Jeremiah 42:20 kjv
For ye dissembled in your hearts, when ye sent me unto the LORD your God, saying, Pray for us unto the LORD our God; and according unto all that the LORD our God shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do it.
Jeremiah 42:20 nkjv
For you were hypocrites in your hearts when you sent me to the LORD your God, saying, 'Pray for us to the LORD our God, and according to all that the LORD your God says, so declare to us and we will do it.'
Jeremiah 42:20 niv
that you made a fatal mistake when you sent me to the LORD your God and said, 'Pray to the LORD our God for us; tell us everything he says and we will do it.'
Jeremiah 42:20 esv
that you have gone astray at the cost of your lives. For you sent me to the LORD your God, saying, 'Pray for us to the LORD our God, and whatever the LORD our God says, declare to us and we will do it.'
Jeremiah 42:20 nlt
For you were not being honest when you sent me to pray to the LORD your God for you. You said, 'Just tell us what the LORD our God says, and we will do it!'
Jeremiah 42 20 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah 7:11 | Have this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers? | Accusation of perverting God's house |
| Jeremiah 18:11 | Go therefore, prophesy against the people of Judah and in the cities of Judah. | God's repeated message ignored |
| Jeremiah 29:8-9 | For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets who are among you and your diviners deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that you dream, | Warning against false prophets |
| Isaiah 58:2 | Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, as if it were a nation that righteousness had done, | Superficial righteousness |
| Matthew 6:33 | But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. | True seeking involves God's kingdom |
| Acts 5:3-4 | But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself some of the price of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have conspired together in this deed? | Deception before God |
| Hebrews 4:12 | For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. | God sees the true intentions |
| Romans 2:8-9 | but for those who are factious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. Tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, | Rebellion leads to wrath |
| 1 Corinthians 10:13 | No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide a way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. | God's faithful provision |
| Psalm 78:36-37 | Yet they enticed him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues. Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not true to his covenant. | Insincere devotion |
| 1 John 1:6 | If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. | Walking in darkness |
| James 4:3 | You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. | Asking for wrong reasons |
| Proverbs 28:9 | Whoever turns away his ear from listening to instruction will make even his prayer an abomination. | Prayer without obedience |
| 2 Chronicles 24:19 | Yet he sent prophets to them to bring them back to the Lord. And though they testified against them, he would not listen. | Resistance to God's prophets |
| Hosea 10:2 | Their heart is false; now they must bear their guilt. He will... | False heart |
| Ezekiel 14:3 | Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart and have fixed the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. Should I be consulted by them at all? | Idolatry of the heart |
| Matthew 7:21 | Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. | Doing God's will |
| Deuteronomy 11:26-28 | Behold, I set before you today a blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and a curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way that I command you today, to go after other gods that you have not known. | Conditional promises |
| Joshua 1:8 | This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success. | Meditation and obedience |
| Amos 5:10, 12 | They hate the one who reproves in the gate, and they abhor the one who speaks truthfully. I know how many are your transgressions, and how great are your sins—you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and who turn aside the needy in the gate. | Hating truthful reproof |
Jeremiah 42 verses
Jeremiah 42 20 Meaning
Jeremiah 42:20 reveals a critical self-deception. The people professing to follow God's command were not truly honest with Him or themselves. They sought direction from Jeremiah, implying a desire to obey, but their underlying motive was to have their pre-existing plans validated, even if it meant perverting God's word or rejecting His true will for them. The verse highlights the danger of insincere seeking, where the outward act of inquiry masks an inward resistance to God's sovereign plan.
Jeremiah 42 20 Context
This verse occurs in the aftermath of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Babylonian exile. The remnant of Judah, despite the horrific judgments already executed, has fled to Egypt against Jeremiah's prophetic counsel, which was to remain in Judah. Now, in Egypt, they are facing a crisis and have once again turned to Jeremiah for guidance, ostensibly to inquire of the Lord on their behalf. However, they reveal their underlying agenda: they do not truly desire God's will if it contradicts their own wishes or their established patterns of thought and behavior. Their question to Jeremiah is framed in such a way that suggests they are expecting a specific answer that will confirm their decision to go to Egypt and alleviate their fears, rather than a genuine search for God's path.
Jeremiah 42 20 Word Analysis
- "Then": Refers to the present moment after their arrival in Egypt, signaling a shift to a new action or inquiry.
- "you": Refers to the remnant of Judah who sought counsel from Jeremiah in Mizpah and then accompanied him to Egypt.
- "spake": (Hebrew: dabar) - A general term for speaking or saying, here indicating their vocalization of their request.
- "unto": A preposition indicating the recipient of their words.
- "Jeremiah": The prophet commissioned by God to deliver His messages.
- "saying": (Hebrew: imor) - Introduces the direct speech of the people.
- "of a surety": (Hebrew: batach) - Indicates confidence, security, or trust. They imply they are sure of something.
- "let": (Hebrew: na) - A particle often expressing a request or plea, signifying supplication.
- "our": Pertaining to the group of people speaking.
- "supplication": (Hebrew: thinnah) - An appeal, a plea, a beseeching. It signifies they are earnestly asking.
- "be accepted": (Hebrew: laphi qabowl) - To be received or favorably considered. They want their plea taken seriously.
- "before": (Hebrew: lepanay) - In the presence of or in regard to.
- "thee": The prophet Jeremiah.
- "and": Conjunction connecting clauses.
- "pray": (Hebrew: pala) - To ask or intercede. They want Jeremiah to pray for them.
- "for": In behalf of.
- "us": The collective group.
- "according to": In accordance with or according to the manner of.
- "all": The entirety of something.
- "this": Refers to the current situation or course of action.
- "word": (Hebrew: dabar) - Again, signifies speech, command, or message.
- "that": Conjunction introducing a subordinate clause.
- "goeth": (Hebrew: yatza) - To come forth, go out, or proceed.
- "out": From a source.
- "of thy": Belonging to Jeremiah.
- "mouths": The instrument of speech.
Group Analysis: The phrase "our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us... according to all this word" encapsulates their request. The nuance is that they ask Jeremiah to present their plea as valid ("accepted") and then to pray regarding "this word" that proceeds from his mouth. However, the earlier part of the chapter (Jer 42:1-6) reveals they have instructed Jeremiah to bring back only what the Lord commands, indicating a pre-determined expectation and a limited scope for God's response, showing a lack of openness to any outcome contrary to their desires. Their request is for their intended path to be endorsed by God through Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 42 20 Bonus Section
The people's approach echoes a recurring theme in Israel's history: seeking religious performance or divine sanction for actions driven by personal ambition or fear. Their words imply a demand for validation rather than a humble inquiry. This is distinct from those who genuinely seek God's face with a pure heart, such as David in Psalm 27:4, "One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life." The gravity of their misguided faith is underscored by the fact that they had already demonstrated disobedience by fleeing to Egypt. Their renewed consultation is a superficial attempt to legitimize their wrong path. The ultimate outcome of their refusal to obey Jeremiah's truthful counsel led to their destruction in Egypt, as prophesied by Jeremiah himself, fulfilling the warnings embedded in Deuteronomy regarding the consequences of disobedience.
Jeremiah 42 20 Commentary
Jeremiah 42:20 exposes the fallacy of seeking God's will when the heart is already set on a particular outcome. The people claimed to want divine guidance, yet their entire framing of the request reveals a desire for affirmation, not obedience. They asked Jeremiah to pray "according to all this word," implying the word that aligned with their pre-existing intention. This is a dangerous spiritual state, where prayer becomes a tool for manipulating God into confirming man's decisions, rather than a surrender to His sovereign purpose. True seeking involves an open heart, willing to hear whatever God declares, even if it is contrary to human preference or security. The passage serves as a stark warning against insincerity in approaching God, highlighting that the essence of faith lies not just in asking, but in the readiness to obey the answer received, whatever the cost.