Jeremiah (1-31) 8:13 Commentary and Bible Study

The KJV makes verse 13 a description of the intensity of their destruction when it comes at the hand of the Chaldeans. All their good things, the beautiful fruit trees for which Jerusalem was famous, would be taken away, leaving them with nothing. Others make this a comment on the unfruitfulness of the nation, and treat this as a metaphor for spiritual fruit: ‘When I would gather them, declares the LORD, there are no grapes on the vine …’.Verse 14 seems to describe the hopeless of the situation. In the countryside they are no safe places to hide, and so the instinctive reaction is to flee into the cities, where they will have a wall around them. But the reality is that the cities are no safer; they too are going to fall. The words ‘be silent’ are translated by some as ‘perish’ – ‘let us perish there.’ Either way, it is seen to be a plan which will not delay the inevitable for very long. There is a recognition that God is punishing them, and nothing they do is going to avert it. They know perfectly well why this has come, and at last they admit it to themselves, but it is too late to do anything about it. Although individuals can still heed Jeremiah’s message and repent, the nation as a whole is definitely going to be judged.