Jeremiah 23:29 kjv
Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?
Jeremiah 23:29 nkjv
"Is not My word like a fire?" says the LORD, "And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?
Jeremiah 23:29 niv
"Is not my word like fire," declares the LORD, "and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?
Jeremiah 23:29 esv
Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?
Jeremiah 23:29 nlt
Does not my word burn like fire?"
says the LORD.
"Is it not like a mighty hammer
that smashes a rock to pieces?
Jeremiah 23 29 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah 23:29 | Is not my word like fire, and like a hammer that breaks the rock? | Directly states the analogy |
| Isaiah 49:2 | And he made my mouth like a sharpened sword; in the shadow of his hand he hid me. | God's word as a weapon |
| Hebrews 4:12 | For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword... | Word of God's power and effect |
| Ephesians 6:17 | and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. | Word as a spiritual weapon |
| Acts 2:37 | Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart... | Word's impact on the audience |
| Zechariah 7:12 | They made their hearts like adamant... | Spiritual hardness described |
| Psalm 95:8 | Harden not your heart, as in the provocation... | Exhortation against hard hearts |
| Jeremiah 5:3 | O Lord, do not your eyes look for truth? You have struck them, but they felt no pain... | Lack of response to chastisement |
| John 12:48 | The word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. | Word's ultimate judgment |
| Romans 2:5 | But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself... | Consequence of a hard heart |
| Isaiah 30:14 | and he breaks it as the pottery of a potter is broken... | Complete destruction |
| Revelation 1:16 | ... and his voice was like the sound of many waters. | Power in God's voice |
| Psalm 119:105 | Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light on my path. | Guidance from God's word |
| Amos 8:11 | Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord GOD, when I will send a famine on the land... | Famine of hearing God's word |
| Isaiah 44:3 | For I will pour water on the thirsty land... | God's refreshing word |
| Jeremiah 6:14 | They have healed a wound lightly, saying, 'Peace, peace,' when there is no peace. | False comfort vs. true word |
| Matthew 13:19 | When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown... | Word not being understood |
| Jeremiah 4:3 | For thus says the LORD to Judah and to Jerusalem, "Break up your fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns." | Preparation for the word |
| Job 41:11 | Who has gone before me, that I must pay him? Everything under heaven is mine. | God's ultimate sovereignty |
| James 1:22 | But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. | Action required for the word |
| Jeremiah 23:29 | and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? | Focus on the breaking action |
Jeremiah 23 verses
Jeremiah 23 29 Meaning
The hammer of God's word effectively breaks the rock of unresponsiveness and sin. It distinguishes the true from the false, exposing the spiritual hardness and defiance that resist divine truth, similar to how a blacksmith uses a hammer to shape metal. This divine dissection reveals the core essence of people's hearts and beliefs.
Jeremiah 23 29 Context
This verse comes from Jeremiah's prophecy during a turbulent period in Judah's history, marked by spiritual decline and political instability. The people were listening to false prophets who offered comfort and superficial solutions, ignoring God's warnings and judgments. Jeremiah's message was often unwelcome and painful because it exposed their sin and the imminent consequences. The chapter deals with the judgment of false shepherds and the promise of a true Shepherd. This verse serves as a powerful illustration of the nature and effect of God's true prophetic word, contrasting it with the empty pronouncements of the false prophets.
Jeremiah 23 29 Word Analysis
- הֲלֹא (Hǎlō'): "Is it not?" or "Surely not?" This rhetorical question expects affirmation, emphasizing the truth of the statement.
- דְּבָרִי (Dəḇārî): "my word." Refers specifically to the pronouncements of God, delivered through His prophets, which carry divine authority.
- כָּאֵשׁ (Kə’āyeṣ): "like fire."
- כְּ (Kə-): "like," "as." A particle of comparison.
- אַשְּׁ (’āyeṣ): "fire." Fire symbolizes purification, judgment, power, and consuming wrath. God's word can purify believers or consume the unrepentant.
- וְכַחֹמֶט (Wəḵāḥōmɛṭ): "and like a hammer."
- וְ (Wə-): "and." Connects the two similes.
- כַּחֹמֶט (ḵāḥōmɛṭ): "like a hammer." A tool used for forceful impact, crushing, and breaking.
- מְנַפֵּץ (Mənapeṣ): "that breaks in pieces," "that shatters." This active participle describes the shattering, pulverizing action of the hammer.
- הַסֶּלַע (Haṣṣɛlaʿ): "the rock."
- הַ (Ha-): The definite article, "the."
- סֶלַע (Sɛlaʿ): "rock," "stone," "cliff." Represents something hard, unyielding, and stubborn. In a spiritual context, it signifies hearts, obstinate sins, or hardened systems that resist divine truth and power.
Words-group analysis:
- "like fire": This connects to divine judgment and purification. The word of God tests and refines, burning away impurity but consuming those who resist it. Think of Elijah calling down fire, or the judgment scenes in Revelation.
- "like a hammer that breaks the rock": This emphasizes the force and destructive power of God's word against resistance. It's not just an illumination but a breaking force against impenitence, spiritual hardness, and rebellion. It shatters deceptive falsehoods and resistant hearts.
Jeremiah 23 29 Bonus Section
The analogy of fire and hammer speaks to both the judgment and the salvation inherent in God's prophetic message. It is not a gentle persuasion alone, but a powerful force designed to reshape or destroy depending on the recipient's response. This verse underscores the prophet's solemn responsibility to deliver God's unvarnished truth, even when it is difficult or unwelcome, for it possesses an intrinsic power to transform or to condemn. The "rock" can be understood as the unyielding hearts of the people, their traditions, or the hard doctrines of false prophets.
Jeremiah 23 29 Commentary
Jeremiah 23:29 poetically illustrates the potent and twofold nature of God's word. It is likened first to fire, signifying its capacity to purify, test, and consume that which is unholy. Like a refining fire, God's word purges sin and refines the faithful. Second, it is compared to a hammer that shatters rock. This imagery speaks to the power of God's truth to break through stubbornness, sin, and impenitence. Where human efforts fail to penetrate hearts hardened by rebellion or false teaching, the word of God, wielded by His Spirit, has the power to shatter this resistance, bring conviction, and effect spiritual transformation or judgment. This contrasts sharply with the powerless, deceptive words of the false prophets.