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Then I said, “They are only the poor; they have played the fool, for they do not know the way of the LORD, the justice of their God.
Jeremiah 5:4 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB Then I said, “Surely these are poor. They are foolish; for they don’t know the way of Yahweh, nor the law of their God.
  • KJV Therefore I said, Surely these are poor; they are foolish: for they know not the way of the LORD, nor the judgment of their God.
  • ESV Then I said, “These are only the poor; they have no sense; for they do not know the way of the LORD, the justice of their God.
  • NKJV Therefore I said, “Surely these are poor. They are foolish; For they do not know the way of the Lord, The judgment of their God.
  • NASB ¶Then I said, “They are only the poor, They are foolish; For they do not know the way of the Lord Or the judgment of their God.
  • NLT Then I said, “But what can we expect from the poor? They are ignorant. They don’t know the ways of the Lord. They don’t understand God’s laws.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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

David is thirty when he begins to reign and rules for forty years. The summary frames the length and significance of his reign.

Overview

This formula records David's age at accession and the total span of his rule, a full and complete reign of forty years. The note marks David as established in God's appointed time. His long, God-blessed reign became the standard against which later kings were measured and the pattern for the everlasting kingdom promised to his greater Son.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 8

  • Jer 8:7Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons. The turtledove, the swift, and the thrush keep their time of migration, but My people do not know the requirements of the LORD.
  • Hos 4:6My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you as My priests. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children.
  • Matt 11:5The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.
  • Isa 28:9–13Whom is He trying to teach? To whom is He explaining His message? To infants just weaned from milk? To babies removed from the breast?
  • Isa 27:11When its limbs are dry, they are broken off. Women come and use them for kindling; for this is a people without understanding. Therefore their Maker has no compassion on them, and their Creator shows them no favor.
  • Jer 4:22“For My people are fools; they have not known Me. They are foolish children, without understanding. They are skilled in doing evil, but they know not how to do good.”
  • Jer 7:8But look, you keep trusting in deceptive words to no avail.
  • John 7:48–49“Have any of the rulers or Pharisees believed in Him?

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

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 5:4YouTube · 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 5:4 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.