Jeremiah 4:2

4:1 If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the LORD, return unto me: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove.

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.

KJV

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and you shall swear, ‘As Yahweh lives,’ in truth, in justice, and in righteousness. The nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.”

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.

And you shall swear, The LORD lives, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory. ¶

4:3 For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.

What does Jeremiah 4:2 mean?

Jeremiah 4:2 is a verse in the book of Jeremiah, in the Old Testament. In the original Hebrew, key words include שָׁבַע (shâbaʻ), יְהֹוָה (Yᵉhôvâh), חַי (chay). It connects to 2 cross-referenced passages elsewhere in Scripture.

Hebrew interlinear

And

thou

shalt

swear,שָׁבַעshâbaʻ/shaw-bah'/H7650to seven oneself, i.e. swear (as if by repeating a declaration seven times)

The

LORDיְהֹוָהYᵉhôvâh/yeh-ho-vaw'/H3068Jehovah, Jewish national name of God

liveth,חַיchay/khah'-ee/H2416alive; hence, raw (flesh); fresh (plant, water, year), strong; also (as noun, especially in the feminine singular and masculine plural) life (or living thing), whether literally or figuratively

truth,אֶמֶתʼemeth/eh'-meth/H571stability; (figuratively) certainty, truth, trustworthiness

judgment,מִשְׁפָּטmishpâṭ/mish-pawt'/H4941properly, a verdict (favorable or unfavorable) pronounced judicially, especially a sentence or formal decree (human or (participant's) divine law, individual or collective), including the act, the place, the suit, the crime, and the penalty; abstractly, justice, including a participant's right or privilege (statutory or customary), or even a style

and

righteousness;צְדָקָהtsᵉdâqâh/tsed-aw-kaw'/H6666rightness (abstractly), subjectively (rectitude), objectively (justice), morally (virtue) or figuratively (prosperity)

and

the

nationsגּוֹיgôwy/go'-ee/H1471a foreign nation; hence, a Gentile; also (figuratively) a troop of animals, or a flight of locusts

shall

blessבָרַךְbârak/baw-rak'/H1288to kneel; by implication to bless God (as an act of adoration), and (vice-versa) man (as a benefit); also (by euphemism) to curse (God or the king, as treason)

themselves

him,

and

him

shall

they

glory.הָלַלhâlal/haw-lal'/H1984to be clear (orig. of sound, but usually of color); to shine; hence, to make ashow, to boast; and thus to be (clamorously) foolish; to rave; causatively, to celebrate; also to stultify

Commentary on Jeremiah 4:2

HENRY_FULL · Jeremiah 4:2

tion of God, which Lemuel was under in the writing of it, and putting it into this form, as his mother was in dictating to him the matter of it. Here is, I. An exhortation to Lemuel, a young prince, to take heed of the sins he would be tempted to and to do the duties of the place he was called to, ver. 1-9 . II. The description of a virtuous woman, especially in the relation of a wife and the mistress of a family, which Lemuel's mother drew up, not as an encomium of herself, though, no doubt, it was her own true picture, but either as an instruction to her daughters, as the foregoing verses were to her son, or as a direction to her son in the choice of a wife; she must be chaste and modest, diligent and frugal, dutiful to her husband, careful of her family, discreet in her discourse, and in the education of her children, and, above all, conscientious in her duty to God: such a one as this, if he can find her, will make him happy, ver. 10-31 . Maternal Counsels to King Lemuel. 1 The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him. 2 What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? and what, the son of my vows? 3 Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings. 4 It is not for ki

Cross-references

Related passages from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

1 Samuel 1:11

And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head. a man: Heb. seed of men

1 Samuel 1:28

Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there. lent him: or, returned him, whom I have obtained by petition he shall: or, he whom I have obtained by petition shall be returned

Topics

Oath Oaths Repentance

Verses like this

Other verses that share key original-language words with Jeremiah 4:2.

1 Kings 22:16

And the king said unto him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou tell me nothing but that which is true in the name of the LORD?

1 Kings 3:6

And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. mercy: or, bounty

2 Chronicles 18:15

And the king said to him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou say nothing but the truth to me in the name of the LORD?

Deuteronomy 24:13

In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again when the sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his own raiment, and bless thee: and it shall be righteousness unto thee before the LORD thy God.

Deuteronomy 9:4

Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the LORD thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth drive them out from before thee.

Deuteronomy 9:5

Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Genesis 25:23

And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.

Genesis 42:16

Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proved, whether there be any truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies. kept: Heb. bound

Frequently asked questions

What does Jeremiah 4:2 say?

Jeremiah 4:2 (King James Version) reads: "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."

Is Jeremiah 4:2 in the Old or New Testament?

Jeremiah 4:2 is in the Old Testament of the Bible, in the book of Jeremiah.

Reflect

As you read Jeremiah 4:2, what is one truth here you can carry into today?

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