TRV
Translation
King James Version
¶ Moreover thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; Shall they fall, and not arise? shall he turn away, and not return?
Complete Jewish Bible
"You are to tell them that ADONAI says: 'If a person falls, doesn't he get up again? If someone goes astray, doesn't he turn back?
Berean Standard Bible
So you are to tell them this is what the LORD says: “Do men fall and not get up again? Does one turn away and not return?
American Standard Version
Moreover thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith Jehovah: Shall men fall, and not rise up again? Shall one turn away, and not return?
World English Bible Messianic
“Moreover you shall tell them, ‘Thus says the LORD: “‘Shall men fall, and not rise up again? Shall one turn away, and not return?
Geneva Bible (1599)
Thou shalt say vnto them also, Thus sayeth the Lord, Shall they fall and not arise? shall he turne away and not turne againe?
Young's Literal Translation
And thou hast said unto them: Thus said Jehovah, Do they fall, and not rise? Doth he turn back, and not return?
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In the KJVVerse 19,158 of 31,102
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Commentary on Jeremiah 8 verses 4–12
4 ¶ Moreover thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; Shall they fall, and not arise? shall he turn away, and not return?
5 Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return.
6 I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright: no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle.
7 Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the LORD.
8 How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain.
9 The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the LORD; and what wisdom is in them?
10 Therefore will I give their wives unto others, and their fields to them that shall inherit them: for every one from the least even unto the greatest is given to covetousness, from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.
11 For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
12 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore shall they fall among them that fall: in the time of their visitation they shall be cast down, saith the LORD.
The prophet here is instructed to set before this people the folly of their impenitence, which was it that brought this ruin upon them. They are here represented as the most stupid senseless people in the world, that would not be made wise by all the methods that Infinite Wisdom took to bring them to themselves and their right mind, and so to prevent the ruin that was coming upon them.
I. They would not attend to the dictates of reason. They would not act in the affairs of their souls with the same common prudence with which they acted in other things. Sinners would become saints if they would but show themselves men, and religion would soon rule them if right reason might. Observe it here. Come, and let us reason together, saith the Lord (Jer 8:4, Jer 8:5): Shall men fall and not arise? If men happen to fall to the ground, to fall into the dirt, will they not get up again as fast as they can? They are not such fools as to lie still when they are down. Shall a man turn aside out of the right way? Yes, the most careful traveller may miss his way; but then, as soon as he is aware of it, will he not return? Yes, certainly he will, with all speed, and will thank him that showed him his mistake. Thus men do in other things. Why then has this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? Why do not they, when they have fallen into sin, hasten to get up again by repentance? Why do not they, when they see they have missed their way, correct their error and reform? No man in his wits will go on in a way that he knows will never bring him to his journey's end; why then has this people slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? See the nature of sin - it is a backsliding it is going back from the right way, not only into a by-path, but into a contrary path, back from the way that leads to life to that which leads to utter destruction. And this backsliding, if almighty grace do not interpose to prevent it, will be a perpetual backsliding. The sinner not only wanders endlessly, but proceeds end-ways towards ruin. The same subtlety of the tempter that brings men to sin holds them fast in it, and they contribute to their own captivity: They hold fast deceit. Sin is a great cheat, and they hold it fast; they love it dearly, and resolve to stick to it, and baffle all the methods God takes to separate between them and their sins. The excuses they make for their sins are deceits, and so are all their hopes of impunity; yet they hold fast these, and will not be undeceived, and therefore they refuse to return. Note, There is some deceit or other which those hold fast that go on wilfully in sinful ways, some lie in their right hand, by which they keep hold of their sins.
II. They would not attend to the dictates of conscience, which is our reason reflecting upon ourselves and our own actions, Jer 8:6. Observe, 1. What expectations there were from them, that they would bethink themselves: I hearkened and heard. The prophet listened to see what effect his preaching had upon them; God himself listened, as one that desires not the death of sinners, that would have been glad to hear any thing that promised repentance, that would certainly have heard it if there had been any thing said of that tendency, and would soon have answered it with comfort, as he did David when he said, I will confess, Psa 32:5. God looks upon men when they have done amiss (Job 33:27), to see what they will do next; he hearkens and hears. 2. How these expectations were disappointed: They spoke not aright, as I thought they would have done. They did not only not do right, but not so much as speak right; God could not get a good word from them, nothing on which to ground any favour to them or hopes concerning them. There was none of them that spoke aright, none that repented him of his wickedness. those that have sinned then, and then only, speak aright when they speak of repenting; and it is sad when those that have made so much work for repentance do not say a word of repenting. Not only did God not find any repenting of the national wickedness, which might have helped to empty the measure of public guilt, but none repented of that particular wickedness which he knew himself guilty of. (1.) They did not so much as take the first step towards repentance; they did not so much as say, What have I done? There was no motion towards it, not the least sign or token of it. Note, True repentance beings in a serious and impartial inquiry into ourselves, what have we done, arising from a conviction that we have done amiss. (2.) They were so far from repenting of their sins that they went on resolutely in their sins: Every one turned to his course, his wicked course, that course of sin which he had chosen and accustomed himself to, as the horse rushes into the battle, eager upon action, and scorning to be curbed. How the horse rushes into the battle is elegantly described, Job 39:21, etc. He mocks at fear and is not affrighted. Thus the daring sinner laughs at the threatenings of the word as bugbears, and runs violently upon the instruments of death and slaughter, and nothing will be restrained from him.
III. They would not attend to the dictates of providence, nor understand the voice of God in them, Jer 8:7. It is an instance of their sottishness that, though they are God's people, and therefore should readily understand his mind upon every intimation of it, yet they know not the judgment of the Lord; they apprehend not the meaning either of a mercy or an affliction, not how to accommodate themselves to either, nor to answer God's intention in either. They know not how to improve the seasons of grave that God affords them when he sends them his prophets, nor how to make use of the rebukes they are under when his voice cries in the city. They discern not the signs of the times (Mat 16:3), nor are aware how God is dealing with them. They know not that way of duty which God had prescribed them, though it be written both in their hearts and in their books. 2. It is an aggravation of their sottishness that there is so much sagacity in the inferior creatures. The stork in the heaven knows her appointed times of coming and continuing; so do other season-birds, the turtle, the crane, and the swallow. These by a natural instinct change their quarters, as the temper of the air alters; they come when the spring comes, and go, we know not whither, when the winter approaches, probably into warmer climates, as some birds come with winter and go when that is over.
IV. They would not attend to the dictates of the written word. They say, We are wise; but how can they say so? Jer 8:8. With what face can they pretend to any thing of wisdom, when they do not understand themselves so well as the brute-creatures? Why, truly, they think they are wise because the law of the Lord is with them, the book of the law and the interpreters of it; and their neighbours, for the same reason, conclude they are wise, Deu 4:6. But their pretensions are groundless for all this: Lo, certainly in vain made he it; surely never any people had Bibles to so little purpose as they have. They might as well have been without the law, unless they had made a better use of it. God has indeed made it able to make men wise to salvation, but as to them it is made so in vain, for they are never the wiser for it: The pen of the scribes, of those that first wrote the law and of those that now write expositions of it, is in vain. Both the favour of their God and the labour of their scribes are lost upon them; they receive the grace of God therein in vain. Note, There are many that enjoy abundance of the means of grace, that have great plenty of Bibles and ministers, but they have them in vain; they do not answer the end of their having them. But it might be said, They have some wise men among them, to whom the law and the pen of the scribes are not in vain. To this it is answered (Jer 8:9): The wise men are ashamed, that is, they have reasons to be so, that they have not made a better use of their wisdom, and lived more up to it. They are confounded and taken; all their wisdom has not served to keep them from those courses that tend to their ruin. They are taken in the same snares that others of their neighbours, who have not pretended to so much wisdom, are taken in, and filled with the same confusion. Those that have more knowledge than others, and yet do no better than others for their own souls, have reason to be ashamed. They talk of their wisdom, but, Lo, they have rejected the word of the Lord; they would not be governed by it, would not follow its direction, would not do what they knew; and then what wisdom is in them? None to any purpose; none that will be found to their praise at the great day, how much soever it is found to their pride now. The pretenders to wisdom, who said, "We are wise and the law of the Lord is with us," were the priests and the false prophets; with them the prophet here deals plainly. 1. He threatens the judgments of God against them. Their families and estates shall be ruined (Jer 8:10): Their wives shall be given to others, when they are taken captives, and their fields. shall be taken from them by their victorious enemy and shall be given to those that shall inherit them, not only strip them for once, but take possession of them as their own and acquire a property in them as their own and acquire a property in them, which they shall transmit to their posterity. And (Jer 8:12), notwithstanding all their pretensions to wisdom and sanctity, they shall fall among those that fall; for, if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall together into the ditch. In the time of their visitation, when the wickedness of the land comes to be enquired into, it will be found that they have contributed to it more than any, and therefore they shall be sure to be cast down and cast out. 2. He gives a reason for these judgments (Jer 8:10-12), even the same account of their badness which we meet with before (Jer 6:13-15), where it was opened at large. (1.) They were greedy of the wealth of this world, which is bad enough in any, but worst in prophets and priests, who should be best acquainted with another world and therefore should be most dead to this. But these, from the least to the greatest, were given to covetousness. The priests teach for hire and the prophets divine for money, Mic 3:11. (2.) They made no conscience of speaking truth, no, not when they spoke as priests and prophets: Every one deals falsely, looks one way and rows another. There is no such thing as sincerity among them. (3.) They flattered people in their sins, and so flattered them into destruction. They pretended to be the physicians of the state, but knew not how to apply proper remedies to its growing maladies; they healed them slightly, killed the patient with palliative cures, silencing their fears and complaints with, "Peace, peace, all is well, and there is no danger," when the God of heaven was proceeding in his controversy with them, so that there could be no peace to them. (4.) When it was made to appear how basely they prevaricated they were not at all ashamed of it, but rather gloried in it, (Jer 8:12): They could not blush, so perfectly lost were they to all sense of virtue and honour. When they were convicted of the grossest forgeries they would justify what they had done, and laugh at those whom they had imposed upon. Such as these were ripe for ruin.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 4–12. Public domain.
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Ignatius of AntiochAD 108
Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians
Pray without ceasing on behalf of other people. There is always hope for the repentance that they may attain before God. For "cannot he who falls arise again, and he who goes astray return?" Permit them, then, to be instructed by you. Be therefore the ministers of God and the mouth of Christ. For thus says the Lord, "If you take forth the precious from the vile, you shall be as my mouth." Be humble in your earnest prayers. While they go astray, stand steadfast in the faith.
Basil of CaesareaAD 379
LETTER 44
Have the strength to rise up from the earth. Remember the good Shepherd and how he will pursue and deliver you. And if there are but “two legs or the tip of an ear,” leap back from him who has wounded you. Remember the compassion of God, how he heals with olive oil and wine. Do not despair of salvation. Recall the memory of what has been written: how he who falls rises again, and he who is turned away turns again. He who has been smitten is healed, and he who is caught by wild beasts escapes. He who confesses is not rejected. The Lord does not wish the death of the sinner but that he return and live. Do not have contempt for yourself, like one who has fallen into the depths of sin.
Pacian of BarcelonaAD 391
ON PENITENTS 12:2
Immediately, on your return, the robe shall be put on you. The ring will adorn you. Your Father’s embrace again shall receive you. Behold, he says, “I do not wish the death of the sinner as much as I prefer that he turn about and live.” And again he says, “Shall he who has fallen not arise, and shall he who has turned away not return?” The apostle states, “God has the power to make him stand.”
Pacian of BarcelonaAD 391
LETTER 1:5.3
Did not confession deliver the king of the Babylonians when he had been condemned after so many sins of idolatry? And what is it that the Lord says? “Shall he who has fallen not arise, and shall he who has turned away not return?”
John ChrysostomAD 407
LETTER TO THE FALLEN THEODORE 2:4
Is it not strange that others do not even now despair of your salvation? They instead are continually praying that they may have their member restored to them. However, while they pray, you yourself, having once fallen, are unwilling to get up again and remain prostrated. You all but cry aloud to the enemy: “Slay me, smite me, spare not.” “Does he who falls not rise up again?” so speaks the divine oracle. But you strive against this and contradict it. If one who has fallen despairs, it is as much as to say that he who falls does not rise up again. I entreat you. Do not do so great a wrong to yourself. Do not pour on us such a flood of sorrow. I do not say this merely at the present time when you have not yet completed your twentieth year. But I would entreat you, even if after achieving many things and spending your whole life in Christ, you had experienced this attack. Even then, in extreme old age, it would not have been right to despair. But call to mind the robber who was justified on the cross. The laborers who came the eleventh hour and received the wages of the whole day.
John ChrysostomAD 407
HOMILIES ON REPENTANCE AND ALMSGIVING 7:2.5
God is indeed good to everyone, but he shows his patient endurance especially to those who sin. If you want to hear a paradoxical statement—paradoxical because it is not customary but true for the great piety it reveals—listen. God always seems to be severe to the righteous. But he seems good to sinners and quick to clemency. He restores the one who sinned and fell, and he tells him, “Shall not he who falls get up? Or the one who turns away, shall he not turn back again?” And “Why did the stupid daughter of Judah turn away with a shameless revolting?” And again, “Return to me, and I will return to you.”
John ChrysostomAD 407
HOMILIES ON REPENTANCE AND ALMSGIVING 1:4.31
The very thing I said in the beginning, I say now, that both of these cause us to betray our salvation: placing our courage in our goodness and losing our hope to wickedness. This is why Paul, to protect those who remain in goodness, said, “Let any one who thinks that he stand take heed in fear that he fall.” And again: “I am afraid that, after preaching to others, I myself should be disapproved.” In order to lift up those who are found fallen in wickedness and to excite them to greater readiness, he bore testimony to the Corinthians. He wrote to them, “I may have to mourn over many of those who sinned before and have not repented.” In this way, he revealed that the sinners do not deserve equal pity with the unrepentant. And the prophet said to them, “Shall not he that falls arise, or he that turns away, shall he not turn back again?” Hence, as long as the “today” is said let us not despair but have good hope in the Master. Let us recognize the vast sea of his philanthropy.
JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Jeremiah
(Verse 4.) And you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord: Shall the one who falls not rise up again? And the one who turns away not return? After so many evils, it provokes those who were able to remain to repentance. Before the things that were threatened come, it exhorts to conversion, and gives place to repentance. But what is written in Hebrew: And the one who turns away not return, it signifies that the one who has turned away from God, if he wishes to turn to better things, can also turn the anger of God to better things and resist the coming and avoid the blows through prayers.
Cyril of AlexandriaAD 444
COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 149
It is worth our while observing, in what way his sin was forgiven, and how he put away his fault. The event may prove of no slight benefit to us. He did not then defer his repentance. Nor was he careless about it, for as rapid as was his decent into sin, so quick were his tears because of it. Nor did he merely weep, but he wept bitterly. As one who had fallen, so bravely did he spring up again. He knew that the merciful God somewhere says by one of the prophets, “Shall not he that falls arise? And he that backslides, shall he not return?” In returning, therefore, he did not miss the mark, for he continued to be what he had been before, a true disciple.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Jeremiah 8:4 presents a profound rhetorical question from the LORD, delivered through the prophet Jeremiah, expressing divine bewilderment and sorrow over Judah's persistent spiritual backsliding and refusal to repent. It highlights the unnatural and illogical nature of their rebellion, contrasting their spiritual obstinacy with the universal human tendency to recover from a physical fall or return when having gone astray, thereby underscoring the depth of their spiritual malaise and God's lament over their unresponsiveness to His repeated calls for restoration.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Jeremiah 8:4 is powerfully constructed through the prominent use of Rhetorical Questions. These are questions posed not to elicit an answer, but to make a statement or emphasize a point so obvious that the answer is self-evident. By asking "Shall they fall, and not arise? shall he turn away, and not return?", the LORD highlights the sheer absurdity and profound spiritual perversity of Judah's continued rebellion. The implied answer to both questions is a resounding "Yes, of course they should!" thereby exposing Judah's behavior as contrary to common sense and natural human instinct. This device serves to underscore God's bewilderment and sorrow, making His lament all the more poignant and impactful. Furthermore, the verse employs Parallelism, specifically Antithetical Parallelism, where the two clauses "fall, and not arise" and "turn away, and not return" present contrasting but conceptually linked ideas. This structure reinforces the central theme of Judah's illogical and persistent refusal to repent, despite the natural human inclination towards recovery and correction, intensifying the divine complaint.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Jeremiah 8:4 profoundly reveals God's character as both a righteous judge and a deeply grieved Father. His rhetorical questions are not born of ignorance but of sorrowful astonishment at His people's irrational stubbornness. This passage underscores the theological truth that repentance is not only commanded by God but is also the natural and logical response to spiritual error, reflecting a universal principle of recovery. Judah's refusal to "arise" or "return" highlights the profound depths of human depravity and the hardening of hearts that can occur when divine warnings are repeatedly ignored. Yet, within this lament, there is an implicit call to reconciliation, a testament to God's enduring patience and His desire for His people to turn back to Him before judgment is fully executed, emphasizing His steadfast love even in the face of rebellion.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Jeremiah 8:4 serves as a timeless mirror, inviting us to examine the state of our own hearts and our responsiveness to God's call. It challenges us to consider whether we, like ancient Judah, have developed a spiritual stubbornness that prevents us from acknowledging our "falls" and "turnings away" from God. True spiritual health involves an honest assessment of our sins, a humble recognition of our need for correction, and a willingness to "arise" through confession and "return" through repentance. God's grace is always available, providing a path back to Him, but it requires our active participation and a heart willing to turn. This verse reminds us that persistence in sin is not merely disobedience but an unnatural and illogical state for those called to walk with the LORD, hindering our spiritual growth and relationship with the divine.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why does God ask rhetorical questions if He already knows the answer?
Answer: God asks rhetorical questions not because He lacks information, but to emphasize a profound truth, express His emotions, or highlight the absurdity of a situation. In Jeremiah 8:4, His questions ("Shall they fall, and not arise? shall he turn away, and not return?") convey His deep sorrow, bewilderment, and frustration over Judah's persistent and illogical rebellion. It's a way of saying, "This is so obvious, yet you refuse to do it!" It underscores the unnaturalness of their spiritual stubbornness compared to basic human instinct, making the indictment more poignant and impactful. It's a divine lament, revealing His heart rather than seeking information, and serving as a powerful call to self-reflection and repentance for His people.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Jeremiah 8:4, with its lament over Israel's refusal to "arise" and "return" to God, finds its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus. While Israel continually stumbled and refused to turn back, Jesus Christ perfectly fulfilled the divine expectation of obedience and restoration. He is the one who "arises" from the dead, conquering sin and death, providing the very means for humanity to "arise" from its spiritual fall and "return" to God (Romans 6:4 and Colossians 3:1). The persistent call to return, which Judah ignored, is fully realized in the Gospel, where Christ Himself becomes the way back to the Father (John 14:6). He is the Good Shepherd who seeks the lost sheep and brings them back to the fold (Luke 15:4-7), embodying the very return that God longed for from His people. Through His atoning sacrifice, Jesus removes the barrier of sin that prevented true return, offering forgiveness and the power to live a new life, turning from sin and walking in righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:17), thus fulfilling the divine desire for humanity to "arise" and "return" to fellowship with God.