Jeremiah 49:23
Concerning Damascus. Hamath is confounded, and Arpad: for they have heard evil tidings: they are fainthearted; there is sorrow on the sea; it cannot be quiet.
Original Language Analysis
בּ֤וֹשָֽׁה
is confounded
H954
בּ֤וֹשָֽׁה
is confounded
Strong's:
H954
Word #:
2 of 14
properly, to pale, i.e., by implication to be ashamed; also (by implication) to be disappointed or delayed
כִּי
H3588
כִּי
Strong's:
H3588
Word #:
5 of 14
(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed
שָׁמְע֖וּ
for they have heard
H8085
שָׁמְע֖וּ
for they have heard
Strong's:
H8085
Word #:
8 of 14
to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.)
נָמֹ֑גוּ
they are fainthearted
H4127
נָמֹ֑גוּ
they are fainthearted
Strong's:
H4127
Word #:
9 of 14
to melt, i.e., literally (to soften, flow down, disappear), or figuratively (to fear, faint)
בַּיָּ֣ם
on the sea
H3220
בַּיָּ֣ם
on the sea
Strong's:
H3220
Word #:
10 of 14
a sea (as breaking in noisy surf) or large body of water; specifically (with the article), the mediterranean sea; sometimes a large river, or an artif
Cross References
Isaiah 10:9Is not Calno as Carchemish? is not Hamath as Arpad? is not Samaria as Damascus?2 Kings 18:34Where are the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah? have they delivered Samaria out of mine hand?Isaiah 57:20But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.Genesis 14:15And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.Nahum 2:10She is empty, and void, and waste: and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and much pain is in all loins, and the faces of them all gather blackness.Genesis 15:2And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?2 Kings 19:13Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivah?Numbers 13:21So they went up, and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath.
Historical Context
Damascus was capital of the Aramean kingdom, a major trading hub on caravan routes between Mesopotamia and Egypt. Hamath and Arpad were northern Syrian city-states frequently mentioned in Assyrian and Babylonian annals. Nebuchadnezzar conquered this region during his western campaigns.
Questions for Reflection
- Why does God judge even nations like Damascus that weren't directly involved in Judah's destruction?
- What does the spreading 'sorrow on the sea' metaphor teach about the contagious nature of judgment?
- How does this oracle against multiple Aramean cities demonstrate the comprehensiveness of God's justice?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
Concerning Damascus (לְדַמֶּשֶׂק, l'Dammeseq)—Jeremiah pivots from Edom to Aram (Syria). Damascus, one of antiquity's oldest continuously inhabited cities, now faces God's tribunal. Hamath is confounded, and Arpad (בֹּשָׁה חֲמָת וְאַרְפָּד, boshah Chamat v'Arpad)—northern Syrian cities are 'shamed' (bosh), a term conveying humiliation and disappointed expectations.
There is sorrow on the sea; it cannot be quiet (בַּיָּם דְּאָגָה לֹא תוּכַל הַשְׁקֵט, bayyam de'agah lo tukhal hashqet)—The Mediterranean coastlands are agitated, unable to find shaqat (tranquility). The anxiety is contagious and irrepressible, like storm-tossed waters. This oracle dates to circa 605 BC when Nebuchadnezzar first campaigned in Syria-Palestine, spreading panic through Aramean kingdoms.