Jeremiah 5:12

Jeremiah 5:12 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)They have belied the Lord, and said, It is not he; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine:
• New International Version (NIV)They have lied about the Lord; they said, “He will do nothing! No harm will come to us; we will never see sword or famine.
• English Standard Version (ESV)They have spoken falsely of the Lord and have said, 'He will do nothing; no disaster will come upon us, nor shall we see sword or famine.
• New King James Version (NKJV)They have lied about the Lord, And said, “It is not He. Neither will evil come upon us, Nor shall we see sword or famine.

Context of Jeremiah 5:12

10Go up among her vineyard terraces and destroy them, but do not finish them off. Prune away her shoots, for they do not belong to the Lord. 11They, the house of Israel and the house of Judah, have dealt very treacherously with me. This is the Lord’s declaration. They have contradicted the Lord and insisted, “It won’t happen. Harm won’t come to us; we won’t see sword or famine.” 13The prophets become only wind, for the Lord’s word is not in them. This will in fact happen to them. 14Therefore, this is what the Lord God of Armies says: Because you have spoken this word, I am going to make my words become fire in your mouth. These people are the wood, and the fire will consume them.

Jeremiah 5:12 word by word

כִּֽחֲשׁוּ֙ בַּיהוָ֔ה וַיֹּאמְר֖וּ לֹא־ה֑וּא וְלֹא־תָב֤וֹא עָלֵ֙ינוּ֙ רָעָ֔ה וְחֶ֥רֶב וְרָעָ֖ב ל֥וֹא נִרְאֶֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• They have beliedכָּחַשׁkâchash · to deceiveH3584
• the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• and saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• not he; neither shall evilרָעָהra‛ râ‛âh · distress: harmH7451
• comeבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• upon us; neither shall we seeרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• swordחֶ֫רֶבchereb · swordH2719
• nor famineרָעָבrâ‛âb · famineH7458

Cross-references for Jeremiah 5:12

• Jeremiah 5:31The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own authority. My people love it like this. But what will you do at the end of it?
• Jeremiah 4:10I said, “Oh no, Lord God, you have certainly deceived this people and Jerusalem, by announcing, ‘You will have peace,’ while a sword is at our throats.”
• Jeremiah 14:13And I replied, “Oh no, Lord God! The prophets are telling them, ‘You won’t see sword or suffer famine. I will certainly give you lasting peace in this place.’”
• Jeremiah 23:14Among the prophets of Jerusalem also I saw a horrible thing: They commit adultery and walk in lies. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, and none turns his back on evil. They are all like Sodom to me; Jerusalem’s residents are like Gomorrah.
• Jeremiah 28:15The prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah! The Lord did not send you, but you have led these people to trust in a lie.
• Jeremiah 43:2then Azariah son of Hoshaiah, Johanan son of Kareah, and all the other arrogant men responded to Jeremiah, “You are speaking a lie! The Lord our God has not sent you to say, ‘You must not go to Egypt to stay there for a while!’
• Deuteronomy 29:19When someone hears the words of this oath, he may consider himself exempt, thinking, ‘I will have peace even though I follow my own stubborn heart.’ This will lead to the destruction of the well-watered land as well as the dry land.
• 1 Samuel 6:9Then watch: If it goes up the road to its homeland toward Beth-shemesh, it is the Lord who has made this terrible trouble for us. However, if it doesn’t, we will know that it was not his hand that punished us — it was just something that happened to us by chance.”
• 2 Chronicles 36:16But they kept ridiculing God’s messengers, despising his words, and scoffing at his prophets, until the Lord’s wrath was so stirred up against his people that there was no remedy.
• Isaiah 28:14Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem.
• Ezekiel 12:22“Son of man, what is this proverb you people have about the land of Israel, which goes, ‘The days keep passing by, and every vision fails’?
• Ezekiel 13:6They saw false visions and their divinations were a lie. They claimed, “This is the Lord’s declaration,” when the Lord did not send them, yet they wait for the fulfillment of their message.
• Micah 2:11If a man comes and utters empty lies — “I will preach to you about wine and beer” — he would be just the preacher for this people!
• Micah 3:11Her leaders issue rulings for a bribe, her priests teach for payment, and her prophets practice divination for silver. Yet they lean on the Lord, saying, “Isn’t the Lord among us? No disaster will overtake us.”
• Habakkuk 1:5Look at the nations and observe — be utterly astounded! For I am doing something in your days that you will not believe when you hear about it.
• 1 John 5:10The one who believes in the Son of God has this testimony within himself. The one who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony God has given about his Son.

Commentaries on Jeremiah 5:12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12They have belied the Lord - כחשו kichashu . They have denied or disavowed the Lord. It is not he - הוא לוא lo hu, he is not; there is no such being; therefore this evil shall not come upon us. On their premises, this conclusion was just. There is no judge; therefore there shall be no judgment. Thus they denied the Lord. They were atheists at heart.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12It is not he - i. e., Who speaks by the prophets.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10-18Verses 10-18 Multitudes are ruined by believing that God will not be so strict as his word says he will; by this artifice Satan undid mankind. Sinners are not willing to own any thing to be God's word, that tends to part them from, or to disquiet them in, their sins. Mocking and misusing the Lord's messengers, filled the measure of their iniquity. God can bring trouble upon us from places and causes very remote. He has mercy in store for his people…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12-13Even with the enemy approaching from the north, the people believed nothing bad would happen to them (Jeremiah 14:13; Isaiah 47:8). They did not respect God’s prophets (literally the prophets). Some interpreters end the people’s quote with Jeremiah 5:12 and attribute 5:13 to the Lord. The term "for the wind" would then refer to false prophets.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1212. belied--denied. It is not he--rather, "(Jehovah) is not He," that is, the true and only God (Jr 14:22; De 32:39; Is 43:10, 13). By their idolatry they virtually denied Him. Or, referring to what follows, and to Jr 5:9, "(Jehovah) is not," namely, about to be the punisher of our sins (Jr 14:13; Is 28:15).Read the comment

Topics related to Jeremiah 5:12

• Backsliders
• Idolatry
• Infidelity
• Self-Delusion
• Unbelief

In the dictionaries

• Correction
• Deceit
• Belie
• Exodus, the Book of
• Jeremiah (2)

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