Jeremiah 8:21For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt: I mourn; dismay has taken hold on me.
The setting
Jerusalem, ~600 BC. Jeremiah sits among the ruins, watching his people suffer the consequences of their choices. His heart breaks with theirs...
The emotion here: physically sick with empathetic grief
The original word
shabar (שָׁבַר) — to be broken, shattered like pottery that cannot be repaired
Why it matters
Jeremiah wept so much he was called 'the weeping prophet' - his tears are mentioned over 20 times in his writings
Read with care
What most readers miss in Jeremiah 8:21
Jeremiah isn't just sad - he's physically sick with grief, his body reflecting his people's spiritual brokenness
Common misconceptionPeople think this shows weakness in a prophet, but it reveals the heart of God - He doesn't watch our pain from a distance, He enters into it.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Jeremiah 8:21
Bible Genome reading
Jeremiah 8:21 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Jeremiah 8:21 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 50% and a tone that is lamenting. It belongs to the psalm genre of biblical literature. Key themes include prophetic empathy, shared suffering, intercessory grief. Notable phrases: hurt of the daughter of my people; I mourn. This verse is a prayer.
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 8:21 mean to you, today?
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