Jeremiah 10:9
in Jeremiah 10Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz—the work of a craftsman from the hands of a goldsmith. Their clothes are blue and purple, all fashioned by skilled workers.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
There is silver beaten into plates, which is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the artificer and of the hands of the goldsmith; blue and purple for their clothing; they are all the work of skilful men.
KJV
Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman, and of the hands of the founder: blue and purple is their clothing: they are all the work of cunning men.
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This verse in Jeremiah 10
Commentary
7 notes on this verseSilver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish,.... In Cilicia, where the Apostle Paul was born; according to Josephus, as Jerom says, it was a country in India. The Targum renders it, from Africa, and calls it silver "rolled up", or "covered"; so the Vulgate Latin; such was beaten with a hammer into plates, and might be rolled up for better convenience of shipment; and with which they covered and decked their idols, to make them look glittering and pompous, and command some awe and reverence from the common people.
This site's exposition
thy name is great in might
on Jeremiah 10:6-10
Against the workman's product stands the confession of verse 6, thy name is great in might, a doxology breaking into the polemic before the case for the true God is even finished. Verse 9 catalogs the idol's expense, silver from Tarshish, gold from Uphaz, blue and purple clothing, wealth spent making a thing that cannot walk, and verse 10 answers with the title no idol can claim, the Lord is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king, at whose wrath the earth trembles. The bench reads verses 6-7 and 10 together as the doxology proper, framing the report on idol-making on both sides.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Verse 9.) Silver brought from Tarshish is plated (or brought) and gold from Ophaz, the work of an artist and the hand of a craftsman. Hyacinthus and their purple garment: the work of craftsmen (or wise men) all these things. It is brought from Tharsis. Tharsis is either a region of India, as Josephus says, or certainly the entire sea is called Tharsis, and it has a resemblance to the sky; and yet it is wrapped in the artifice of words, or extended. If it wants to deceive, it will not be able to. And gold from Ophaz.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
), which amuses ignorant worshippers, but makes the matter no better. For what is the idol when it is made and when they have made the best they can of it?
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Or, “It is a piece of wood (Jer 10:8 note); yea, beaten silver it is, which is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz: it is the work etc.” Tarshish ... Uphaz - See the marginal reference and Gen 10:4. Possibly Uphaz was a place in the neighborhood of the River Hyphasis. Blue and purple - Both colors were purple, from dyes obtained from shellfish: but the former had a violet, the latter a red tinge.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
As the Septuagint in the Syrian Hexapla in the Margin, THEODOTUS, the Syrian and Chaldee versions have "Ophir," GESENIUS thinks "Uphaz" a colloquial corruption (one letter only being changed) for "Ophir." Ophir, in Ge 10:29, is mentioned among Arabian countries. Perhaps Malacca is the country meant, the natives of which still call their gold mines Ophirs.
Brought from Tarshish - Some suppose this to be Tartessus in Spain, from which the Phoenicians brought much silver. Uphaz, Calmet thinks to be the river Pison; some think Ophir is intended. Blue and purple is their clothing - These were the most precious dyes; very rare, and of high price.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
But the Lord God is true Why? Because He is a living God and the King of the world. Therefore, He can make His words come true.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 5 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
16 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כֶּ֣סֶף | kesef | silver | H3701 → | 403 times |
| מְרֻקָּ֞ע | meruka' | beaten | H7554 → | |
| מִתַּרְשִׁ֣ישׁ | mitarshish | from Tarshish | H8659 → | |
| יוּבָ֗א | yuva' | it is brought | H935 → | 2568 times |
| וְזָהָב֙ | vezahav | and gold | H2091 → | 389 times |
| מֵֽאוּפָ֔ז | meufaz | from Uphaz | H210 → | |
| מַעֲשֵׂ֥ה | maaseh | [the] work of | H4639 → | 236 times |
| חָרָ֖שׁ | charash | a craftsman | H2796 → | 37 times |
| וִידֵ֣י | videi | and [the] hands of | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| צוֹרֵ֑ף | tzoref | a metalsmith | H6884 → | 33 times |
| תְּכֵ֤לֶת | tekhelet | [is] violet stuff | H8504 → | |
| וְאַרְגָּמָן֙ | veargaman | and purple | H713 → | |
| לְבוּשָׁ֔ם | levusham | clothing their | H3830 → | |
| מַעֲשֵׂ֥ה | maaseh | [are the] work of | H4639 → | 236 times |
| חֲכָמִ֖ים | chakhamim | skillful [people] | H2450 → | 138 times |
| כֻּלָּֽם׃ | kulam | all of them | H3605 → | 5413 times |
כֶּ֣סֶףsilver
kesefH3701 →403 times
מְרֻקָּ֞עbeaten
meruka'H7554 →
מִתַּרְשִׁ֣ישׁfrom Tarshish
mitarshishH8659 →
יוּבָ֗אit is brought
yuva'H935 →2568 times
וְזָהָב֙and gold
vezahavH2091 →389 times
מֵֽאוּפָ֔זfrom Uphaz
meufazH210 →
מַעֲשֵׂ֥ה[the] work of
maasehH4639 →236 times
חָרָ֖שׁa craftsman
charashH2796 →37 times
וִידֵ֣יand [the] hands of
videiH3027 →1618 times
צוֹרֵ֑ףa metalsmith
tzorefH6884 →33 times
תְּכֵ֤לֶת[is] violet stuff
tekheletH8504 →
וְאַרְגָּמָן֙and purple
veargamanH713 →
לְבוּשָׁ֔םclothing their
levushamH3830 →
מַעֲשֵׂ֥ה[are the] work of
maasehH4639 →236 times
חֲכָמִ֖יםskillful [people]
chakhamimH2450 →138 times
כֻּלָּֽם׃all of them
kulamH3605 →5413 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 115:4Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men.
it leads to
- Isaiah 46:6–7
They pour out their bags of gold and weigh out silver on scales; they hire a goldsmith to fashion it into a god, so they can bow down and worship.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Deuteronomy 4:28
And there you will serve man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell.
- Jeremiah 10:3–5
For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut down a tree from the forest; it is shaped with a chisel by the hands of a craftsman.
- Isaiah 46:6–7
Through
Daniel 10:5I lifted up my eyes, and behold, there was a certain man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist.
it leads to
- Revelation 1:13–15
and among the lampstands was One like the Son of Man, dressed in a long robe, with a golden sash around His chest.
- Ezekiel 9:2
And I saw six men coming from the direction of the Upper Gate, which faces north, each with a weapon of slaughter in his hand. With them was another man clothed in linen who…
- Daniel 12:6–7
One of them said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long until the fulfillment of these wonders?”
- Revelation 1:13–15
Through
1 Kings 10:22For the king had the ships of Tarshish at sea with Hiram’s fleet, and once every three years the ships of Tarshish would arrive bearing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
it leads to
- Psalms 72:10
May the kings of Tarshish and distant shores bring tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Genesis 10:4
And the sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittites, and the Rodanites.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 72:10
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Jeremiah
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Jeremiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.