If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and [if] in the land of peace, [wherein] thou trustedst, [they wearied thee], then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?
If thou hast run {H7323} with the footmen {H7273}, and they have wearied {H3811} thee, then how canst thou contend {H8474} with horses {H5483}? and if in the land {H776} of peace {H7965}, wherein thou trustedst {H982}, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do {H6213} in the swelling {H1347} of Jordan {H3383}?
If racing men on foot exhausts you, how will you compete against horses? You may feel secure in a land at peace, but how will you do in the Yarden's thick brush?
“If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in a peaceful land, how will you do in the thickets of the Jordan?
If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and though in a land of peace thou art secure, yet how wilt thou do in the pride of the Jordan?
-
1 Peter 4:12
¶ Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: -
Proverbs 24:10
¶ [If] thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength [is] small. -
Hebrews 12:3
For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. -
Hebrews 12:4
¶ Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. -
Jeremiah 50:44
Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan unto the habitation of the strong: but I will make them suddenly run away from her: and who [is] a chosen [man, that] I may appoint over her? for who [is] like me? and who will appoint me the time? and who [is] that shepherd that will stand before me? -
Jeremiah 49:19
Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan against the habitation of the strong: but I will suddenly make him run away from her: and who [is] a chosen [man, that] I may appoint over her? for who [is] like me? and who will appoint me the time? and who [is] that shepherd that will stand before me? -
Psalms 69:1
¶ To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim, [A Psalm] of David. Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto [my] soul.
Jeremiah 12:5 is a powerful and challenging rhetorical question from God to the prophet Jeremiah, serving as both a rebuke and a preparation for future, greater trials. Jeremiah had been lamenting the prosperity of the wicked and the difficulties he faced in his prophetic ministry.
Context
This verse comes immediately after Jeremiah's complaint to God in Jeremiah 12:1-4, where he questions why the wicked prosper and feels overwhelmed by the opposition, even from his own family and community. God's response here is not one of sympathy in the way Jeremiah might have hoped, but rather a profound challenge: if you are already struggling with these relatively minor difficulties, how will you cope when much greater adversities arise?
Key Themes
Linguistic and Cultural Insights
The imagery in this verse is deeply rooted in ancient Near Eastern life:
Practical Application
Jeremiah 12:5 serves as a timeless reminder for believers today: