God’s Word Translation
Jeremiah 5:2
2People say, “As the Lord lives …” Yet, they lie when they take this oath.
Jeremiah 5:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And though they say, The Lord liveth; surely they swear falsely.
- New International Version (NIV)Although they say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’ still they are swearing falsely.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)Though they say, "As the Lord lives," yet they swear falsely.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Though they say, ‘As the Lord lives,’ Surely they swear falsely.”
Context of Jeremiah 5:2
1Walk around the streets of Jerusalem. Look around, and think about these things. Search the city squares. See if you can find anyone who does what is right and seeks the truth. Then I will forgive Jerusalem. People say, “As the Lord lives …” Yet, they lie when they take this oath. 3Lord, your eyes look for the truth. You strike these people, but they don’t feel it. You crush them, but they refuse to be corrected. They are more stubborn than rocks. They refuse to turn back. 4I thought, “These are poor, foolish people. They don’t know the way of the Lord and the justice that God demands.
Read all of Jeremiah 5Jeremiah 5:2 word by word
וְאִ֥ם חַי־יְהֹוָ֖ה יֹאמֵ֑רוּ לָכֵ֥ן לַשֶּׁ֖קֶר יִשָּׁבֵֽעוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Jeremiah 5:2
- Jeremiah 4:2if you take the oath, ‘As the Lord lives …’ in an honest, fair, and right way, then the nations will be blessed, and they will be honored by me.”
- Jeremiah 7:9You steal, murder, commit adultery, lie when you take oaths, burn incense as an offering to Baal, and run after other gods that you do not know.
- Leviticus 19:12“Never swear by my name in order to deceive anyone. This dishonors the name of your God. I am the Lord.
- Isaiah 48:1Listen to this, descendants of Jacob! You are given the name of Israel. You are descended from Judah. You take oaths by the name of the Lord. You acknowledge the God of Israel, but you are not honest or sincere.
- Hosea 4:1Listen to the Lord’s word, you Israelites. The Lord has brought these charges against those who live in the land: “There is no faith, no love, and no knowledge of God in the land.
- Hosea 10:4They say many things. They lie when they take oaths, and they make promises they don’t intend to keep. That’s why lawsuits spring up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a field.
- Zechariah 5:3Then he said to me, “This is a curse that will go out all over the earth. The one side of the scroll says that every thief will be forced away. The other side of the scroll says that everyone who takes an oath will be forced away.
- Malachi 3:5“I will come to judge you. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers, lying witnesses, and those who cheat workers out of their wages and oppress widows and orphans. I will also testify against those who deprive foreigners of their rights. None of them fear me,” says the Lord of Armies.
- 1 Timothy 1:10Laws are intended for people involved in sexual sins, for homosexuals, for kidnappers, for liars, for those who lie when they take an oath, and for whatever else is against accurate teachings.
- 2 Timothy 3:5They will appear to have a godly life, but they will not let its power change them. Stay away from such people.
Commentaries on Jeremiah 5:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2The Lord liveth - Though they profess to bind themselves by Jehovah, as if they acknowledged him their God and only Lord, yet they swore falsely; for not believing in him, they took a false oath; one by which they did not believe themselves bound, not acknowledging him as their Lord. See on Jeremiah 4:2; (note).Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2Though they take the most binding form of oath, they do so only as a means of deceiving others.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-2A just person follows God's laws and treats others fairly. An honest person is reliable, truthful, and loyal to God. Jeremiah found neither justice nor honesty. Although some people were under oath, their claims of innocence were false. Their actions showed they had lied under oath (Genesis 4:2; 7:9; Genesis 18:23–32; Isaiah 48:1; Ezekiel 22:30; Titus 1:15–16).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. (Tit 1:16). swear falsely--not a judicial oath; but their profession of the worship of Jehovah is insincere (Jr 5:7; Jr 4:2). The reformation under Josiah was merely superficial in the case of the majority.Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 5:2
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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