Jeremiah – Chapter 47

Old Testament7 Verses

1The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet against the people of Palestine, before Pharao took Gaza.

2Thus saith the Lord: Behold there come up waters out of the north, and they shall be as an overflowing torrent, and they shall cover the land, and all that is therein, the city and the inhabitants thereof: then the men shall cry, and all the inhabitants of the land shall howl,

3At the noise of the marching of arms, and of his soldiers, at the rushing of his chariots, and the multitude of his wheels. The fathers have not looked back to the children, for feebleness of hands,

4Because of the coming of the day, in which all the Philistines shall be laid waste, and Tyre and Sidon shall be destroyed, with all the rest of their helpers. For the Lord hath wasted the Philistines, the remnant of the isle of Cappadocia.

5Baldness is come upon Gaza: Ascalon hath held her peace with the remnant of their valley: how long shalt thou cut thyself?

6O thou sword of the Lord, how long wilt thou not be quiet? Go into thy scabbard, rest, and be still.

7How shall it be quiet, when the Lord hath given it a charge against Ascalon, and against the countries thereof by the sea side, and there hath made an appointment for it?

Reflection for Today

Sacred Scripture presents Jeremiah Chapter 47 as a unique stage in salvation history, not merely as background to other books.

St. Leo the Great and other Fathers of the Church meditated on texts like this one, seeing in them instruction for the spiritual life. Jeremiah's new covenant prophecy is fulfilled in Christ (CIC 1965). The passage calls believers to grasp that God writes His law on our hearts.

Consider praying with this chapter again at day's end, offering God gratitude for one insight received. The Church encourages daily contact with Scripture (CIC 1814) so that Christ's mind may be formed in us.

💡Catholic Reflection • Church Teachings

Deepen your understanding with these related articles