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

10The Lord commanded the enemy, “March through the vineyards of Israel and Judah and ruin them. But do not destroy them completely. Strip off their branches for these people do not belong to the Lord. 11For the nations of Israel and Judah have been very unfaithful to me,” says the Lord. “These people have denied what the Lord says. They have said, ‘That is not so! No harm will come to us. We will not experience war and famine. 13The prophets will prove to be full of wind. The Lord has not spoken through them. So, let what they say happen to them.’” 14Because of that, the Lord, the God who rules over all, said to me, “Because these people have spoken like this, I will make the words that I put in your mouth like fire. And I will make this people like wood which the fiery judgments you speak will burn up.”

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 lies. The priests exercise power by their own authority. And my people love to have it this way. But they will not be able to help you when the time of judgment comes!
• Jeremiah 4:10In response to all this I said, “Ah, Lord God, you have surely allowed the people of Judah and Jerusalem to be deceived by those who say, ‘You will be safe!’ But in fact a sword is already at our throats.”
• Jeremiah 14:13Then I said, “Oh, Lord God, look! The prophets are telling them that you said, ‘You will not experience war or suffer famine. I will give you lasting peace and prosperity in this land.’”
• Jeremiah 23:14But I see the prophets of Jerusalem doing something just as shocking. They are unfaithful to me and continually prophesy lies. So they give encouragement to people who are doing evil, with the result that they do not stop their evildoing. I consider all of them as bad as the people of Sodom, and the citizens of Jerusalem as bad as the people of Gomorrah.
• Jeremiah 28:15Then the prophet Jeremiah told the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah! The Lord did not send you! You are making these people trust in a lie!
• Jeremiah 43:2Then Azariah son of Hoshaiah, Johanan son of Kareah, and other arrogant men said to Jeremiah, “You are telling a lie! The Lord our God did not send you to tell us, ‘You must not go to Egypt and settle there.’
• Deuteronomy 29:19When such a person hears the words of this oath he secretly blesses himself and says, “I will have peace though I continue to walk with a stubborn spirit.” This will destroy the watered ground with the parched.
• 1 Samuel 6:9But keep an eye on it. If it should go up by the way of its own border to Beth Shemesh, then he has brought this great calamity on us. But if that is not the case, then we will know that it was not his hand that struck us; rather, it just happened to us by accident.”
• 2 Chronicles 36:16But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his warnings, and ridiculed his prophets. Finally the Lord got very angry at his people and there was no one who could prevent his judgment.
• Isaiah 28:14Therefore, listen to the Lord’s word, you who mock, you rulers of these people who reside in Jerusalem!
• Ezekiel 12:22“Son of man, what is this proverb you have in the land of Israel, ‘The days pass slowly, and every vision fails’?
• Ezekiel 13:6They see delusion and their omens are a lie. They say, “the Lord declares,” though the Lord has not sent them; yet they expect their word to be confirmed.
• Micah 2:11If a lying windbag should come and say, ‘I’ll promise you blessings of wine and beer,’ he would be just the right preacher for these people!
• Micah 3:11Her leaders take bribes when they decide legal cases, her priests proclaim rulings for profit, and her prophets read omens for pay. Yet they claim to trust the Lord and say, “The Lord is among us. Disaster will not overtake us!”
• Habakkuk 1:5“Look at the nations and pay attention! You will be shocked and amazed! For I will do something in your lifetime that you will not believe even though you are forewarned.
• 1 John 5:10(The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has testified concerning 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