Jeremiah 42:3
in Jeremiah 42Pray that the LORD your God will tell us the way we should walk and the thing we should do.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
that Jehovah thy God may show us the way wherein we should walk, and the thing that we should do.
KJV
That the Lord thy God may shew us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do.
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This verse in Jeremiah 42
Commentary
8 notes on this verseHe who has resolved on this or that point, pretends that he is in doubt, and held in suspense; he asks what ought to be done: if the answer be according to his wishes, he embraces what is said; but if he who is consulted, disapproves of what he has already resolved to do, he rejects the counsel given.
This site's exposition
all the people from the least to the greatest
on Jeremiah 42:1-6
The commanders and “all the people” ask Jeremiah to pray and to tell them “the way we should walk and the thing we should do.” They bind themselves with an oath: “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act upon every word.”
This site's exposition
tell us the way we should walk
John Calvin says a people may pray for the way to walk when the thing is already decided, and then reject any word against it. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown read the remnant so. Adam Clarke says they leaned toward Egypt and wished the LORD God to tell them the way.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
That the Lord thy God may show us the way wherein we may walk,....
The message at large which God sent them, in answer to their enquiry, in which, 1. They are commanded and encouraged to continue in the land of Judah, and assured that if they did so it should be well with them,
Pray to the Lord thy God, for we are unworthy to call him ours, nor have we reason to expect any favour from him." 3. With a great sense of their need of divine direction. They speak of themselves as objects of compassion: " We are but a remnant, but a few of many; how easily will such a remnant be swallowed up, and yet it is a pity that it should.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
They consulted God, like many, not so much to know what was right, as wishing Him to authorize what they had already determined on, whether agreeable to His will or not.
That the Lord thy God may show us - They all thought there was no safety in Jerusalem or in Judea, and therefore determined to leave the land: but they did not know which might be the safest direction to take; for though they inclined to Egypt, yet they wished to know the mind of God on that point.
The words behind it
13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְיַגֶּד־ | veyaged- | so he may declare | H5046 → | 370 times |
| לָ֙נוּ֙ | lanu | to <the> us | ||
| יְהוָ֣ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ | ʾeloheikha | God your | H430 → | 2601 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַדֶּ֖רֶךְ | haderekh | the way | H1870 → | 707 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| נֵֽלֶךְ־ | nelekh- | we will go | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| בָּ֑הּ | bah | in <the> it | ||
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַדָּבָ֖ר | hadavar | the thing | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֥ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| נַעֲשֶֽׂה׃ | naaseh | we will do | H6213 → | 2628 times |
וְיַגֶּד־so he may declare
veyaged-H5046 →370 times
לָ֙נוּ֙to <the> us
lanu
יְהוָ֣הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָGod your
ʾeloheikhaH430 →2601 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הַדֶּ֖רֶךְthe way
haderekhH1870 →707 times
אֲשֶׁ֣רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
נֵֽלֶךְ־we will go
nelekh-H1980 →1546 times
בָּ֑הּin <the> it
bah
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
הַדָּבָ֖רthe thing
hadavarH1697 →1440 times
אֲשֶׁ֥רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
נַעֲשֶֽׂה׃we will do
naasehH6213 →2628 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 3:6in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.
it leads to
- Proverbs 16:3
Commit your works to the LORD and your plans will be achieved.
- Psalms 32:8
I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will give you counsel and watch over you.
- Philippians 4:6
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
- Proverbs 16:9
A man’s heart plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.
- Jeremiah 10:23
I know, O LORD, that a man’s way is not his own; no one who walks directs his own steps.
- Proverbs 16:3
Through
Psalms 86:11Teach me Your way, O LORD, that I may walk in Your truth. Give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your name.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 32:38–39
They will be My people, and I will be their God.
- Psalms 25:4–5
Show me Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths.
- Psalms 5:8
Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; make straight Your way before me.
- Jeremiah 32:38–39
About Jeremiah
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Calvin, Commentaries; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.