Jeremiah 30:5
For thus saith the LORD; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace.
Original Language Analysis
כִּי
H3588
כִּי
Strong's:
H3588
Word #:
1 of 10
(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed
כֹה֙
H3541
כֹה֙
Strong's:
H3541
Word #:
2 of 10
properly, like this, i.e., by implication, (of manner) thus (or so); also (of place) here (or hither); or (of time) now
יְהוָ֔ה
the LORD
H3068
יְהוָ֔ה
the LORD
Strong's:
H3068
Word #:
4 of 10
(the) self-existent or eternal; jeho-vah, jewish national name of god
שָׁמָ֑עְנוּ
We have heard
H8085
שָׁמָ֑עְנוּ
We have heard
Strong's:
H8085
Word #:
7 of 10
to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.)
פַּ֖חַד
of fear
H6343
פַּ֖חַד
of fear
Strong's:
H6343
Word #:
8 of 10
a (sudden) alarm (properly, the object feared, by implication, the feeling)
וְאֵ֥ין
H369
Cross References
Isaiah 5:30And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.Amos 8:10And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day.
Historical Context
Reflects the panic of Jerusalem's final siege (588-586 BC) when famine, plague, and Babylonian siege engines brought unprecedented suffering (Lamentations 1-5). Yet the language also anticipates eschatological tribulation before Messianic restoration.
Questions for Reflection
- How do seasons of trembling and fear prepare you to recognize God's deliverance?
- What voices of fear in your current circumstances need to be reframed by God's promises beyond the terror?
- How does the pattern of travail-then-birth help you endure present pain with future hope?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace (קוֹל חֲרָדָה שָׁמָעְנוּ פַּחַד וְאֵין שָׁלוֹם)—God quotes Israel's terrified cry during 'Jacob's trouble' (v. 7). The Hebrew charadah (trembling, terror) and pachad (dread, fear) intensify the portrait of national panic. The absence of shalom (peace, wholeness) marks judgment's severity.
This trembling voice isn't merely historical (Babylonian invasion) but eschatological—pointing to end-time tribulation. The shift from third person (v. 4) to first person plural ('we have heard') creates prophetic identification with future suffering. Yet this terror introduces God's deliverance (v. 7b-11), following the biblical pattern: travail precedes birth, night precedes dawn, death precedes resurrection.