Jeremiah 8:3
in Jeremiah 8And wherever I have banished them, the remnant of this evil family will choose death over life,” declares the LORD of Hosts.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue that remain of this evil family, that remain in all the places whither I have driven them, saith Jehovah of hosts.
KJV
And death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue of them that remain of this evil family, which remain in all the places whither I have driven them, saith the Lord of hosts.
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This verse in Jeremiah 8
Commentary
7 notes on this verseAnd death shall be chosen rather than life,.... By them that should be alive in those times, who would be carried captive into other lands, and be used very hardly, and suffer greatly, by the nations among whom they should dwell; see Rev 9:
This site's exposition
the bones of the kings of Judah
on Jeremiah 8:1-3
The bones of kings, priests, prophets and people are exposed to “all the host of heaven which they have loved, served, followed, consulted, and worshiped”. The objects of their devotion become witnesses of their shame, and worship offered to the sky is repaid by exposure under it.
This site's exposition
will choose death over life
The remnant of this evil family are the survivors the LORD has banished to other lands. Gill describes their life among the nations as so hard that death becomes the choice, and he sets the verse beside Revelation 9. Survival itself becomes the sentence.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Chapter 8, verses 1 and following) In that time, says the Lord, the bones of the king of Judah and the bones of his princes and the bones of the priests and the bones of the prophets and the bones of those who lived in Jerusalem will be thrown out of their tombs. And they will spread them before the sun and the moon and all the host of the heavens, which they loved and served and after which they walked and which they sought and worshiped.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
7 Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the L ORD . 8 How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the L ORD is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:94%@v7-8
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
The survivors shall be still worse off than the dead (Job 3:21, 22; Re 9:6). which remain in all the places--"in all places of them that remain, whither I . . . that is, in all places whither I have driven them that remain [MAURER].
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — odd-straight-quotes
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
This evil family - The whole Jewish race. Which remain - The words are omitted by the Septuagint and Syriac versions.
The words behind it
19 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְנִבְחַ֥ר | venivchar | and it will be chosen | H977 → | 171 times |
| מָ֙וֶת֙ | mavet | death | H4194 → | 156 times |
| מֵֽחַיִּ֔ים | mechaiyim | more than life | H2416 → | 498 times |
| לְכֹ֗ל | lekhol | by all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הַשְּׁאֵרִית֙ | hasheerit | the remnant | H7611 → | 66 times |
| הַנִּשְׁאָרִ֔ים | hanisharim | which remain | H7604 → | 133 times |
| מִן־ | min- | from | H4480 → | 1188 times |
| הַמִּשְׁפָּחָ֥ה | hamishpachah | the family | H4940 → | 303 times |
| הָֽרָעָ֖ה | haraah | <the> evil | H7451 → | 662 times |
| הַזֹּ֑את | hazot | <the> this | H2063 → | 603 times |
| בְּכָל־ | bekhol | in all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הַמְּקֹמ֤וֹת | hamekomot | the places | H4725 → | 401 times |
| הַנִּשְׁאָרִים֙ | hanisharim | which remain | H7604 → | 133 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾasher | where | H834 → | 5497 times |
| הִדַּחְתִּ֣ים | hidachtim | I have banished them | H5080 → | 55 times |
| שָׁ֔ם | sham | there | H8033 → | 834 times |
| נְאֻ֖ם | neum | [the] utterance of | H5002 → | 376 times |
| יְהוָ֥ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| צְבָאֽוֹת׃ ס | tzevaot | of hosts | H6635 → | 485 times |
וְנִבְחַ֥רand it will be chosen
venivcharH977 →171 times
מָ֙וֶת֙death
mavetH4194 →156 times
מֵֽחַיִּ֔יםmore than life
mechaiyimH2416 →498 times
לְכֹ֗לby all
lekholH3605 →5413 times
הַשְּׁאֵרִית֙the remnant
hasheeritH7611 →66 times
הַנִּשְׁאָרִ֔יםwhich remain
hanisharimH7604 →133 times
מִן־from
min-H4480 →1188 times
הַמִּשְׁפָּחָ֥הthe family
hamishpachahH4940 →303 times
הָֽרָעָ֖ה<the> evil
haraahH7451 →662 times
הַזֹּ֑את<the> this
hazotH2063 →603 times
בְּכָל־in all
bekholH3605 →5413 times
הַמְּקֹמ֤וֹתthe places
hamekomotH4725 →401 times
הַנִּשְׁאָרִים֙which remain
hanisharimH7604 →133 times
אֲשֶׁ֣רwhere
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
הִדַּחְתִּ֣יםI have banished them
hidachtimH5080 →55 times
שָׁ֔םthere
shamH8033 →834 times
נְאֻ֖ם[the] utterance of
neumH5002 →376 times
יְהוָ֥הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
צְבָאֽוֹת׃ סof hosts
tzevaotH6635 →485 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Jeremiah 23:3Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock from all the lands to which I have banished them, and I will return them to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and…
it leads to
- Amos 9:14–15
I will restore My people Israel from captivity; they will rebuild and inhabit the ruined cities. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Isaiah 43:5–6
Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east and gather you from the west.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Jeremiah 30:3
For behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will restore from captivity My people Israel and Judah, declares the LORD. I will restore them to the land that I gave to…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Jeremiah 32:37
I will surely gather My people from all the lands to which I have banished them in My furious anger and great wrath, and I will return them to this place and make them…
- Jeremiah 29:14
I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore you from captivity and gather you from all the nations and places to which I have banished you, declares the LORD.…
- Amos 9:14–15
Through
Revelation 9:6In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, but death will escape them.
it leads to
- Luke 23:30
At that time ‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”’
- Revelation 6:16
And they said to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.
- Isaiah 2:19
Men will flee to caves in the rocks and holes in the ground, away from the terror of the LORD and from the splendor of His majesty, when He rises to shake the earth.
- Luke 23:30
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Jeremiah
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Jeremiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.