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Jeremiah 10:5

Like scarecrows in a cucumber patch, their idols cannot speak. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them, for they can do no harm, and neither can they do any good.”

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

They are like a palm-tree, of turned work, and speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good.

KJV

They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.

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Commentary

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Original language & word study

20 tagged words
OriginalTransliterationMeaningWord study
כְּתֹ֨מֶרke.To.mer[are] like a scarecrow ofH8560 →
מִקְשָׁ֥הmik.Shaha cucumber fieldH4750 →
הֵ֙מָּה֙he.mahtheyH1992 →
וְלֹ֣אve.Lo'and notH3808 →
יְדַבֵּ֔רוּye.da.Be.ruthey speakH1696 →
נָשׂ֥וֹאna.So'certainly <to carry>H5375 →
יִנָּשׂ֖וּאyi.na.Su'they are carriedH5375 →
כִּ֣יkiforH3588 →
לֹ֣אlo'notH3808 →
יִצְעָ֑דוּyitz.'A.duthey walkH6805 →
אַל־'al-may notH408 →
תִּֽירְא֤וּti.re.'Uyou be afraidH3372 →
מֵהֶם֙me.Hemfrom <the> them
כִּי־ki-forH3588 →
לֹ֣אlo'notH3808 →
יָרֵ֔עוּya.Re.'uthey do harmH7489 →
וְגַם־ve.gam-and alsoH1571 →
הֵיטֵ֖יבhei.Teiv[is] doing goodH3190 →
אֵ֥ין'einthere notH369 →
אוֹתָֽם׃ ס'o.Tamwith themH854 →

The walk

Related verses

18 strongest cross-references

The gold bar shows how strongly the cross-reference sources tie the two verses together: a long bar means many compiled references make the connection, a short one means few.

Isaiah 46:7They lift it to their shoulder and carry it along; they set it in its place, and there it stands, not budging from that spot. They cry out to it, but it does not answer; it saves no one from his troubles.1 Corinthians 12:2You know that when you were pagans, you were influenced and led astray to mute idols.Psalms 115:5They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see;Isaiah 41:23–24Tell us the things that are to come, so that we may know that you are gods. Yes, do something good or evil, that we may look on together in dismay.Psalms 115:5–8They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see;Isaiah 44:10Who fashions a god or casts an idol which profits him nothing?Psalms 135:16–18They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see;Revelation 13:14–15Because of the signs it was given to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived those who dwell on the earth, telling them to make an image to the beast that had been wounded by the sword and yet had lived.Habakkuk 2:19Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Awake!’ or to silent stone, ‘Arise!’ Can it give guidance? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, yet there is no breath in it at all.”Isaiah 46:1Bel crouches; Nebo cowers. Their idols weigh down beasts and cattle. The images you carry are burdensome, a load to the weary animal.1 Corinthians 8:4So about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world, and that there is no God but one.Isaiah 45:20Come, gather together, and draw near, you fugitives from the nations. Ignorant are those who carry idols of wood and pray to a god that cannot save.Isaiah 44:9–10All makers of idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Their witnesses fail to see or comprehend, so they are put to shame.Isaiah 41:23Tell us the things that are to come, so that we may know that you are gods. Yes, do something good or evil, that we may look on together in dismay.1 Kings 18:26And they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, shouting, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no sound, and no one answered as they leaped around the altar they had made.Jeremiah 16:19O LORD, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in the day of distress, the nations will come to You from the ends of the earth, and they will say, “Our fathers inherited nothing but lies, worthless idols of no benefit at all.Judges 6:31But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Are you contending for Baal? Are you trying to save him? Whoever pleads his case will be put to death by morning! If Baal is a god, let him contend for himself with the one who has torn down his altar.”2 Kings 17:7All this happened because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They had worshiped other gods

Featured studies on this passage

The Northern Celestial Hemisphere — Albrecht Dürer

Walks through Jeremiah 10

Mazzaroth

Twelve constellation groupings; one biblical word (Job 38:32). Bullinger and Seiss read them as a gospel-arc; modern critics trace their figures to Albumazar, not Adam. The objections below are presented at full strength, and the founder's own slot on the page is his to fill.

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About Jeremiah

The Prophet Jeremiah — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain
The Prophet Jeremiah — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain
Jeremiah: the study guide →Read chapter 10 →The featured study →
Continue: Jeremiah 10 →