Jeremiah 4:3

Jeremiah 4:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For thus saith the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.
• New International Version (NIV)This is what the Lord says to the people of Judah and to Jerusalem: “Break up your unplowed ground and do not sow among thorns.
• English Standard Version (ESV)For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: "Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.
• New King James Version (NKJV)For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: “Break up your fallow ground, And do not sow among thorns.

Context of Jeremiah 4:3

1The Lord says this: ‘People of Israel, you should return to me. If you want to do that, you must throw away your idols. Remove those disgusting things and do not turn away from me again. 2You must be honest and do what is right. You must do what you promise to do. You can show that your promise is true when you add, “As surely as the Lord is alive.” Then other nations will see that I have blessed you. They will pray that I will bless them too. and they will praise me.’ The Lord says this to the people of Jerusalem and all Judah: ‘Prepare yourselves, like a farmer who ploughs his fields. Do not plant your seeds where weeds are growing. 4Give yourselves to me, the Lord, and agree to serve me faithfully. Remove from your lives everything that is not right, so that you obey my covenant. If you do not do that, I will be very angry with you. I will punish you like a hot fire that destroys things. Nobody will be able to stop my anger. People of Judah and Jerusalem, if you continue to do wicked things, I will certainly punish you.’ 5The Lord said: ‘Shout this message to the people in Jerusalem and in all Judah: “Make a loud noise with trumpets in all the land!” Shout loudly, “Come together! We must all run to the cities with strong walls!”

Jeremiah 4:3 word by word

כִּי־כֹ֣ה׀ אָמַ֣ר יְהֹוָ֗ה לְאִ֤ישׁ יְהוּדָה֙ וְלִיר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם נִ֥ירוּ לָכֶ֖ם נִ֑יר וְאַֽל־תִּזְרְע֖וּ אֶל־קוֹצִֽים׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• For thus saithאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• to the menאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• of Judahיְהוּדָהyehûdâh · JudahH3063
• and Jerusalemיְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵםyerûshâlaim yerûshâlayim · JerusalemH3389
• Break upנִירnîyr · to breakH5214
• your fallow groundנִירnîyr nir · fallow groundH5215
• and sowזָרַעzâra‛ · to sowH2232
• not among thornsקוֹץqôts qôts · thornH6975

Cross-references for Jeremiah 4:3

• Genesis 3:18Thorn bushes and thistles will grow in the ground. But you will eat plants that grow in the fields.
• Hosea 10:12Be like a farmer who plants good seed. Plant things that are good and right. Then your harvest will be faithful love. Plough the hard ground and prepare it for the Lord to bless you. It is time for you to turn back to the Lord. Then he will bless you with good things, like rain that falls on the ground!
• Matthew 13:7Some other seeds fell among thorn bushes. Those bushes grew up with the young plants. They stopped the seeds from growing into strong plants.
• Mark 4:7Other seeds fell among thorn bushes. Those bushes grew up with the young plants. They stopped the seeds from growing into strong plants. So the plants could not make any new seeds.
• Luke 8:7Some seeds fell among thorn bushes. Those bushes grew up with the young plants. They stopped the seeds from growing into strong plants.
• Galatians 6:7Nobody can hide the things that he does from God. Do not think a false thought like that! It is like a farmer who plants seeds in his field. The same kind of crops will grow as the seeds which he plants. That will be his harvest.

Commentaries on Jeremiah 4:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Break up your fallow ground - Fallow ground is either that which, having been once tilled, has lain long uncultivated; or, ground slightly ploughed, in order to be ploughed again previously to its being sown. Ye have been long uncultivated in righteousness; let true repentance break up your fruitless and hardened hearts; and when the seed of the word of life is sown in them, take heed that worldly cares and concerns do not arise, and, like thorns, choke…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3To the men - To each man “of Judah.” They are summoned individually to repentance. Break up - literally, Fallow for you a fallow ground, i. e., do not sow the seeds of repentance in unfit soil, but just as the farmer prepares the ground, by clearing it of weeds, and exposing it to the sun and air, before entrusting to it the seed, so must you regard repentance as a serious matter, requiring forethought, and anxious labor. To sow in unfallowed ground was…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 3Verse 3 ,4 An unhumbled heart is like ground untilled. It is ground which may be improved; it is our ground let out to us; but it is fallow; it is over-grown with thorns and weeds, the natural product of the corrupt heart. Let us entreat the Lord to create in us a clean heart, and to renew a right spirit within us; for except a man be born again, he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3Sinners need to recognize their wrong actions and change by admitting their mistakes and seeking forgiveness (Hosea 10:12; see also Matthew 13:1–9).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. Transition to Judah. Supply mentally. All which (the foregoing declaration as to Israel) applies to Judah. and Jerusalem--that is, and especially the men of Jerusalem, as being the most prominent in Judea. Break ... fallow ground--that is, Repent of your idolatry, and so be prepared to serve the Lord in truth (Ho 10:12; Mt 13:7). The unhumbled heart is like ground which may be improved, being let out to us for that purpose, but which is as yet fallow…Read the comment

Topics related to Jeremiah 4:3

• Agriculture
• Condescension of God
• Israel, Prophecies Concerning
• Repentance

In the dictionaries

• Jerusalem
• Judah
• Judah, kingdom of Judah
• Judea, Judah
• Bless
• Fallow
• Fallowground
• Pain
• Wise
• Backslide

Commentaries on Jeremiah 4

• 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