KJV ORIGINAL
Who is the wise man, that may understand this? and who is he to whom the mouth of the LORD hath spoken, that he may declare it, for what the land perisheth and is burned up like a wilderness, that none passeth through?
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE
Who is wise enough to understand this? And who has heard from the LORD so they can explain it? Why has the land been destroyed and burned up like a desert that no one travels through?
⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE
God is asking who is wise enough to understand and explain why the land has been completely devastated and left empty.
📚 Historical Context
Jeremiah was prophesying during the final years of the kingdom of Judah, around 600-586 BC, as the Babylonian empire was threatening and eventually conquering Jerusalem. The land's desolation refers to the coming destruction that would result from Judah's unfaithfulness to God and their worship of foreign idols.
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