Jeremiah 10:4

Jeremiah 10:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.
• English Standard Version (ESV)They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move.
• New King James Version (NKJV)They decorate it with silver and gold; They fasten it with nails and hammers So that it will not topple.
• New Living Translation (NLT)They decorate it with gold and silver and then fasten it securely with hammer and nails so it won’t fall over.

Context of Jeremiah 10:4

2This is what the Lord says: “Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the heavens, though the nations are terrified by them. 3For the practices of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter. 5Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good.” 6No one is like you, Lord; you are great, and your name is mighty in power.

Jeremiah 10:4 word by word

בְּכֶ֥סֶף וּבְזָהָ֖ב יְיַפֵּ֑הוּ בְּמַסְמְר֧וֹת וּבְמַקָּב֛וֹת יְחַזְּק֖וּם וְל֥וֹא יָפִֽיק׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• They deckיָפָהyâphâh · be beautifulH3302
• it with silverכֶּ֫סֶףkeseph · silver: moneyH3701
• and with goldזָהָבzâhâb · goldH2091
• they fastenחָזַקchâzaq · to strengthen: holdH2388
• it with nailsמַסְמֵרmasmêr mismêr masmerâh mismerâh · nailH4548
• and with hammersמַקָּבָהmaqqâbâh · hammerH4717
• that it moveפּוּקpûq · to reelH6328

Cross-references for Jeremiah 10:4

• Psalms 115:4But their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands.
• Psalms 135:15The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by human hands.
• Isaiah 40:19As for an idol, a metalworker casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and fashions silver chains for it.
• Isaiah 41:6they help each other and say to their companions, “Be strong!”
• Isaiah 44:12The blacksmith takes a tool and works with it in the coals; he shapes an idol with hammers, he forges it with the might of his arm. He gets hungry and loses his strength; he drinks no water and grows faint.
• Isaiah 46:7They lift it to their shoulders and carry it; they set it up in its place, and there it stands. From that spot it cannot move. Even though someone cries out to it, it cannot answer; it cannot save them from their troubles.

Commentaries on Jeremiah 10:4

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4They deck it - It was covered with plates of gold and silver, and then fastened with nails in its place, that it might not “more, i. e.” tumble down. The agreement in this and the following verses with the argument in Jeremiah 9:23-24) their true glory is their God, not an idol of wood, but the King of nations. Then comes the sad feeling that they have rejected God and chosen idols Jeremiah 10:17-18; then the nation‘s deep grief Jeremiah 10:19-22 and…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4The carved image had no beauty or value by itself. People had to add gold and silver to make it impressive (see Jeremiah 10:9). Similarly, the image could not stand on its own. It needed to be secured to a foundation with a hammer and nails.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. fasten ... move not--that is, that it may stand upright without risk of falling, which the god (!) would do, if left to itself (Is 41:7).Read the comment

Topics related to Jeremiah 10:4

• Hammer
• Idolatry
• Nail

In the dictionaries

• Cord
• Custom
• Covenant, the New
• Exodus, the Book of
• Gold
• Habakkuk
• Hammer
• Jeremy, the Epistle of
• Nail
• Tools

Commentaries on Jeremiah 10

• 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