Jeremiah 9:3

Jeremiah 9:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the Lord.
• New International Version (NIV)“They make ready their tongue like a bow, to shoot lies; it is not by truth that they triumph in the land. They go from one sin to another; they do not acknowledge me,” declares the Lord.
• English Standard Version (ESV)They bend their tongue like a bow; falsehood and not truth has grown strong in the land; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not know me, declares the Lord.
• New King James Version (NKJV)“And like their bow they have bent their tongues for lies. They are not valiant for the truth on the earth. For they proceed from evil to evil, And they do not know Me,” says the Lord.

Context of Jeremiah 9:3

1Oh, that my head were waters And my eyes a fountain of tears, That I might weep day and night For those slain of the daughter of my people! 2Oh that I had in the desert A travelers’ lodging place; So that I might leave my people And go away from them! For all of them are adulterers, An assembly of treacherous people. “They bend their tongues like their bows; Lies and not truth prevail in the land; For they proceed from evil to evil, And they do not know Me,” declares the Lord. 4“Let everyone be on guard against his neighbor, And do not trust any brother; Because every brother utterly betrays, And every neighbor goes about as a slanderer. 5Everyone deceives his neighbor And does not speak the truth. They have taught their tongue to speak lies; They weary themselves committing wrongdoing.

Jeremiah 9:3 word by word

וַֽיַּדְרְכ֤וּ אֶת־לְשׁוֹנָם֙ קַשְׁתָּ֣ם שֶׁ֔קֶר וְלֹ֥א לֶאֱמוּנָ֖ה גָּבְר֣וּ בָאָ֑רֶץ כִּי֩ מֵרָעָ֨ה אֶל־רָעָ֧ה׀ יָצָ֛אוּ וְאֹתִ֥י לֹֽא־יָדָ֖עוּ נְאֻם־יְהוָֽה׃ סRead the interlinear

• bendדָּרַךְdârak · to treadH1869
• their tonguesלָשׁוֹןlâshôn lâshôn leshônâh · tongueH3956
• their bowsקֶ֫שֶׁתqesheth · bowH7198
• Liesשֶׁ֫קֶרsheqer · deceptionH8267
• and not truthאֱמוּנָה'ĕmûnâh 'ĕmûnâh · faithfulnessH530
• prevailגָּבַרgâbar · to prevailH1396
• in the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• proceedיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: comeH3318
• do not knowיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
• Me,” declaresנְאֻםne'ûm · utteranceH5002
• the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068

Cross-references for Jeremiah 9:3

• Jeremiah 9:5Everyone deceives his neighbor And does not speak the truth. They have taught their tongue to speak lies; They weary themselves committing wrongdoing.
• Psalms 52:2Your tongue devises destruction, Like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit.
• Psalms 64:3Who have sharpened their tongues like a sword. They aimed bitter speech as their arrows,
• Psalms 120:2Rescue my soul, Lord, from lying lips, From a deceitful tongue.
• Isaiah 59:3For your hands are defiled with blood, And your fingers with wrongdoing; Your lips have spoken deceit, Your tongue mutters wickedness.
• Micah 7:3As for evil, both hands do it well. The leader asks for a bribe, also the judge, And the great one speaks the capricious desire of his soul; So they plot it together.
• Romans 3:13“Their throat is an open grave, With their tongues they keep deceiving,” “The venom of asps is under their lips”;
• Matthew 10:31So do not fear; you are more valuable than a great number of sparrows.
• Mark 8:38For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
• Romans 1:16For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
• Philippians 1:28and in no way alarmed by your opponents--which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and this too, from God.
• Jude 1:3Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all time handed down to the saints.
• Revelation 12:11And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.
• Jeremiah 7:26Yet they did not listen to Me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck; they did more evil than their fathers.
• 2 Timothy 3:13But evil people and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
• Jeremiah 4:22“For My people are foolish, They do not know Me; They are foolish children And have no understanding. They are skillful at doing evil, But they do not know how to do good.”

Commentaries on Jeremiah 9:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3They bend their tongues like their bow for lies - And their lies are such that they as fully take away life as the keenest arrow shot from the best strung bow. The false prophets told the people that there was no desolation at hand: the people believed them; made no preparation for their defense; did not return to the Lord; and the sword came and destroyed them. They are not valiant for the truth - They are bold in sin, and courageous to support their…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2-9Verses 2-9 From their punishment the prophet now turns to their sins. Jeremiah 9:2 The prophet utters the wish that he might be spared his daily striving, and in some lone wilderness give way to his sorrow, without restraint. A lodging place - It was usual to build in the desert, either by private charity or at the public expense, caravanserais, to receive travelers for a single night, who had however to bring their own supplies with them. An assembly…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3The Lord did not scold Jeremiah for his outburst. Instead, the Lord listed the charges against his people. The comparison with bows shows that the people's lies were meant to harm others.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. bend ... tongues ... for lies--that is, with lies as their arrows; they direct lies on their tongue as their bow (Psa 64:3, 4). not valiant for ... truth--(Jr 7:28). Maurer translates, "They do not prevail by truth" or faith (Psa 12:4). Their tongue, not faith, is their weapon. upon ... earth--rather, "in the land." know not me--(Ho 4:1).Read the comment

Topics related to Jeremiah 9:3

• Blindness
• Church
• Falsehood
• Lukewarmness
• Sin
• Truth
• War
• Wicked (People)
• Zeal, Religious

In the dictionaries

• Adulterer
• Arrow
• Bow
• Desolate
• Heaven
• Perish
• Teach
• Wait
• Covenant, the New
• Jeremiah (2)

Commentaries on Jeremiah 9

• 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