Jeremiah 4:9
New International Version
“In that day,” declares the LORD, “the king and the officials will lose heart, the priests will be horrified, and the prophets will be appalled.”

New Living Translation
“In that day,” says the LORD, “the king and the officials will tremble in fear. The priests will be struck with horror, and the prophets will be appalled.”

English Standard Version
“In that day, declares the LORD, courage shall fail both king and officials. The priests shall be appalled and the prophets astounded.”

Berean Standard Bible
“In that day,” declares the LORD, “the king and officials will lose their courage. The priests will tremble in fear, and the prophets will be astounded.”

King James Bible
And it shall come to pass at that day, saith the LORD, that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder.

New King James Version
“And it shall come to pass in that day,” says the LORD, “That the heart of the king shall perish, And the heart of the princes; The priests shall be astonished, And the prophets shall wonder.”

New American Standard Bible
“And it shall come about on that day,” declares the LORD, “that the heart of the king and the hearts of the leaders will fail; and the priests will tremble, and the prophets will be astonished.”

NASB 1995
“It shall come about in that day,” declares the LORD, “that the heart of the king and the heart of the princes will fail; and the priests will be appalled and the prophets will be astounded.”

NASB 1977
“And it shall come about in that day,” declares the LORD, “that the heart of the king and the heart of the princes will fail; and the priests will be appalled, and the prophets will be astounded.”

Legacy Standard Bible
“It will be in that day,” declares Yahweh, “that the heart of the king and the heart of the princes will perish; and the priests will be appalled, and the prophets will be astonished.”

Amplified Bible
“It shall come about in that day,” says the LORD, “that the heart and courage of the king will fail (be paralyzed), and also the heart of the princes; the priests will be appalled and the prophets will be astounded and horrified.”

Christian Standard Bible
“On that day”—this is the LORD’s declaration—“the king and the officials will lose their courage. The priests will tremble in fear, and the prophets will be scared speechless.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
“On that day"—this is the LORD’s declaration—"the king and the officials will lose their courage. The priests will tremble in fear, and the prophets will be scared speechless.”

American Standard Version
And it shall come to pass at that day, saith Jehovah, that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder.

Contemporary English Version
The LORD said, "When all this happens, the king and his officials, the prophets and the priests will be shocked and terrified."

English Revised Version
And it shall come to pass at that day, saith the LORD, that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"When that day comes," declares the LORD, "the king and the leaders will lose their courage. The priests will be stunned. The prophets will be amazed and astonished."

Good News Translation
The LORD said, "On that day kings and officials will lose their courage; priests will be shocked and prophets will be astonished."

International Standard Version
"On that day," declares the LORD, "the courage of the king and the leaders will fail. The priests will be appalled and the prophets astounded."

Majority Standard Bible
“In that day,” declares the LORD, “the king and officials will lose their courage. The priests will tremble in fear, and the prophets will be astounded.”

NET Bible
"When this happens," says the LORD, "the king and his officials will lose their courage. The priests will be struck with horror, and the prophets will be speechless in astonishment."

New Heart English Bible
"It shall happen at that day," says the LORD, "that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the officials; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder."

Webster's Bible Translation
And it shall come to pass at that day, saith the LORD, that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder.

World English Bible
“It will happen at that day,” says Yahweh, “that the heart of the king will perish, along with the heart of the princes. The priests will be astonished, and the prophets will wonder.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
“And it has come to pass in that day,” "" A declaration of YHWH, "" “The heart of the king perishes, "" And the heart of the princes, "" And the priests have been astonished, "" And the prophets wonder.”

Young's Literal Translation
And it hath come to pass, in that day, An affirmation of Jehovah: 'Perish doth the heart of the king, And the heart of the princes, And astonished have been the priests, And the prophets do wonder.'

Smith's Literal Translation
And it was in that day, says Jehovah, the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the chiefs; and the priests were astonished, and the prophets shall wonder.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord: That the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes: and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall be amazed

Catholic Public Domain Version
And this shall be in that day, says the Lord: The heart of the king will perish, with the heart of the princes. And the priests will be stupefied, and the prophets will be in consternation.”

New American Bible
In that day—oracle of the LORD— The king will lose heart, and the princes; the priests will be horrified, and the prophets stunned.

New Revised Standard Version
On that day, says the LORD, courage shall fail the king and the officials; the priests shall be appalled and the prophets astounded.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And it shall come to pass at that day, says the LORD, that the hearts of kings shall fail, and the hearts of princes; and the priests shall be astonished and the prophets shall wonder.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And it shall be in that day, says LORD JEHOVAH, the heart of the King will be destroyed, and the heart of the Rulers, and the Priests shall be astonished and the Prophets shall marvel
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And it shall come to pass at that day, Saith the LORD, That the heart of the king shall fail, And the heart of the princes; And the priests shall be astonished, And the prophets shall wonder.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord, that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be amazed, and the prophets shall wonder.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Disaster from the North
8So put on sackcloth, mourn and wail, for the fierce anger of the LORD has not turned away from us.” 9 “In that day,” declares the LORD, “the king and officials will lose their courage. The priests will tremble in fear, and the prophets will be astounded.” 10Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD, how completely You have deceived this people and Jerusalem by saying, ‘You will have peace,’ while a sword is at our throats.”…

Cross References
Isaiah 3:1-3
For behold, the Lord GOD of Hosts is about to remove from Jerusalem and Judah both supply and support: the whole supply of food and water, / the mighty man and the warrior, the judge and the prophet, the soothsayer and the elder, / the commander of fifty and the dignitary, the counselor, the cunning magician, and the clever enchanter.

Lamentations 2:9
Her gates have sunk into the ground; He has destroyed and shattered their bars. Her king and her princes are exiled among the nations, the law is no more, and even her prophets find no vision from the LORD.

Ezekiel 7:26
Disaster upon disaster will come, and rumor after rumor. Then they will seek a vision from a prophet, but instruction from the priests will perish, as will counsel from the elders.

Hosea 4:5
You will stumble by day, and the prophet will stumble with you by night; so I will destroy your mother—

Micah 3:6-7
Therefore night will come over you without visions, and darkness without divination. The sun will set on these prophets, and the daylight will turn black over them. / Then the seers will be ashamed and the diviners will be disgraced. They will all cover their mouths because there is no answer from God.”

Zephaniah 1:17
I will bring such distress on mankind that they will walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the LORD. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their flesh like dung.

2 Kings 25:4-5
Then the city was breached; and though the Chaldeans had surrounded the city, all the men of war fled by night by way of the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden. They headed toward the Arabah, / but the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and his whole army deserted him.

2 Chronicles 36:17
So He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who put their young men to the sword in the sanctuary, sparing neither young men nor young women, neither elderly nor infirm. God gave them all into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar,

Isaiah 29:10
For the LORD has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep. He has shut your eyes, O prophets; He has covered your heads, O seers.

Amos 8:9-10
And in that day, declares the Lord GOD, I will make the sun go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the daytime. / I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation. I will cause everyone to wear sackcloth and every head to be shaved. I will make it like a time of mourning for an only son, and its outcome like a bitter day.

Matthew 24:29
Immediately after the tribulation of those days: ‘The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.’

Luke 21:25-26
There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among the nations, bewildered by the roaring of the sea and the surging of the waves. / Men will faint from fear and anxiety over what is coming upon the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

Mark 13:24-25
But in those days, after that tribulation: ‘The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; / the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.’

Revelation 6:12-14
And I watched as the Lamb opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black like sackcloth of goat hair, and the whole moon turned blood red, / and the stars of the sky fell to the earth like unripe figs dropping from a tree shaken by a great wind. / The sky receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.

Matthew 27:45
From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.


Treasury of Scripture

And it shall come to pass at that day, said the LORD, that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder.

that the heart

Jeremiah 39:4,5
And it came to pass, that when Zedekiah the king of Judah saw them, and all the men of war, then they fled, and went forth out of the city by night, by the way of the king's garden, by the gate betwixt the two walls: and he went out the way of the plain…

Jeremiah 52:7
Then the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled, and went forth out of the city by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king's garden; (now the Chaldeans were by the city round about:) and they went by the way of the plain.

1 Samuel 25:37,38
But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became as a stone…

and the priests

Jeremiah 5:31
The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?

Jeremiah 6:13,14
For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely…

Jeremiah 37:19
Where are now your prophets which prophesied unto you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land?

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Jeremiah 4
1. God calls Israel by his promise
3. He exhorts Judah to repentance by fearful judgments
19. A grievous lamentation for Judah














On that day
This phrase refers to a specific time of judgment that God has appointed. In the Hebrew context, "that day" often signifies a day of reckoning or divine intervention. It is a reminder of God's sovereignty over time and history, emphasizing that He has set a particular moment for His purposes to unfold. This phrase calls believers to be mindful of God's timing and the certainty of His plans.

declares the LORD
The use of "declares the LORD" underscores the authority and certainty of the message. In Hebrew, the term often translated as "declares" is "נְאֻם" (ne'um), which conveys a solemn pronouncement. This is not merely a prediction but a divine decree, emphasizing that the words come directly from God Himself. It reassures believers of the reliability and truth of God's word.

the king and officials
The mention of "the king and officials" highlights the leadership of Judah, who were expected to guide and protect the people. In the historical context, these leaders were often seen as the embodiment of the nation's strength and stability. Their loss of courage signifies a complete breakdown of human authority and governance, pointing to the futility of relying on earthly powers instead of God.

will lose their courage
This phrase indicates a profound sense of fear and helplessness. The Hebrew root for "lose courage" can be associated with the idea of disintegration or melting away, suggesting a total collapse of confidence. It serves as a warning that without God, even the mightiest leaders are vulnerable and powerless in the face of divine judgment.

The priests will tremble in fear
The priests, who were responsible for spiritual leadership and maintaining the covenant relationship with God, are depicted as trembling. This reaction indicates a failure in their spiritual duties and a recognition of their own inadequacy. Historically, priests were seen as mediators between God and the people, and their fear reflects the gravity of the nation's spiritual decline.

and the prophets will be astounded
Prophets, who were supposed to be the mouthpieces of God, are described as being astounded. The Hebrew root for "astounded" can imply being stunned or rendered speechless. This suggests that even those who were expected to have insight into God's plans are caught off guard by the severity of the judgment. It serves as a sobering reminder of the unpredictability of God's ways and the need for humility and repentance.

(9) The heart of the king shall perish.--The heart, as representing the mind generally. Judgment and wisdom were to give way to panic and fear.

Verse 9. - The heart... shall perish; i.e. they shall lose their reason. The same verb in Ethiopic means "to be mad." The "heart" in Old Testament language is the center of the intellectual as well as of the moral life (comp. Hosea 4:11; Job 12:24; Proverbs 15:28). So St. Ephrem the Syrian says ('Works,' in Syriac, 2:316, quoted by Delitzsch), "The reason expatiates in the heart as in a palace."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“In that
הַהוּא֙ (ha·hū)
Article | Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

day,”
בַיּוֹם־ (ḇay·yō·wm-)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3117: A day

declares
נְאֻם־ (nə·’um-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 5002: An oracle

the LORD,
יְהוָ֔ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

“the king
הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ (ham·me·leḵ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

and officials
הַשָּׂרִ֑ים (haś·śā·rîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8269: Chieftain, chief, ruler, official, captain, prince

will lose
יֹאבַ֥ד (yō·ḇaḏ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6: To wander away, lose oneself, to perish

their courage.
לֵב־ (lêḇ-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3820: The heart, the feelings, the will, the intellect, centre

The priests
הַכֹּ֣הֲנִ֔ים (hak·kō·hă·nîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3548: Priest

will tremble in fear,
וְנָשַׁ֙מּוּ֙ (wə·nā·šam·mū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 8074: To stun, devastate, stupefy

and the prophets
וְהַנְּבִיאִ֖ים (wə·han·nə·ḇî·’îm)
Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 5030: A spokesman, speaker, prophet

will be astounded.”
יִתְמָֽהוּ׃ (yiṯ·mā·hū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 8539: To be astounded or dumbfounded


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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 4:9 It shall happen at that day says (Jer.)
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