Jeremiah 8 · Verse 17

Jeremiah 8:17

For, behold, I will send serpents, cockatrices, among you, which will not be charmed, and they shall bite you, saith the Lord.
Jeremiah 8:17, King James Version

Jeremiah 8:17 in other translations

BSB“For behold, I will send snakes among you, vipers that cannot be charmed, and they will bite you,” declares the LORD.
WEB“For, behold, I will send serpents, adders among you, which will not be charmed; and they will bite you,” says the LORD.
ASVFor, behold, I will send serpents, adders, among you, which will not be charmed; and they shall bite you, saith Jehovah.
YLTFor, lo, I am sending among you serpents, Vipers that have no charmer, And they have bitten you, an affirmation of Jehovah.
DARBYFor behold, I send among you serpents, vipers against which there is no charm, and they shall bite you, saith Jehovah.
BBESee, I will send snakes and poison-snakes among you, against which the wonder-worker has no power; and they will give you wounds which may not be made well, says the Lord.
WebsterFor behold, I will send serpents, cockatrices, among you, which will not be charmed, and they shall bite you, saith the LORD.

What does Jeremiah 8:17 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
17. I--Jehovah. cockatrices--basilisks (Is 11:8), that is, enemies whose destructive power no means, by persuasion or otherwise, can counteract. Serpent-charmers in the East entice serpents by music, and by a particular pressure on the neck render them incapable of darting (Psa 58:4, 5).

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 17 I will send serpents - These were symbols of the enemies that were coming against them; a foe that would rather slay them and destroy the land than get booty and ransom.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Jeremiah 8:14-22

At length they begin to see the hand of God lifted up. And when God appears against us, every thing that is against us appears formidable. As salvation only can be found in the Lord, so the present moment should be seized. Is there no medicine proper for a sick and dying kingdom? Is there no skilful, faithful hand to apply the medicine? Yes, God is able to help and to heal them. If sinners die of their wounds, their…

Read the full comment on Jeremiah 8:14-22 →

Jeremiah 8:17 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.

כִּי֩kiforH3588
הִנְנִ֨יhi.Nihere IH2005
מְשַׁלֵּ֜חַme.sha.Le.ach[am] about to sendH7971
בָּכֶ֗םba.Khemamong <the> you
נְחָשִׁים֙ne.cha.ShimsnakesH5175
צִפְעֹנִ֔יםtzif.'o.NimvipersH6848
אֲשֶׁ֥ר'a.SherwhichH834
אֵין\־'ein-there notH369
לָהֶ֖םla.Hemfor <the> them
לָ֑חַשׁLa.chash[is] a charmH3908
וְנִשְּׁכ֥וּve.ni.she.Khuand they will biteH5391
אֶתְכֶ֖ם'et.Khem<obj.> youH853
נְאֻם\־ne.'um-[the] utterance ofH5002
יְהוָֽה\׃\ \סYah.wehYahwehH3068

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

Cross references for Jeremiah 8:17

  • Psalms 58:4-5

    Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear; Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.

  • Ecclesiastes 10:11

    Surely the serpent will bite without enchantment; and a babbler is no better.

  • Deuteronomy 32:24

    They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust.

  • Isaiah 14:29

    Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken: for out of the serpent’s root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent.

  • Numbers 21:6

    And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.

  • Revelation 9:19

    For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.

  • Amos 5:19

    As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.

  • Amos 9:3

    And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out thence; and though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them:

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
I will.
De 32:24; Isa 14:29; Am 5:19; 9:3; Re 9:19
which.
Ps 58:4,5; Ec 10:11

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

Context

  • Jeremiah 8:16

    The snorting of his horses was heard from Dan: the whole land trembled at the sound of the neighing of his strong ones; for they are come, and have devoured the land, and all that is in it; the city, and those that dwell therein.

  • Jeremiah 8:17

    For, behold, I will send serpents, cockatrices, among you, which will not be charmed, and they shall bite you, saith the Lord.

  • Jeremiah 8:18

    When I would comfort myself against sorrow, my heart is faint in me.

Read all of Jeremiah 8

Jeremiah 8:17 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Porque he aquí que yo envío sobre vosotros serpientes, basiliscos, contra los cuales no hay encantamiento; y os morderán, dice Jehová.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Car voici, j’envoie au milieu de vous des serpents, des vipères, contre lesquels il n’y a point de charmes, et ils vous mordront, dit l’ Éternel.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Denn siehe, ich sende unter euch Schlangen, Basilisken, gegen welche es keine Beschwörung gibt; und sie werden euch beißen, spricht Jehova. -
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Quia ecce ego mittam vobis serpentes regulos, quibus non est incantatio: et mordebunt vos, ait Dominus.