The Meaning of Jeremiah 9:17 Explained

Jeremiah 9:17

KJV: Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Consider ye, and call for the mourning women, that they may come; and send for cunning women, that they may come:

YLT: Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: Consider ye, and call for mourning women, And they come, And to the wise women send, and they come,

Darby: Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Consider, and call for the mourning women, that they may come, and send for the skilful women, that they may come;

ASV: Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, Consider ye, and call for the mourning women, that they may come; and send for the skilful women, that they may come:

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Thus saith  the LORD  of hosts,  Consider  ye, and call  for the mourning women,  that they may come;  and send  for cunning  [women], that they may come: 

What does Jeremiah 9:17 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Lord instructed Jeremiah to summon the professional mourners (Heb. meqonenoth) to come forward.
"In the Middle East even today, on the occasion of deaths or calamities, mourning is carried out by professional women who follow the funeral bier uttering a high-pitched shriek. Some of the Egyptian tomb paintings depict boatloads of professional mourners with their hair and garments disheveled accompanying a corpse on its way to a burial." [1]

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 9

1  Jeremiah laments the people for their manifold sins;
9  and for their judgment
12  Disobedience is the cause of their bitter calamity
17  He exhorts to mourn for their destruction;
23  and to trust not in themselves, but in God
25  He threatens both Jews and Gentiles

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 9:17 mean?

Thus says Yahweh of hosts Consider and call for the mourning women that they may come and for skillful wailing women send that they may come
כֹּ֤ה אָמַר֙ יְהוָ֣ה צְבָא֔וֹת הִתְבּֽוֹנְנ֛וּ וְקִרְא֥וּ לַמְקוֹנְנ֖וֹת וּתְבוֹאֶ֑ינָה וְאֶל־ הַחֲכָמ֥וֹת שִׁלְח֖וּ ! וְתָבֽוֹאנָה

כֹּ֤ה  Thus 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֹּה  
Sense: thus, here, in this manner.
אָמַר֙  says 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
יְהוָ֣ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
צְבָא֔וֹת  of  hosts 
Parse: Noun, common plural
Root: צָבָא 
Sense: that which goes forth, army, war, warfare, host.
הִתְבּֽוֹנְנ֛וּ  Consider 
Parse: Verb, Hitpael, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: בִּין  
Sense: to discern, understand, consider.
וְקִרְא֥וּ  and  call 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: קָרָא  
Sense: to call, call out, recite, read, cry out, proclaim.
לַמְקוֹנְנ֖וֹת  for  the  mourning  women 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Verb, Piel, Participle, feminine plural
Root: קֹונֵן 
Sense: to chant a dirge, chant, wail, lament.
וּתְבוֹאֶ֑ינָה  that  they  may  come 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect, third person feminine plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
וְאֶל־  and  for 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
הַחֲכָמ֥וֹת  skillful  wailing  women 
Parse: Article, Adjective, feminine plural
Root: חָכָם  
Sense: wise, wise (man).
שִׁלְח֖וּ  send 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
! וְתָבֽוֹאנָה  that  they  may  come 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect, third person feminine plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.