Jeremiah 25:36
A voice of the cry of the shepherds, and an howling of the principal of the flock, shall be heard: for the LORD hath spoiled their pasture.
Original Language Analysis
Historical Context
When Jerusalem fell and Judah's elite were executed or exiled, survivors reported hearing the cries and lamentations of the once-powerful. The book of Lamentations records this grief: 'How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow! she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary!' (Lamentations 1:1). But this grief focused on lost glory rather than forsaken covenant, proving the leaders had learned nothing even from judgment.
Questions for Reflection
- How can we distinguish between worldly sorrow (grief over consequences) and godly sorrow (grief over sin leading to repentance)?
- What does the leaders' howling when 'their pasture is destroyed' teach about the difference between loving God versus loving what God provides?
- In what ways might we grieve loss of comfort, status, or security while remaining impenitent toward actual sin?
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Analysis & Commentary
A voice of the cry of the shepherds, and an howling of the principal of the flock, shall be heard: for the LORD hath spoiled their pasture. The phrase qôl ṣaʿăqaṯ hārōʿîm wîlĕlaṯ ʾabbîrê haṣṣōʾn (קוֹל צַעֲקַת הָרֹעִים וִילֲלַת אַבִּירֵי הַצֹּאן, voice of the cry of the shepherds and howling of the principal of the flock) depicts the leaders' anguish when judgment arrives. Their confident arrogance turns to desperate wailing. The reason: kî šōḏēḏ YHWH ʾeṯ-marʿîṯām (כִּי שֹׁדֵד יְהוָה אֶת־מַרְעִיתָם, for the LORD has destroyed their pasture).
The pasture imagery continues the shepherd metaphor—leaders lose the land and people they governed. The verb šāḏaḏ (שָׁדַד, destroy/devastate) appears frequently in Jeremiah to describe Babylon's destruction. The leaders' grief comes not from repentance but from loss—they mourn their destroyed power and wealth, not their sin. This demonstrates false grief versus godly sorrow. Paul distinguished these: 'godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation...but the sorrow of the world worketh death' (2 Corinthians 7:10). The leaders' howling was worldly sorrow—grief over consequences without repentance toward God.