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Monday, August 18th, 2025
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
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Jeremiah 4:10

Then I said, "Alas, Lord GOD! Surely You have completely deceived and misled this people and Jerusalem, [for the prophets represented You as] saying [to Your people], 'You will have peace,' but [in fact] a sword reaches to their throat."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Blasphemy;   Condescension of God;   Israel, Prophecies Concerning;  

Dictionaries:

- Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Lie, Lying;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Kir-Hareseth;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Medicine;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Peace;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Jeremiah;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Ah;   Intercession;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
I said, “Oh no, Lord God, you have certainly deceived this people and Jerusalem, by announcing, ‘You will have peace,’ while a sword is at our throats.”
Hebrew Names Version
Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! surely you have greatly deceived this people and Yerushalayim, saying, You shall have shalom; whereas the sword reaches to the life.
King James Version
Then said I, Ah, Lord God ! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul.
English Standard Version
Then I said, "Ah, Lord God , surely you have utterly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘It shall be well with you,' whereas the sword has reached their very life."
New American Standard Bible
Then I said, "Oh, Lord GOD! Surely You have utterly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, 'You will have peace'; yet a sword touches the throat."
New Century Version
Then I said, "Lord God , you have tricked the people of Judah and Jerusalem. You said, ‘You will have peace,' but now the sword is pointing at our throats!"
World English Bible
Then said I, Ah, Lord Yahweh! surely you have greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, You shall have peace; whereas the sword reaches to the life.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then saide I, Ah, Lord God, surely thou hast deceiued this people and Ierusalem, saying, Ye shall haue peace, and the sworde perceth vnto the heart.
Legacy Standard Bible
Then I said, "Ah, Lord Yahweh! Surely You have utterly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘You will have peace'; whereas a sword touches the throat."
Berean Standard Bible
Then I said, "Ah, Lord GOD, how completely You have deceived this people and Jerusalem by saying, 'You will have peace,' when a sword is at our throats."
Contemporary English Version
I said, "You are the Lord God. So why have you fooled everyone, especially the people of Jerusalem? Why did you promise peace, when a knife is at our throats?"
Complete Jewish Bible
Then I said, "Oh, Adonai Elohim ! Surely you have sadly deceived this people and Yerushalayim by saying, ‘You will have peace,' when the sword is at our very throats!"
Darby Translation
And I said, Alas, Lord Jehovah! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul.
Easy-to-Read Version
Then I, Jeremiah, said, "Lord God , you have tricked the people of Judah and Jerusalem. You said to them, ‘You will have peace.' But now the sword is pointing at their throats!"
George Lamsa Translation
Then I said, I beseech thee, O LORD God, surely I have greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem; for I have said, You shall have peace; and behold, the sword reaches into the soul.
Good News Translation
Then I said, "Sovereign Lord , you have completely deceived the people of Jerusalem! You have said there would be peace, but a sword is at their throats."
Lexham English Bible
Then I said, "Ah, Lord Yahweh, surely you have utterly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘It will be peace for you,' while the sword reaches up to the throat."
Literal Translation
Then I said, Ah, Lord Jehovah! Surely You have greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, You shall have peace, but the sword reaches to the soul.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then sayde I: O LORDE God, hast thou then disceaued this people and Ierusalem, sayenge: ye shall haue peace, and now the swearde goeth thorow their lyues?
American Standard Version
Then said I, Ah, Lord Jehovah! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the life.
Bible in Basic English
Then said I, Ah, Lord God! your words were not true when you said to this people and to Jerusalem, You will have peace; when the sword has come even to the soul.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Then said I: 'Ah, Lord GOD! surely Thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying: Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul.'
King James Version (1611)
Then said I, Ah Lord God, surely thou hast greatly deceiued this people, and Ierusalem, saying, Ye shall haue peace, whereas the sword reacheth vnto the soule.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then sayde I: Oh Lorde God, hast thou then deceaued this people and Hierusalem, saying, Ye shall haue peace: and nowe the sworde goeth through their lyues?
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And I said, O sovereign Lord, verily thou hast deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, There shall be peace; whereas behold, the sword has reached even to their soul.
English Revised Version
Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Y seide, Alas! alas! alas! Lord God; therfor whether thou hast disseyued this puple and Jerusalem, seiynge, Pees schal be to you, and lo! a swerd is comun `til to the soule?
Update Bible Version
Then I said, Ah, Lord Yahweh! surely you have greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, You shall have peace; whereas the sword reaches to the life.
Webster's Bible Translation
Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth to the soul.
New English Translation
In response to all this I said, "Ah, Lord God , you have surely allowed the people of Judah and Jerusalem to be deceived by those who say, ‘You will be safe!' But in fact a sword is already at our throats."
New King James Version
Then I said, "Ah, Lord GOD! Surely You have greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, Saying, "You shall have peace,' Whereas the sword reaches to the heart."
New Living Translation
Then I said, "O Sovereign Lord , the people have been deceived by what you said, for you promised peace for Jerusalem. But the sword is held at their throats!"
New Life Bible
Then I said, "O Lord God, for sure You have fooled these people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘You will have peace,' when in truth a sword brings danger to their lives."
New Revised Standard
Then I said, "Ah, Lord God , how utterly you have deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘It shall be well with you,' even while the sword is at the throat!"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then said I, - Ah! My Lord Yahweh! Surely, thou hast suffered this people and Jerusalem to be beguiled, saying, Peace, shall ye have, - whereas the sword shall reach unto the soul.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And I said: Alas, alas, alas, O Lord God, hast thou then deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying: You shall have peace: and behold the sword reacheth even to the soul?
Revised Standard Version
Then I said, "Ah, Lord GOD, surely thou hast utterly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, 'It shall be well with you'; whereas the sword has reached their very life."
Young's Literal Translation
And I say, `Ah, Lord Jehovah, Surely thou hast entirely forgotten this people and Jerusalem, saying, Peace is for you, And struck hath a sword unto the soul!'
THE MESSAGE
Then I said, "Alas, Master God ! You've fed lies to this people, this Jerusalem. You assured them, ‘All is well, don't worry,' at the very moment when the sword was at their throats."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then I said, "Ah, Lord GOD! Surely You have utterly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, 'You will have peace'; whereas a sword touches the throat."

Contextual Overview

5Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say, "Blow the trumpet in the land; Cry aloud and say, 'Assemble yourselves, and let us go Into the fortified cities.' 6"Raise a banner toward Zion [to mark the way for those seeking safety inside Jerusalem's walls]! Seek refuge, do not stand [immobile], For I am bringing evil from the north (the army of Babylon), And great destruction. 7"A lion has left his lair, And a destroyer of nations is on his way. He has gone out from his place To desolate your land; Your cities will be in ruins Without an inhabitant. 8"For this reason, put on sackcloth [for mourning], Lament (mourn with expressions of grief for the dead) and wail, For the fierce anger of the LORD Has not turned back from us." 9"It shall come about in that day," says the LORD, "that the heart and courage of the king will fail (be paralyzed), and also the heart of the princes; the priests will be appalled and the prophets will be astounded and horrified." 10Then I said, "Alas, Lord GOD! Surely You have completely deceived and misled this people and Jerusalem, [for the prophets represented You as] saying [to Your people], 'You will have peace,' but [in fact] a sword reaches to their throat."11In that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, "A scorching wind from the barren heights in the wilderness [comes at My command] against the daughter of My people—not [a wind] to winnow and not to cleanse [from chaff, as when threshing, but] 12a wind too strong and full for this comes at My word. Now I will also speak judgment against My people." 13"Behold, the enemy comes up like clouds, His chariots like the whirlwind; His horses are swifter than eagles. Woe (judgment is coming) to us, for we are ruined!" 14O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, That you may be saved. How long will your wicked and immoral thoughts Lodge within you?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Ah: Jeremiah 1:6, Jeremiah 14:13, Jeremiah 32:17, Ezekiel 11:13

surely: Jeremiah 14:13, Jeremiah 14:14, 1 Kings 22:20-23, Isaiah 63:17, Ezekiel 14:9, Ezekiel 14:10, Romans 1:24, Romans 1:26, Romans 1:28, 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12

Ye shall have: Jeremiah 5:12, Jeremiah 6:14, Jeremiah 8:11, Jeremiah 23:17, Isaiah 30:10, Isaiah 37:35

the sword: Jeremiah 4:18, Exodus 9:14, Lamentations 2:21

Reciprocal: Jeremiah 6:18 - hear Jeremiah 6:25 - the sword Jeremiah 7:8 - ye trust Jeremiah 8:15 - General Jeremiah 28:9 - which Ezekiel 9:8 - Ah Ezekiel 13:10 - Peace Ezekiel 13:18 - that sew Ezekiel 13:22 - with lies

Cross-References

Genesis 3:13
Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" And the woman said, "The serpent beguiled and deceived me, and I ate [from the forbidden tree]."
Genesis 4:9
Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" And he [lied and] said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"
Genesis 4:10
The LORD said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's [innocent] blood is crying out to Me from the ground [for justice].
Genesis 9:5
"For your lifeblood I will most certainly require an accounting; from every animal [that kills a person] I will require it. And from man, from every man's brother [that is, anyone who murders] I will require the life of man.
Genesis 18:20
And the LORD said, "The outcry [of the sin] of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave.
Exodus 3:7
The LORD said, "I have in fact seen the affliction (suffering, desolation) of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters (oppressors); for I know their pain and suffering.
Numbers 35:33
'So you shall not pollute and defile the land in which you live; for [the shedding of innocent] blood pollutes and defiles the land. No atonement (expiation) can be made for the land for the [innocent] blood shed in it, except by the blood (execution) of him who shed it.
Joshua 7:19
Then Joshua said to Achan, "My son, I implore you, give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and give praise to Him [in recognition of His righteous judgments]; and tell me now what you have done. Do not hide it from me."
2 Kings 9:26
'I certainly saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons yesterday,' says the LORD, 'and I will repay you on this property,' says the LORD. Now then, pick him up and throw him into the property [of Naboth], in accordance with the word of the LORD."
Job 16:18
"O earth, do not cover my blood, And let there be no [resting] place for my cry [where it will cease being heard].

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then said I, ah, Lord God!.... Expressing great sorrow and concern: this "ah" is by way of lamentation. The Targum interprets it as a petition,

"and I said, receive my prayer, O Lord God:''

surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem: what the false prophets did, that God is said to do, because he suffered them to deceive the people; see 1 Kings 22:20. The Targum ascribes the deception to the false prophets, and not to God,

"surely behold the false prophets deceive this people, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem;''

or this may be ironically said, because the false prophets pretended to speak in the name of the Lord; wherefore Jeremiah says, "surely thou hast greatly deceived", c. "saying, ye shall have peace" as the false prophets did, Jeremiah 6:14:

whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul; takes away the life, many are slain by it; so the Targum,

"and now behold the sword killeth among the people;''

great slaughter is made by it. L'Empereur w observes that the word here used signifies, in the Arabic language, to educate or bring up; and then the sense is,

"ah, Lord, thou hast brought up this people with great tenderness, and promised them all manner of happiness; but now thou thunderest out threatenings of calamities of all sorts, and death itself; and assigned a place for the sword to enter into their very souls;''

so the Arabic word used in the version of Acts 22:2.

w Not. ad Mosis Kimchi, οδοιπορια, p. 186.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Ah, Lord God! - Alas! my Lord Yahweh: an expression of disapproval on Jeremiah’s part. Jeremiah had constantly to struggle against the misgivings of his own melancholy nature, but he never let them prevent him from doing his duty. See the introduction of Jeremiah.

Ye shall have peace - These words are generally referred to the false prophets; they rather refer to real prophecies of future blessedness promised to the Jews. Jeremiah could not reconcile the doom he was now commanded to pronounce, either with his previous prophecy, or with what he read in the writings of his predecessors. Time only could solve the difficulty. Upon the struggles of the prophets to understand their own predictions see 1 Peter 1:10-11.

Unto the soul - The sword has reached the life. i. e., has inflicted a mortal wound.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jeremiah 4:10. Ah, Lord God! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people — The Targum paraphrases this verse thus: "And I said, Receive my supplication, O Lord God; for, behold, the false prophets deceive this people and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace." The prophet could not reconcile this devastation of the country with the promises already made; and he appears to ask the question, Hast thou not then deceived this people in saying there shall be peace, i.e., prosperity?

Whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul. — That is, the life; the people being generally destroyed.


 
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