New International Version Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people? New Living Translation Is there no medicine in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why is there no healing for the wounds of my people? English Standard Version Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored? Berean Standard Bible Is there no balm in Gilead? Is no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored? Berean Literal Bible Is no balm in Gilead? Is a healer not there? Then why does not go up the health of the daughter of my people? King James Bible Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered? New King James Version Is there no balm in Gilead, Is there no physician there? Why then is there no recovery For the health of the daughter of my people? New American Standard Bible Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has not the health of the daughter of my people been restored? NASB 1995 Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has not the health of the daughter of my people been restored? NASB 1977 Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has not the health of the daughter of my people been restored? Legacy Standard Bible Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has not the health of the daughter of my people gone up? Amplified Bible Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has not the [spiritual] health of the daughter of my people been restored? Berean Annotated Bible Is there no balm in Gilead (rocky region)? Is no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored? Christian Standard Bible Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? So why has the healing of my dear people not come about? Holman Christian Standard Bible Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? So why has the healing of my dear people not come about? American Standard Version Is there no balm in Gilead? is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered? Contemporary English Version If medicine and doctors may be found in Gilead, why aren't my people healed? English Revised Version Is there no balm in Gilead? is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered? GOD'S WORD® Translation Isn't there medicine in Gilead? Aren't there doctors there? Then why hasn't the health of my dear people been restored? Good News Translation Is there no medicine in Gilead? Are there no doctors there? Why, then, have my people not been healed? International Standard Version Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? So why is there no healing for my people? NET Bible There is still medicinal ointment available in Gilead! There is still a physician there! Why then have my dear people not been restored to health? New Heart English Bible Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then isn't the health of the daughter of my people recovered? Webster's Bible Translation Is there no balm in Gilead: is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered. Majority Text Translations Majority Standard BibleIs there no balm in Gilead? Is no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored? World English Bible Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then isn’t the health of the daughter of my people recovered? Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionIs there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why has the health of the daughter of my people not gone up? Berean Literal Bible Is no balm in Gilead? Is a healer not there? Then why does not go up the health of the daughter of my people? Young's Literal Translation Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? For wherefore hath not the health of the daughter of my people gone up? Smith's Literal Translation Is there no balsam in Gilead, or healing there? for wherefore did not the health of the daughter of my people go up? Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleIs there no balm in Galaad? or is no physician there? Why then is not the wound of the daughter of my people closed? Catholic Public Domain Version Is there no balm in Gilead? Or is there no physician there? Then why has the wound of the daughter of my people not been closed?” New American Bible Is there no balm in Gilead, no healer there? Why does new flesh not grow over the wound of the daughter of my people? New Revised Standard Version Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of my poor people not been restored? Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleIs there no balm in Gilead; is there no healer there? Why then is not the health of the daughter of my people restored? Peshitta Holy Bible Translated Is there no wax in Galad, or is there no Physician there? Why has the healing of the daughter of my people not resulted? OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is not the health Of the daughter of my people recovered? Brenton Septuagint Translation And is there no balm in Galaad, or is there no physician there? why has not the healing of the daughter of my people taken place? Additional Translations ... Audio Bible (Voice ▾ Musical ▾) Context Jeremiah Weeps for His People…21For the brokenness of the daughter of my people I am crushed. I mourn; horror has gripped me. 22Is there no balm in Gilead? Is no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored? Cross References Is there no balm in Gilead? Jeremiah 46:11 Go up to Gilead for balm, O Virgin Daughter of Egypt! In vain you try many remedies, but for you there is no healing. Genesis 37:25 And as they sat down to eat a meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh on their way down to Egypt. Genesis 43:11 Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your packs and carry them down as a gift for the man—a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachios and almonds. Is no physician there? Matthew 9:12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. Mark 2:17 On hearing this, Jesus told them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Luke 5:31 Jesus answered, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored? Jeremiah 30:17 But I will restore your health and heal your wounds, declares the LORD, because they call you an outcast, Zion, for whom no one cares.” Jeremiah 33:6 Nevertheless, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal its people and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth. Hosea 6:1 Come, let us return to the LORD. For He has torn us to pieces, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bind up our wounds. Isaiah 1:5-6 Why do you want more beatings? Why do you keep rebelling? Your head has a massive wound, and your whole heart is afflicted. / From the sole of your foot to the top of your head, there is no soundness—only wounds and welts and festering sores neither cleansed nor bandaged nor soothed with oil. Luke 4:23 Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to Me: ‘Physician, heal yourself! Do here in Your hometown what we have heard that You did in Capernaum.’” Ezekiel 34:4 You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bound up the injured, brought back the strays, or searched for the lost. Instead, you have ruled them with violence and cruelty. Isaiah 53:4-5 Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. / But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. Psalm 103:3 He who forgives all your iniquities and heals all your diseases, Matthew 13:15 For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’ Isaiah 57:18-19 I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will guide him and restore comfort to him and his mourners, / bringing praise to their lips. Peace, peace to those far and near,” says the LORD, “and I will heal them.” Treasury of Scripture Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered? no balm. Jeremiah 46:11 Go up into Gilead, and take balm, O virgin, the daughter of Egypt: in vain shalt thou use many medicines; for thou shalt not be cured. Jeremiah 51:8 Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed. Genesis 37:25 And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt. no physician. Matthew 9:11,12 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? … Luke 5:31,32 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick… Luke 8:43 And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, why. Jeremiah 30:12-17 For thus saith the LORD, Thy bruise is incurable, and thy wound is grievous… recovered. Isaiah 1:5,6 Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint… Jump to Previous Applied Arts Balm Daughter Dressing Expert Gilead Healing Health Life-Giving Medical Oil Physician Recovered Restored Wherefore WoundJump to Next Applied Arts Balm Daughter Dressing Expert Gilead Healing Health Life-Giving Medical Oil Physician Recovered Restored Wherefore WoundJeremiah 8 1. The calamity of the Jews, both dead and alive.4. He upbraids their foolish and shameless impenitency. 13. He shows their grievous judgment; 18. and bewails their desperate estate. Is there no balm in Gilead? Gilead, east of the Jordan River, was known for its valuable medicinal resin. Jeremiah’s question stresses that a remedy was available, yet Judah remained wounded by sin and judgment. Jer 46:11 Go up to Gilead for balm, O Virgin Daughter of Egypt!… Is no physician there? Physicians could apply remedies, but Judah’s deepest sickness was spiritual. Neither human counsel nor outward religion could restore a people unwilling to return to the Lord. Mat 9:12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy… Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored? Judah is pictured as a suffering daughter whose condition continued because she rejected God’s correction. The Lord had provided warning, truth, and a way of repentance, but the nation persisted in rebellion. Jer 30:17 But I will restore your health and heal your wounds,… Persons / Places / Events 1. JeremiahA prophet called by God to deliver messages of warning and hope to the people of Judah. He is known as the "weeping prophet" due to his deep sorrow over the people's sin and impending judgment. 2. Gilead A region east of the Jordan River, known for its balm, a healing ointment made from resinous trees. It symbolizes healing and restoration. 3. The Daughter of My People A poetic reference to the people of Judah, indicating their close relationship with God and their current state of spiritual and physical distress. 4. Physician Represents those who are capable of healing or providing solutions, both physically and spiritually. 5. The Health of the People Refers to the spiritual and moral condition of Judah, which is in need of restoration and healing. Teaching Points The Need for Spiritual HealingJust as Judah needed healing, we must recognize our own need for spiritual restoration through Christ. The Availability of Divine Healing God provides the "balm" for our wounds through Jesus, the ultimate physician who heals our deepest spiritual ailments. The Consequences of Ignoring God's Provision Ignoring the available healing leads to continued spiritual decay, as seen in Judah's refusal to repent. The Role of Repentance in Restoration True healing begins with repentance and turning back to God, acknowledging our need for His intervention. The Hope of Restoration Despite the current state of brokenness, there is hope for restoration through God's promises and faithfulness. Bible Study Questions and Answers 1. What is the meaning of Jeremiah 8:22?2. How does Jeremiah 8:22 highlight the need for spiritual healing in society? 3. What does "balm in Gilead" symbolize in Jeremiah 8:22 for believers today? 4. How can Jeremiah 8:22 inspire us to seek God's healing in our lives? 5. What New Testament passages connect with the healing theme in Jeremiah 8:22? 6. How can we apply the message of Jeremiah 8:22 to our church community? 7. What does "Is there no balm in Gilead?" signify in Jeremiah 8:22? 8. How does Jeremiah 8:22 reflect God's response to Israel's spiritual condition? 9. Why is Gilead mentioned specifically in Jeremiah 8:22? 10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Jeremiah 8? (22) Is there no balm in Gilead . . .?--The resinous gums of Gilead, identified by some naturalists with those of the terebinth, by others with mastich, the gum of the Pistaccia lentiscus, were prominent in the pharmacop?ia of Israel, and were exported to Egypt for the embalmment of the dead (Genesis 37:25; Genesis 43:11; Jeremiah 46:11; Jeremiah 51:8). A plaister of such gums was the received prescription for healing a wound. The question of the prophet is therefore a parable. "Are there no means of healing, no healer to apply them, for the spiritual wounds of Israel? The prophets were her physicians, repentance and righteousness were her balm of Gilead. Why has no balsam-plaister been laid on the daughter of my people? Why so little result from the means which Jehovah has provided?" The imagery re-appears in Jeremiah 46:11; Jeremiah 51:8. The balm which was grown at Jericho under the Roman Empire (Tac, Hist. v. 6; Plin., Nat. Hist. xii. 25), and was traditionally reported to have been brought by the Queen of Sheba, was probably the Amyris Opobalsamum, now cultivated at Mecca, which requires a more tropical climate than that of Gilead. Wyclif's version, "Is there no triacle in Gilead?" may be noted as illustrating the history of a word now obsolete. "Triacle" was the English form of theriacum, the mediaeval panacea for all wounds, and specially for the bites of serpents and venomous beasts. . . . Verse 22. - No hope or remedy is left; again a proverbial expression. No balm in Gilead. Gilead appears to have been celebrated in early times for its balsam, which was expected by Ishmaelites to Egypt (Genesis 37:25) and by Jewish merchants to Tyro (Ezekiel 27:17). It was one of the most costly products of Palestine (Genesis 43:11), and was prized for its medicinal properties in cases of wounds (comp. Jeremiah 46:11; Jeremiah 51:8). Josephus mentions this balsam several times, but states that it only grew at Jericho ('Antiq.,' 15:4,2), Tristram searched for balsam in its ancient haunts, but in vain; he thinks Jeremiah means the Balsamodendron gileadense or opobalsamum, which in Arabia is used as a medicine both internally and externally. But if Pliny ('Hist. Nat.,' 24:22) may be followed in his wide use of the term "balsam" so as to include the exudations of the "lentisens" or mastick tree, then "balm of Gilead" is still to be found; for the mastick tree "grows commonly all over the country, excepting in the plains and the Jordan valley" ('Nat. Hist. of Bible,' p. 336). Is there no physician there? We hear but little of physicians in the Old Testament. They are only mentioned again in Genesis 1:2 (but with reference to Egypt, where medicine was much cultivated), and in 2 Chronicles 16:12; Job 13:4. From the two latter passages we may, perhaps, infer that physicians were rarely successful; and this is certainly the impression produced by Ecclus. 38:15, "He that sinneth before his Maker, let him fall into the hand of the physician." The remedies employed in the Talmudic period quite bear out this strong saying (see Lightfoot, 'Horae Hebraical,' on Mark 5:26). The physicians of Gilead, however, probably confined themselves to their one famous simple, the balsam. Is not the health... recovered? Gesenius renders, less probably, "hath no bandage been applied to the daughter of my people?"
Jeremiah 8:22 pictures a loving God holding out genuine healing—both the balm (His provided remedy) and the physician (Himself). Judah’s tragedy is not the absence of a cure but the refusal to take it. The verse calls every reader to admit the depth of sin, trust the divine Physician, and experience the full restoration He still promises in Christ. Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew Is there noאֵ֣ין (’ên) Adverb Strong's 369: A non-entity, a negative particle balm הַצֳרִי֙ (ha·ṣo·rî) Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 6875: Distillation, balsam in Gilead? בְּגִלְעָ֔ד (bə·ḡil·‘āḏ) Preposition-b | Noun - proper - feminine singular Strong's 1568: Gilead -- a region in Palestine, also the name of several Israelites Is no אֵ֣ין (’ên) Adverb Strong's 369: A non-entity, a negative particle physician רֹפֵ֖א (rō·p̄ê) Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular Strong's 7495: To mend, to cure there? שָׁ֑ם (šām) Adverb Strong's 8033: There, then, thither Why מַדּ֙וּעַ֙ (mad·dū·a‘) Interrogative Strong's 4069: Why? for what reason? then כִּ֗י (kî) Conjunction Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction has the health אֲרֻכַ֖ת (’ă·ru·ḵaṯ) Noun - feminine singular construct Strong's 724: Healing, restoration of the daughter בַּת־ (baṯ-) Noun - feminine singular construct Strong's 1323: A daughter of my people עַמִּֽי׃ (‘am·mî) Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock not לֹ֣א (lō) Adverb - Negative particle Strong's 3808: Not, no been restored? עָֽלְתָ֔ה (‘ā·lə·ṯāh) Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular Strong's 5927: To ascend, in, actively Additonal Resources Jeremiah 8:22 Blue Letter BibleJeremiah 8:22 Bible Gateway Jeremiah 8:22 Bible.com Jeremiah 8:22 NIV |
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