Jeremiah 9:3

3 and they held forth their tongue as a bow of leasing, and not of truth. They be comforted in (the) earth, for they went out from evil to evil, and they knew not me, saith the Lord. (and they put forth their tongues like bows sending out lies, and not truth. They be made comfortable on the earth, as they go from evil to evil, and they do not even know me, saith the Lord.)

Jeremiah 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.

Jeremiah 9:3 In-Context

1 Who shall give water to mine head, and a well of tears to mine eyes? (Who shall make my head to be full of water, and my eyes to be a well of tears?) And (then) I shall beweep day and night (for) the slain men of the daughter of my people.

2 Who shall give me into a wilderness of diverse waygoers? (Who shall show me a place for waygoers in the wilderness?) And (then) I shall forsake my people, and I shall go away from them. For why all be adulterers, and the companies of trespassers against the law;

3 and they held forth their tongue as a bow of leasing, and not of truth. They be comforted in (the) earth, for they went out from evil to evil, and they knew not me, saith the Lord. (and they put forth their tongues like bows sending out lies, and not truth. They be made comfortable on the earth, as they go from evil to evil, and they do not even know me, saith the Lord.)

4 Each man keep him(self) from his neighbour, and have no trust in any brother of him; for why each brother deceiving shall deceive, and each friend shall go guilefully (for each brother shall deceive, and each friend shall be deceitful).

5 And a man shall scorn his brother, and shall not speak truth; for they taught their tongue to speak leasing; they travailed to do wickedly. (And a man shall mock his brother, and shall not speak the truth; for they taught their tongues to speak lies; they laboured to do wickedly.)