New Living Translation
Jeremiah 12:6
6Even your brothers, members of your own family, have turned against you. They plot and raise complaints against you. Do not trust them, no matter how pleasantly they speak.
Jeremiah 12:6 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)For even thy brethren, and the house of thy father, even they have dealt treacherously with thee; yea, they have called a multitude after thee: believe them not, though they speak fair words unto thee.
- New International Version (NIV)Your relatives, members of your own family— even they have betrayed you; they have raised a loud cry against you. Do not trust them, though they speak well of you.
- English Standard Version (ESV)For even your brothers and the house of your father, even they have dealt treacherously with you; they are in full cry after you; do not believe them, though they speak friendly words to you."
- New King James Version (NKJV)For even your brothers, the house of your father, Even they have dealt treacherously with you; Yes, they have called a multitude after you. Do not believe them, Even though they speak smooth words to you.
Context of Jeremiah 12:6
4How long must this land mourn? Even the grass in the fields has withered. The wild animals and birds have disappeared because of the evil in the land. For the people have said, “The Lord doesn’t see what’s ahead for us!” 5“If racing against mere men makes you tired, how will you race against horses? If you stumble and fall on open ground, what will you do in the thickets near the Jordan? Even your brothers, members of your own family, have turned against you. They plot and raise complaints against you. Do not trust them, no matter how pleasantly they speak. 7“I have abandoned my people, my special possession. I have surrendered my dearest ones to their enemies. 8My chosen people have roared at me like a lion of the forest, so I have treated them with contempt.
Read all of Jeremiah 12Jeremiah 12:6 word by word
כִּ֧י גַם־אַחֶ֣יךָ וּבֵית־אָבִ֗יךָ גַּם־הֵ֙מָּה֙ בָּ֣גְדוּ בָ֔ךְ גַּם־הֵ֛מָּה קָרְא֥וּ אַחֲרֶ֖יךָ מָלֵ֑א אַל־תַּאֲמֵ֣ן בָּ֔ם כִּֽי־יְדַבְּר֥וּ אֵלֶ֖יךָ טוֹבֽוֹת׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- For even thy brethrenאָח'âch · brother: male-siblingH251
- and the houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: householdH1004
- of thy fatherאָב'âb · fatherH1
- even they have dealt treacherouslyבָּגַדbâgad · to act treacherouslyH898
- with thee; yea, they have calledקָרָאqârâ' · to call: call outH7121
- a multitudeמָלֵאmâlê' · fullH4392
- afterאַחַר'achar · afterH310
- thee: believeאָמַן'âman · be faithfulH539
- them not, though they speakדָבַרdâbar · to speak: speakH1696
- fair wordsטוֹבָהţôb · welfareH2896
Cross-references for Jeremiah 12:6
- Jeremiah 9:4“Beware of your neighbor! Don’t even trust your brother! For brother takes advantage of brother, and friend slanders friend.
- Jeremiah 11:19I was like a lamb being led to the slaughter. I had no idea that they were planning to kill me! “Let’s destroy this man and all his words,” they said. “Let’s cut him down, so his name will be forgotten forever.”
- Jeremiah 20:10I have heard the many rumors about me. They call me “The Man Who Lives in Terror.” They threaten, “If you say anything, we will report it.” Even my old friends are watching me, waiting for a fatal slip. “He will trap himself,” they say, “and then we will get our revenge on him.”
- Genesis 37:4But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn’t say a kind word to him.
- Job 6:15My brothers, you have proved as unreliable as a seasonal brook that overflows its banks in the spring
- Psalms 69:8Even my own brothers pretend they don’t know me; they treat me like a stranger.
- Ezekiel 33:30“Son of man, your people talk about you in their houses and whisper about you at the doors. They say to each other, ‘Come on, let’s go hear the prophet tell us what the Lord is saying!’
- Matthew 10:21“A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed.
- Mark 12:12The religious leaders wanted to arrest Jesus because they realized he was telling the story against them—they were the wicked farmers. But they were afraid of the crowd, so they left him and went away.
- John 7:5For even his brothers didn’t believe in him.
- Isaiah 31:4But this is what the Lord has told me: “When a strong young lion stands growling over a sheep it has killed, it is not frightened by the shouts and noise of a whole crowd of shepherds. In the same way, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will come down and fight on Mount Zion.
- Acts 16:22A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods.
- Acts 18:12But when Gallio became governor of Achaia, some Jews rose up together against Paul and brought him before the governor for judgment.
- Acts 19:24It began with Demetrius, a silversmith who had a large business manufacturing silver shrines of the Greek goddess Artemis. He kept many craftsmen busy.
- Acts 21:28yelling, “Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who preaches against our people everywhere and tells everybody to disobey the Jewish laws. He speaks against the Temple—and even defiles this holy place by bringing in Gentiles.”
- Psalms 12:2Neighbors lie to each other, speaking with flattering lips and deceitful hearts.
Commentaries on Jeremiah 12:6
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6For even thy brethren, and the house of thy father - Thou hast none to depend on but God: even thy brethren will betray thee when they have it in their power. Believe them not - Do not trust to them, do not commit thyself to them; they are in heart thy enemies, and will betray thee.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6Jeremiah’s family was like a small version of Judah. They secretly cried aloud (plotted) against him (Jeremiah 11:9) while speaking kindly to him. They wanted to convince him that the Lord would protect Judah and Jerusalem from the Babylonians. They hoped to prevent him from bringing shame to the family (compare Mark 3:21).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 66. even thy brethren--as in Christ's case (Psa 69:8; Joh 1:11; 7:5; compare Jr 9:4; 11:19, 21; Mt 10:36). Godly faithfulness is sure to provoke the ungodly, even of one's own family. called a multitude after thee--(Is 31:4). Jerome translates, "cry after thee with a loud (literally, 'full') voice." believe ... not ... though ... speak fair--(Pr 26:25).Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 12:6
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Jeremiah 12
- 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 Living Translation — © 1996, 2004, 2015 Tyndale House Foundation
Commentaries