American Standard Version
Jeremiah 5:4
4Then I said, Surely these are poor; they are foolish; for they know not the way of Jehovah, nor the law of their God:
Jeremiah 5:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Therefore I said, Surely these are poor; they are foolish: for they know not the way of the Lord, nor the judgment of their God.
- New International Version (NIV)I thought, “These are only the poor; they are foolish, for they do not know the way of the Lord, the requirements of their God.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Then I said, "These are only the poor; they have no sense; for they do not know the way of the Lord, the justice of their God.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Therefore I said, “Surely these are poor. They are foolish; For they do not know the way of the Lord, The judgment of their God.
Context of Jeremiah 5:4
2And though they say, As Jehovah liveth; surely they swear falsely. 3O Jehovah, do not thine eyes look upon truth? thou hast stricken them, but they were not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return. Then I said, Surely these are poor; they are foolish; for they know not the way of Jehovah, nor the law of their God: 5I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for they know the way of Jehovah, and the law of their God. But these with one accord have broken the yoke, and burst the bonds. 6Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, a wolf of the evenings shall destroy them, a leopard shall watch against their cities; every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces; because their transgressions are many, and their backslidings are increased.
Read all of Jeremiah 5Jeremiah 5:4 word by word
וַאֲנִ֣י אָמַ֔רְתִּי אַךְ־דַּלִּ֖ים הֵ֑ם נוֹאֲל֕וּ כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יָדְעוּ֙ דֶּ֣רֶךְ יְהוָ֔ה מִשְׁפַּ֖ט אֱלֹהֵיהֶֽם׃Read the interlinear
Cross-references for Jeremiah 5:4
- Jeremiah 4:22For my people are foolish, they know me not; they are sottish children, and they have no understanding; they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.
- Jeremiah 7:8Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.
- Jeremiah 8:7Yea, the stork in the heavens knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle-dove and the swallow and the crane observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the law of Jehovah.
- Isaiah 27:11When the boughs thereof are withered, they shall be broken off; the women shall come, and set them on fire; for it is a people of no understanding: therefore he that made them will not have compassion upon them, and he that formed them will show them no favor.
- Isaiah 28:9Whom will he teach knowledge? and whom will he make to understand the message? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts?
- Hosea 4:6My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I also will forget thy children.
- Matthew 11:5the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good tidings preached to them.
- John 7:48Hath any of the rulers believed on him, or of the Pharisees?
Commentaries on Jeremiah 5:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4These are poor - They are ignorant; they have no education; they know no better.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Therefore - More simply “and.” They are foolish - Or, they act foolishly (see Numbers 12:11), not having that knowledge which would enable them to guide their ways with discretion.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4-5Jeremiah looked for an economic reason for Jerusalem’s rebellion. He discovered that the leaders, despite their advantages, were as rebellious as the uneducated poor. A wooden yoke was placed on a farm animal's neck. Chains attached it to a plow or another tool for fieldwork (compare Jeremiah 27:2–12; Psalm 2:3).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. poor--rather, "the poor." He supposes for the moment that this utter depravity is confined to the uninstructed poor, and that he would find a different state of things in the higher ranks: but there he finds unbridled profligacy.Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 5:4
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Jeremiah 5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
American Standard Version — 1901 — Public Domain
Commentaries