Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 14:3

And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters: they came to the pits, [and] found no water; they returned with their vessels empty; they were ashamed and confounded, and covered their heads.

3. little ones ] rather, as mg. inferiors, i.e. servants.

pits ] cisterns, or tanks, where the water was kept till wanted for use. See on ch. Jer 2:13.

ashamed ] See on Jer 2:26.

cover their heads ] as a sign of the greatest grief or confusion. Cp. 2Sa 15:30; Est 6:12.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Little ones – mean ones, the common people. The word is unique to Jeremiah Jer 48:4.

The pits – i. e., tanks for holding water.

Covered their heads – The sign of grief.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Verse 3. Their nobles have sent their little ones] So general was this calamity, that the servants no longer attended to their lords, but every one was interested alone for himself; and the nobles of the land were obliged to employ their own children to scour the land, to see if any water could be found in the tanks or the pits. In the dearth in the time of Elijah, Ahab the king, and Obadiah his counsellor, were obliged to traverse the land themselves, in order to find out water to keep their cattle alive. This and the three following verses give a lively but distressing picture of this dearth and its effects.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

This scarcity of water afflicted not mean persons only, who have not so good means to supply their necessities as others; but their greatest persons; so as they sent their

little ones (it were better translated servants, for they are meant) to the places made to receive and retain water; but finding no water in the pits, they came back again with their vessels empty, like men ashamed and confounded, and troubled upon the seeing their expectations frustrated.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

3. little onesrather, “theirinferiors,” that is, domestics.

pitscisterns forcollecting rain water, often met with in the East where thereare no springs.

covered . . . heads(2Sa 15:30). A sign ofhumiliation and mourning.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters,…. To places where water used to be; to the pools, the upper and the lower, particularly to the fountain of Shiloah, which, Jerom says, was the only one the city of Jerusalem used. The meaning either is, that the nobles in Jerusalem sent their own children to get water for them, they having no servants to attend them, these being put away because they could not support them, the famine being so sore; or rather that they sent their menial servants, their subjects, as the Targum renders it, to fetch them a little water to refresh themselves with:

they came to the pits and found no water; their servants came according to order to the pools and cisterns, or to the deep wells, and to such places where there used to be a great confluence of water, and plenty of it, but now they could find none:

they returned with their vessels empty; just as they came:

they were ashamed and confounded; either the servants that were sent, or rather their masters that sent them, when they saw them come with their empty vessels; having been looking out and longing for their return, expecting they would have brought water with them for their refreshment; but to their great disappointment and confusion brought none:

and covered their heads; as persons ashamed, or as mourners used to do, being full of anguish and distress because of the drought.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

It is then added, Their chiefs will send the common people to the waters The Prophet’s object was again to point out something extraordinary, — that the great, possessing authority, would constrain and compel the common sort to draw water. They have sent them, he says, that is, by authority; they who could command others sent them to the waters. (106) They came, he says, to the cisterns By the word גבים gabim, he means deep ditches, or pits; but some render them cisterns. With regard to the subject in hand, it signifies not; for the Prophet no doubt meant that they would come to the deepest wells or pits, as it is usually done ia a great drought; for many springs become often dry, and pits also, situated in high places; but in valleys some water remains, and there it may be had: there are also some wells ever full of water, where its abundance never fails. It was therefore the Prophet’s design to refer to such wells. They came, he says, to the wells, where they thought they could find a sufficient supply; but he adds, They found no waters; they returned with their empty vessels (107)

We now perceive what I have said, — that the Prophet here reproves the Jews for their stupidity in not understanding that God was angry with them when the order of nature, which ought ever to continue the same, thus failed. Droughts indeed often happen when there are no waters in most places; but when no well supplies any water, when there is not a drop of water to be found in the most favorable places, then indeed it ought to be concluded that God’s curse is on the people, who find nothing to drink; for in nothing does God deal more bountifully with the world than in the supply of water. We do not speak now of wine; but we see fountains everywhere pouring forth waters, and rivers also flow through countries: moreover, pits are dug through the labors of men; there are also cisterns in which the rain is preserved in places that are commonly dry: but when in cisterns no water remains, and when the fountains themselves refuse any supply, we may hence surely know that it is the special judgment of God; and this is what Jeremiah intended here to shew; and therefore he says that they were confounded and ashamed, and that they covered their head It now follows —

(106) The persons here mentioned are called by the Septuagint “chieftains — μεγιστᾶνες,” and “young men — τους νεωτέρους;” by the Vulqate, “the elder ones — majores,” and “the younger ones — minores;” by the Syriac, “the chiefs,” and “the common sort;” and by the Targum, “chief men,” and “subjects.” The first word is well expressed in our version, “nobles,” — the illustrious; and the most suitable word for the others is “menials;” they were the servants. — Ed

(107) would render the verse thus, —

3. When their nobles sent their menials for water, They came to the reservoirs, they found no water; They brought back their vessels empty: They were ashamed and confounded, And they covered their heads.

The word I render “reservoirs” means literally arches or vaults. They were places arched over to preserve water. Parkhurst thinks that the reservoirs made by King Hezekiah are intended, 2Ch 32:30. That the verb שב has the meaning of bringing back is evident from Isa 52:8; and this is according to the Vulgate and the Septuagint in this place. Gataker and Venema think that the shame and confusion refer to the nobles, and not to the servants. This verse speaks of Jerusalem, the last mentioned in the former verse; and what follows refers to Judea, spoken of in the former part according to the usual manner of the prophets. — Ed

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

(3) Their little ones.Not their children, but their menial servants. The word is peculiar to Jeremiah, and occurs only here and in Jer. 48:4. The vivid picture of the messengers running hither and thither to all wells, and springs, and tanks, reminds us of Ahabs search for wells or springs in the time of the great drought of his reign (1Ki. 18:5), of the two or three cities wandering to the one city that was yet supplied with water of Amo. 4:8.

The pits.The tanks or reservoirs where, if anywhere, water might be looked for.

Covered their heads.The extremest sign of a grief too great to utter itself to others, craving to be alone in its wretchedness (2Sa. 15:30; 2Sa. 19:4). The student will recollect it as occurring also in the account of the painting of Agamemnon at the Sacrifice of Iphigenia, ascribed to Timanthes.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

3. Little ones Not children, but the common people, in contrast with the nobles the great ones. The word is used besides only in chap. Jer 48:4.

Pits Cisterns.

Covered their heads “Covering the head is a token of deep grief turned in upon itself. See 2Sa 15:30 ; 2Sa 19:5.” Keil.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments