Jeremiah 14:17 is God telling the prophet Jeremiah to express deep, unceasing grief over the suffering of Judah. The verse shows a prophet asked to weep day and night because his people are being crushed by judgment and destruction. Jeremiah is the speaker, and he is instructed to deliver this message of sorrow to the people of Judah in Jerusalem.
“You shall say this word to them: “‘Let my eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease; for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous wound.
Jeremiah 14:17 (WEB)
What Jeremiah 14:17 Means
The verse begins with a command to speak, and the words that follow are a lament. The image of eyes running down with tears describes weeping that does not stop, not during the day and not during the night. Jeremiah is not being asked to act out a performance of sadness. He is being asked to feel and show the heartbreak that God himself feels over what is happening to his people.
The phrase “virgin daughter of my people” is a poetic way of describing Judah as a young, cherished community that has been wounded. The word “breach” refers to a broken wall or a shattered defense, and “grievous wound” points to a deep, serious injury that will not heal quickly. Together these images paint a picture of a nation that has been broken open by the consequences of its own choices.
What the verse does not promise is an easy way out. It does not say that the suffering will end soon or that the people will escape without pain. It shows that God grieves when judgment falls, and it invites his messenger to share that grief openly. The verse is about compassion in the middle of hard truth, not a guarantee that comfort is near.
The Context of Jeremiah 14:17
The book of Jeremiah is traditionally attributed to the prophet Jeremiah, who ministered in Judah in the years leading up to the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem in the early sixth century BC. Chapter 14 belongs to a section where Jeremiah pleads with God during a severe drought and famine, and the people are shown to be trapped in false hopes. Verses 14 and 15 reveal that false prophets were telling the people that sword and famine would not come to their land, which the Lord says is a lie.
Just before verse 17, the Lord makes clear that the people who are listening to these false prophets will themselves suffer, and that the deceit of their leaders has real consequences. Verse 17 then turns to the true word of judgment, and Jeremiah is told to weep over the disaster that is coming. Verses 19 and 20 immediately follow with a plea and a confession, showing that the grief in verse 17 is connected to a people who are finally beginning to recognize their sin. This setting changes how the verse reads, because the weeping is not just sadness at random loss but sorrow that is tied to truth, repentance, and the hope that God may still be moved.
Key Phrases in Jeremiah 14:17
Lamentations 1:16
“For these things I weep. My eye, my eye runs down with water, because the comforter who should refresh my soul is far from me. My children are desolate, because the enemy has prevailed.”
(WEB)
This verse continues the picture of weeping over Jerusalem, showing the same deep sorrow and grief over a city that has fallen. Reading it alongside Jeremiah 14:17 helps you see how the prophets and writers of the time expressed their heartbreak in similar images.
Psalm 126:5
Those who sow in tears will reap in joy.
(WEB)
This psalm speaks of sowing in tears and reaping with joy, offering a hopeful counterpart to the weeping in Jeremiah 14:17. It shows that sorrow is not the final word, even when the path through pain is long and difficult.
A Short Prayer From Jeremiah 14:17
Lord, you see the wounds of your people and you do not look away from their pain. Help me to feel what you feel when your children suffer, and give me the courage to let my heart be moved rather than hardened. Teach me to grieve honestly and to pray with an open heart for those who are hurting around me. When I am tempted to ignore the brokenness in the world or in my own life, remind me that you are near to the broken-hearted. Hold me in the middle of my sorrow, and draw my people back to you. Amen.
