Jeremiah 4:22
in Jeremiah 4“For My people are fools; they have not known Me. They are foolish children, without understanding. They are skilled in doing evil, but they know not how to do good.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
For my people are foolish, they know me not; they are sottish children, and they have no understanding; they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.
KJV
For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.
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This verse in Jeremiah 4
Commentary
10 notes on this verseA commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Jehovah's reply; they cannot be otherwise than miserable, since they persevere in sin. The repetition of clauses gives greater force to the sentiment. wise . . . evil . . . to do good . . . no knowledge--reversing the rule (Ro 16:19) "wise unto . . . good, simple concerning evil."
This site's exposition
My anguish, my anguish
on Jeremiah 4:19-22
The prophet's body answers the horn before he can compose a sentence: “My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain!”, where the Hebrew names his bowels. The indictment of verse 22 stands inside that weeping: “They are skilled in doing evil, but they know not how to do good”.
This site's exposition
For My people are fools
Jamieson, Fausset and Brown hear the LORD answering the prophet's lament, and the misery lasts as long as the sin lasts. The people have skill for evil and none for good. Paul's counsel at Romans 16:19 turns the line around.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers4 voices
And therefore the scribes and Pharisees, too, who from the times of the law had begun to despise God, did not receive His Word, that is, they did not believe on Christ. Of these Esaias says: "Thy princes are rebellious, companions of thieves, loving gifts, following after rewards, not judging the fatherless, and negligent of the cause of the widows." And Jeremiah, in like manner: "They," he says, "who rule my people did not know me; they are senseless and imprudent children; they are wise to do evil, but to do well they have no knowledge."
A commentator
Gregory of NazianzusON THE GREAT ATHANASIUS, ORATION 21:22 · Written before 390.
proposed
The ancient and pious doctrine that defended the Trinity was abolished, by setting up a fort and battering down the incarnation. They opened the door to impiety by means of what is written, using as their pretext their reverence for Scripture and for the use of approved terms but really introducing unscriptural Arianism. For the phrase "like, according to the Scriptures," was a bait to the simple, concealing the hook of impiety, a figure seeming to look in the direction of all who passed by, a boot fitting either foot, a winnowing with every wind, gaining authority from the newly written wickedness and tool against the truth. "They were wise to do evil, but they had no knowledge to do good."
(Verse 22) Because my foolish people did not acknowledge me: they are foolish and senseless children. They are wise to do evil, but do not know how to do good. The cause of their brokenness, devastation, fleeing, and trumpet sound is that the people have become foolish, not by nature, but by their own deliberate choice. And this foolishness is further proven by the fact that they do not know God, and the wise children have become foolish and senseless.
In the beginning, God commanded that you do these things because of your wickedness. In the same way, because of your determination to remain wicked, or rather, because you are increasingly prone to do it, he uses the same precepts to call you to remember it or come to know it. But you are a people hard-hearted and without understanding, both blind and lame, children without faith, as he himself says, honoring him only with your lips, far from him in your hearts, teaching doctrines that are your own and not his.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
For my people is foolish,....
2 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
"Thou must utterly abandon all sin, and not retain any of the relics of idolatry: Put away thy abominations out of my sight, " that is, out of all places (for every place is under the eye of God), especially out of the temple, the house which he had in a particular manner his eye upon, to see that it was kept clean.
"They are my people, whom I have been in covenant with, and still have mercy in store for. They are foolish, for they have not known me. " Note, Those are foolish indeed that have not known God, especially that call themselves his people, and have the advantages of coming into acquaintance with him, and yet have not known him.
The words behind it
18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כִּ֣י׀ | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| אֱוִ֣יל | ʾevil | [is] a fool | H191 → | |
| עַמִּ֗י | ʾami | people my | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| אוֹתִי֙ | ʾoti | <obj.> me | H853 → | 10935 times |
| לֹ֣א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יָדָ֔עוּ | yadau | they know | H3045 → | 945 times |
| בָּנִ֤ים | banim | [are] children | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| סְכָלִים֙ | sekhalim | fools | H5530 → | |
| הֵ֔מָּה | hemah | they | H1992 → | 553 times |
| וְלֹ֥א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| נְבוֹנִ֖ים | nevonim | [are] having understanding | H995 → | 170 times |
| הֵ֑מָּה | hemah | they | H1992 → | 553 times |
| חֲכָמִ֥ים | chakhamim | [are] skillful | H2450 → | 138 times |
| הֵ֙מָּה֙ | hemah | they | H1992 → | 553 times |
| לְהָרַ֔ע | lehara' | to do evil | H7489 → | 107 times |
| וּלְהֵיטִ֖יב | uleheitiv | and to do good | H3190 → | 117 times |
| לֹ֥א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יָדָֽעוּ׃ | yadau | they know | H3045 → | 945 times |
כִּ֣י׀for
kiH3588 →4482 times
אֱוִ֣יל[is] a fool
ʾevilH191 →
עַמִּ֗יpeople my
ʾamiH5971 →1873 times
אוֹתִי֙<obj.> me
ʾotiH853 →10935 times
לֹ֣אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
יָדָ֔עוּthey know
yadauH3045 →945 times
בָּנִ֤ים[are] children
banimH1121 →4930 times
סְכָלִים֙fools
sekhalimH5530 →
הֵ֔מָּהthey
hemahH1992 →553 times
וְלֹ֥אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
נְבוֹנִ֖ים[are] having understanding
nevonimH995 →170 times
הֵ֑מָּהthey
hemahH1992 →553 times
חֲכָמִ֥ים[are] skillful
chakhamimH2450 →138 times
הֵ֙מָּה֙they
hemahH1992 →553 times
לְהָרַ֔עto do evil
lehara'H7489 →107 times
וּלְהֵיטִ֖יבand to do good
uleheitivH3190 →117 times
לֹ֥אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
יָדָֽעוּ׃they know
yadauH3045 →945 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
Hosea 4:6My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you as My priests. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget…
it leads to
- Isaiah 5:13
Therefore My people will go into exile for their lack of understanding; their dignitaries are starving and their masses are parched with thirst.
- Proverbs 19:2
Even zeal is no good without knowledge, and he who hurries his footsteps misses the mark.
- Hosea 6:6
For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
- 2 Corinthians 4:3–6
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.
- Hosea 4:1
Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel, for the LORD has a case against the people of the land: “There is no truth, no loving devotion, and no knowledge of God…
- Isaiah 5:13
Through
Romans 3:11There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.
it leads to
- Psalms 14:2–4
The LORD looks down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if any understand, if any seek God.
- Psalms 53:2
God looks down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if any understand, if any seek God.
- Psalms 14:2–4
Through
Romans 16:19Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice over you. But I want you to be wise about what is good and innocent about what is evil.
it leads to
- Matthew 10:16
Behold, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
- Matthew 10:16
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Jeremiah
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Carl Friedrich Keil, The Prophecies of Jeremiah; Gregory of Nazianzus, ON THE GREAT ATHANASIUS, ORATION 21:22; Irenaeus, AGAINST HERESIES 4:2.6; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Jeremiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, Chapter XXVII and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.