Jeremiah 30:6
New International Version
Ask and see: Can a man bear children? Then why do I see every strong man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor, every face turned deathly pale?

New Living Translation
Now let me ask you a question: Do men give birth to babies? Then why do they stand there, ashen-faced, hands pressed against their sides like a woman in labor?

English Standard Version
Ask now, and see, can a man bear a child? Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor? Why has every face turned pale?

Berean Standard Bible
Ask now, and see: Can a male give birth? Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor and every face turned pale?

King James Bible
Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?

New King James Version
Ask now, and see, Whether a man is ever in labor with child? So why do I see every man with his hands on his loins Like a woman in labor, And all faces turned pale?

New American Standard Bible
‘Ask now, and see If a male can give birth. Why do I see every man With his hands on his waist, as a woman in childbirth? And why have all faces turned pale?

NASB 1995
Ask now, and see If a male can give birth. Why do I see every man With his hands on his loins, as a woman in childbirth? And why have all faces turned pale?

NASB 1977
‘Ask now, and see, If a male can give birth. Why do I see every man With his hands on his loins, as a woman in childbirth? And why have all faces turned pale?

Legacy Standard Bible
Ask now, and see If a male can give birth. Why do I see every man With his hands on his loins, as a woman in childbirth? And why have all faces turned pale?

Amplified Bible
‘Ask now, and see Whether a man can give birth [to a child]. Why then do I see every man With his hands on his loins, as a woman in labor? Why have all faces turned pale?

Christian Standard Bible
Ask and see whether a male can give birth. Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor and every face turned pale?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Ask and see whether a male can give birth. Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor and every face turned pale?

American Standard Version
Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child: wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?

Contemporary English Version
Can men give birth? Then why do I see them looking so pale and clutching their stomachs like women in labor?

English Revised Version
Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child: wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Ask now, and see: Can a man give birth to a child? Why, then, do I see every strong man holding his stomach in pain like a woman giving birth to a child? Why has every face turned pale?

Good News Translation
Now stop and think! Can a man give birth to a child? Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor? Why is everyone so pale?

International Standard Version
Ask about this and think about it— Can a man give birth to a child? Why then do I see every strong man with his hands on his thighs like a woman giving birth, and all their faces have turned pale?

Majority Standard Bible
Ask now, and see: Can a male give birth? Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor and every face turned pale?

NET Bible
Ask yourselves this and consider it carefully: Have you ever seen a man give birth to a baby? Why then do I see all these strong men grabbing their stomachs in pain like a woman giving birth? And why do their faces turn so deathly pale?

New Heart English Bible
Ask now, and see whether a man does travail with child: why do I see every man with his hands on his waist, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?

Webster's Bible Translation
Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? Why do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?

World English Bible
Ask now, and see whether a man travails with child. Why do I see every man with his hands on his waist, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned pale?
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Now ask and see, is a male bringing forth? Why have I seen every man "" [With] his hands on his loins, as a travailing woman, "" And all faces have been turned to paleness?

Young's Literal Translation
Ask, I pray you, and see, is a male bringing forth? Wherefore have I seen every man, His hands on his loins, as a travailing woman, And all faces have been turned to paleness?

Smith's Literal Translation
Ask ye now, and see if a male brought forth? wherefore did I see every man his hands upon his loins as she bringing forth, and all faces were turned to paleness?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Ask ye, and see if a man bear children ? why then have I seen every man with his hands on his loins, like a woman in labour, and all faces are turned yellow?

Catholic Public Domain Version
Inquire and see, does a male give birth? Then why have I seen every man with his hand on his lower back, like a woman bearing a child? And why have all of their faces turned pale?

New American Bible
Inquire and see: does a male give birth? Why, then, do I see all these men, their hands on their loins Like women in labor, all their faces drained of color?

New Revised Standard Version
Ask now, and see, can a man bear a child? Why then do I see every man with his hands on his loins like a woman in labor? Why has every face turned pale?
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Ask now and see: Can a male bear a child? Wherefore do I observe every man with his hands on his loins, like a woman in travail, and all faces turned into paleness?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Ask and see if a male gives birth. Why have I seen every man place his hands on his sides like a woman in labor, and all faces were turned to a fever?
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child; Wherefore do I see every man With his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, And all faces are turned into paleness?

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Enquire, and see if a male has born a child? and ask concerning the fear, wherein they shall hold their loins, and look for safety: for I have seen every man, and his hands are on his loins; their faces are turned to paleness.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Restoration of Israel and Judah
5Yes, this is what the LORD says: “A cry of panic is heard—a cry of terror, not of peace. 6Ask now, and see: Can a male give birth? Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor and every face turned pale? 7How awful that day will be! None will be like it! It is the time of Jacob’s distress, but he will be saved out of it.…

Cross References
Isaiah 13:8
Terror, pain, and anguish will seize them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look at one another, their faces flushed with fear.

Isaiah 21:3
Therefore my body is filled with anguish. Pain grips me, like the pains of a woman in labor. I am bewildered to hear, I am dismayed to see.

Hosea 13:13
Labor pains come upon him, but he is an unwise son. When the time arrives, he fails to present himself at the opening of the womb.

Micah 4:9-10
Why do you now cry aloud? Is there no king among you? Has your counselor perished so that anguish grips you like a woman in labor? / Writhe in agony, O Daughter of Zion, like a woman in labor. For now you will leave the city and camp in the open fields. You will go to Babylon; there you will be rescued; there the LORD will redeem you from the hand of your enemies!

Matthew 24:8
All these are the beginning of birth pains.

Mark 13:8
Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, as well as famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

1 Thessalonians 5:3
While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

Isaiah 26:17-18
As a woman with child about to give birth writhes and cries out in pain, so were we in Your presence, O LORD. / We were with child; we writhed in pain; but we gave birth to wind. We have given no salvation to the earth, nor brought any life into the world.

John 16:21
A woman has pain in childbirth because her time has come; but when she brings forth her child, she forgets her anguish because of her joy that a child has been born into the world.

Revelation 12:2
She was pregnant and crying out in the pain and agony of giving birth.

Isaiah 66:7-8
“Before she was in labor, she gave birth; before she was in pain, she delivered a boy. / Who has heard of such as this? Who has seen such things? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be delivered in an instant? Yet as soon as Zion was in labor, she gave birth to her children.

Psalm 48:6
Trembling seized them there, anguish like a woman in labor.

Isaiah 42:14
“I have kept silent from ages past; I have remained quiet and restrained. But now I will groan like a woman in labor; I will at once gasp and pant.

Romans 8:22
We know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until the present time.

Isaiah 45:10
Woe to him who says to his father, ‘What have you begotten?’ or to his mother, ‘What have you brought forth?’”


Treasury of Scripture

Ask you now, and see whether a man does travail with child? why do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?

a man.

Jeremiah 4:31
For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, and the anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, that bewaileth herself, that spreadeth her hands, saying, Woe is me now! for my soul is wearied because of murderers.

Jeremiah 6:24
We have heard the fame thereof: our hands wax feeble: anguish hath taken hold of us, and pain, as of a woman in travail.

Jeremiah 13:21
What wilt thou say when he shall punish thee? for thou hast taught them to be captains, and as chief over thee: shall not sorrows take thee, as a woman in travail?

paleness.

Isaiah 29:22
Therefore thus saith the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale.

Joel 2:6
Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness.

Nahum 2:10
She 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.

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Jeremiah 30
1. God shows Jeremiah the return of the Jews.
4. After their trouble they shall have deliverance.
10. He comforts Jacob.
18. Their return shall be gracious.
23. Wrath shall fall on the wicked.














Ask now, and see
This phrase is a divine invitation to inquiry and reflection. In the Hebrew, "ask" (שָׁאַל, sha'al) implies a seeking of understanding or wisdom. God is urging the people to consider the absurdity of the situation He is about to describe. This is a call to discernment, encouraging the audience to look beyond the immediate and seek deeper spiritual truths.

Can a male give birth?
This rhetorical question uses the impossibility of a man giving birth to highlight the unnaturalness of the situation. In the Hebrew context, this would have been a shocking image, as childbirth was exclusively a female experience. The question underscores the severity of the distress that has come upon the people, likening it to the intense pain and vulnerability of labor.

Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor
The imagery here is vivid and powerful. The Hebrew word for "stomach" (חָלָצַיִם, chalatsayim) can also mean "loins," a place of strength and vitality. The men, typically seen as strong and resilient, are depicted in a state of weakness and agony, akin to the pains of childbirth. This reversal of roles serves to emphasize the depth of the crisis facing the people.

and every face turned pale?
The paleness of the face is a sign of fear and distress. In ancient Near Eastern culture, a pale face was often associated with terror or impending doom. The Hebrew word for "pale" (צָהַב, tsahab) suggests a loss of color, indicative of the life-draining fear that grips the people. This imagery conveys the overwhelming nature of the judgment and the profound impact it has on the community.

Verse 6. - Whether a man doth travail with child. Great, indeed, must be the terror when no adequate figure suggests itself but that of a woman in her pangs (comp. Jeremiah 6:24; Jeremiah 13:21; Jeremiah 22:23; Isaiah 13:8). All faces are turned into paleness. So Joel (Joel 2:6) and Nahum (Nahum 2:10), "All faces withdraw their colour." For "paleness" the Septuagint has "jaundice" - a possible meaning of the Hebrew; comp. χλωρὸς, "pale, bilious looking" in medical writings, but properly "greenish-yellow," like the Hebrew noun.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Ask
שַׁאֲלוּ־ (ša·’ă·lū-)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 7592: To inquire, to request, to demand

and see:
וּרְא֔וּ (ū·rə·’ū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 7200: To see

Can
אִם־ (’im-)
Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

a male
זָכָ֑ר (zā·ḵār)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2145: Remembered, a male

give birth?
יֹלֵ֖ד (yō·lêḏ)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 3205: To bear young, to beget, medically, to act as midwife, to show lineage

Why then
מַדּוּעַ֩ (mad·dū·a‘)
Interrogative
Strong's 4069: Why? for what reason?

do I see
רָאִ֨יתִי (rā·’î·ṯî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 7200: To see

every
כָל־ (ḵāl)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

man
גֶּ֜בֶר (ge·ḇer)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1397: A valiant man, warrior, a person simply

with his hands
יָדָ֤יו (yā·ḏāw)
Noun - fdc | third person masculine singular
Strong's 3027: A hand

on
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

his stomach
חֲלָצָיו֙ (ḥă·lā·ṣāw)
Noun - mdc | third person masculine singular
Strong's 2504: The loins

like a woman in labor
כַּיּ֣וֹלֵדָ֔ה (kay·yō·w·lê·ḏāh)
Preposition-k, Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine singular
Strong's 3205: To bear young, to beget, medically, to act as midwife, to show lineage

and every
כָל־ (ḵāl)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

face
פָּנִ֖ים (pā·nîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 6440: The face

turned
וְנֶהֶפְכ֥וּ (wə·ne·hep̄·ḵū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 2015: To turn about, over, to change, overturn, return, pervert

pale?
לְיֵרָקֽוֹן׃ (lə·yê·rā·qō·wn)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3420: Mildew, paleness, lividness


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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 30:6 Ask now and see whether a man (Jer.)
Jeremiah 30:5
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