Jeremiah 4 22

Jeremiah 4:22 kjv

For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.

Jeremiah 4:22 nkjv

"For My people are foolish, They have not known Me. They are silly children, And they have no understanding. They are wise to do evil, But to do good they have no knowledge."

Jeremiah 4:22 niv

"My people are fools; they do not know me. They are senseless children; they have no understanding. They are skilled in doing evil; they know not how to do good."

Jeremiah 4:22 esv

"For my people are foolish; they know me not; they are stupid children; they have no understanding. They are 'wise' ? in doing evil! But how to do good they know not."

Jeremiah 4:22 nlt

"My people are foolish
and do not know me," says the LORD.
"They are stupid children
who have no understanding.
They are clever enough at doing wrong,
but they have no idea how to do right!"

Jeremiah 4 verses

Jeremiah 4 22 Meaning

Jeremiah 4:22 expresses the Lord's profound lament and sorrow over His people, Judah. It signifies their spiritual state as deeply corrupt and devoid of genuine understanding or knowledge of God. Despite being His chosen people, they are characterized by a moral and intellectual foolishness, a lack of discernment that makes them expert in perpetrating evil deeds while remaining utterly ignorant of how to pursue or accomplish good. This verse portrays a complete spiritual inversion, where human cleverness is tragically misdirected toward wickedness, leaving no room for righteousness.

Jeremiah 4 22 Context

Jeremiah chapter 4, where this verse is found, opens with a poignant plea for Judah to return to the Lord and cleanse themselves, warning them of severe consequences if they refuse. The imagery quickly shifts to describe the impending invasion from the North, specifically referring to the Babylonians, portrayed as a devastating whirlwind. Jeremiah expresses his deep anguish over the desolation that is coming upon his beloved land and people.

Jeremiah 4:22, nestled within this prophetic warning and lament, provides the spiritual justification for the approaching judgment. It explains why such calamity is necessary—because God's covenant people, who were meant to embody His truth and wisdom, have fallen into profound spiritual foolishness and moral corruption. Their persistent rebellion, their turning away from the Lord to idols, and their lack of genuine covenant knowledge of Him has led them to a state where they are masters of evil but utterly incapable of good. This moral bankruptcy underlies the physical destruction depicted in the surrounding verses, highlighting that the external disaster is a consequence of their internal spiritual decay. The historical context is Judah in the late 7th and early 6th century BCE, a period marked by moral decline and political instability, under the shadows of rising Babylonian power.

Jeremiah 4 22 Word analysis

• For my people (עַמִּי, ‘ammi): This phrase signifies divine ownership and a deeply relational, covenantal bond. It carries a tone of pathos and deep grief from the Lord. It’s not just any people, but "My people," those chosen by Him and bound to Him by promises and laws, now rejecting that very relationship.
• is foolish (אֱוִיל, ’evvil): This term implies more than a simple lack of intelligence. It refers to a moral and spiritual senselessness, someone who actively despises wisdom and lives without ethical principle. It describes a stubborn obstinacy, a wilful ignorance, and a practical impiety.
• they have not known me (לֹא יָדָעוּנִי, lo' yada'uni): The Hebrew verb yada (to know) here denotes an intimate, experiential, and covenantal knowledge, not just intellectual acquaintance. They had awareness of God but lacked a deep, personal, obedient relationship. Their actions demonstrate a failure to truly acknowledge or respond to God as He truly is. This highlights a fundamental breakdown in their relationship with the divine.
• they are sottish children (בָּנִים סִכְלִים, banim siklim): "Sottish" (from siklim) indicates a stupidity or senselessness, particularly in moral discernment. Likening them to "children" emphasizes their spiritual immaturity and lack of sound judgment, yet ironically they are not innocent but are guilty of deliberate wickedness.
• and they have none understanding (וְאֵין לָהֶם בִּינָה, ve'ein lahem binah): Binah means understanding or discernment, the ability to grasp, analyze, and distinguish, especially between right and wrong. This phrase asserts their utter absence of moral perception, rendering them incapable of seeing and appreciating divine truth.
• they are wise (חֲכָמִים הֵמָּה, chakhamim hemmah): This is a poignant, almost ironic use of chakhamim, which typically means "wise" in a positive sense. Here, their "wisdom" is perverted; they are clever, cunning, and proficient, but in the most destructive way possible.
• to do evil (לְהָרַע, lehara): This specifies the perverse direction of their "wisdom." Their ingenuity, their strategic thinking, their efforts, and their natural abilities are exclusively channeled towards perpetrating wickedness, oppression, and unrighteousness. They are proficient and skillful in their wrongdoing.
• but to do good they have no knowledge (וּלְהֵיטִיב לֹא יָדָעוּ, u'leheitiv lo' yada'u): This statement perfectly balances the previous one. While they are expert in evil, they possess no yada (knowledge/ability) concerning how to act righteously. This isn't just an unwillingness but an actual incapacity born from their deeply corrupted state and severed relationship with God. They lack both the spiritual insight and the moral aptitude for righteousness.

Words-group by words-group analysis

• "My people is foolish, they have not known me": This group highlights the paradox and the tragedy: God's own covenant people, whom He invested in and revealed Himself to, are characterized by fundamental moral folly and a profound absence of experiential knowledge of their God. This emphasizes the betrayal of the relationship.
• "they are sottish children, and they have none understanding": These phrases underscore a profound spiritual immaturity and a complete deficiency in moral discernment. Despite physical maturity, their spiritual state is akin to undeveloped, clueless children when it comes to truth and righteousness.
• "they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge": This is the climax of the indictment, demonstrating a total inversion of divine order. Their intellect and capabilities, which could have been used for God's glory and righteous deeds, have been twisted and honed for destructive ends, leaving them utterly blind and incompetent regarding anything truly good.

Jeremiah 4 22 Bonus section

This verse vividly portrays the spiritual blindness that afflicts those who repeatedly reject the Lord. Their condition is not passive ignorance but an active, cultivated hostility towards truth that gradually incapacitates them for righteousness. It underscores that human intelligence, apart from God-given wisdom, can be perverted to become a tool for sophisticated sin. The "no knowledge" of doing good isn't merely an absence of information, but a moral paralysis, a hardened heart that has lost the spiritual compass and capability to walk in God's ways. This condition ultimately seals their fate, as it removes any internal capacity for repentance, thus making divine judgment both inevitable and just.

Jeremiah 4 22 Commentary

Jeremiah 4:22 serves as a devastating divine lament, unraveling the core spiritual malady afflicting Judah that necessitates God's severe judgment. The Lord expresses profound sorrow and bewilderment that His cherished people, who have been recipient of His divine wisdom and guidance for generations, have devolved into such moral and spiritual idiocy. It's not a commentary on their intellectual capacity but their moral character and spiritual orientation.

The problem is multi-faceted: firstly, their foolishness is an active, stubborn resistance to God's truth. Secondly, their failure to "know" God is not merely ignorance of facts but a rupture of intimate, covenantal relationship; they reject His very being and authority. Thirdly, their being "sottish children" lacking "understanding" reveals a profound absence of moral discernment—they cannot distinguish between good and evil, or more accurately, they choose not to, hardening their hearts against righteousness.

The chilling irony of the verse lies in their perverted "wisdom." They possess ingenuity and cleverness, but tragically, these faculties are exclusively applied to plotting and executing evil. They are highly skilled and efficient at wrongdoing, while simultaneously displaying an utter, alarming ignorance of how to engage in genuine good. This inability to do good arises from their deep alienation from God; true good flows from Him. Thus, without Him, they are rendered spiritually paralyzed in the realm of righteousness. This verse explains the desperate state that only divine intervention, not human reform, could potentially mend, emphasizing the depravity of a heart alienated from its Creator.

Examples:

• A society where intricate financial schemes are devised for illicit gain, yet basic compassion for the vulnerable is lost.
• Individuals meticulously planning vengeance or deceit, while being unable to offer simple forgiveness or act charitably.
• Religious communities where detailed theological arguments justify hatred or division, rather than fostering love and unity.