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Jeremiah 10

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Warning Against Idolatry and Pagan Ways 1–16

1
Hear ye the word which Jehovah speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: ​
2
thus saith Jehovah, Learn not the way of the nations, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the nations are dismayed at them. ​
3
For the customs of the peoples are vanity; for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman with the axe. ​
4
They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.
5
They are like a palm-tree, of turned work, and speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good. ​
6
There is none like unto thee, O Jehovah; thou art great, and thy name is great in might. ​
7
Who should not fear thee, O King of the nations? for to thee doth it appertain; forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their royal estate, there is none like unto thee. ​
8
But they are together brutish and foolish: the instruction of idols! it is but a stock.
9
There is silver beaten into plates, which is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the artificer and of the hands of the goldsmith; blue and purple for their clothing; they are all the work of skilful men.
10
But Jehovah is the true God; he is the living God, and an everlasting King: at his wrath the earth trembleth, and the nations are not able to abide his indignation. ​
11
Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, these shall perish from the earth, and from under the heavens. ​
12
He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding hath he stretched out the heavens. ​
13
When he uttereth his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasuries.
14
Every man is become brutish and is without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his graven image; for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them. ​
15
They are vanity, a work of delusion: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.
16
The portion of Jacob is not like these; for he is the former of all things; and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance: Jehovah of hosts is his name. ​

The Imminence of Exile and Lament 17–22

17
Gather up thy wares out of the land, O thou that abidest in the siege. ​
18
For thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will sling out the inhabitants of the land at this time, and will distress them, that they may feel it. ​
19
Woe is me because of my hurt! my wound is grievous: but I said, Truly this is my grief, and I must bear it. ​
20
My tent is destroyed, and all my cords are broken: my children are gone forth from me, and they are not: there is none to spread my tent any more, and to set up my curtains. ​
21
For the shepherds are become brutish, and have not inquired of Jehovah: therefore they have not prospered, and all their flocks are scattered. ​
22
The voice of tidings, behold, it cometh, and a great commotion out of the north country, to make the cities of Judah a desolation, a dwelling-place of jackals. ​

A Prayer for Measured Correction 23–25

23
O Jehovah, I know that the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. ​
24
O Jehovah, correct me, but in measure; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing. ​
25
Pour out thy wrath upon the nations that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name; for they have devoured Jacob, yea, they have devoured him and consumed him, and have laid waste his habitation. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Jeremiah 10

Verse 1

O house of Israel — The address is to the whole nation, as at 2:4: 'Hear ye the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel' (2:4). The passage on the idols that follows ends with Israel again, 'Israel is the rod of his inheritance' (v.16).

Verse 2

the signs of heaven — The 'signs' ('oth) are the lights of the sky, which God made 'for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years' (Gen 1:14). He set them in the sky himself. 'Dismayed' (chathath) stands twice: the nations are dismayed at them, and Israel must not be. 'Learn not the way of the heathen' echoes the warning of Lev 18:3.

Verse 3

the customs of the people are vain — 'Customs' is chuqqoth, the word used of statutes and ordinances; the nations' ordinances are hebel, a breath. The description of the idol begins with its making: a tree cut from the forest, 'the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe'. The 'axe' (ma'atsad) occurs only here and in Isa 44:12, in the longer account of the same craft.

Verse 5

upright as the palm tree, but speak not — The idols stand straight and are silent; 'they must needs be borne, because they cannot go'. The verb 'borne' is nasa, to lift and carry, repeated in the Hebrew. Isaiah has the same: 'They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him, and set him in his place' (Isa 46:7). Psalm 115:7 adds, 'feet have they, but they walk not'.

Verse 6

there is none like unto thee — The line answers the song at the Red Sea, 'Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods?' (Exod 15:11), and the Psalm, 'Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord' (Ps 86:8). After the silent idols of vv.3–5, the LORD is called great, and his name 'great in might' (gevurah).

Verse 7

O King of nations — The LORD is king over all the nations: 'he is the governor among the nations' (Ps 22:28), and 'among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee'. 'Doth it appertain' is ya'ah, to be fitting, and it occurs only here. Revelation echoes it: 'Who shall not fear thee, O Lord?' (Rev 15:4).

Verse 10

the true God… the living God… an everlasting king — Three titles set against the lifeless images: 'true' ('emeth, the word for truth and faithfulness), 'living' (chayyim) and 'everlasting' ('olam). Paul praises the Thessalonians for turning 'from idols to serve the living and true God' (1 Thess 1:9). At his wrath 'the earth shall tremble' (ra'ash).

Verse 11

The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth — This is the only verse of Jeremiah written in Aramaic, the language of Daniel 2–7 and parts of Ezra. Israel is told what to answer: 'Thus shall ye say unto them'. The Psalm gives the same contrast: 'all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens' (Ps 96:5).

Verse 12

He hath made the earth by his power — The verse is repeated in 51:15, where 'understanding' stands for 'discretion'. 'Established' is kun, the verb of v.23, where he 'directs' man's steps. Proverbs says it too: 'The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens' (Prov 3:19).

Verse 14

no breath in them — 'Brutish' (ba'ar) is the word used again of the shepherds in v.21. The founder is 'confounded by the graven image', since 'his molten image is falsehood' (sheqer). Habakkuk describes the same: 'there is no breath at all in the midst of it' (Hab 2:19), and the psalm says 'neither is there any breath in their mouths' (Ps 135:17).

Verse 16

The portion of Jacob — The LORD himself is Jacob's portion, and he is 'the former of all things' (yatsar, to shape). The verse is repeated in 51:19. His people are his inheritance, as in Deut 32:9, 'the LORD'S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance'. Psalm 74:2 uses the same phrase, 'the rod of thine inheritance'.

Verse 17

Gather up thy wares — 'Wares' (kin'ah) is a bundle, a word that occurs only here. The 'fortress' (matsor) is a place hemmed in, the word also used of a siege mound. The order is to pack and leave the land. Ezekiel was told to act out the same removal: 'prepare thee stuff for removing, and remove by day in their sight' (Ezek 12:3).

Verse 18

I will sling out the inhabitants — Qala' is to throw with a sling. Abigail used the figure of David's enemies: 'the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out, as out of the middle of a sling' (1 Sam 25:29). 'At this once' means this time, in one throw. 'Distress' (tsarar) is to press in, to bind up tight.

Verse 19

Woe is me for my hurt! — 'Hurt' is sheber, a breaking, as in 4:6, 6:14 and 8:11. 'Grief' (choli, sickness) and 'bear' (nasa) are the two words of Isa 53:4, 'Surely he hath borne our griefs'. The speaker takes it as something to be endured. Micah says, 'I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against him' (Mic 7:9).

Verse 20

My tabernacle is spoiled — 'Tabernacle' here is 'ohel, the tent of a household, with its cords and curtains. The loss of the children recalls Rahel weeping 'for her children… because they were not' (31:15). Isaiah reverses the picture: 'Enlarge the place of thy tent… lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes' (Isa 54:2).

Verse 21

the pastors are become brutish — 'Pastors' is ra'ah, shepherds, the leaders. 'Brutish' (ba'ar) is the word of v.14: the makers of idols and the shepherds are alike. The LORD had promised 'pastors according to mine heart' (3:15), and says 'Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!' (23:1).

Verse 22

the noise of the bruit — 'Bruit' is shemu'ah, a thing heard, a report. It is the word of Isa 53:1, 'Who hath believed our report?' The 'den of dragons' is stated in 9:11 for Jerusalem; 'dragons' (tannim) are creatures of the waste, and a related word stands in 'the dragons of the wilderness' (Mal 1:3). The enemy comes from the 'north country' of 6:22.

Verse 23

the way of man is not in himself — 'Direct' is kun, to establish, the verb used in v.12 of the one who 'hath established the world by his wisdom'. Proverbs states the principle, 'A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps' (Prov 16:9).

Verse 24

correct me, but with judgment — 'Correct' is yasar, the verb of 'Be thou instructed' in 6:8, and 'judgment' (mishpat) is the 'measure' of the promise in 30:11, 'I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished'. 'Lest thou bring me to nothing' (ma'at) means lest he be made few. The psalm asks in the same way, 'rebuke me not in thine anger' (Ps 6:1).

Verse 25

Pour out thy fury upon the heathen — The prayer is nearly the same as Ps 79:6–7, 'Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee… For they have devoured Jacob, and laid waste his dwelling place'. The nations are those 'that know thee not' and 'call not on thy name'. The three words, eaten up, devoured and consumed, describe what was done to Jacob.