“But if you refuse to obey the Lord your God, and if you say, ‘We will not stay here;
Parallel translations
- WEB “‘But if you say, “We will not dwell in this land;” so that you don’t obey Yahweh your God’s voice,
- KJV But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey the voice of the LORD your God,
- BSB But if you say, ‘We will not stay in this land,’ and you thus disobey the voice of the LORD your God,
- NKJV “But if you say, ‘We will not dwell in this land,’ disobeying the voice of the Lord your God,
- NASB But if you are going to say, “We will not stay in this land,” so as not to listen to the voice of the Lord your God,
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
God warns against the alternative of refusing to stay and disobeying His voice. He sets the dangerous path plainly before them.
Overview
The LORD anticipates the people's resistance, addressing the option of saying 'We will not dwell in this land.' Naming their likely disobedience exposes the issue as a matter of heeding God's voice. The verse turns from gracious promise to solemn warning, making clear that refusing God's word is rebellion with grave consequences.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Jer 44:16“As for the word that you have spoken to us in Yahweh’s name, we will not listen to you.
- Exod 5:2Pharaoh said, “Who is Yahweh, that I should listen to his voice to let Israel go? I don’t know Yahweh, and moreover I will not let Israel go.”
- Jer 42:10‘If you will still live in this land, then I will build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up; for I grieve over the distress that I have brought on you.
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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 42:13 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
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