Jeremiah 10:4

Jeremiah 10:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.
• New International Version (NIV)They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter.
• English Standard Version (ESV)They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move.
• New King James Version (NKJV)They decorate it with silver and gold; They fasten it with nails and hammers So that it will not topple.

Context of Jeremiah 10:4

2This is what the LORD says: “Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by the signs in the heavens, though the nations themselves are terrified by them. 3For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut down a tree from the forest; it is shaped with a chisel by the hands of a craftsman. They adorn it with silver and gold and fasten it with hammer and nails, so that it will not totter. 5Like scarecrows in a cucumber patch, their idols cannot speak. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them, for they can do no harm, and neither can they do any good.” 6There is none like You, O LORD. You are great, and Your name is mighty in power.

Jeremiah 10:4 word by word

בְּכֶ֥סֶף וּבְזָהָ֖ב יְיַפֵּ֑הוּ בְּמַסְמְר֧וֹת וּבְמַקָּב֛וֹת יְחַזְּק֖וּם וְל֥וֹא יָפִֽיק׃Read the interlinear

• They adorn itיָפָהyâphâh · be beautifulH3302
• with silverכֶּ֫סֶףkeseph · silver: moneyH3701
• and goldזָהָבzâhâb · goldH2091
• and fasten itחָזַקchâzaq · to strengthen: holdH2388
• with hammerמַקָּבָהmaqqâbâh · hammerH4717
• and nailsמַסְמֵרmasmêr mismêr masmerâh mismerâh · nailH4548
• so that it will notלֹאlô' lô' lôh · notH3808
• totterפּוּקpûq · to reelH6328

Cross-references for Jeremiah 10:4

• Psalms 115:4Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men.
• Psalms 135:15The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by the hands of men.
• Isaiah 40:19To an idol that a craftsman casts and a metalworker overlays with gold and fits with silver chains?
• Isaiah 41:6Each one helps the other and says to his brother, “Be strong!”
• Isaiah 44:12The blacksmith takes a tool and labors over the coals; he fashions an idol with hammers and forges it with his strong arms. Yet he grows hungry and loses his strength; he fails to drink water and grows faint.
• Isaiah 46:7They lift it to their shoulder and carry it along; they set it in its place, and there it stands, not budging from that spot. They cry out to it, but it does not answer; it saves no one from his troubles.

Commentaries on Jeremiah 10:4

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4They deck it - It was covered with plates of gold and silver, and then fastened with nails in its place, that it might not “more, i. e.” tumble down. The agreement in this and the following verses with the argument in Jeremiah 9:23-24) their true glory is their God, not an idol of wood, but the King of nations. Then comes the sad feeling that they have rejected God and chosen idols Jeremiah 10:17-18; then the nation‘s deep grief Jeremiah 10:19-22 and…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4The carved image had no beauty or value by itself. People had to add gold and silver to make it impressive (see Jeremiah 10:9). Similarly, the image could not stand on its own. It needed to be secured to a foundation with a hammer and nails.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. fasten ... move not--that is, that it may stand upright without risk of falling, which the god (!) would do, if left to itself (Is 41:7).Read the comment

Topics related to Jeremiah 10:4

• Hammer
• Idolatry
• Nail

In the dictionaries

• Cord
• Custom
• Covenant, the New
• Exodus, the Book of
• Gold
• Habakkuk
• Hammer
• Jeremy, the Epistle of
• Nail
• Tools

Commentaries on Jeremiah 10

• 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