Jeremiah 9:4
in Jeremiah 9“Let everyone guard against his neighbor; do not trust any brother, for every brother deals craftily, and every friend spreads slander.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Take ye heed every one of his neighbor, and trust ye not in any brother; for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbor will go about with slanders.
KJV
Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders.
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This verse in Jeremiah 9
Commentary
4 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
Let everyone guard against his neighbor
on Jeremiah 9:4-6
Deceit has reached the family, for “every brother deals craftily”, and the Hebrew verb echoes the name Jacob, which Genesis 27:36 ties to his cheating. The unit closes with the plainest charge, “You dwell in the midst of deception”, so deceit is the place where Judah lives.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
"For every brother will utterly supplant, and every friend will walk deceitfully. And a man shall mock his brother, and they will not speak the truth, for they have bent their tongue like a bow for lies and not for truth." But often a pretended patience excites to anger more keenly than words, and a spiteful silence exceeds the most awful insults in words. The wounds of enemies are more easily borne than the deceitful blandishment of mockers, as is well said by the prophet.
(Verse 4 and following) Let each person guard themselves from their neighbor, and let them not have trust in any brother, for every brother will deceive and every friend will act deceitfully; and a man will mock his brother, and they will not speak the truth. For they have taught their tongue to speak lies (or their tongue has learned to speak lies), in order to act wickedly, they have labored (or acted unjustly) and have not ceased from turning away.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Take ye heed everyone of his neighbour,....
The words behind it
17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אִ֤ישׁ | ʾish | each | H376 → | 1663 times |
| מֵרֵעֵ֙הוּ֙ | mereehu | from neighbor his | H7453 → | 188 times |
| הִשָּׁמֵ֔רוּ | hishameru | take heed | H8104 → | 468 times |
| וְעַל־ | veal- | and on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | any | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| אָ֖ח | ʾach | brother | H251 → | 630 times |
| אַל־ | ʾal- | may not | H408 → | 724 times |
| תִּבְטָ֑חוּ | tivtachu | you rely | H982 → | 120 times |
| כִּ֤י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| כָל־ | khol- | every | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| אָח֙ | ʾach | brother | H251 → | 630 times |
| עָק֣וֹב | akov | certainly <to cheat> | H6117 → | |
| יַעְקֹ֔ב | ya'ko | he cheats | H6117 → | |
| וְכָל־ | vekhol | and every | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| רֵ֖עַ | rea' | neighbor | H7453 → | 188 times |
| רָכִ֥יל | rakhil | a slanderer | H7400 → | |
| יַהֲלֹֽךְ׃ | yahalokh | he goes about | H1980 → | 1546 times |
אִ֤ישׁeach
ʾishH376 →1663 times
מֵרֵעֵ֙הוּ֙from neighbor his
mereehuH7453 →188 times
הִשָּׁמֵ֔רוּtake heed
hishameruH8104 →468 times
וְעַל־and on
veal-H5921 →5755 times
כָּל־any
kol-H3605 →5413 times
אָ֖חbrother
ʾachH251 →630 times
אַל־may not
ʾal-H408 →724 times
תִּבְטָ֑חוּyou rely
tivtachuH982 →120 times
כִּ֤יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
כָל־every
khol-H3605 →5413 times
אָח֙brother
ʾachH251 →630 times
עָק֣וֹבcertainly <to cheat>
akovH6117 →
יַעְקֹ֔בhe cheats
ya'koH6117 →
וְכָל־and every
vekholH3605 →5413 times
רֵ֖עַneighbor
rea'H7453 →188 times
רָכִ֥ילa slanderer
rakhilH7400 →
יַהֲלֹֽךְ׃he goes about
yahalokhH1980 →1546 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
Proverbs 10:18The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool.
it leads to
- Proverbs 26:24–26
A hateful man disguises himself with his speech, but he lays up deceit in his heart.
- Psalms 55:21
His speech is smooth as butter, but war is in his heart. His words are softer than oil, yet they are swords unsheathed.
- 2 Samuel 13:23–29
Two years later, when Absalom’s sheepshearers were at Baal-hazor near Ephraim, he invited all the sons of the king.
- Psalms 15:3
who has no slander on his tongue, who does no harm to his neighbor, who casts no scorn on his friend,
- 2 Samuel 3:27
When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab pulled him aside into the gateway, as if to speak to him privately, and there Joab stabbed him in the stomach. So Abner died on account of the…
- Proverbs 26:24–26
Through
Jeremiah 6:28All are hardened rebels, walking around as slanderers. They are bronze and iron; all of them are corrupt.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 5:23
But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned aside and gone away.
- Jeremiah 18:18
Then some said, “Come, let us make plans against Jeremiah, for the law will never be lost to the priest, nor counsel to the wise, nor an oracle to the prophet. Come, let us…
- Ezekiel 22:18–22
“Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me. All of them are copper, tin, iron, and lead inside the furnace; they are but the dross of silver.
- Jeremiah 5:23
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Jeremiah
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Jeremiah; John Cassian, CONFERENCE 2:16.18; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763).