Jeremías 9:3

3 Tienden su lengua como su arco; la mentira y no la verdad prevalece en la tierra; porque de mal en mal proceden, y a mí no me conocendeclara el SEÑOR.

Jeremías 9:3 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 9:3

And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies
Their tongues were like bows, and their lying words like arrows, which they directed against persons to their injury; see ( Psalms 11:2 ) ( 64:3 ) , or, "like their deceitful bow" ^F16; to which the Targum agrees,

``they teach their tongues words of falsehood, they are like to a deceitful bow.''

Most agreeably to the accents the words may be rendered, "they bend their tongues, their bow is a lie" ^F17; either deceitful, or carries a lie in it, and shoots one out of it: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth;
which a man should do everything for, and nothing against; and which he should earnestly contend for, and not part with or give up at any rate; not only for the truth of doctrine, for faith, as the Targum; for the doctrine of faith, the truth of the Gospel, and as it is in Christ; but for truth between man and man, for veracity, rightness, and integrity: for they proceed from evil to evil; from one sin to another, growing worse and worse, as wicked men and deceivers usually do. Kimchi observes, it may be interpreted, as of evil works, so of the evil of punishment, from one evil of the enemy to another; or this year they are smitten with blasting, another with mildew, or with the locust, and yet they turn not from their evil ways: and they know not me, saith the Lord;
the God of truth, and without iniquity, and who will severely punish for it; they did not serve and worship him as the only Lord God. The Targum is,

``the knowledge of my fear they learned not.''

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FOOTNOTES:

F16 (rqv Mtvq) "veluti acum falsum", Munster; "quasi arcum mendacii", V. L.
F17 "Et tetenderunt linguam suam, arcus ipsorum mendacium est", De Dieu; "qui tendunt linguam suam, arcus eorum est mendacium", Schmidt. Approved by Reinbeck. De Accent. Heb. p. 437.

Jeremías 9:3 In-Context

1 Quién me diera que mi cabeza se hiciera aguas, y mis ojos fuente de lágrimas, para que yo llorara día y noche por los muertos de la hija de mi pueblo.

2 Quién me diera en el desierto un albergue de caminantes, para dejar a mi pueblo y alejarme de ellos. Porque todos ellos son adúlteros, una asamblea de traidores.

3 Tienden su lengua como su arco; la mentira y no la verdad prevalece en la tierra; porque de mal en mal proceden, y a mí no me conocendeclara el SEÑOR.

4 Guárdese cada uno de su prójimo, y no confíe en ningún hermano; porque todo hermano obra con engaño, y todo prójimo anda calumniando.

5 Cada uno engaña a su prójimo, y no habla la verdad, han enseñado sus lenguas a hablar mentiras; se afanan por cometer iniquidad.