Jeremiah 3:21A voice is heard on the bare heights, the weeping and the petitions of the children of Israel; because they have perverted their way, they have forgotten Yahweh their God.
The setting
Judean hills, ~627 BC. Jeremiah hears literal weeping echoing from the high places where Israelites built altars to foreign gods, now realizing their emptiness...
The emotion here: anguished compassion while recording a nation's breakdown
The original word
bekhi (בְּכִי) — wailing that comes from deep in the chest, not just tears
Why it matters
The 'bare heights' were actual mountaintop shrines where child sacrifice occurred
Read with care
What most readers miss in Jeremiah 3:21
This weeping is happening ON the very altars where they sinned — they're mourning at the scene of their betrayal
Common misconceptionPeople think this is metaphorical weeping, but Jeremiah is literally hearing people crying on mountainsides as their false gods fail them during Babylon's invasion.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Jeremiah 3:21
Bible Genome reading
Jeremiah 3:21 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Jeremiah 3:21 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 30% and a tone that is lamenting. It belongs to the prophecy genre of biblical literature. Key themes include lament, repentance, confession. Notable phrases: weeping and petitions; bare heights.
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 3:21 mean to you, today?
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