Jeremiah 5:12

12 They have ¹lied about the LORD And said, "²Not He; Misfortune will ³not come on us, And we ⁴will not see sword or famine.

Jeremiah 5:12 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 5:12

They have belied the Lord, and said, it is not he
Or, "denied the Lord" ^F24, as some render the words, saying that there was no God; which, though they might not deliver in express words, yet inasmuch as they denied his providence, and disbelieved his word by his prophets, it was tacitly denying that there was a God, or that the Lord was God. The meaning of the phrase "not he" may be, he takes no notice of what is done by us; he does not concern himself with our affairs; nor has he given any such orders to our enemies, as above; nor said these things by the prophets which are pretended: neither shall evil come upon us;
they speak of: neither shall we see sword nor famine;
war and sieges, and famine, the consequence of them.

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FOOTNOTES:

F24 (hwhyb wvxkw) "egaverunt Dominum", V. L. Pagninus; "abnegant", Piscator; "abnegarunt Jehovam", Cocceius, Schmidt.

Jeremiah 5:12 In-Context

10 "Go up through her vine rows and destroy, But do not execute a complete destruction; Strip away her branches, For they are not the LORD'S.

11 "For the house of Israel and the house of Judah Have dealt very treacherously with Me," declares the LORD .

12 They have lied about the LORD And said, "Not He; Misfortune will not come on us, And we will not see sword or famine.

13 "The prophets are as wind, And the word is not in them. Thus it will be done to them!"

14 Therefore, thus says the LORD , the God of hosts, "Because you have spoken this word, Behold, I am making My words in your mouth fire And this people wood, and it will consume them.

Cross References

• 1. 2 Chronicles 36:16
• 2. Proverbs 30:9; Jeremiah 14:22; Jeremiah 43:1-4
• 3. Jeremiah 23:17
• 4. Jeremiah 14:13

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "He is not"