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Read the Bible

New Century Version

Jeremiah 22:23

King, you live in your palace, cozy in your rooms of cedar. But when your punishment comes, how you will groan like a woman giving birth to a baby!

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Afflictions and Adversities;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Babylon;   Cedar, the;   Lebanon;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Jehoiakim;   Lebanon;   Nebuchadnezzar;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Architecture in the Biblical Period;   Birth;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Travail;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Jeremiah (2);   Pain;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
You residents of Lebanon,nestled among the cedars,how you will groan when pains come on you,agony like a woman in labor.
Hebrew Names Version
Inhabitant of Levanon, who makes your nest in the cedars, how greatly to be pitied shall you be when pangs come on you, the pain as of a woman in travail!
King James Version
O inhabitant of Lebanon, that makest thy nest in the cedars, how gracious shalt thou be when pangs come upon thee, the pain as of a woman in travail!
English Standard Version
O inhabitant of Lebanon, nested among the cedars, how you will be pitied when pangs come upon you, pain as of a woman in labor!"
New American Standard Bible
"You who live in Lebanon, Nested in the cedars, How you will groan when sharp pains come on you, Pain like a woman in childbirth!
Amplified Bible
"O inhabitant of [Jerusalem, whose palaces are made from the cedars of] Lebanon, You who nest in the cedars, How you will groan and how miserable you will be when pains come on you, Pain like a woman in childbirth!
World English Bible
Inhabitant of Lebanon, who makes your nest in the cedars, how greatly to be pitied shall you be when pangs come on you, the pain as of a woman in travail!
Geneva Bible (1587)
Thou that dwellest in Lebanon, and makest thy nest in the cedars, howe beautiful shalt thou be when sorowes come vpon thee, as the sorowe of a woman in trauaile?
Legacy Standard Bible
You who inhabit Lebanon,Nested in the cedars,How you will groan when pangs come upon you,Pain like a woman in childbirth!
Berean Standard Bible
O inhabitant of Lebanon, nestled in the cedars, how you will groan when pangs of anguish come upon you, agony like a woman in labor."
Contemporary English Version
Those who live in the palace paneled with cedar will groan with pain like women giving birth.
Complete Jewish Bible
You who live in the L'vanon, nesting in the cedars, how gracious will you be when pains come on you like a woman in labor?
Darby Translation
Thou inhabitress of Lebanon, that makest thy nest in the cedars, how pitiful shalt thou be when pangs come upon thee, pain as of a woman in travail!
Easy-to-Read Version
"King, you seem so safe in your palace of cedar. It's as if you live in Lebanon! But when your punishment comes, you will groan. You will be in pain like a woman giving birth!"
George Lamsa Translation
O inhabitant of Lebanon, who makes her nest in the cedars, how you shall groan when pangs come upon you and the pain as of a woman in travail!
Good News Translation
You rest secure among the cedars brought from Lebanon; but how pitiful you'll be when pains strike you, pains like those of a woman in labor.
Lexham English Bible
Inhabitants of Lebanon, nestled among the cedars, how you will groan when labor pains come to you, fear and pain as the woman who gives birth.
Literal Translation
One dwelling in Lebanon, nested in the cedars, how you will groan when pangs come to you, the pain as of a woman in labor!
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
thou that dwellest vpon Libanus, ad makest thy nest in the Cedre trees. O how greate shal yi mournynge be, when thy sorowes come vpon the, as a woman trauelinge with childe?
American Standard Version
O inhabitant of Lebanon, that makest thy nest in the cedars, how greatly to be pitied shalt thou be when pangs come upon thee, the pain as of a woman in travail!
Bible in Basic English
O you who are living in Lebanon, making your living-place in the cedars, how greatly to be pitied will you be when pains come on you, as on a woman in childbirth!
JPS Old Testament (1917)
O inhabitant of Lebanon, that art nestled in the cedars, how gracious shalt thou be when pangs come upon thee, the pain as of a woman in travail!
King James Version (1611)
O inhabitant of Lebanon, that makest thy nest in the Cedars, how gracious shalt thou bee when pangs come vpon thee, the paine as of a woman in trauell?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Thou that dwellest vpon Libanus, and makest thy nest in the Cedar trees, O howe litle shalt thou be regarded when thy sorowe and panges come vppon thee, as vpon a woman trauayling with chylde?
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
O thou that dwellest in Libanus, making thy nest in the cedars, thou shalt groan heavily, when pangs as of a travailing woman are come upon thee.
English Revised Version
O inhabitant of Lebanon, that makest thy nest in the cedars, how greatly to be pitied shalt thou be when pangs come upon thee, the pain as of a woman in travail!
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and thanne thou that sittist in the Liban, and makist nest in cedris, schalt be schent, and be aschamed of al thi malice. Hou weilidist thou, whanne sorewis weren comun to thee, as the sorew of a womman trauelynge of child?
Update Bible Version
O inhabitant of Lebanon, that make your nest in the cedars, how greatly to be pitied you shall be when pangs come on you, the pain as of a woman in travail!
Webster's Bible Translation
O inhabitant of Lebanon, that makest thy nest in the cedars, how gracious shalt thou be when pangs come upon thee, the pain as of a woman in travail!
New English Translation
You may feel as secure as a bird nesting in the cedars of Lebanon. But oh how you will groan when the pains of judgment come on you. They will be like those of a woman giving birth to a baby.
New King James Version
O inhabitant of Lebanon, Making your nest in the cedars, How gracious will you be when pangs come upon you, Like the pain of a woman in labor?
New Living Translation
It may be nice to live in a beautiful palace paneled with wood from the cedars of Lebanon, but soon you will groan with pangs of anguish— anguish like that of a woman in labor.
New Life Bible
O you people of Lebanon, who make your nest among the cedars, how you will cry inside yourselves when pain comes upon you! It will be pain like a woman giving birth."
New Revised Standard
O inhabitant of Lebanon, nested among the cedars, how you will groan when pangs come upon you, pain as of a woman in labor!
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
O inhabitress of Lebanon that makest thy nest in the cedars, - How hast thou bemoaned thyself Now that pangs have overtaken thee, Anguish, as of her that giveth birth.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Thou that sittest in Libanus, and makest thy nest in the cedars, how hast thou mourned when sorrows came upon thee, as the pains of a woman in labour?
Revised Standard Version
O inhabitant of Lebanon, nested among the cedars, how you will groan when pangs come upon you, pain as of a woman in travail!"
Young's Literal Translation
O dweller in Lebanon, making a nest among cedars, How gracious hast thou been when pangs come to thee, Pain -- as of a travailing woman.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"You who dwell in Lebanon, Nested in the cedars, How you will groan when pangs come upon you, Pain like a woman in childbirth!

Contextual Overview

20 "Judah, go up to Lebanon and cry out. Let your voice be heard in Bashan. Cry out from Abarim, because all your friends are destroyed! 21 Judah, when you were successful, I warned you, but you said, ‘I won't listen.' You have acted like this since you were young; you have not obeyed me. 22 Like a storm, my punishment will blow all your shepherds away and send your friends into captivity. Then you will really be ashamed and disgraced because of all the wicked things you did. 23 King, you live in your palace, cozy in your rooms of cedar. But when your punishment comes, how you will groan like a woman giving birth to a baby! 24 "As surely as I live," says the Lord , "Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, even if you were a signet ring on my right hand, I would still pull you off. 25 I will hand you over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to the Babylonians—those people you fear because they want to kill you. 26 I will throw you and your mother into another country. Neither of you was born there, but both of you will die there. 27 They will want to come back, but they will never be able to return." 28 Jehoiachin is like a broken pot someone threw away; he is like something no one wants. Why will Jehoiachin and his children be thrown out and sent into a foreign land? 29 Land, land, land of Judah, hear the word of the Lord !

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

inhabitant: Heb. inhabitress

Lebanon: Jeremiah 22:6, Zechariah 11:1, Zechariah 11:2

makest: Jeremiah 21:13, Jeremiah 48:28, Jeremiah 49:16, Numbers 24:21, Amos 9:2, Obadiah 1:4, Habakkuk 2:9

how: Jeremiah 3:21, Jeremiah 4:31, Jeremiah 6:24, Jeremiah 30:5, Jeremiah 30:6, Jeremiah 50:4, Jeremiah 50:5, Hosea 5:15, Hosea 6:1, Hosea 7:14

when: Jeremiah 4:30, Jeremiah 4:31

Reciprocal: Genesis 3:16 - in sorrow Genesis 3:22 - as one Exodus 14:10 - cried out 2 Samuel 19:20 - I am come Job 29:18 - I shall die Psalms 78:34 - General Psalms 104:17 - the birds Isaiah 26:16 - in trouble Jeremiah 2:27 - but in the time Jeremiah 5:31 - and what Jeremiah 13:21 - wilt Jeremiah 49:22 - the heart of the Ezekiel 17:3 - came Hosea 13:13 - sorrows Micah 4:9 - for Mark 13:8 - sorrows 1 Thessalonians 5:3 - as

Cross-References

Genesis 24:15
Before the servant had finished praying, Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel, came out of the city. (Bethuel was the son of Milcah and Nahor, Abraham's brother.) Rebekah was carrying her water jar on her shoulder.
Genesis 24:24
Rebekah answered, "My father is Bethuel, the son of Milcah and Nahor."
Genesis 24:47
When I asked her, ‘Who is your father?' she answered, ‘My father is Bethuel son of Milcah and Nahor.' Then I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her arms,
Genesis 24:51
Rebekah is yours. Take her and go. Let her marry your master's son as the Lord has commanded."
Genesis 24:60
They blessed Rebekah and said, "Our sister, may you be the mother of thousands of people, and may your descendants capture the cities of their enemies."
Genesis 24:67
Then Isaac brought Rebekah into the tent of Sarah, his mother, and she became his wife. Isaac loved her very much, and so he was comforted after his mother's death.
Genesis 25:20
When Isaac was forty years old, he married Rebekah, who came from Northwest Mesopotamia. She was Bethuel's daughter and the sister of Laban the Aramean.
Genesis 28:2
Go to the house of Bethuel, your mother's father, in Northwest Mesopotamia. Laban, your mother's brother, lives there. Marry one of his daughters.
Genesis 28:5
So Isaac sent Jacob to Northwest Mesopotamia, to Laban the brother of Rebekah. Bethuel the Aramean was the father of Laban and Rebekah, and Rebekah was the mother of Jacob and Esau.
Romans 9:10
And that is not all. Rebekah's sons had the same father, our father Isaac.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

O inhabitant of Lebanon,.... Jerusalem is meant, and the inhabitants of it, so called, because they lived near Lebanon, or in that land in which Lebanon was; or rather because they dwelt in houses made of the wood of Lebanon; and which stood as thick as the trees in the forest of Lebanon; and where they thought themselves safe and secure, according to the next clause; not but that there were inhabitants of the mountain of Lebanon, called Druses; and there were towns and villages on it, inhabited by people, as there are to this day. After four hours and a half travelling up the ascent, from the foot of the mountain, there is, as travellers z inform us, a small pretty village, called Eden; and besides that, at some distance from it, another called Canobine, where there is a convent of the Maronites, and is the seat of their patriarch; and near it a valley of that name, full of hermitages, cells and monasteries; but the former are here meant;

that makest thy nests in the cedars; in towns, palaces, and houses, covered, ceiled, raftered, and wainscotted with cedars; here they lived at ease and security, as birds in a nest. The Targum is,

"who dwellest in the house of the sanctuary, and among kings? nourishing thy children;''

how gracious shalt thou be when pangs come upon thee, the pain as of a woman in travail? that is, either thou wilt seek grace and favour at the hand of God, and make supplication to him; thou wilt then be an humble supplicant, when in distress, though now proud and haughty a: or what favour wilt thou then find among those that come to waste and destroy thee? This refers to the calamity coming upon them by the Chaldeans, as the following words show:

z Maundrell's Journey from Aleppo, c. p. 142, 143. Thevenot's Travels, part 1. B. 2. c. 60. p. 221. a מה נחנתי "quam gratiam habuisti, [vel] quomodo precata es", Vatablus "quam afficieris gratia", Piscator; "quantum gratiae invenies", Schmidt.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Lebanon is the usual metaphor for anything splendid. and is here put for Jerusalem, but with special reference to the kings whose pride it was to dwell in palaces roofed with cedar Jeremiah 22:14.

How gracious shalt thou be - Or, How wilt thou groan!

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jeremiah 22:23. How gracious shalt thou be — A strong irony.


 
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