Jeremiah 14:2Judah mourns, and its gates languish, they sit in black on the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up.
The setting
Jerusalem, ~600 BC. The city gates where elders normally sat in council are now places of mourning. Modern-day Jerusalem, Israel.
The emotion here: heartbroken watching his nation collapse
The original word
ʾābal (אָבַל) — deep, communal mourning that affects the very land itself
Why it matters
City gates were the economic and judicial centers where all business was conducted
Read with care
What most readers miss in Jeremiah 14:2
The gates 'languishing' means all commerce and justice has stopped
Common misconceptionPeople think this is just poetic language, but Jeremiah is describing actual economic and social collapse where normal life has completely stopped.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Jeremiah 14:2
Bible Genome reading
Jeremiah 14:2 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Jeremiah 14:2 comes from the book of Jeremiah, written during the Divided Kingdom period. These words are attributed to Jeremiah. The dominant emotion in this verse is grieving, with a comfort power of 20% and a tone that is lamenting. It belongs to the psalm genre of biblical literature. Key themes include drought, mourning, national crisis. Notable phrases: Judah mourns; sit in black; cry of Jerusalem.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same grieving
“By the sweat of your face will you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you…”
— Genesis 3:19
“Jesus wept.”
— John 11:35
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?”
— Psalms 22:1
“They divide my garments among them. They cast lots for my clothing.”
— Psalms 22:18
“for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;”
— Romans 3:23
Your reflection
What does Jeremiah 14:2 mean to you, today?
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