Jeremiah 18:12

Jeremiah 18:12 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart.
• New International Version (NIV)But they will reply, ‘It’s no use. We will continue with our own plans; we will all follow the stubbornness of our evil hearts.’ ”
• English Standard Version (ESV)"But they say, 'That is in vain! We will follow our own plans, and will every one act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.'
• New King James Version (NKJV)And they said, “That is hopeless! So we will walk according to our own plans, and we will every one obey the dictates of his evil heart.”

Context of Jeremiah 18:12

10but then that nation turns to evil and refuses to obey me, I will not bless it as I said I would. 11“Therefore, Jeremiah, go and warn all Judah and Jerusalem. Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am planning disaster for you instead of good. So turn from your evil ways, each of you, and do what is right.’” But the people replied, “Don’t waste your breath. We will continue to live as we want to, stubbornly following our own evil desires.” 13So this is what the Lord says: “Has anyone ever heard of such a thing, even among the pagan nations? My virgin daughter Israel has done something terrible! 14Does the snow ever disappear from the mountaintops of Lebanon? Do the cold streams flowing from those distant mountains ever run dry?

Jeremiah 18:12 word by word

וְאָמְר֖וּ נוֹאָ֑שׁ כִּֽי־אַחֲרֵ֤י מַחְשְׁבוֹתֵ֙ינוּ֙ נֵלֵ֔ךְ וְאִ֛ישׁ שְׁרִר֥וּת לִבּֽוֹ־הָרָ֖ע נַעֲשֶֽׂה׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And they saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• There is no hopeיָאַשׁyâ'ash · to despairH2976
• but we will walkיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
• afterאַחַר'achar · afterH310
• our own devicesמַחֲשָׁבָהmachăshâbâh machăshebeth · plotH4284
• and we will every oneאִישׁ'îysh · man: anyoneH376
• doעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
• the imaginationשְׁרִירוּתsherîyrûth · stubbornnessH8307
• of his evilרַעra‛ râ‛âh · bad: evilH7451
• heartלֵבlêb · heartH3820

Cross-references for Jeremiah 18:12

• Jeremiah 2:25When will you stop running? When will you stop panting after other gods? But you say, ‘Save your breath. I’m in love with these foreign gods, and I can’t stop loving them now!’
• 2 Kings 6:33While Elisha was still saying this, the messenger arrived. And the king said, “All this misery is from the Lord! Why should I wait for the Lord any longer?”
• Isaiah 57:10You grew weary in your search, but you never gave up. Desire gave you renewed strength, and you did not grow weary.
• Ezekiel 37:11Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones represent the people of Israel. They are saying, ‘We have become old, dry bones—all hope is gone. Our nation is finished.’
• Jeremiah 3:17In that day Jerusalem will be known as ‘The Throne of the Lord.’ All nations will come there to honor the Lord. They will no longer stubbornly follow their own evil desires.
• Jeremiah 7:24“But my people would not listen to me. They kept doing whatever they wanted, following the stubborn desires of their evil hearts. They went backward instead of forward.
• Jeremiah 11:8but your ancestors did not listen or even pay attention. Instead, they stubbornly followed their own evil desires. And because they refused to obey, I brought upon them all the curses described in this covenant.’”
• Jeremiah 16:12And you are even worse than your ancestors! You stubbornly follow your own evil desires and refuse to listen to me.
• Jeremiah 23:17They keep saying to those who despise my word, ‘Don’t worry! The Lord says you will have peace!’ And to those who stubbornly follow their own desires, they say, ‘No harm will come your way!’
• Jeremiah 44:17We will do whatever we want. We will burn incense and pour out liquid offerings to the Queen of Heaven just as much as we like—just as we, and our ancestors, and our kings and officials have always done in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For in those days we had plenty to eat, and we were well off and had no troubles!
• Genesis 6:5The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil.
• Genesis 8:21And the Lord was pleased with the aroma of the sacrifice and said to himself, “I will never again curse the ground because of the human race, even though everything they think or imagine is bent toward evil from childhood. I will never again destroy all living things.
• Deuteronomy 29:19“Those who hear the warnings of this curse should not congratulate themselves, thinking, ‘I am safe, even though I am following the desires of my own stubborn heart.’ This would lead to utter ruin!
• Mark 7:21For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder,
• Luke 1:51His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.

Commentaries on Jeremiah 18:12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12There is no hope - See Jeremiah 2:25.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12And they said - Better, But they say. Imagination - Or, stubbornness, see Jeremiah 3:17.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-17Verses 11-17 Sinners call it liberty to live at large; whereas for a man to be a slave to his lusts, is the very worst slavery. They forsook God for idols. When men are parched with heat, and meet with cooling, refreshing streams, they use them. In these things men will not leave a certainty for an uncertainty; but Israel left the ancient paths appointed by the Divine law. They walked not in the highway, in which they might travel safely, but in a way in…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12The people of Judah ignored the Lord's message. They mocked it, refused to change, and boldly followed their own wrong desires.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1212. no hope--Thy threats and exhortations are all thrown away (Jr 2:25). Our case is desperate; we are hopelessly abandoned to our sins and their penalty. In this and the following clauses, "We will walk after our own devices," Jeremiah makes them express the real state of the case, rather than the hypocritical subterfuges which they would have been inclined to put forth. So Is 30:10, 11.Read the comment

Topics related to Jeremiah 18:12

• Church
• Despondency
• Impenitence

In the dictionaries

• Smite
• Wag
• Imagination
• Providence

Commentaries on Jeremiah 18

• 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