New English Translation
Jeremiah 4:14
14“Oh people of Jerusalem, purify your hearts from evil so that you may yet be delivered. How long will you continue to harbor up wicked schemes within you?
Jeremiah 4:14 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?
- New International Version (NIV)Jerusalem, wash the evil from your heart and be saved. How long will you harbor wicked thoughts?
- English Standard Version (ESV)O Jerusalem, wash your heart from evil, that you may be saved. How long shall your wicked thoughts lodge within you?
- New King James Version (NKJV)O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, That you may be saved. How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you?
Context of Jeremiah 4:14
12No, a wind too strong for that will come at my bidding. Yes, even now I, myself, am calling down judgment on them.’ 13Look! The enemy is approaching like gathering clouds. The roar of his chariots is like that of a whirlwind. His horses move more swiftly than eagles.” I cry out, “We are doomed, for we will be destroyed!” “Oh people of Jerusalem, purify your hearts from evil so that you may yet be delivered. How long will you continue to harbor up wicked schemes within you? 15For messengers are coming, heralding disaster, from the city of Dan and from the hills of Ephraim. 16They are saying, ‘Announce to the surrounding nations, “The enemy is coming!” Proclaim this message to Jerusalem: “Those who besiege cities are coming from a distant land. They are ready to raise the battle cry against the towns in Judah.”’
Read all of Jeremiah 4Jeremiah 4:14 word by word
כַּבְּסִ֨י מֵרָעָ֤ה לִבֵּךְ֙ יְר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם לְמַ֖עַן תִּוָּשֵׁ֑עִי עַד־מָתַ֛י תָּלִ֥ין בְּקִרְבֵּ֖ךְ מַחְשְׁב֥וֹת אוֹנֵֽךְ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- O Jerusalemיְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵםyerûshâlaim yerûshâlayim · JerusalemH3389
- washכָּבַסkâbas · to washH3526
- thine heartלֵבlêb · heartH3820
- from wickednessרָעָהra‛ râ‛âh · distress: evilH7451
- that thou mayest be savedיָשַׁעyâsha‛ · to saveH3467
- How long shall thy vainאָ֫וֶן'âven · evil: wickednessH205
- thoughtsמַחֲשָׁבָהmachăshâbâh machăshebeth · plotH4284
- lodgeלוּןlûn lîyn · to lodgeH3885
- withinקֶ֫רֶבqereb · entrails: amongH7130
Cross-references for Jeremiah 4:14
- Isaiah 1:16Wash! Cleanse yourselves! Remove your sinful deeds from my sight. Stop sinning!
- Isaiah 55:7The wicked need to abandon their lifestyle and sinful people their plans. They should return to the Lord, and he will show mercy to them, and to their God, for he will freely forgive them.
- Ezekiel 18:31Throw away all your sins you have committed and fashion yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why should you die, O house of Israel?
- Matthew 12:33“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is known by its fruit.
- Matthew 15:19For out of the heart come evil ideas, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.
- Matthew 23:26Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside may become clean too!
- Luke 11:39But the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.
- James 4:8Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and make your hearts pure, you double-minded.
- Jeremiah 13:27People of Jerusalem, I have seen your adulterous worship, your shameless prostitution to, and your lustful pursuit of, other gods. I have seen your disgusting acts of worship on the hills throughout the countryside. You are doomed to destruction! How long will you continue to be unclean?’”
- Psalms 66:18If I had harbored sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.
- Psalms 119:113I hate people with divided loyalties, but I love your law.
- Proverbs 1:22“How long will you simpletons love naiveté? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge?
- Acts 8:22Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that he may perhaps forgive you for the intent of your heart.
- Romans 1:21For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts and their senseless hearts were darkened.
- 1 Corinthians 3:20And again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”
Commentaries on Jeremiah 4:14
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 14O Jerusalem, wash thine heart - Why do ye not put away your wickedness, that ye may be saved from these tremendous judgments? How long shall thy vain thoughts of safety and prosperity lodge within thee? Whilst thou continuest a rebel against God, and provokest him daily by thy abominations!Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 14Thy vain thoughts - “Thy” iniquitous “thoughts.” “Aven,” the word used here, is especially applied to the sin of idolatry: thus Bethel is generally called Bethaven by Hosea (Hosea 4:15; Hosea 5:8, ), because instead of being the house of God, El, it was the house of an iniquity, Aven, the golden calf.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 5-18Verses 5-18 The fierce conqueror of the neighbouring nations was to make Judah desolate. The prophet was afflicted to see the people lulled into security by false prophets. The approach of the enemy is described. Some attention was paid in Jerusalem to outward reformation; but it was necessary that their hearts should be washed, in the exercise of true repentance and faith, from the love and pollution of sin. When lesser calamities do not rouse sinners…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 14-15Jeremiah still hoped his people would purify their hearts, abandon their evil thoughts, and completely reject idolatry. Otherwise, they would face God's judgment (Jeremiah 4:1; 6:19; 13:27; 50:17; Proverbs 1:22; Isaiah 1:16; James 4:8).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1414. Only one means of deliverance is left to the Jews--a thorough repentance. vain thoughts--namely, projects for deliverance, such as enlisting the Egyptians on their side. Gesenius translates, "How long wilt thou harbor vain thoughts?"Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 4:14
In the dictionaries
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
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