Jeremiah 8:17 - Exposition

A new image to intensify the impression of dreadfulness. Serpents, cockatrices ; rather, serpents ( even ) basilisks . The second noun is in apposition to the more general "serpents." "Basilisks" ( Serpentes regulos ) are the renderings of Aquila and the Vulgate. Some species of highly venomous serpent is clearly intended; more than this we cannot say. The root probably means "to hiss." Canon Tristram thinks of "a very beautifully marked yellow serpent, and the largest of the vipers found in the Holy Land," called the Daboia xantheina . He adds that it is one of the most dangerous.

Verses 8:18-9:1

The captivity of Judah and the deep sorrow of Jeremiah.