Jeremiah 4:2
in Jeremiah 4and if you can swear, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’ in truth, in justice, and in righteousness, then the nations will be blessed by Him, and in Him they will glory.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and thou shalt swear, As Jehovah liveth, in truth, in justice, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.
KJV
And thou shalt swear, The Lord liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.
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This verse in Jeremiah 4
Commentary
12 notes on this verse(Verse 2.) And you shall swear, 'As the Lord lives, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless him, and they themselves shall praise him.' And how does the Gospel forbid us to swear? But here (Matt. 5), to swear is said for confession, and for the condemnation of idols, by which Israel used to swear. Finally, stumbling blocks are removed, and one swears by the Lord. And what is said, 'As the Lord lives,' in the Old Testament it is an oath for the condemnation of the dead, by whom every idol worshiper swears.
This site's exposition
If you will return, O Israel, return to Me
on Jeremiah 4:1-4
The return has conditions, idols removed and an oath sworn “in truth, in justice, and in righteousness”. The command “Break up your unplowed ground” turns farming into repentance. The call to “remove the foreskins of your hearts” names what the outward sign of Abraham's covenant was meant to picture.
This site's exposition
As surely as the LORD lives
Jerome reads the oath As surely as the LORD lives as a confession of the living God, against the idols by which Israel had sworn. Israel's return would reach the nations. Wesley adds that peoples who once gloried in idols would glory in God alone.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
Upon these things God says concerning Israel: "If Israel turns back to me, says the Lord, then he shall be turned back"; that is, if he turns completely, then he shall be turned back with a turning — not if he as it were begins to turn. Then he says: "and if he removes his abominations out of his mouth, and stands in awe before my face, and swears, 'The Lord lives,' in truth and in judgment and in righteousness, then the nations shall be blessed in him." If they do these things, "the nations shall be blessed in him." But what are these things they are to do, so that the nations may be blessed in him? "If he removes his abominations out of his mouth." And what is it to remove the abominations out of the mouth? Whatever we speak badly are abominations in our mouth. Let us therefore remove the abominations out of our mouth, taking away slanders, vain words, idle words that are going to cause us to be accused "in the day of judgment; for by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned." If, then, we wish that the words "and the nations shall be blessed in him, and in him they shall praise God in Jerusalem" should meet us, let us do the things said from the beginning. And which first? To remove "the abominations out of our mouth." Next is also the "you shall stand in awe before my face." As the second thing let us do this, not simply that we may stand in awe; for perhaps there is an awe that comes about, but not from the face of God. […]
But if the old law had belonged to the devil, it would not have led people away from idolatry, but rather would have drawn them on and cast them into it; for this did the devil desire. But now we see the opposite effect produced by the old law. And indeed this very thing, the oath, was ordained of old for this cause, that they might not swear by the idols. For "ye shall swear," saith He, "by the true God." They were then no small advantages which the law effected, but rather very great. For that they came unto the "strong meat," was the work of its care.
"If you swear, 'The Lord lives,' in truth, in justice and in righteousness." In the sacred Gospels, by contrast, he made more perfect prescriptions than these: "It was said to the ancients, You shall not swear falsely: you shall discharge your oaths to the Lord. …
The Medieval Church1 voice
A commentator
BonaventureCollationes de Decem Praeceptis, Collation 3 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
In the Old Testament it is said that he who swears in the name of God should swear and not perjure himself. For to perjure is the same as to forswear, and this is to take the name of God in vain. Jeremiah says: "And …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
The nations - This shall be a means to work upon the Heathen nations, to come into the same way of worship. They shall think themselves happy to be incorporated with thee, that it may be with them according to that promise, Gen. xii, 3. Glory - Whereas before they gloried in their idols, they shall glory in God alone.
4 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And thou shalt swear, the Lord liveth,.... Or by the living Lord, by him and him only; not by the creatures, but by the God of truth.
(2.) We must swear that only which is true, in truth and in righteousness, not daring to assert that which is false, or which we do not know to be true, nor to assert that as certain which is doubtful, nor to promise that which we mean not to perform, nor to violate the promise we have made.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
And thou--rather, "And if (carried on from Jer 4:1) thou shalt swear, 'Jehovah liveth,' in truth, &c.", that is, if thou shalt worship Him (for we swear by the God whom we worship; compare De 6:13; Am 8:14) in sincerity, &c. and the nations--Rather, this is apodosis to the "if"; then shall the nations bless themselves in (by) Him" (Isa 65:16).
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — odd-straight-quotes
Thou shalt swear, The Lord liveth - Thou shalt not bind thyself by any false god; thou shalt acknowledge Me as the Supreme. Bind thyself By me, and To me; and do this in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness. The nations shall bless themselves in him - They shall be so fully convinced of the power and goodness of Jehovah in seeing the change wrought on thee, and the mercies heaped upon thee, that their usual mode of benediction shall be, May the God of Israel bless thee!
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
If you return, O Israel with this repentance, to Me, you will return to your original glory and greatness.
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
11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְנִשְׁבַּ֙עְתָּ֙ | venishba'ta | and you will swear | H7650 → | 186 times |
| חַי־ | chai- | [by] [the] life | H2416 → | 498 times |
| יְהוָ֔ה | yahweh | of Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| בֶּאֱמֶ֖ת | beemet | in faithfulness | H571 → | 127 times |
| בְּמִשְׁפָּ֣ט | bemishpat | in justice | H4941 → | 422 times |
| וּבִצְדָקָ֑ה | uvitzdakah | and in righteousness | H6666 → | 157 times |
| וְהִתְבָּ֥רְכוּ | vehitbarekhu | and they will bless themselves | H1288 → | 330 times |
| ב֛וֹ | vo | by <the> him | ||
| גּוֹיִ֖ם | goyim | nations | H1471 → | 561 times |
| וּב֥וֹ | uvo | and in <the> him | ||
| יִתְהַלָּֽלוּ׃ ס | yithalalu | they will boast | H1984 → | 165 times |
וְנִשְׁבַּ֙עְתָּ֙and you will swear
venishba'taH7650 →186 times
חַי־[by] [the] life
chai-H2416 →498 times
יְהוָ֔הof Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
בֶּאֱמֶ֖תin faithfulness
beemetH571 →127 times
בְּמִשְׁפָּ֣טin justice
bemishpatH4941 →422 times
וּבִצְדָקָ֑הand in righteousness
uvitzdakahH6666 →157 times
וְהִתְבָּ֥רְכוּand they will bless themselves
vehitbarekhuH1288 →330 times
ב֛וֹby <the> him
vo
גּוֹיִ֖םnations
goyimH1471 →561 times
וּב֥וֹand in <the> him
uvo
יִתְהַלָּֽלוּ׃ סthey will boast
yithalaluH1984 →165 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
1 Corinthians 1:31Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”
it leads to
- Jeremiah 9:23–24
This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the wealthy man in his riches.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 105:3
Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Jeremiah 9:23–24
Through
Jeremiah 9:24But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, who exercises loving devotion, justice and righteousness on the earth—for I delight in these things,”…
it leads to
- 2 Corinthians 10:17
Rather, “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 Corinthians 1:31
Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Galatians 6:14
But as for me, may I never boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
- Micah 6:8
He 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?
- 2 Corinthians 10:17
Through
Genesis 22:18And through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
it leads to
- Acts 3:25
And you are sons of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers when He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed.’
- Galatians 3:16
The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say, “and to seeds,” meaning many, but “and to your seed,” meaning One, who is Christ.
- Acts 3:25
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Jeremiah
This page draws on 11 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Bonaventure, Collationes de Decem Praeceptis, Collation 3; Carl Friedrich Keil, The Prophecies of Jeremiah; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Jeremiah; John Chrysostom, HOMILIES ON THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW 17:5; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Origen of Alexandria, HOMILIES ON JEREMIAH 5 and Theodoret of Cyrus, ON JEREMIAH 1:4.2.