Bruit
An Archaic Word for Rumor
Bruit is an Old English word, now largely obsolete, meaning a rumor, report, or piece of alarming news. It comes from the French bruit (noise), and its use in the King James Version preserves a word that was already falling out of common usage when the KJV was first published in 1611. The Hebrew word it translates is shemu'ah, which simply means "something heard", a report or tidings.
Bruit in Jeremiah 10:22
In Jeremiah 10:22, the KJV reads: "Behold, the noise of the bruit is come, and a great commotion out of the north country, to make the cities of Judah desolate, and a den of dragons." Modern translations replace "bruit" with "rumor" (ESV), "report" (NASB), or "tidings" (ASV). The verse describes the alarming news of an approaching invasion from the north, a reference to the Babylonian army that would eventually destroy Jerusalem in 586 BC.
The passage falls within a broader section where Jeremiah contrasts the living God with worthless idols (Jeremiah 10:1-16) and then warns of the coming devastation. The "bruit" from the north is the sound of approaching doom, the whispered and then shouted reports of an advancing army that would leave Judah's cities in ruins.
Bruit in Nahum 3:19
The second appearance of "bruit" in the KJV occurs in Nahum 3:19: "There is no healing of thy bruise; thy wound is grievous: all that hear the bruit of thee shall clap the hands over thee." Here Nahum prophesies the fall of Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire. The "bruit" is the news of Nineveh's destruction, and the response of those who hear it is not mourning but celebration. Assyria had terrorized the nations of the ancient Near East for centuries, and its fall in 612 BC was greeted with widespread relief and joy.
The Power of Reports in the Prophets
The concept of a bruit, alarming news spreading across nations, is a recurring motif in the prophetic literature. The prophets understood that the approach of divine judgment was often preceded by rumors and reports that spread fear. Isaiah 37:7 speaks of the Assyrian king hearing a "rumor" that would cause him to return to his own land. Jeremiah 49:14 describes an ambassador sent among the nations with a report about Edom's coming judgment. Ezekiel 7:26 warns that "rumor shall be upon rumor."
These reports functioned as harbingers of God's judgment, giving peoples and nations advance warning of what was coming. In the prophetic worldview, nothing happened by accident, every rumor, every report, was part of God's sovereign unfolding of history.
From Archaic English to Enduring Truth
While the word "bruit" has faded from modern English, the reality it describes remains vivid. The prophets proclaimed that the news of divine judgment travels fast, crossing borders and reaching every ear. Whether the report concerns Babylon's march on Jerusalem or Nineveh's spectacular collapse, the message is the same: God's actions in history generate reports that all the world will hear.
Biblical Context
Bruit appears in the KJV in Jeremiah 10:22 (the report of invasion from the north) and Nahum 3:19 (the news of Nineveh's fall). Both passages use the Hebrew word shemu'ah, meaning a report or tidings. The concept of spreading reports of divine judgment runs throughout the prophetic literature.
Theological Significance
The bruit motif in the prophets underscores that God's acts of judgment are not hidden but become known to all. The spreading of alarming reports serves as both warning and vindication, warning to those who might repent, and vindication for those who have suffered under oppressive powers. The response to the bruit reveals the moral character of the hearers.
Historical Background
Jeremiah prophesied during the last decades of the kingdom of Judah (627-586 BC), when Babylon was the rising northern power. Nahum prophesied the fall of Nineveh, which occurred in 612 BC when a coalition of Babylonians and Medes destroyed the Assyrian capital. The English word 'bruit' was already marked as archaic and obsolete by lexicographers by the early 20th century, though it survives in medical terminology (a 'bruit' is an abnormal sound heard through a stethoscope).