Jeremiah 22:3
in Jeremiah 22This is what the LORD says: Administer justice and righteousness. Rescue the victim of robbery from the hand of his oppressor. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow. Do not shed innocent blood in this place.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Thus saith Jehovah: Execute ye justice and righteousness, and deliver him that is robbed out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence, to the sojourner, the fatherless, nor the widow; neither shed innocent blood in this place.
KJV
Thus saith the Lord; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place.
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This verse in Jeremiah 22
Commentary
6 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
This is what the LORD says
on Jeremiah 22:1-5
Jeremiah is sent to “the palace of the king of Judah” with a word for the king “who sits on the throne of David.” He is to “Administer justice and righteousness,” and to do no wrong “to the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow.”
This site's exposition
Administer justice and righteousness
Each king in the chapter is judged by these commands. The foreigner, the fatherless and the widow are the people with no one to defend them. Barnes, on verse 17, says Jehoiakim broke the last command, putting innocent people to death to take their property.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Chapter XXII - Verses 1 onwards) Thus says the Lord: Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word, and say, Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, who sits on the throne of David, you and your servants and your people who enter by these gates. Thus says the Lord, Do justice and righteousness, and deliver the one who has been robbed from the hand of his oppressor. And do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, the orphan, or the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Thus saith the Lord, execute ye judgment and righteousness,....
Herein they must be ministers of God for good. (2.) That they do no hurt with it, no wrong, no violence. That is the greatest wrong and violence which is done under colour of law and justice, and by those whose business it is to punish and protect from wrong and violence.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Jehoiakim is meant here especially: he, by oppression, levied the tribute imposed on him by Pharaoh-necho, king of Egypt (2Ch 36:3), and taxed his people, and took their labor without pay, to build gorgeous palaces for himself (Jer 22:13-17), and shed innocent blood, for example, that of Urijah the prophet (Jer 26:20-24;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
The words behind it
23 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כֹּ֣ה׀ | koh | thus | H3541 → | 577 times |
| אָמַ֣ר | ʾamar | he says | H559 → | 5305 times |
| יְהוָ֗ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| עֲשׂ֤וּ | ʾasu | do | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| מִשְׁפָּט֙ | mishpat | justice | H4941 → | 422 times |
| וּצְדָקָ֔ה | utzedakah | and righteousness | H6666 → | 157 times |
| וְהַצִּ֥ילוּ | vehatzilu | and deliver | H5337 → | 212 times |
| גָז֖וּל | gazul | [one who] has been robbed | H1497 → | |
| מִיַּ֣ד | miyad | from [the] hand of | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| עָשׁ֑וֹק | ashok | an oppressor | H6216 → | |
| וְגֵר֩ | veger | and sojourner | H1616 → | 92 times |
| יָת֨וֹם | yatom | fatherless | H3490 → | 42 times |
| וְאַלְמָנָ֤ה | vealmanah | and widow | H490 → | 56 times |
| אַל־ | ʾal- | may not | H408 → | 724 times |
| תֹּנוּ֙ | tonu | you maltreat | H3238 → | 20 times |
| אַל־ | ʾal- | may not | H408 → | 724 times |
| תַּחְמֹ֔סוּ | tachmosu | you treat violently | H2554 → | |
| וְדָ֣ם | vedam | and blood | H1818 → | 360 times |
| נָקִ֔י | naki | innocent | H5355 → | 43 times |
| אַֽל־ | ʾal- | may not | H408 → | 724 times |
| תִּשְׁפְּכ֖וּ | tishpekhu | you shed | H8210 → | 114 times |
| בַּמָּק֥וֹם | bamakom | in the place | H4725 → | 401 times |
| הַזֶּֽה׃ | hazeh | <the> this | H2088 → | 1180 times |
כֹּ֣ה׀thus
kohH3541 →577 times
אָמַ֣רhe says
ʾamarH559 →5305 times
יְהוָ֗הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
עֲשׂ֤וּdo
ʾasuH6213 →2628 times
מִשְׁפָּט֙justice
mishpatH4941 →422 times
וּצְדָקָ֔הand righteousness
utzedakahH6666 →157 times
וְהַצִּ֥ילוּand deliver
vehatziluH5337 →212 times
גָז֖וּל[one who] has been robbed
gazulH1497 →
מִיַּ֣דfrom [the] hand of
miyadH3027 →1618 times
עָשׁ֑וֹקan oppressor
ashokH6216 →
וְגֵר֩and sojourner
vegerH1616 →92 times
יָת֨וֹםfatherless
yatomH3490 →42 times
וְאַלְמָנָ֤הand widow
vealmanahH490 →56 times
אַל־may not
ʾal-H408 →724 times
תֹּנוּ֙you maltreat
tonuH3238 →20 times
אַל־may not
ʾal-H408 →724 times
תַּחְמֹ֔סוּyou treat violently
tachmosuH2554 →
וְדָ֣םand blood
vedamH1818 →360 times
נָקִ֔יinnocent
nakiH5355 →43 times
אַֽל־may not
ʾal-H408 →724 times
תִּשְׁפְּכ֖וּyou shed
tishpekhuH8210 →114 times
בַּמָּק֥וֹםin the place
bamakomH4725 →401 times
הַזֶּֽה׃<the> this
hazehH2088 →1180 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
Micah 6:8He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 10:12–13
And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God by walking in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the LORD your…
- Proverbs 21:3
To do righteousness and justice is more desirable to the LORD than sacrifice.
- Colossians 3:12
Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
- Hosea 6:6
For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
- 1 Samuel 15:22
But Samuel declared: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obedience to His voice? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and attentiveness is better than the fat of…
- Deuteronomy 10:12–13
Through
James 1:27Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
it leads to
- Isaiah 1:16–17
Wash and cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from My sight. Stop doing evil!
- 1 John 3:17–19
If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God abide in him?
- Galatians 6:9–10
Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
- Isaiah 1:16–17
Where this verse is studied
By subject
Justice34 verses
On this page
About Jeremiah
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Carl Friedrich Keil, The Prophecies of Jeremiah; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Jeremiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.