Weep ye not for the dead, neither bemoan him—the 'dead' refers to King Josiah, killed in battle at Megiddo in 609 BC (2 Kings 23:29-30). The Hebrew al-tivku lamet (אַל־תִּבְכּוּ לַמֵּת) uses the imperative negative: cease weeping for the deceased. Josiah was Judah's last good king, and his death devastated the nation (2 Chronicles 35:24-25). Yet God commands: stop mourning him. But weep sore for him that goeth away (bakhu vacho laholech, בָּכוּ בָכוֹ לַהֹּלֵךְ)—the emphatic construction 'weeping weep' (infinitive absolute) intensifies the command. The one 'going away' is Shallum/Jehoahaz, Josiah's son, taken captive to Egypt by Pharaoh Neco (2 Kings 23:31-34).
For he shall return no more, nor see his native country (ki lo yashuv od ve'ra'ah et-eretz moladeto, כִּי לֹא יָשׁוּב עוֹד וְרָאָה אֶת־אֶרֶץ מוֹלַדְתּוֹ)—the finality is absolute. Lo yashuv od (לֹא יָשׁוּב עוֹד, 'no more return') negates hope of restoration. Native country (eretz moladeto, אֶרֶץ מוֹלַדְתּוֹ) literally means 'land of his birth,' emphasizing what is lost: homeland, heritage, covenant land. Josiah died but was buried in Jerusalem (2 Kings 23:30); Jehoahaz lived but died in exile, never returning. The living exile is worse than honorable death. This introduces the theme of exilic judgment that dominates Jeremiah 22-29.
Historical Context
Josiah died in 609 BC attempting to stop Pharaoh Neco at Megiddo. His death was national tragedy: he was Judah's most righteous king since David, having led comprehensive religious reform (2 Kings 23:25). Mourning was intense and prolonged (2 Chronicles 35:25). His son Jehoahaz (called Shallum here) reigned only three months before Pharaoh Neco deposed him and took him to Egypt, installing Jehoiakim as puppet king (2 Kings 23:31-34). Jehoahaz never returned to Judah; according to verse 12, he died in Egypt. Jeremiah's command to redirect mourning from Josiah to Jehoahaz was counterintuitive: why mourn the living more than the dead? The answer: exile is a fate worse than death. To die in covenant land with honorable burial is preferable to living in exile, cut off from temple, land, and covenant community. This theology of exile dominates later prophets: life without covenant presence is spiritual death (Lamentations 1:3, Ezekiel 37:11-12, Psalm 137:1-4).
Questions for Reflection
What does the command to weep for the exile rather than the dead reveal about the covenant significance of land and the horror of being cut off from God's place?
How does Josiah's honorable death and burial contrast with Jehoahaz's living exile to teach that physical life apart from covenant blessing is worse than righteous death?
What does this verse's emphasis on 'never returning' to one's native land reveal about exile as the ultimate covenant curse (Deuteronomy 28:64-67)?
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Analysis & Commentary
Weep ye not for the dead, neither bemoan him—the 'dead' refers to King Josiah, killed in battle at Megiddo in 609 BC (2 Kings 23:29-30). The Hebrew al-tivku lamet (אַל־תִּבְכּוּ לַמֵּת) uses the imperative negative: cease weeping for the deceased. Josiah was Judah's last good king, and his death devastated the nation (2 Chronicles 35:24-25). Yet God commands: stop mourning him. But weep sore for him that goeth away (bakhu vacho laholech, בָּכוּ בָכוֹ לַהֹּלֵךְ)—the emphatic construction 'weeping weep' (infinitive absolute) intensifies the command. The one 'going away' is Shallum/Jehoahaz, Josiah's son, taken captive to Egypt by Pharaoh Neco (2 Kings 23:31-34).
For he shall return no more, nor see his native country (ki lo yashuv od ve'ra'ah et-eretz moladeto, כִּי לֹא יָשׁוּב עוֹד וְרָאָה אֶת־אֶרֶץ מוֹלַדְתּוֹ)—the finality is absolute. Lo yashuv od (לֹא יָשׁוּב עוֹד, 'no more return') negates hope of restoration. Native country (eretz moladeto, אֶרֶץ מוֹלַדְתּוֹ) literally means 'land of his birth,' emphasizing what is lost: homeland, heritage, covenant land. Josiah died but was buried in Jerusalem (2 Kings 23:30); Jehoahaz lived but died in exile, never returning. The living exile is worse than honorable death. This introduces the theme of exilic judgment that dominates Jeremiah 22-29.