Jeremiah 8:15

Study note

Setting — Jeremiah speaks on behalf of Judah to God at a moment of national collapse, immediately after the people resolve to flee to fortified cities following their receipt of poisoned water as judgment. The collective voice expresses despair as enemy forces advance from the north.

The words — The Hebrew קַוֵּה (qavveh) translates literally as "we waited eagerly" or "we hoped," paired with לְשָׁלוֹם (le-shalom), "for peace." This expectation is directly contradicted by וְאֵין טוֹב (ve-ein tov), "and there is no good."

The thread — The pattern of anticipated relief yielding to sudden calamity runs through Jeremiah 14:19, Micah 1:12, and 1 Thessalonians 5:3. Each text records a group expecting deliverance only to encounter immediate judgment or destruction.

Why it lands — The verse requires a reader to recognize that human expectations of safety do not override divine judgment. It demands an honest assessment of whether one is waiting for relief while ignoring the stated cause of the crisis.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.