Limitless Word
Yea, the hind also calved in the field, and forsook it, because there was no grass.
Jeremiah 14:5 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB Yes, the hind also in the field calves, and forsakes her young, because there is no grass.
  • BSB Even the doe in the field deserts her newborn fawn because there is no grass.
  • NKJV Yes, the deer also gave birth in the field, But left because there was no grass.
  • NASB “For even the doe in the field has given birth only to abandon her young, Because there is no grass.
  • NLT Even the doe abandons her newborn fawn because there is no grass in the field.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Even the deer abandons her newborn fawn because the drought has left no grass to sustain her. Creation itself groans under the weight of judgment on a sinful people.

Overview

The maternal instinct of the hind giving way to the desperation of famine vividly conveys how deeply the drought has disordered the natural world. Scripture often shows the land suffering because of human sin (Romans 8:20-22). Jeremiah's lament prepares the way for the hope that creation will one day be set free through the redemption Christ secures.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 3

  • Ps 29:9The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.
  • Job 39:1–4Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? or canst thou mark when the hinds do calve?
  • Isa 15:6For the waters of Nimrim shall be desolate: for the hay is withered away, the grass faileth, there is no green thing.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Jeremiah videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Jeremiah 14:5YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on JeremiahMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Against the failure of false shepherds Jeremiah promises the Righteous Branch, 'The LORD our righteousness,' and the new covenant written on the heart and sealed in the blood of Christ.

How Jeremiah 14:5 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.