Jeremiah 10: Edit history

Jeremiah 10 is commonly regarded as the conclusion of the Temple Sermon section (chapters 7–10), which begins in chapter 7. Following the close of Jeremiah 9, where the LORD declares that He will punish circumcised Judah together with the nations, this chapter sets the idols of the nations against the LORD.

Structure

• Verses 1–5 The people are told not to learn the way of the nations and not to be dismayed at the signs of heaven. An idol is a tree cut from the forest, decked with silver and gold and fastened with nails; it can neither speak nor walk, and it can do neither evil nor good.
• Verses 6–10 The LORD is praised as incomparable and is called the "King of nations." Unlike idols adorned with silver from Tarshish and gold from Uphaz and clothed in blue and purple, the LORD is the true God, the living God, and an everlasting king.
• Verse 11 The people are instructed to tell the nations that the gods who did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish.
• Verses 12–16 The LORD made the earth and the heavens by His power, wisdom, and understanding, and He governs the rain, the lightning, and the wind. The goldsmith who fashions idols is put to shame, but "the portion of Jacob" is the LORD of hosts, the maker of all things.
• Verses 17–18 Those under siege are told to gather up their belongings, for the LORD declares that He will sling out the inhabitants of the land.
• Verses 19–22 A lament is raised over the wound of a tent torn down and children who have gone away. Because the shepherds have become brutish, the flock is scattered, and a great commotion out of the north country will make the cities of Judah a den of jackals.
• Verses 23–25 The speaker confesses that the way of man is not in himself. He asks to be corrected with judgment rather than in anger, and prays that the LORD's fury be poured out on the nations that have devoured Jacob.

Key Verses

• Jeremiah 10:10 "But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king" — the confession in which the chapter's entire critique of idolatry culminates.
• Jeremiah 10:12 "He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom" — showing that being the Creator is what distinguishes the true God from idols.
• Jeremiah 10:23 "The way of man is not in himself" — widely quoted as a confession of human limitation and of dependence on God's guidance.

People and Places

• The LORD — portrayed as the Creator and everlasting King, in contrast to idols.
• Jacob — used in this chapter as a name for the people of Israel as a whole.
• Jeremiah (prophet) — although he is not named in the text, he is commonly understood to be the speaker of the lament and prayer from verse 19 onward.
• Tarshish — a distant region mentioned as a source of silver; its exact location is debated.
• Uphaz — mentioned as a source of gold, though its location is uncertain.
• The north — the direction from which disaster comes, commonly interpreted as referring to the army of Babylon.

Points for Reflection

• Verse 11 is the only verse in the Book of Jeremiah written in Aramaic rather than Hebrew. Various explanations have been offered for this.
• Verses 12–16 are nearly identical to Jeremiah 51:15–19, and verse 25 is nearly identical to Psalm 79:6–7.
• The satirical description of how idols are made resembles that of Isaiah 44.
• Some claim that verses 3–4 forbid Christmas trees. The common interpretation, however, is that the passage describes an idol carved from wood, overlaid with silver and gold, and set up as a god.
• The wording of verse 7, "Who would not fear thee, O King of nations?", resembles the song in Revelation 15:3–4.
• The contrast between idols and "the living God" also appears in 1 Thessalonians 1:9.