Jeremiah 46:11
Go up into Gilead, and take balm, O virgin, the daughter of Egypt: in vain shalt thou use many medicines; for thou shalt not be cured.
Original Language Analysis
עֲלִ֤י
Go up
H5927
עֲלִ֤י
Go up
Strong's:
H5927
Word #:
1 of 13
to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary and secondary, literal and figurative
גִלְעָד֙
into Gilead
H1568
גִלְעָד֙
into Gilead
Strong's:
H1568
Word #:
2 of 13
gilad, a region east of the jordan; also the name of three israelites
בְּתוּלַ֖ת
O virgin
H1330
בְּתוּלַ֖ת
O virgin
Strong's:
H1330
Word #:
5 of 13
a virgin (from her privacy); sometimes (by continuation) a bride; also (figuratively) a city or state
בַּת
the daughter
H1323
בַּת
the daughter
Strong's:
H1323
Word #:
6 of 13
a daughter (used in the same wide sense as other terms of relationship, literally and figuratively)
לַשָּׁוְא֙
in vain
H7723
לַשָּׁוְא֙
in vain
Strong's:
H7723
Word #:
8 of 13
evil (as destructive), literally (ruin) or morally (especially guile); figuratively idolatry (as false, subjective), uselessness (as deceptive, object
Cross References
Jeremiah 8:22Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?Isaiah 47:1Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate.Micah 1:9For her wound is incurable; for it is come unto Judah; he is come unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.Jeremiah 14:17Therefore thou shalt say this word unto them; Let mine eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease: for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous blow.Nahum 3:19There is no healing of thy bruise; thy wound is grievous: all that hear the bruit of thee shall clap the hands over thee: for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?
Historical Context
Gilead, east of the Jordan River, was famous for medicinal balm production. Jeremiah himself used this imagery regarding Judah's incurable wound (Jeremiah 8:22, 46:11). Egypt's defeat at Carchemish (605 BC) was indeed mortal to its imperial ambitions—though Egypt survived as a nation, it never again dominated the ancient Near East. Nebuchadnezzar's later invasion of Egypt (568 BC, predicted in vv. 13-26) confirmed the wound's fatal nature.
Questions for Reflection
- What 'balms' do people seek today to heal spiritual wounds that only God can cure?
- How does recognizing our wound as incurable apart from Christ lead to genuine repentance?
- What does Egypt's incurable wound teach about the consequences of pride and self-reliance?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
Go up into Gilead, and take balm, O virgin, the daughter of Egypt—The bitter irony intensifies as Jeremiah prescribes medicine for a mortal wound. Gilead's balm (tsori, צֳרִי), a resinous healing substance exported throughout the ancient world (Genesis 37:25), symbolizes therapeutic hope. Yet the diagnosis is devastating: in vain shalt thou use many medicines; for thou shalt not be cured. The Hebrew teruphot (תְּרֻפוֹת, "medicines") and te'aleh arukah (תְּעָלֶה־אֲרֻכָה, "shalt not be cured/healed") declare Egypt's wound fatal.
The address O virgin, the daughter of Egypt (betulah bat-Mitsrayim, בְּתוּלַת בַּת־מִצְרָיִם) uses ironic tenderness for a nation about to be violated by conquest. Egypt considered itself inviolable, yet would suffer the shame of defeat. Spiritually, this pictures humanity's attempt to heal sin's wound through human remedies—religion, morality, philosophy—all insufficient without God's intervention. Only Christ, the true physician, heals what human medicine cannot touch (Luke 5:31-32). The New Testament echoes this imagery: no human remedy cures sin's disease; only Christ's blood brings healing (1 Peter 2:24).