Jeremiah 4:2

2 and you swear, '{As Yahweh lives},' in truth, in justice, and in righteousness, then nations will be blessed by him, and in him they will boast."

Jeremiah 4:2 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 4:2

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. This is sometimes put for the whole worship and service of God, ( Deuteronomy 6:13 ) and for a confession of Christ, and profession of faith in him, ( Isaiah 45:23 ) , compared with ( Romans 14:11 ) and which ought to be done, in truth, in righteousness, and in judgment;
in sincerity, integrity, and uprightness of soul; in spirit and in, truth; in righteousness and true holiness: and the nations shall bless themselves in him,
not in Israel, as the Targum, Jarchi, and Kimchi, interpret it; but in the Lord, even in the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom all the nations of the earth were to be blessed with all spiritual blessings; with which being blessed, they call and count themselves happy, being pardoned through the blood of Christ, justified by his righteousness, and having peace, life, and salvation by him, ( Genesis 22:18 ) : and in him shall they glory;
not in themselves, nor in any creature, or creature enjoyment; but in the Lord, and in what he is to them, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption; in whom all the seed of Israel, being justified, glory; see ( 1 Corinthians 1:30 1 Corinthians 1:31 ) ( Isaiah 45:25 ) . The sense of the words seems to be, that upon the Gospel being preached by Christ and his apostles to the Israelites, and some of them being converted, and their abominations put away, and they cleaving to the Lord, and to his worship; the Gentiles should have the Gospel sent to them, and receive it, and place all their blessedness in Christ, and glory in him.

Jeremiah 4:2 In-Context

1 If you return, [O] Israel," {declares} Yahweh, "you return to me. And if you remove your abominations from my {presence}, and you do not wander,
2 and you swear, '{As Yahweh lives},' in truth, in justice, and in righteousness, then nations will be blessed by him, and in him they will boast."
3 For thus says Yahweh to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, "Break up for yourselves prepared virgin soil, and you must not sow among thornbushes.
4 Circumcise yourselves to Yahweh, and remove the foreskins of your hearts, men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, lest my wrath goes forth like the fire and burns, and there is no [one who] extinguishes [it], because of the evil of your deeds."
5 Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem and say, "Blow a horn through the land, {call with a loud voice} and say, 'Be gathered and let us go into the fortified cities.'

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Literally "life of Yahweh"
Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.