Jeremiah 18:14

Bible in Basic English

Will the white snow go away from the top of Sirion? will the cold waters flowing from the mountains become dry?

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Does the snow of Lebanon ever leave the highland crags?Or does cold water flowing from a distance ever fail?

Hebrew Names Version
Shall the snow of Levanon fail from the rock of the field? [or] shall the cold waters that flow down from afar be dried up?

King James Version
Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon which cometh from the rock of the field? or shall the cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken?

English Standard Version
Does the snow of Lebanon leave the crags of Sirion? Do the mountain waters run dry, the cold flowing streams?

New American Standard Bible
'Does the snow of Lebanon leave the rock of the open country alone? Or is the cold flowing water from a foreign land ever dried up?

New Century Version
The snow on the mountains of Lebanon never melts from the rocks. Its cool, flowing streams do not dry up.

Amplified Bible
'Will the snow of [Mount] Lebanon melt and vanish from its rocks [which tower above Israel]? Will the cold, rushing waters of foreign lands [that flow down from the distant land] be dried up?

World English Bible
Shall the snow of Lebanon fail from the rock of the field? [or] shall the cold waters that flow down from afar be dried up?

Geneva Bible (1587)
Will a man forsake the snowe of Lebanon, which commeth from the rocke of the fielde? or shall the colde flowing waters, that come from another place, be forsaken?

Legacy Standard Bible
Does the snow of Lebanon forsake the rock of the open country?Or is the cold flowing water from a strange land ever uprooted?

Berean Standard Bible
Does the snow of Lebanon ever leave its rocky slopes? Or do its cool waters flowing from a distance ever run dry?

Contemporary English Version
The snow on Lebanon's mountains never melts away, and the streams there never run dry.

Complete Jewish Bible
Does the snow of the L'vanon disappear from the mountain crags? Do the cold waters of foreign lands ever run dry?

Darby Translation
Shall the snow of Lebanon cease from the rock of the field? Shall the cool flowing waters coming from afar be dried up?

Easy-to-Read Version
It is as strange as not finding snow on Lebanon's mountains or seeing the cool streams that come from there stop flowing. That just does not happen!

George Lamsa Translation
Does the green grass vanish from the mountain or the snow leave Lebanon? Does the cold water that gushes out and runs down cease from flowing?

Good News Translation
Are Lebanon's rocky heights ever without snow? Do its cool mountain streams ever run dry?

Lexham English Bible
Does the snow of Lebanon leave from the crags of Sirion? Or are the cold waters flowing from distant mountains dried up?

Literal Translation
Does the snow of Lebanon cease from the rock of the field? Or are the cold flowing waters that come from another place uprooted?

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Shal not ye snowe (yt melteth vpon the stony rockes of Libanus) moysture the feldes? Or maye the springes off waters be so grauen awaye, that they runne nomore, geue moystnesse, ner make frutefull?

American Standard Version
Shall the snow of Lebanon fail from the rock of the field? or shall the cold waters that flow down from afar be dried up?

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Doth the snow of Lebanon fail from the rock of the field? or are the strange cold flowing waters plucked up?

King James Version (1611)
Will a man leaue the snow of Lebanon which commeth from the rocke of the fielde? or shall the colde flowing waters that come from another place, be forsaken?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Wyll a man forsake the showe of Libanus, which commeth from the rocke of the fielde? Or shall the colde flowyng waters that commeth from another place be forsaken?

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Will fertilising streams fail to flow from a rock, or snow fail from Libanus? will water violently impelled by the wind turn aside?

English Revised Version
Shall the snow of Lebanon fail from the rock of the field? or shall the cold waters that flow down from afar be dried up?

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Whether snow of the Liban schal fail fro the stoon of the feeld? ether coolde watris brekynge out, and fletynge doun moun be takun awei?

Update Bible Version
Shall the snow of Lebanon fail from the rock of Shaddai? [or] shall the cold waters that flow down from far away be dried up?

Webster's Bible Translation
Will [a man] leave the snow of Lebanon [which cometh] from the rock of the field? [or] shall the cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken?

New English Translation
Does the snow ever completely vanish from the rocky slopes of Lebanon? Do the cool waters from those distant mountains ever cease to flow?

New King James Version
Will a man leave the snow water of Lebanon, Which comes from the rock of the field? Will the cold flowing waters be forsaken for strange waters?

New Living Translation
Does the snow ever disappear from the mountaintops of Lebanon? Do the cold streams flowing from those distant mountains ever run dry?

New Life Bible
Does the snow of Lebanon ever leave its rocky mountains? Does the cold flowing water of other lands ever dry up?

New Revised Standard
Does the snow of Lebanon leave the crags of Sirion? Do the mountain waters run dry, the cold flowing streams?

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Shall the snow of Lebanon, fall from the rock of the field? Or shall waters from afar, deep, overflowing, be dried up?

Douay-Rheims Bible
Shall the snow of Libanus fail from the rock of the field? or can the cold waters that gush out and run down, be taken away?

Revised Standard Version
Does the snow of Lebanon leave the crags of Si'rion? Do the mountain waters run dry, the cold flowing streams?

Young's Literal Translation
Doth snow of Lebanon Cease from the rock of the field? Failed are the cold strange waters that flow?

New American Standard Bible (1995)
'Does the snow of Lebanon forsake the rock of the open country? Or is the cold flowing water from a foreign land ever snatched away?

Contextual Overview

¹¹ Now, then, say to the men of Judah and to the people of Jerusalem, This is what the Lord has said: See, I am forming an evil thing against you, and designing a design against you: let every man come back now from his evil way, and let your ways and your doings be changed for the better. ¹² But they will say, There is no hope: we will go on in our designs, and every one of us will do what he is moved by the pride of his evil heart to do. ¹³ So this is what the Lord has said: Make search among the nations and see who has had word of such things; the virgin of Israel has done a very shocking thing. ¹⁴ Will the white snow go away from the top of Sirion? will the cold waters flowing from the mountains become dry? ¹⁵ For my people have put me out of their memory, burning perfumes to that which is nothing; and because of this, I will put a cause of falling in their ways, even in the old roads, and will make them go on side-roads, in a way not lifted up; ¹⁶ Making their land a thing of wonder, causing sounds of surprise for ever; everyone who goes by will be overcome with wonder, shaking his head. ¹⁷ I will send them in flight, as from an east wind, before the attacker; I will let them see my back and not my face on the day of their downfall.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Will: John 6:68

the snow: etc. or, my fields for a rock, or for the snow of Lebanon? shall the running waters be forsaken for the strange cold waters? Parkhurst renders, "Will the snow of Lebanon fail from the rock of the field? Or will the issuing cold flowing waters - from that mountain namely be exhausted?" - See Targ., LXX, and Vulg. No more could I fail my people if they trusted in me. - Compare Jeremiah 2:13. Maundrell says, "The chief benefit the mountain of Lebanon serves for, is, that by its exceeding height, it proves a conservatory for abundance of snow, which thawing in the heat of summer, affords supplies of water to the rivers and fountains in the valleys below.

Reciprocal: Proverbs 25:25 - cold Song of Solomon 4:15 - streams Isaiah 8:6 - that go softly Jeremiah 2:10 - and see

Cross-References

Genesis 17:21
But my agreement will be with Isaac, to whom Sarah will give birth a year from this time.

Genesis 18:1
Now the Lord came to him by the holy tree of Mamre, when he was seated in the doorway of his tent in the middle of the day;

Genesis 18:2
And lifting up his eyes, he saw three men before him; and seeing them, he went quickly to them from the door of the tent, and went down on his face to the earth;

Genesis 18:10
And he said, I will certainly come back to you in the spring, and Sarah your wife will have a son. And his words came to the ears of Sarah who was at the back of the tent-door.

Numbers 11:23
And the Lord said to Moses, Has the Lord's hand become short? Now you will see if my word comes true for you or not.

Deuteronomy 7:21
Have no fear of them: for the Lord your God is with you, a great God greatly to be feared.

Deuteronomy 30:3
Then the Lord will have pity on you, changing your fate, and taking you back again from among all the nations where you have been forced to go.

1 Samuel 14:6
And Jonathan said to his young servant who had his arms, Come, let us go over to the armies of these men who have no circumcision: it may be that the Lord will give us help, for there is no limit to his power; the Lord is able to give salvation by a great army or by a small band.

2 Kings 4:16
And Elisha said, At this time in the coming year you will have a son in your arms. And she said, No, my lord, O man of God, do not say what is false to your servant.

Job 36:5
Truly, God gives up the hard-hearted, and will not give life to the sinner.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon, [which cometh] from the rock of the field?.... Lebanon was a mountain on the borders of Judea, the top of which was covered in the summertime with snow, from the whiteness of which it had its name, Lebanon; as the Alps, for the same reason, which lie between France and Italy: now, the snow being dissolved by the heat, ran in flowing streams down the rocks into the field and plain, where they might be easily come at, and drank of; and would a thirsty traveller, on a summer's day, pass by such streams as these, and not drink of them? certainly he would not leave them, but stop and drink; he must be an unwise man that should do otherwise; and yet this was what the people of the Jews did; they forsook the Lord, "the fountain of living waters"; and who, because of the plenty of good things in him, and flowing from him to them, were as streams from Lebanon; and yet they left these crystal streams for the black and muddy waters of Sihor, or idols of Egypt, Song of Solomon 4:15; or the words may be rendered, "will a man leave [what comes] from the rock of the field [for] the snow of Lebanon" x? that is, will a man neglect to drink of the water that comes out of a rock in his field, pure and clear, and is near at hand, and choose to go to Mount Lebanon to drink of the snow water, which runs down the mountain, and can never be thought so clear as what comes out of the rock? surely he will not; he must act an unwise part if he does; and such a part, and worse, did the people of the Jews act, in forsaking God:

[or] shall the cold flowing waters which come from another place be forsaken? or, "strange waters" y; which come from far, from some distant rock, being conveyed in pipes, in; which they come cool, and in flowing streams, for the service of a city and its inhabitants; and who, having such a privilege, would neglect them, and drink of standing water in a pond or puddle? or, the words, as the former, may be rendered, "shall for strange frozen waters, be left flowing ones?" see Grotius.

x היעזוב מצור שדי שלג לבנון "nunquid deserit aliquis [aquam manatem] de petra agri, [ut biblat] nivem Libani"; so some in Vatablus. y מים זרים "aquae alienae", Schmidt, Montanus; "peregrinae", De Dieu.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Rather, “Will the snow of Lebanon fail from the rock of the field?” The meaning probably is, “Will the snow of Lebanon fail from its rocks which tower above the land of Israel?” The appeal of the prophet is to the unchangeableness of one of nature’s most beautiful phenomena, the perpetual snow upon the upper summits of Lebanon.

Shall the cold ... - literally, “shall the strange, i. e., foreign, “cool, down-flowing waters be plucked up?” The general sense is: God is Israel’s Rock, from whom the never-failing waters flow Jeremiah 2:13 : but men may and do abandon the cool waters which descend front above to seek their happiness in channels of their own digging.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jeremiah 18:14. Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon — Lebanon was the highest mountain in Judea. Would any man in his senses abandon a farm that was always watered by the melted snows of Lebanon, and take a barren rock in its place? How stupid therefore and absurd are my people, who abandon the everlasting God for the worship of idols!