Jeremiah 10 15

Jeremiah 10:15 kjv

They are vanity, and the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.

Jeremiah 10:15 nkjv

They are futile, a work of errors; In the time of their punishment they shall perish.

Jeremiah 10:15 niv

They are worthless, the objects of mockery; when their judgment comes, they will perish.

Jeremiah 10:15 esv

They are worthless, a work of delusion; at the time of their punishment they shall perish.

Jeremiah 10:15 nlt

Idols are worthless; they are ridiculous lies!
On the day of reckoning they will all be destroyed.

Jeremiah 10 verses

Jeremiah 10 15 Meaning

Jeremiah 10:15 succinctly declares the inherent futility and eventual demise of idols. These carved or molded images are inherently valueless and utterly deceptive, designed to mislead and offer false hope. Their transient nature will be definitively revealed when God's predetermined time for judgment arrives, leading to their absolute destruction and the nullification of any trust placed in them.

Jeremiah 10 15 Context

Jeremiah 10:15 is embedded within a powerful poetic and prophetic declaration that sharply contrasts the incomparability and sovereignty of the Lord with the utter helplessness and foolishness of idols. Chapter 10 begins with a warning against adopting the practices of pagan nations regarding their worship of natural phenomena and their manufacture of gods from wood and silver. Verses 6-13 extoll the singular greatness of the Lord—His creative power, His eternal nature, and His absolute authority over all creation. Immediately preceding verse 15, verse 14 explicitly states the folly of idol makers: "Every man is stupid and without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols, for his images are a lie, and there is no breath in them." Verse 15 thus serves as a culminating verdict on these idols, prophesying their certain downfall. This whole section is a direct polemic against the pervasive idolatry rampant in Judah during Jeremiah's ministry, at a time when the people were constantly drawn to the false gods of their powerful neighbors and historical enemies.

Jeremiah 10 15 Word analysis

• They are worthless (הֶבֶל הֵמָּה, hevel hemma):
  • הֶבֶל (hevel): Means 'breath,' 'vapor,' 'vanity,' 'emptiness,' 'futility,' or 'absurdity.' It conveys a profound sense of lacking substance, ultimate pointlessness, and ephemeral nature. The same word is central to Ecclesiastes' theme of "vanity of vanities," emphasizing the emptiness of earthly pursuits apart from God.
  • הֵמָּה (hemma): 'They are' or 'they' themselves. Directly identifies the idols as inherently empty.
  • Significance: This isn't just a critique of what idols do, but what they are. Their very essence is nothingness. They are literally "a breath" – gone quickly, unsubstantial.
• a work of delusion (מַעֲשֵׂה תַתֻּעִים, ma'aseh ta'tu'im):
  • מַעֲשֵׂה (ma'aseh): 'Work,' 'deed,' 'product,' or 'fabrication.' Indicates they are human-made objects.
  • תַתֻּעִים (ta'tu'im): A rarer word, suggesting 'deceptions,' 'delusions,' 'mockery,' 'scorn,' or 'utter worthlessness.' It implies a cunning act to mislead.
  • Significance: Idols are not just useless but actively deceptive. They don't merely fail to help; they lead people astray through false promises of protection or power, actively fabricating an illusion of divinity.
• in the time of their punishment (בְּעֵת פְּקֻדָּתָם, be'et pequddatam):
  • בְּעֵת (be'et): 'In the time of' or 'at the appointed time.' Denotes a specific, divinely ordained moment.
  • פְּקֻדָּתָם (pequddatam): From the root פָּקַד (paqad), meaning 'to visit,' 'to appoint,' 'to muster,' or 'to punish.' When referring to God, 'visitation' can be for blessing or, as here, for judgment or accountability. It means the time when an accounting is demanded and judgment is executed.
  • Significance: This emphasizes that their destruction is not arbitrary but according to a divine schedule and as a consequence of their true nature being exposed by God's judgment. It implies God's active involvement in their demise.
• they shall perish. (יאֹבֵדוּ, yo'vedu):
  • יאֹבֵדוּ (yo'vedu): From the root אָבַד (avad), meaning 'to perish,' 'to be lost,' 'to be destroyed,' or 'to cease to exist.'
  • Significance: This is an absolute statement of finality. The idols will not just become inactive; they will utterly cease to exist in any meaningful or perceived form. Their end is total and conclusive, highlighting God's supremacy over all false gods.

• Words-group analysis:
  • "They are worthless, a work of delusion": This phrase together exposes the twin failures of idols: intrinsic emptiness ("worthless") and active misleading ("a work of delusion"). They lack both substance and integrity. This points to their inability to provide any genuine spiritual or practical benefit.
  • "in the time of their punishment they shall perish": This conjunction connects God's sovereign timing with the ultimate fate of the idols. It is not by accident or human initiative that they will fail, but by a decisive, divine act of judgment. The consequence for all that is worthless and delusive is ultimate annihilation in the face of God's holy wrath. This establishes a clear cause-and-effect relationship, ordained by God.

Jeremiah 10 15 Bonus section

• The Hebrew word for "perish," avad, often implies a definitive and permanent destruction, contrasting sharply with the eternal nature of the God of Israel. It signifies their complete dissolution and absence from existence as viable objects of worship or power.
• This verse stands as a powerful testament against any form of worship or trust placed in created things over the Creator. In a New Testament context, "idolatry" extends beyond physical images to include anything that takes God's rightful place in the heart, such as greed (Col 3:5), materialism, or self-worship. These, too, are "worthless" and a "delusion" that will ultimately "perish" in the face of God's final judgment.
• The contrast between the silent, unmoving, and ultimately perishing idols and the "living God" (Jer 10:10) who made the earth by His power and sustains it by His wisdom is central to the passage's polemic. The idols offer no life, breath, or help; the Lord is the source of all.

Jeremiah 10 15 Commentary

Jeremiah 10:15 delivers a crushing verdict against idolatry. It encapsulates the profound truth that anything elevated to a place of worship besides the living God is fundamentally without value. These human creations are not merely neutral, but actively contribute to delusion, steering people away from the truth. The prophet declares a certain, future "time of their punishment" – a divine visitation and reckoning where their true impotence will be fully exposed, leading to their complete and utter destruction. This serves as both a stern warning to those who trust in such empty things and a magnificent affirmation of Yahweh's unparalleled power and sovereignty over all supposed deities. The idols will perish not through decay, but through an active, judicial sentence from the true God, unable to save themselves or their misguided worshippers.