Jeremiah 9:17Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

These are the words of the Lord: Summon the mourners. What do you have to say? He orders that mourners be gathered from all corners and refers to them as wise. Why is this so? In popular belief, they are viewed as wise in their actions. Typically, a person possessing knowledge is considered wise, which is why he states: "obamayim obavod from the wise" (Psalm 57:6), and he asks: "Where are the wise men of Tanes?" (Isaiah 19:12). What is the purpose of this command? It is to lead them toward faith and transformation, not merely to lament, for he desires them not just to shed tears: he proclaims that in the assembly of the Lord, they shall not weep (Micah 2:6), but instead, he aims to affirm and strengthen their belief for the future.

Thus declares the Lord of Hosts, consider and summon the mourners so they may come, and dispatch to the grieving that they may quickly arrive and offer their wails on our behalf, that our eyes may overflow with tears and our lashes may stream forth with waters, for the sound of mourning is heard from Zion. In anticipation of the impending exile and devastation of Jerusalem, He instructs that mourners be gathered, who, during such sorrowful times, typically provoke the populace to weep through their cries and self-inflicted gestures of grief. This tradition is still practiced in Judea, where women, with unkempt hair and exposed bosoms, raise their voices in rhythmic laments, inciting all to tears.

I will disperse them into languages unknown to them and their ancestors, and I will bring the sword upon them until they are utterly destroyed. This conveys the dual nature of punishment through defeat in battle and the bondage of captivity; for those who manage to escape the conflict will be taken into enslavement. To instill even greater dread, He instructs that lamenters be summoned, and that rivers of tears flow forth. He also directs the wives, as there is no longer a place for joy, to instruct their daughters to mourn.