New Living Translation
Jeremiah 4:2
2Then when you swear by my name, saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’ you could do so with truth, justice, and righteousness. Then you would be a blessing to the nations of the world, and all people would come and praise my name.”
Jeremiah 4:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And thou shalt swear, The Lord liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.
- New International Version (NIV)and if in a truthful, just and righteous way you swear, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’ then the nations will invoke blessings by him and in him they will boast.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)and if you swear, 'As the Lord lives,' in truth, in justice, and in righteousness, then nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory."
- New King James Version (NKJV)And you shall swear, ‘The Lord lives,’ In truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; The nations shall bless themselves in Him, And in Him they shall glory.”
Context of Jeremiah 4:2
1“O Israel,” says the Lord, “if you wanted to return to me, you could. You could throw away your detestable idols and stray away no more. Then when you swear by my name, saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’ you could do so with truth, justice, and righteousness. Then you would be a blessing to the nations of the world, and all people would come and praise my name.” 3This is what the Lord says to the people of Judah and Jerusalem: “Plow up the hard ground of your hearts! Do not waste your good seed among thorns. 4O people of Judah and Jerusalem, surrender your pride and power. Change your hearts before the Lord, or my anger will burn like an unquenchable fire because of all your sins.
Read all of Jeremiah 4Jeremiah 4:2 word by word
וְנִשְׁבַּ֙עְתָּ֙ חַי־יְהוָ֔ה בֶּאֱמֶ֖ת בְּמִשְׁפָּ֣ט וּבִצְדָקָ֑ה וְהִתְבָּ֥רְכוּ ב֛וֹ גּוֹיִ֖ם וּב֥וֹ יִתְהַלָּֽלוּ׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And thou shalt swearשָׁבַעshâba‛ · to swearH7650
- The Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- livethחַיchay · aliveH2416
- in truthאֱמֶת'emeth · truth: trueH571
- in judgmentמִשְׁפָּטmishpâţ · justiceH4941
- and in righteousnessצְדָקָהtsedâqâh · righteousnessH6666
- and the nationsגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
- shall blessבָּרַךְbârak · to blessH1288
- themselves in him, and in him shall they gloryהָלַלhâlal · to boast: boastH1984
Cross-references for Jeremiah 4:2
- Jeremiah 5:2But even when they are under oath, saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’ they are still telling lies!”
- Deuteronomy 10:20You must fear the Lord your God and worship him and cling to him. Your oaths must be in his name alone.
- Isaiah 45:23I have sworn by my own name; I have spoken the truth, and I will never go back on my word: Every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will declare allegiance to me.”
- Isaiah 48:1“Listen to me, O family of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel and born into the family of Judah. Listen, you who take oaths in the name of the Lord and call on the God of Israel. You don’t keep your promises,
- Isaiah 65:16All who invoke a blessing or take an oath will do so by the God of truth. For I will put aside my anger and forget the evil of earlier days.
- Jeremiah 9:24But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the Lord, have spoken!
- 1 Kings 3:6Solomon replied, “You showed great and faithful love to your servant my father, David, because he was honest and true and faithful to you. And you have continued to show this great and faithful love to him today by giving him a son to sit on his throne.
- Psalms 99:4Mighty King, lover of justice, you have established fairness. You have acted with justice and righteousness throughout Israel.
- Hosea 2:19I will make you my wife forever, showing you righteousness and justice, unfailing love and compassion.
- Zechariah 8:8I will bring them home again to live safely in Jerusalem. They will be my people, and I will be faithful and just toward them as their God.
- Genesis 22:18And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.”
- Psalms 72:17May the king’s name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun shines. May all nations be blessed through him and bring him praise.
- Galatians 3:8What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would make the Gentiles right in his sight because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you.”
- Isaiah 45:25In the Lord all the generations of Israel will be justified, and in him they will boast.
- 1 Corinthians 1:31Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”
- 2 Corinthians 10:17As the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”
Commentaries on Jeremiah 4:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2Thou shalt swear, The Lord liveth - Thou shalt not bind thyself by any false god; thou shalt acknowledge Me as the Supreme. Bind thyself By me, and To me; and do this in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness. The nations shall bless themselves in him - They shall be so fully convinced of the power and goodness of Jehovah in seeing the change wrought on thee, and the mercies heaped upon thee, that their usual mode of benediction shall be, May the God of…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2As surely as the Lord lives: When offering a prayer of confession and making oaths, the right attitude shows truth, justice, and righteousness. Truth means that the thoughts and feelings of those praying match their words. Justice means living by the Lord's laws, as He will judge the earth. Righteousness means treating others according to the Lord’s Spirit and His moral standards. This prayer requires a deep change in people's inner lives and outer…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. And thou--rather, "And if (carried on from Jr 4:1) thou shalt swear, 'Jehovah liveth,' in truth, &c.", that is, if thou shalt worship Him (for we swear by the God whom we worship; compare De 6:13; 10:20; Is 19:18; Am 8:14) in sincerity, &c. and the nations--Rather, this is apodosis to the "if"; then shall the nations bless themselves in (by) Him" (Is 65:16). The conversion of the nations will be the consequence of Israel's conversion (Psa 102:13, 15…Read the comment
Topics related to Jeremiah 4:2
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Jeremiah 4
- 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
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