Jeremiah once again expresses his personal experience of the judgment that is coming to Judah. He feels a sadness that causes his soul to weep in secret. Either Jeremiah is saying that he will mourn in the depth of his soul, or that he will be the only one mourning.1 His eyes will weep bitterly and run down with tears, because the Lord’s flock has been taken captive.
Jeremiah may be referring to something that has already happened when Nebuchadnezzar first attacked Jerusalem and took some of Judah’s people captive (2 Kings 24:8–17).2 He may also be using the prophetic perfect tense to refer to the future exile of the nation in 587 BC. Either way the cause of his deep sorrow is the fact that the people are being driven from the land by the Lord because of their unfaithfulness. The word if
in Jeremiah 13:17 may still hold out some small hope of Judah repenting, but the overriding sense is that Judah will not repent because of her pride, and judgment is inevitable. Jeremiah’s weeping is not a sign of weakness or feeling sorry for himself. His tears are an appropriate response to the people’s refusal to repent. He is not speaking in a cold, detached manner. His love and concern for Judah are such that he cannot remain unmoved by what awaits them.3
17 But if you will not listen, my soul will weep in secret for your pride; my eyes will weep bitterly and run down with tears, because the LORD’s flock has been taken captive.