New King James Version
Jeremiah 8:5
5Why has this people slidden back, Jerusalem, in a perpetual backsliding? They hold fast to deceit, They refuse to return.
Jeremiah 8:5 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return.
- New International Version (NIV)Why then have these people turned away? Why does Jerusalem always turn away? They cling to deceit; they refuse to return.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Why then has this people turned away in perpetual backsliding? They hold fast to deceit; they refuse to return.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Then why do these people stay on their self-destructive path? Why do the people of Jerusalem refuse to turn back? They cling tightly to their lies and will not turn around.
Context of Jeremiah 8:5
3Then death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue of those who remain of this evil family, who remain in all the places where I have driven them,” says the Lord of hosts. 4“Moreover you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Will they fall and not rise? Will one turn away and not return? Why has this people slidden back, Jerusalem, in a perpetual backsliding? They hold fast to deceit, They refuse to return. 6I listened and heard, But they do not speak aright. No man repented of his wickedness, Saying, ‘What have I done?’ Everyone turned to his own course, As the horse rushes into the battle. 7“Even the stork in the heavens Knows her appointed times; And the turtledove, the swift, and the swallow Observe the time of their coming. But My people do not know the judgment of the Lord.
Read all of Jeremiah 8Jeremiah 8:5 word by word
מַדּ֨וּעַ שׁוֹבְבָ֜ה הָעָ֥ם הַזֶּ֛ה יְרוּשָׁלִַ֖ם מְשֻׁבָ֣ה נִצַּ֑חַת הֶחֱזִ֙יקוּ֙ בַּתַּרְמִ֔ית מֵאֲנ֖וּ לָשֽׁוּב׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- is this peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
- of Jerusalemיְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵםyerûshâlaim yerûshâlayim · JerusalemH3389
- slidden backשׁוּבshûb · to return: turn backH7725
- by a perpetualנָצַחnâtsach · to conductH5329
- backslidingמְשׁוּבָהmeshûbâh meshûbâh · faithlessnessH4878
- they holdחָזַקchâzaq · to strengthen: holdH2388
- fast deceitתַּרְמִיתtormâh tarmûth tarmîyth · deceitfulnessH8649
- they refuseמָאֵןmâ'ên · to refuseH3985
- to returnשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
Cross-references for Jeremiah 8:5
- Jeremiah 2:32Can a virgin forget her ornaments, Or a bride her attire? Yet My people have forgotten Me days without number.
- Jeremiah 3:11Then the Lord said to me, “Backsliding Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah.
- Jeremiah 7:24Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but followed the counsels and the dictates of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward.
- Hosea 4:16“For Israel is stubborn Like a stubborn calf; Now the Lord will let them forage Like a lamb in open country.
- Hosea 11:7My people are bent on backsliding from Me. Though they call to the Most High, None at all exalt Him.
- Jeremiah 9:6Your dwelling place is in the midst of deceit; Through deceit they refuse to know Me,” says the Lord.
- Proverbs 4:13Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; Keep her, for she is your life.
- Isaiah 30:10Who say to the seers, “Do not see,” And to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us right things; Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits.
- Isaiah 44:20He feeds on ashes; A deceived heart has turned him aside; And he cannot deliver his soul, Nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”
- 1 Thessalonians 5:21Test all things; hold fast what is good.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:9The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,
- Revelation 2:25But hold fast what you have till I come.
- Jeremiah 5:3O Lord, are not Your eyes on the truth? You have stricken them, But they have not grieved; You have consumed them, But they have refused to receive correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; They have refused to return.
- Isaiah 1:20But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword”; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
- Zechariah 7:11“But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear.
- John 5:40But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.
Commentaries on Jeremiah 8:5
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5When men act as in Jeremiah 8:4, why is God‘s own people alone an exception? Slidden back backsliding - The same words as “turn” and “return” in Jeremiah 8:4. They should be rendered, “Why doth this people of Jerusalem turn away with a perpetual turning?” Deceit - i. e., idolatry; because men worship in it that which is false, and it is false to the worshippers. Refuse - From a feeling of dislike.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 4-13Verses 4-13 What brought this ruin? 1. The people would not attend to reason; they would not act in the affairs of their souls with common prudence. Sin is backsliding; it is going back from the way that leads to life, to that which leads to destruction. 2. They would not attend to the warning of conscience. They did not take the first step towards repentance: true repentance begins in serious inquiry as to what we have done, from conviction that we have…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4-7These verses list the evidence of Judah's sins. The people engaged in ritual sex related to idol worship. They followed idol worship practices. They stayed in their delusions because lies trapped their minds and hearts. The term "lies" often refers to idols (Jeremiah 5:3, 6; 7:24; 9:6; Proverbs 24:16; Isaiah 44:20; Amos 5:2; Micah 7:8).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55. slidden ... backsliding--rather, as the Hebrew is the same as in Jr 8:4, to which this verse refers, "turned away with a perpetual turning away." perpetual--in contrast to the "arise" ("rise again," Jr 8:4). refuse to return--in contrast to, "shall he ... not return" (Jr 8:4; Jr 5:3).Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 8:5
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Jeremiah 8
- 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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries