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But if you do not obey these words, then I swear by Myself, declares the LORD, that this house will become a pile of rubble.’”
Jeremiah 22:5 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB But if you will not hear these words, I swear by myself,” says Yahweh, “that this house shall become a desolation.”’”
  • KJV But if ye will not hear these words, I swear by myself, saith the LORD, that this house shall become a desolation.
  • NKJV But if you will not hear these words, I swear by Myself,” says the Lord, “that this house shall become a desolation.” ’ ”
  • NASB But if you will not obey these words, I swear by Myself,” declares the Lord, “that this house will become a place of ruins.” ’ ”
  • NLT But if you refuse to pay attention to this warning, I swear by my own name, says the Lord, that this palace will become a pile of rubble.’”

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

If the kings refuse to obey, God swears the palace will become a ruin. Persistent disobedience guarantees desolation.

Overview

God binds the warning with an oath sworn by Himself, the strongest possible assurance, that the royal house faces ruin if it spurns His word. The solemnity underscores that the choice between blessing and judgment is real and weighty. History confirmed the warning when Jerusalem fell, demonstrating that God's threats, like His promises, are utterly certain.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 17

  • Amos 6:8The Lord GOD has sworn by Himself—the LORD, the God of Hosts, has declared: “I abhor Jacob’s pride and detest his citadels, so I will deliver up the city and everything in it.”
  • Jer 17:27But if you do not listen to Me to keep the Sabbath day holy by not carrying a load while entering the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle an unquenchable fire in its gates to consume the citadels of Jerusalem.’”
  • Heb 6:13When God made His promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater to swear by, He swore by Himself,
  • Gen 22:16saying, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your only son,
  • Deut 32:40–42For I lift up My hand to heaven and declare: As surely as I live forever,
  • Jer 7:13–14And now, because you have done all these things, declares the LORD, and because I have spoken to you again and again but you would not listen, and I have called to you but you would not answer,
  • Isa 1:20But if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
  • Jer 26:6–9then I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city an object of cursing among all the nations of the earth.’”
  • Jer 39:8The Chaldeans set fire to the palace of the king and to the houses of the people, and they broke down the walls of Jerusalem.
  • 2 Chr 7:19But if you turn away and forsake the statutes and commandments I have set before you, and if you go off to serve and worship other gods,
  • Heb 3:18And to whom did He swear that they would never enter His rest? Was it not to those who disobeyed?
  • Amos 8:7–8The LORD has sworn by the Pride of Jacob: “I will never forget any of their deeds.
  • Heb 6:17So when God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of the promise, He guaranteed it with an oath.
  • Num 14:28–30So tell them: As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you exactly as I heard you say.
  • 2 Chr 7:22And others will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—because of this, He has brought all this disaster upon them.’”
  • Ps 95:11So I swore on oath in My anger, “They shall never enter My rest.”
  • Mic 3:12Therefore, because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, and the temple mount a wooded ridge.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Jeremiah videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Jeremiah 22:5YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on JeremiahMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Against the failure of false shepherds Jeremiah promises the Righteous Branch, 'The LORD our righteousness,' and the new covenant written on the heart and sealed in the blood of Christ.

How Jeremiah 22:5 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.