Jeremiah 4 10

Jeremiah 4:10 kjv

Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul.

Jeremiah 4:10 nkjv

Then I said, "Ah, Lord GOD! Surely You have greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, Saying, 'You shall have peace,' Whereas the sword reaches to the heart."

Jeremiah 4:10 niv

Then I said, "Alas, Sovereign LORD! How completely you have deceived this people and Jerusalem by saying, 'You will have peace,' when the sword is at our throats!"

Jeremiah 4:10 esv

Then I said, "Ah, Lord GOD, surely you have utterly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, 'It shall be well with you,' whereas the sword has reached their very life."

Jeremiah 4:10 nlt

Then I said, "O Sovereign LORD,
the people have been deceived by what you said,
for you promised peace for Jerusalem.
But the sword is held at their throats!"

Jeremiah 4 verses

Jeremiah 4 10 Meaning

Jeremiah 4:10 records the prophet Jeremiah's profound and anguished lament to God, expressing his bewilderment and distress. He asserts that the Lord GOD has allowed Judah and Jerusalem to be utterly deceived by false promises of peace (shalom), while the reality of impending divine judgment, personified by the "sword," is about to reach their very essence of life, bringing total destruction. It reveals Jeremiah's wrestling with the paradoxical nature of God's judgment, where deluding influences are permitted to run their course before the inevitable catastrophe.

Jeremiah 4 10 Context

Jeremiah 4 is part of a series of prophecies announcing impending judgment from a powerful northern enemy, commonly understood as Babylon, against Judah and Jerusalem. Following urgent calls for repentance in verses 1-4, which were largely ignored, the tone shifts abruptly to graphic descriptions of invasion, devastation, and despair (vv. 5-9). The land is becoming a wasteland, the cities besieged, and the people gripped by terror. Amidst this unfolding doom and the nation's spiritual blindness, Jeremiah laments this specific verse. The historical backdrop is Judah's increasing moral corruption, idolatry, and reliance on deceptive prophecies promising continued peace and security, despite God's repeated warnings through Jeremiah and other true prophets. The people had a false sense of security, believing God would never allow Jerusalem or His Temple to be destroyed, even as their sinfulness provoked His wrath. Jeremiah's cry directly addresses the devastating disconnect between this false hope of peace and the imminent, brutal reality of God's judgment.

Jeremiah 4 10 Word analysis

• Then I said: This marks Jeremiah's direct speech, a personal, agonizing interjection or lament (Hebrew vay-yomar). It highlights the prophet's profound personal engagement and emotional burden as he mediates between God's declared judgment and his people's tragic fate.
• Ah, Lord GOD! (אָהּ אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה - 'ah Adonay Yahweh):
  • אָהּ ('ah): An interjection of distress, lament, or exasperation, conveying profound grief, pain, or perplexity.
  • אֲדֹנָי ('Adonay): The personal title meaning "My Lord" or "My Master," denoting ownership and supreme authority.
  • יְהוִה (Yahweh): The ineffable, covenant name of God, revealing His personal, unchanging, and faithful character. The combination "Lord GOD" emphasizes God's sovereign authority as Master, invoked with an acute sense of despair and desperate questioning concerning His actions or permissions, often found in prophetic laments (e.g., Amos 7:2, 5).
• Surely You have greatly deceived (הָכֵּא הִשִּׁיְאטָהּ - hakkei hisshi'eta):
  • הִשִּׁיְא (hishi): The verb is נָשָׁא (nasha), meaning "to lift," "to beguile," "to deceive." Here it is in the Hiphil conjugation, meaning "to cause to forget," "to mislead," or "to deceive."
  • הָכֵּא (hakkei): The infinitive absolute intensifying the main verb, meaning "surely," "utterly," "greatly."
  • This phrase is critical. It does not imply God literally lied or maliciously tricked His people. Instead, it refers to God's sovereign permission and orchestration of circumstances where people, due to their persistent disobedience and rejection of truth, were allowed to be deceived by false prophets who proclaimed peace. This is a form of divine judgment, giving people over to the lies they preferred, rather than the difficult truth from Jeremiah. It reflects a biblical principle where God permits spiritual delusion as a consequence of prolonged rebellion.
• this people and Jerusalem: The direct objects of the perceived deception. Jeremiah speaks of the entire population of Judah and its capital, the spiritual and political center, indicating a comprehensive judgment.
• saying, 'You shall have peace,' (שָׁלוֹם יִהְיֶה לָכֶם - shalom yihyeh lakhem):
  • שָׁלוֹם (shalom): Peace, but in a holistic biblical sense encompassing welfare, prosperity, health, security, completeness, and wholeness. Here, it is the false message of comfort and security propagated by false prophets, promising that God would not permit destruction, which created a dangerous complacency.
• whereas the sword (וְהַחֶרֶב - v'hacherev):
  • חֶרֶב (cherev): "Sword," a direct symbol of war, destruction, violent death, and divine judgment, especially in prophetic literature (cf. Jer. 9:16). It directly contrasts with the promised shalom.
• reaches (נָגַע - naga): To touch, reach, strike, or affect. Implies a direct and inescapable impact.
• to the soul (עַד הַנֶּפֶשׁ - ad hanephesh):
  • נֶּפֶשׁ (nephesh): Can mean breath, life, person, being, or soul. Here, it denotes the vital essence of life, the core being. "Reaching to the soul" signifies a deadly blow, total destruction that affects life itself, not merely superficial damage. It is a fatal, ultimate consequence, threatening the very existence of the people.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "Ah, Lord GOD! Surely You have greatly deceived this people...": This encapsulates Jeremiah's anguished rhetorical challenge to God. He views God as orchestrating a profound irony where divine judgment takes the form of allowing deceptive messages, leaving His chosen people utterly unprepared for disaster. It is a moment of prophetic theological wrestling, struggling to reconcile God's character with perceived divine actions.
• "...and Jerusalem, saying, 'You shall have peace,'...": This highlights the specific content of the deception. The promise of "peace" (security, welfare) was the comforting lie, the counter-narrative to Jeremiah's prophecies of destruction. This false peace lulled the people into a dangerous complacency, reinforcing their rejection of the true divine message and justifying their sinful ways.
• "...whereas the sword reaches to the soul.": This delivers the brutal, unvarnished reality contrasting the false promise. The "sword" (war, death, judgment) will not just wound them lightly, but will strike nephesh (their very life, essence), meaning ultimate, fatal devastation. It emphasizes the complete and existential nature of the impending judgment.

Jeremiah 4 10 Bonus section

The profound struggle expressed in Jeremiah 4:10 illustrates a recurring theme in Scripture: the tension between divine sovereignty and human responsibility. While God is not a deceiver, His active permission of delusion serves as an instrument of judgment against those who have wilfully rejected truth. This shows His justice, allowing people to reap what they sow – a harvest of lies for sowing rejection of truth. It also foreshadows Christ's parables of hidden truth for those whose hearts are hardened (Matt. 13:13-15). Jeremiah's lament also showcases the heavy burden of the prophet, who deeply grieves for his people's fate even while faithfully delivering God's severe message. It’s a painful example of standing between a holy God and a rebellious people, experiencing the anguish of both.

Jeremiah 4 10 Commentary

Jeremiah 4:10 captures a profound moment of spiritual crisis and prophetic intercession. Jeremiah's anguished cry, "Ah, Lord GOD! Surely You have greatly deceived this people," is not an accusation of God lying, but rather a wrestling with God's sovereign yet complex ways of judgment. In His righteous anger against persistent rebellion and idolatry, God allowed His people to be lulled into a false sense of security by false prophets who promised "peace" where there was none. This permissive "deception" served as a punitive consequence for their deliberate refusal to heed the truth and their preference for lies. The theological tension highlights that for a people determined to reject truth, God's judgment can include delivering them to the very delusions they embrace (Rom. 1:24, 2 Thess. 2:11). The stark reality, juxtaposed with the false hope, is the coming "sword," representing the full weight of God's destructive judgment, which will penetrate to the "soul," signifying ultimate, existential devastation and the complete loss of life and well-being. Jeremiah's lament underlines the danger of false security and the terrible consequences when a people collectively reject divine truth, choosing comfortable lies that lead to inescapable ruin.