Jeremiah 18 18

Jeremiah 18:18 kjv

Then said they, Come and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words.

Jeremiah 18:18 nkjv

Then they said, "Come and let us devise plans against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come and let us attack him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words."

Jeremiah 18:18 niv

They said, "Come, let's make plans against Jeremiah; for the teaching of the law by the priest will not cease, nor will counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophets. So come, let's attack him with our tongues and pay no attention to anything he says."

Jeremiah 18:18 esv

Then they said, "Come, let us make plots against Jeremiah, for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, let us strike him with the tongue, and let us not pay attention to any of his words."

Jeremiah 18:18 nlt

Then the people said, "Come on, let's plot a way to stop Jeremiah. We have plenty of priests and wise men and prophets. We don't need him to teach the word and give us advice and prophecies. Let's spread rumors about him and ignore what he says."

Jeremiah 18 verses

Jeremiah 18 18 Meaning

They will say to me, “Is it not from his father or his mother, or from his brother or from his sister, that we have a blood relation?” Jeremiah is directly quoting his adversaries’ objection to his prophecy of Judah’s impending doom. Their reasoning was that the community, defined by familial ties, could not possibly be utterly destroyed or abandoned by God. This verse encapsulates their disbelief that God would sever the covenant relationship that extended even to families and ancestral lineage.

Jeremiah 18 18 Context

In Jeremiah chapter 18, the prophet is sent by God to the potter's house, a vivid object lesson illustrating God's sovereignty over the nations. Just as the potter can reshape a lump of clay, God can change His decree of judgment or salvation based on a nation's response to Him. Jeremiah then applies this to Judah. He prophesies impending disaster due to their persistent sinfulness, which includes idolatry, injustice, and violence. The people's response, as detailed in verses 13-17, is hardened and resistant. They attribute their predicament to Jeremiah's unpopular pronouncements rather than their own transgressions. Verse 18 directly presents their rejection of Jeremiah’s message, attributing their potential destruction not to their sins but to a misunderstanding of God's covenantal faithfulness towards families. They believed God's covenant was so intrinsically tied to lineage and family structures that a complete abandonment and destruction seemed unthinkable.

Jeremiah 18 18 Word Analysis

• כִּֽי־ (ki): "for," "because." This conjunction introduces the reason or basis for their disbelief and accusation.
• מֵאֵ֥ת (me'et): "from," "from the hand of." Indicates origin or source.
• אָבִ֥י (avi): "my father."
• וְאִמִּ֖י (wə'immi): "and my mother." Together, "father" and "mother" represent the foundational familial unit.
• אִ֣ם (im): "if," or in this negative context, functioning as "or."
• אֲחִֽי־ (achi): "my brother."
• וְאִחִ֣י (wə'ihi): "and my brother." While this translates as "my brother," the repeated emphasis on sibling connection ("brother or sister") highlights the familial bonds they held sacred and saw as impermeable to divine judgment. The use of different roots for "brother" here isn't significant in terms of theological meaning but represents common possessive forms.
• וְאִם־ (wə'im): "and if," again functioning as "or."
• אָחִ֑י (ahi): "my sister." This represents the closest blood relatives, the pillars of their communal and identity structure.
• נִֽיהֲלֵנוּּ֙ (ni Haleyhû): "we have a kinsman." The Hebrew verb root here (יהל) is rare, with most modern scholars understanding it as related to the idea of holding kinship or belonging to a family group, likely derived from "to carry" or "to support." It emphasizes their claim of belonging through shared bloodline and lineage.

Word-group Analysis:

• "From father or my mother, or my brother or my sister": This phrase meticulously lists the closest family members, representing the core of their biological and social identity. Their argument rests on the assumption that divine favor or at least continuity, is guaranteed through such strong familial connections, believing these ties were inseparable from God's covenant.
• "We have a kinsman": This statement summarizes their entire argument. They claim a "kinsman" (Go'el in a broader sense, though not necessarily the specific redeemer role) which implies their legitimate membership within God’s covenant people. They believed their shared lineage with Abraham ensured God's protection and continuation of the covenant regardless of individual behavior, a flawed understanding of covenant which missed the element of required faithfulness.

Jeremiah 18 18 Bonus Section

This accusation by the people highlights a recurring theme in the Old Testament: the temptation to rely on external religious observances or birthright rather than internal faith and obedience. Their misunderstanding anticipates later theological discussions, particularly concerning election and covenant. While God's faithfulness is a cornerstone, it is always in conjunction with a people called to holiness and obedience. The New Testament further expands this understanding, showing that true kinship with God comes through faith in Jesus Christ, who is the ultimate kinsman-redeemer (Hebrews 2:14-18), establishing a new covenant not based on physical lineage but on spiritual adoption through Christ (Galatians 4:4-7). Jeremiah's prophecy serves as a perpetual reminder that religious or familial affiliation is meaningless without a heart committed to God.

Jeremiah 18 18 Commentary

The people of Judah, faced with Jeremiah's prophecy of judgment, are using familial ties as a shield against the impending doom. Their logic is: "Surely, God would not abandon an entire nation, which is comprised of families bound by blood, a lineage that includes my father, my mother, my brother, my sister." They are asserting a perceived permanence in their national identity and God's covenant based on physical descent, failing to grasp that covenantal relationship with God requires active obedience and faith, not just inherited lineage. This verse reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of God’s relationship with His people. God’s covenant is not merely a familial or nationalistic agreement; it is a relational covenant dependent on loyalty, obedience, and true worship. Their objection is a theological miscalculation, equating blood ties with unconditional divine preservation, which ultimately reveals their spiritual blindness and lack of true faith in Yahweh, who could (and did) judge even the lineage if the sin was pervasive. Their argument would also be confronted by the prophetic concept of individual responsibility, as highlighted in Ezekiel 18, which teaches that each person is accountable for their own sin, regardless of their parentage.