Jeremiah 9:8

8 Their tongues are deadly arrows- they speak deception. With his mouth a man speaks peaceably with his friend, but inwardly he sets up an ambush.

Jeremiah 9:8 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 9:8

Their tongue is as an arrow shot out
As an arrow out of a bow, which moves swiftly, and comes with great force; or, "drawn out" {u}; as out of a quiver. The word is used of gold, and rendered "beaten gold", ( 1 Kings 10:16 ) , gold drawn out into plates; and here of an arrow drawn out of a quiver; and so it is interpreted in the Talmud ^F23; or is "wounding", as the Septuagint, or "slaying" ^F24; denoting the mischief and injury done to the characters of men, by a deceitful, detracting, and calumniating tongue. The Targum is, "as a sharp arrow their tongue"; which pierces deep, and is deadly; (See Gill on Jeremiah 9:3), it speaketh deceit;
deceitful words, by which men are imposed upon, and are led into wrong ways of thinking and acting: one speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth;
salutes him in a friendly manner; wishes him all health, peace, and prosperity; professes a sincere and cordial friendship for him, and pretends a strong affection to him: but in his heart he layeth wait;
to draw him into snares, and circumvent, trick, and defraud him.

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FOOTNOTES:

F21 (jxwv) "extensa, [vel] tracta", Vatablus
F23 T. Bab. Cholin, fol. 30. 2. & Gloss. in ib.
F24 Jugulans, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.

Jeremiah 9:8 In-Context

6 You live in [a world] of deception. In [their] deception they refuse to know Me. [This is] the Lord's declaration.

7 Therefore, this is what the Lord of Hosts says: I am about to refine them and test them, for what else can I do because of My dear people?

8 Their tongues are deadly arrows- they speak deception. With his mouth a man speaks peaceably with his friend, but inwardly he sets up an ambush.

9 Should I not punish them for these things? [This is]*The bracketed text has been added for clarity. the Lord's declaration. Should I not take My revenge against a nation such as this?

10 I will raise weeping and a lament over the mountains, a dirge over the wilderness grazing land, for they have been so scorched that no one passes through. The sound of cattle is no longer heard. From the birds of the sky to the animals, [everything] has fled-they have gone away.