Jeremiah 8 · Verse 22

Jeremiah 8:22

Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?
Jeremiah 8:22, King James Version

Jeremiah 8:22 in other translations

BSBIs there no balm in Gilead? Is no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored?
WEBIs there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then isn’t the health of the daughter of my people recovered?
ASVIs there no balm in Gilead? is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?
YLTIs there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? For wherefore hath not the health of the daughter of my people gone up?
DARBYIs there no balm in Gilead? is there no physician there? Why then is there no dressing applied for the healing of the daughter of my people?
BBEIs there no life-giving oil in Gilead? is there no expert in medical arts? why then have my people not been made well?
WebsterIs there no balm in Gilead: is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered.

What does Jeremiah 8:22 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
22. balm--balsam; to be applied to the wounds of my people. Brought into Judea first from Arabia Felix, by the queen of Sheba, in Solomon's time [Josephus, Antiquities, 8.2]. The opobalsamum of Pliny; or else [Bochart] the resin drawn from the terebinth. It abounded in Gilead, east of Jordan, where, in consequence, many "physicians" established themselves (Jr 46:11; 51:8; Ge 37:25; 43:11). health ... recovered--The Hebrew is literally, "lengthening out ... gone up"; hence, the long bandage applied to bind up a wound. So the Arabic also [Gesenius].

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 22 Is there no balm in Gilead? - Yes, the most excellent in the world. "Is there no physician there?" Yes, persons well skilled to apply it. "Why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?" Because ye have not applied to the physician, nor used the balm. Ye die because ye will not use the remedy. But to apply this metaphor: - The Israelites are represented as a man dying through disease; and a disease for the cure of which the balm of Gilead was well known to be a specific, when judiciously applied by a physician. But though there be balm and a physician, the people are not cured; neither their spiritual nor political evils are removed. But what may all this spiritually mean? The people are morally diseased; they have sinned against God, and provoked him to destroy them. They are warned by the prophet to repent and turn to God: they refuse, and sin on. Destruction is come upon them. Might they not have avoided it? Yes. Was it the fault of God? No. Did he not send his prophets with the richest offers of mercy? Did he not give them time, the best instructions, and the most effectual means of returning to him? Has not mercy, the heavenly balm, been ever at hand? And has not God, the great Physician, been ever ready to apply it? Yes. Why then are they not converted and healed? Because they would not apply to the Divine Physician, nor receive the only remedy by which they could be spiritually healed. They, then, that sin against the only remedy must perish, because they might have had it, but would not. It is not because there is a deficiency of grace, nor of the means of grace, that men are not saved; but because they either make no use, or a bad use, of them. Jesus Christ, by the grace of God, has tasted death for every man; but few are saved, because they Will Not come unto him that they may have life. In my old MS. Bible the text is rendered thus: - Whether gumm is not in Galaad? Or a leche is not there? Why than the hid wounde of the daughter of my peple is not all helid? How shall they escape who neglect so great a salvation? Reader, lay this to heart; and, while there is time, apply heartily to the great Physician for thy cure.

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 8:22 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.

הַצֳרִי֙ha.tzo.Ri¿ balmH6875
אֵ֣ין'ein[is] there notH369
בְּגִלְעָ֔דbe.gil.'Adin GileadH1568
אִם\־'im-or?H518
רֹפֵ֖אro.Fe'a physicianH7495
אֵ֣ין'ein[is] there notH369
שָׁ֑םShamthereH8033
כִּ֗יKiforH3588
מַדּ֙וּעַ֙ma.Du.a'why?H4069
לֹ֣אlo'notH3808
עָֽלְתָ֔ה'al.Tahhas it come upH5927
אֲרֻכַ֖ת'a.ru.Khat[the] healing ofH724
בַּת\־bat-[the] daughter ofH1323
עַמִּֽי\׃'a.Mipeople myH5971

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

Cross references for Jeremiah 8:22

  • Jeremiah 46:11

    Go up into Gilead, and take balm, O virgin, the daughter of Egypt: in vain shalt thou use many medicines; for thou shalt not be cured.

  • Genesis 37:25

    And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.

  • Jeremiah 51:8

    Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed.

  • Jeremiah 30:12-17

    For thus saith the Lord, Thy bruise is incurable, and thy wound is grievous. There is none to plead thy cause, that thou mayest be bound up: thou hast no healing medicines. All thy lovers have forgotten thee; they seek thee not; for I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, for the multitude of thine iniquity; because thy sins were increased. Why criest thou for thine affliction? thy sorrow is incurable for the multitude of thine iniquity: because thy sins were increased, I have done these things unto thee. …

  • Luke 8:43

    And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,

  • Luke 5:31-32

    And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

  • Genesis 43:11

    And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds:

  • Matthew 9:11-12

    And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.

  • Isaiah 1:5-6

    Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
no balm.
46:11; 51:8; Ge 37:25; 43:11
no physician.
Mt 9:11,12; Lu 5:31,32; 8:43
why.
30:12-17
recovered. Heb. gone up.
Isa 1:5,6

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

Context

  • Jeremiah 8:21

    For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt; I am black; astonishment hath taken hold on me.

  • Jeremiah 8:22

    Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?

Read all of Jeremiah 8

Jeremiah 8:22 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		¿No hay bálsamo en Galaad? ¿no hay allí médico? ¿Por qué pues no hubo medicina para la hija de mi pueblo?
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		N’y a-t-il point de baume en Galaad? N’y a-t-il point là de médecin? Car pourquoi n’a-t-on pas appliqué un appareil de pansement à la fille de mon peuple?
German
Elberfelder 1871		Ist kein Balsam in Gilead, oder kein Arzt daselbst? Denn warum ist der Tochter meines Volkes kein Verband angelegt worden?
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Numquid resina non est in Galaad? aut medicus non est ibi? quare igitur non est obducta cicatrix filiæ populi mei?