hu.DahJudahH3063
לֹא\־lo'-notH3808
יִסְפְּד֣וּyis.pe.Dupeople will mournH5594
ל֔וֹlofor <the> him
ה֥וֹיHoalas!H1945
אָחִ֖י'a.ChiO brother myH251
וְה֣וֹיve.Hoand alas!H1945
אָח֑וֹת'a.ChotO sisterH269
לֹא\־lo'-notH3808
יִסְפְּד֣וּyis.pe.Dupeople will mournH5594
ל֔וֹlofor <the> him
ה֥וֹיHoalas!H1945
אָד֖וֹן'a.DonO lordH113
וְה֥וֹיve.Hoand alas!H1945
הֹדֽוֹ\׃ho.Dosplendor hisH1935

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

Cross references for Jeremiah 22:18

  • 1 Kings 13:30

    And he laid his carcase in his own grave; and they mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother!

  • Jeremiah 16:6

    Both the great and the small shall die in this land: they shall not be buried, neither shall men lament for them, nor cut themselves, nor make themselves bald for them:

  • Jeremiah 22:10

    Weep ye not for the dead, neither bemoan him: but weep sore for him that goeth away: for he shall return no more, nor see his native country.

  • Jeremiah 16:4

    They shall die of grievous deaths; they shall not be lamented; neither shall they be buried; but they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth: and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and their carcases shall be meat for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.

  • 2 Samuel 1:26

    I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.

  • 2 Chronicles 21:19-20

    And it came to pass, that in process of time, after the end of two years, his bowels fell out by reason of his sickness: so he died of sore diseases. And his people made no burning for him, like the burning of his fathers. Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years, and departed without being desired. Howbeit they buried him in the city of David, but not in the sepulchres of the kings.

  • 2 Samuel 3:33-38

    And the king lamented over Abner, and said, Died Abner as a fool dieth? Thy hands were not bound, nor thy feet put into fetters: as a man falleth before wicked men, so fellest thou. And all the people wept again over him. And when all the people came to cause David to eat meat while it was yet day, David sware, saying, So do God to me, and more also, if I taste bread, or ought else, till the sun be down. And all the people took notice of it, and it pleased them: as whatsoever the king did pleased all the people. …

  • 2 Chronicles 35:25

    And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel: and, behold, they are written in the lamentations.

  • Jeremiah 34:5

    But thou shalt die in peace: and with the burnings of thy fathers, the former kings which were before thee, so shall they burn odours for thee; and they will lament thee, saying, Ah lord! for I have pronounced the word, saith the Lord.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
They.
10; 16:4,6; 2Ch 21:19,20; 35:25
Ah my brother.
2Sa 1:26; 3:33-38; 1Ki 13:30

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

Context

  • Jeremiah 22:17

    But thine eyes and thine heart are not but for thy covetousness, and for to shed innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it.

  • Jeremiah 22:18

    Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah; They shall not lament for him, saying, Ah my brother! or, Ah sister! they shall not lament for him, saying, Ah lord! or, Ah his glory!

  • Jeremiah 22:19

    He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.

Read all of Jeremiah 22

Jeremiah 22:18 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Por tanto así ha dicho Jehová, de Joacim hijo de Josías, rey de Judá: No lo llorarán, diciendo: ¡Ay hermano mío! y ¡ay hermana! ni lo lamentarán, diciendo: ¡Ay señor! ¡ay su grandeza!
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		C’est pourquoi, ainsi dit l’ Éternel quant à Jehoïakim, fils de Josias, roi de Juda: On ne se lamentera pas sur lui: Hélas, mon frère! Hélas, ma sœur! On ne se lamentera pas sur lui: Hélas, Seigneur! et: Hélas, sa gloire!
German
Elberfelder 1871		Darum spricht Jehova von Jojakim, dem Sohne Josias, dem König von Juda, also: man wird nicht um ihn klagen: Wehe, mein Bruder! und: Wehe, Schwester! Man wird nicht um ihn klagen: Wehe, Herr! und: Wehe, seine Herrlichkeit!
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Propterea hæc dicit Dominus ad Joakim, filium Josiæ, regem Juda: Non plangent eum: Væ frater! et væ soror! non concrepabunt ei: Væ domine! et væ inclyte!