The Prophets · Old Testament

Jeremiah 10

Jeremiah 10: idols that cannot walk and the Lord who made the earth

General context

The house of Israel is told not to learn the way of the heathen or be dismayed at the signs of heaven. A workman cuts a tree from the forest, decks it with silver and gold, and fastens it with nails so it cannot move. Such idols are upright as a palm tree but cannot speak or walk; they must be carried, and they can do neither evil nor good. Against them the speaker declares that there is none like the Lord, the King of nations, while the nations' wise men are brutish and the stock is a doctrine of vanities. Silver from Tarshish and gold from Uphaz are the work of cunning men. But the Lord is the true God, the living God and everlasting king, at whose wrath the earth trembles. The people are to say that the gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will perish. The Lord made the earth by his power and stretched out the heavens; at his voice waters gather, lightnings come with rain and wind comes from his treasures. Every founder is confounded by his graven image, which has no breath. The portion of Jacob is not like them, for he is the former of all things. Then the inhabitant of the fortress is told to gather up wares out of the land, because the Lord will sling out the inhabitants of the land. A voice cries Woe is me for my hurt, a tabernacle spoiled, cords broken, children gone; the pastors have become brutish, and a great commotion comes out of the north country to make the cities of Judah desolate. The chapter closes with a prayer: the way of man is not in himself; correct me with judgment, not in anger; pour out fury on the heathen that have eaten up Jacob.

Cited passages: Jeremiah 10:1, Jeremiah 10:2, Jeremiah 10:3, Jeremiah 10:4, Jeremiah 10:5, Jeremiah 10:6, Jeremiah 10:7, Jeremiah 10:8, Jeremiah 10:9, Jeremiah 10:10, Jeremiah 10:11, Jeremiah 10:12, Jeremiah 10:13, Jeremiah 10:14, Jeremiah 10:15, Jeremiah 10:16, Jeremiah 10:17, Jeremiah 10:18, Jeremiah 10:19, Jeremiah 10:20, Jeremiah 10:21, Jeremiah 10:22, Jeremiah 10:23, Jeremiah 10:24, Jeremiah 10:25

Jeremiah 10 (KJV)

¹Hear ye the word which the Lord speaketh unto you, O house of Israel:

²Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.

³For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.

⁴They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.

⁵They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.

⁶Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O Lord; thou art great, and thy name is great in might.

⁷Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee.

⁸But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities.

⁹Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman, and of the hands of the founder: blue and purple is their clothing: they are all the work of cunning men.

¹⁰But the Lord is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.

¹¹Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens.

¹²He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.

¹³When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures.

¹⁴Every man is brutish in his knowledge: every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.

¹⁵They are vanity, and the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.

¹⁶The portion of Jacob is not like them: for he is the former of all things; and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: The Lord of hosts is his name.

¹⁷Gather up thy wares out of the land, O inhabitant of the fortress.

¹⁸For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will sling out the inhabitants of the land at this once, and will distress them, that they may find it so.

¹⁹Woe is me for my hurt! my wound is grievous: but I said, Truly this is a grief, and I must bear it.

²⁰My tabernacle is spoiled, and all my cords are broken: my children are gone forth of me, and they are not: there is none to stretch forth my tent any more, and to set up my curtains.

²¹For the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the Lord: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered.

²²Behold, the noise of the bruit is come, and a great commotion out of the north country, to make the cities of Judah desolate, and a den of dragons.

²³O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.

²⁴O Lord, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing.

²⁵Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name: for they have eaten up Jacob, and devoured him, and consumed him, and have made his habitation desolate.

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Historical context

The chapter is addressed to the "house of Israel" and speaks of "the heathen" and "the nations" without naming them, except that Tarshish and Uphaz are named as the sources of silver and gold for idols. The idols are described by their manufacture: a tree cut with an axe, decked with silver and gold, nailed so it does not move, clothed in blue and purple. Verse 11 stands out as a message the people are to speak to others, "Thus shall ye say unto them." The voices shift without labels: verses 6 and 7 address the Lord directly, verses 19 and 20 are a first-person lament of a spoiled tabernacle and lost children, and verses 23 through 25 are a prayer in the first person. The text does not say whether the mourner of verse 20 is the prophet or the city; the lament is about tent, cords and children. The commotion "out of the north country" continues the unnamed northern threat of chapters 1, 4 and 6. The prayer "correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger" is the speaker's request, and the closing call to pour fury on "the heathen that know thee not" gives its reason as what they have done to Jacob. Verse 16 gives the divine name in the form "The Lord of hosts is his name."

Cited passages: Jeremiah 10:1, Jeremiah 10:2, Jeremiah 10:3, Jeremiah 10:4, Jeremiah 10:6, Jeremiah 10:9, Jeremiah 10:11, Jeremiah 10:16, Jeremiah 10:19, Jeremiah 10:20, Jeremiah 10:22, Jeremiah 10:23, Jeremiah 10:24, Jeremiah 10:25

Literary context

The chapter is built on a contrast that alternates between idols and the Lord. Verses 3 through 5 describe idols that must be carried; verses 6 and 7 answer that none is like the Lord; verses 8 and 9 return to the idols' materials; verse 10 returns to the living God; verses 11 through 13 set the maker of heaven and earth against gods that made nothing; verses 14 and 15 return once more to the founder's confusion; verse 16 closes the series with the portion of Jacob. The idols' inability is stated in short clauses, they speak not, they cannot go, and their harmlessness is stated in a balanced pair, they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good. Verse 12 and 13 describe the Lord by verbs of making, establishing and stretching out, then by the weather he commands. The turn at verse 17 is abrupt: from cosmology to a command to pack up wares. The lament of verses 19 and 20 uses the tent as the image of a broken household, and the brutish pastors of verse 21 echo the brutish men of verses 8 and 14. The closing prayer accepts correction and asks that it be measured, then turns the fury outward.

Cited passages: Jeremiah 10:3, Jeremiah 10:5, Jeremiah 10:6, Jeremiah 10:8, Jeremiah 10:10, Jeremiah 10:11, Jeremiah 10:12, Jeremiah 10:13, Jeremiah 10:14, Jeremiah 10:16, Jeremiah 10:17, Jeremiah 10:19, Jeremiah 10:20, Jeremiah 10:21, Jeremiah 10:24, Jeremiah 10:25

Key moments

Learn not the way of the heathen (Jeremiah 10:2). The house of Israel is told not to be dismayed at the signs of heaven.
Nailed so it cannot move (Jeremiah 10:4). An idol is decked with silver and gold and fastened with nails and hammers.
They must needs be borne (Jeremiah 10:5). Idols cannot speak or walk and can do neither evil nor good.
The living God (Jeremiah 10:10). The Lord is the true God and everlasting king at whose wrath the earth trembles.
Gods that made nothing perish (Jeremiah 10:11). The people are to say that gods who did not make heaven and earth will perish.
Gather up thy wares (Jeremiah 10:17). The inhabitant of the fortress is told to pack because the Lord will sling out the inhabitants.
Correct me, but with judgment (Jeremiah 10:24). The speaker asks for correction with judgment rather than anger.

For reflection

The idols must be carried because they cannot go, and the chapter ends with a man admitting that his way is not in himself to direct his steps. What is the difference between a god who has to be carried and a God who is asked to correct?