Jeremiah 9:8

New King James Version

Their tongue is an arrow shot out; It speaks deceit; One speaks peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth, But in his heart he lies in wait.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Their tongues are deadly arrows—they speak deception.With his mouthone speaks peaceably with his friend,but inwardly he sets up an ambush.

Hebrew Names Version
Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks deceit: one speaks peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth, but in his heart he lays wait for him.

King James Version
Their tongue is as an arrow shot out; it speaketh deceit: one speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in heart he layeth his wait.

English Standard Version
Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks deceitfully; with his mouth each speaks peace to his neighbor, but in his heart he plans an ambush for him.

New American Standard Bible
"Their tongue is a deadly arrow; It speaks deceit; With his mouth one speaks peace to his neighbor, But inwardly he sets an ambush for him.

New Century Version
Their tongues are like sharp arrows. Their mouths speak lies. Everyone speaks nicely to his neighbor, but he is secretly planning to attack him.

Amplified Bible
"Their tongue is a murderous arrow; It speaks deceit; With his mouth one speaks peace to his neighbor, But in his heart he lays traps and waits in ambush for him.

World English Bible
Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks deceit: one speaks peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth, but in his heart he lays wait for him.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Their tongue is as an arow shot out, and speaketh deceite: one speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in his heart hee layeth waite for him.

Legacy Standard Bible
Their tongue is a slaughtering arrow;It speaks deceit;With his mouth one speaks peace to his neighbor,But inwardly he sets an ambush for him.

Berean Standard Bible
Their tongues are deadly arrows; they speak deception. With his mouth a man speaks peace to his neighbor, but in his heart he sets a trap for him.

Contemporary English Version
They say they want peace, but this lie is deadly, like an arrow that strikes when you least expect it.

Complete Jewish Bible
Should I not punish them for these things?" asks Adonai . "Should I not take vengeance on such a nation?"

Darby Translation
Their tongue is a murderous arrow; it speaketh deceit. [A man] speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in his heart he layeth his ambush.

Easy-to-Read Version
The people of Judah have tongues as sharp as arrows. Their mouths speak lies. They all speak kindly to their neighbors, but they are secretly planning ways to attack them.

George Lamsa Translation
Their tongue is a sharp pointed arrow; it speaks deceit; one speaks peacefully to his neighbor with his mouth, but in his heart he lies in wait for him.

Good News Translation
Their tongues are like deadly arrows; they always tell lies. Everyone speaks friendly words to their neighbors, but they are really setting a trap for them.

Lexham English Bible
Their tongue is a murderous arrow, it speaks deceit. With his mouth he speaks peace with his neighbor, but in his inner parts he sets up his ambush.

Literal Translation
Their tongue is a murdering arrow; it speaks deceit. One speaks peace with his neighbor with his mouth, but in his heart he sets his ambush.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Their tunges are like sharpe arowes, to speake disceate. With their mouth they speake peaceably to their neghboure, but preuely they laye waite for him.

American Standard Version
Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaketh deceit: one speaketh peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth, but in his heart he layeth wait for him.

Bible in Basic English
His tongue is an arrow causing death; the words of his mouth are deceit: he says words of peace to his neighbour, but in his heart he is waiting secretly for him.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Shall I not punish them for these things? saith the LORD; shall not My soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

King James Version (1611)
Their tongue is as an arrowe shot out, it speaketh deceit: one speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in heart he layeth his waite.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Their tongues are like sharpe arrowes to speake deceipt: with their mouth they speake peaceablie to their neighbour, but priuilie they lay wayte for hym.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Their tongue is a wounding arrow; the words of their mouth are deceitful: one speaks peaceably to his neighbour, but in himself retains enmity.

English Revised Version
Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaketh deceit: one speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in his heart he layeth wait for him.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
The tunge of hem is an arowe woundynge, and spak gile; in his mouth he spekith pees with his frend, and priueli he settith tresouns to hym.

Update Bible Version
Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks deceit: with his mouth one speaks peaceably to his neighbor, but in his heart he lays wait for him.

Webster's Bible Translation
Their tongue [is as] an arrow shot out; it speaketh deceit: [one] speaketh peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth, but in heart he layeth his wait.

New English Translation
Their tongues are like deadly arrows. They are always telling lies. Friendly words for their neighbors come from their mouths. But their minds are thinking up ways to trap them.

New Living Translation
For their tongues shoot lies like poisoned arrows. They speak friendly words to their neighbors while scheming in their heart to kill them.

New Life Bible
Their tongue is an arrow that kills. It lies. A man speaks peace to his neighbor with his mouth, but in his heart he plans to trap him.

New Revised Standard
Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks deceit through the mouth. They all speak friendly words to their neighbors, but inwardly are planning to lay an ambush.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
A pointed arrow, is their tongue Deceit, hath it spoken, - With his mouth peace unto his neighbour, doth one speak, But within himself, he layeth his ambush.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Their tongue is a piercing arrow, it hath spoken deceit: with his mouth one speaketh peace with his friend, and secretly he lieth in wait for him.

Revised Standard Version
Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks deceitfully; with his mouth each speaks peaceably to his neighbor, but in his heart he plans an ambush for him.

Young's Literal Translation
A slaughtering arrow [is] their tongue, Deceit it hath spoken in its mouth, Peace with its neighbour it speaketh, And in its heart it layeth its ambush,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Their tongue is a deadly arrow; It speaks deceit; With his mouth one speaks peace to his neighbor, But inwardly he sets an ambush for him.

Contextual Overview

¹ Oh, that my head were waters, And my eyes a fountain of tears, That I might weep day and night For the slain of the daughter of my people! ² Oh, that I had in the wilderness A lodging place for travelers; That I might leave my people, And go from them! For they are all adulterers, An assembly of treacherous men. ³ "And like their bow they have bent their tongues for lies. They are not valiant for the truth on the earth. For they proceed from evil to evil, And they do not know Me," says the LORD. ⁴ "Everyone take heed to his neighbor, And do not trust any brother; For every brother will utterly supplant, And every neighbor will walk with slanderers. ⁵ Everyone will deceive his neighbor, And will not speak the truth; They have taught their tongue to speak lies; They weary themselves to commit iniquity. ⁶ Your dwelling place is in the midst of deceit; Through deceit they refuse to know Me," says the LORD. ⁷ Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: "Behold, I will refine them and try them; For how shall I deal with the daughter of My people? ⁸ Their tongue is an arrow shot out; It speaks deceit; One speaks peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth, But in his heart he lies in wait. ⁹ Shall I not punish them for these things?" says the LORD. "Shall I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?" ¹⁰ I will take up a weeping and wailing for the mountains, And for the dwelling places of the wilderness a lamentation, Because they are burned up, So that no one can pass through; Nor can men hear the voice of the cattle. Both the birds of the heavens and the beasts have fled; They are gone.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

tongue: Jeremiah 9:3, Jeremiah 9:5, Psalms 12:2, Psalms 57:4, Psalms 64:3, Psalms 64:4, Psalms 64:8, Psalms 120:3

one: 2 Samuel 3:27, 2 Samuel 20:9, 2 Samuel 20:10, Psalms 28:3, Psalms 55:21, Proverbs 26:24-26, Matthew 26:48, Matthew 26:49

in heart: Heb. in the midst of him

his wait: or, wait for him

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 18:21 - a snare Job 15:5 - thou choosest Psalms 52:1 - told Psalms 52:3 - lying Proverbs 25:18 - General Micah 6:12 - spoken

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Their tongue is as an arrow shot out,.... As an arrow out of a bow, which moves swiftly, and comes with great force; or, "drawn out" u; as out of a quiver. The word is used of gold, and rendered "beaten gold", 1 Kings 10:16, gold drawn out into plates; and here of an arrow drawn out of a quiver; and so it is interpreted in the Talmud w; or is "wounding", as the Septuagint, or "slaying" x; denoting the mischief and injury done to the characters of men, by a deceitful, detracting, and calumniating tongue. The Targum is, "as a sharp arrow their tongue"; which pierces deep, and is deadly; 1 Kings 10:16- :,

it speaketh deceit; deceitful words, by which men are imposed upon, and are led into wrong ways of thinking and acting:

one speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth; salutes him in a friendly manner; wishes him all health, peace, and prosperity; professes a sincere and cordial friendship for him, and pretends a strong affection to him:

but in his heart he layeth wait; to draw him into snares, and circumvent, trick, and defraud him.

u שוחט "extensa, [vel] tracta", Vatablus w T. Bab. Cholin, fol. 30. 2. & Gloss. in ib. x Jugulans, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

From their punishment the prophet now turns to their sins.

Jeremiah 9:2

The prophet utters the wish that he might be spared his daily striving, and in some lone wilderness give way to his sorrow, without restraint.

A lodging place - It was usual to build in the desert, either by private charity or at the public expense, caravanserais, to receive travelers for a single night, who had however to bring their own supplies with them.

An assembly - Or, a gang.

Treacherous - Faithless toward one another.

Jeremiah 9:3

Rather, “And they bend their tongue to be their bow of lies, i. e.” just as men before a battle get their bows ready, so they of set purpose make ready to do mischief, only their arrows are lying words: “neither do they rule faithfully in the land, i. e.” Judaea.

Jeremiah 9:4

In a state of such utter lawlessness, the bonds of mutual confidence are relaxed, and suspicion takes its place.

Utterly supplant - An allusion to the name of Jacob Genesis 27:36. It might be rendered, “every brother is a thorough Jacob.”

Will walk with slanders - Or, slandereth.

Jeremiah 9:6

A continuation of the warning given in Jeremiah 9:4. “Trust no one: for thou dwellest surrounded by deceit on every side.” Their rejection of God is the result of their want of honesty in their dealings with one another 1 John 4:20.

Jeremiah 9:7

I will melt them, and try them - The punishment is corrective rather than retributive. The terms used are those of the refiner of metals, the first being the smelting to separate the pure metal from the ore; the second the testing to see whether the metal is pure, or still mixed with alloy. God will put the nation into the crucible of tribulation, that whatever is evil being consumed in the fire, all there is in them of good may be purified.

For how shall I do ... - Rather, “for how” else could I act with reference to the “daughter of my people?”

Jeremiah 9:8

An arrow shot out - Rather, “a murderous arrow.”

In heart he layeth his wait - Rather, “inwardly he layeth his ambush.”