Jeremiah 5:12 kjv
They have belied the LORD, and said, It is not he; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine:
Jeremiah 5:12 nkjv
They have lied about the LORD, And said, "It is not He. Neither will evil come upon us, Nor shall we see sword or famine.
Jeremiah 5:12 niv
They have lied about the LORD; they said, "He will do nothing! No harm will come to us; we will never see sword or famine.
Jeremiah 5:12 esv
They have spoken falsely of the LORD and have said, 'He will do nothing; no disaster will come upon us, nor shall we see sword or famine.
Jeremiah 5:12 nlt
"They have lied about the LORD
and said, 'He won't bother us!
No disasters will come upon us.
There will be no war or famine.
Jeremiah 5 12 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Deut 29:19-20 | "...walk in the imagination of his own heart, to add drunkenness to thirst: The LORD will not spare him..." | Denying covenant curses while pursuing own will. |
| Is 30:10-11 | "Who say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things..." | Rejection of truthful prophecy. |
| Jer 6:14 | "They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace..." | False prophets denying impending judgment. |
| Jer 8:11 | "For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace..." | Another instance of false prophets offering false peace. |
| Lam 2:14 | "Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee... and have not discovered thine iniquity..." | False prophets failing to reveal truth and avert judgment. |
| Ezek 12:22 | "Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying, The days are prolonged..." | Scoffing at delayed judgment. |
| Ezek 12:27 | "Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, The vision that he seeth is for many days..." | Distant or future judgment perceived as non-existent. |
| Amos 8:2 | "The end is come upon my people of Israel; I will not again pass by them any more." | God's appointed judgment is certain. |
| Zeph 1:12 | "...search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil." | Complacency and disbelief in God's active involvement. |
| Mal 2:17 | "Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD..." | Disbelief and cynical questioning of God's justice. |
| 1 Thess 5:3 | "For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them..." | False sense of security leading to sudden destruction. |
| 2 Pet 3:3-4 | "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers... saying, Where is the promise of his coming?" | Scoffing at the Lord's return and divine intervention. |
| Prov 1:24-33 | "...I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel..." | Consequences of rejecting divine counsel and warnings. |
| Hos 4:6 | "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge..." | Destruction due to rejection of divine truth. |
| Lev 26:14-39 | Detailed list of curses for disobedience, including "sword" and "famine." | God's promised judgments for covenant breaking. |
| Deut 28:15-68 | Comprehensive curses for disobedience, mirroring sword and famine. | Reinforcement of covenant judgments. |
| Is 55:11 | "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void..." | The certainty and efficacy of God's word. |
| Num 23:19 | "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent..." | God's unchangeable nature and faithfulness to His word. |
| Tit 1:2 | "...God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began..." | God's absolute truthfulness. |
| Heb 6:18 | "...it was impossible for God to lie..." | Impossibility of God breaking His word. |
| Jer 14:12 | "When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine..." | God's rejection of insincere worship in the face of disobedience, with specified judgments. |
| Ezek 5:12 | "A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee; and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee..." | Specific breakdown of how judgments of famine and sword will come. |
Jeremiah 5 verses
Jeremiah 5 12 Meaning
Jeremiah 5:12 conveys the profound spiritual deception and arrogance of the people of Judah, who brazenly deny God's divine authority and His warnings of impending judgment. They not only refuse to believe the prophetic word spoken through Jeremiah but also actively assert that the Lord is not the one who dictates events ("It is not He") and that the promised calamities of war and famine will never befall them. This reflects a dangerous self-assurance rooted in unbelief and a profound misrepresentation of God's character and truthfulness.
Jeremiah 5 12 Context
Jeremiah chapter 5 vividly portrays the spiritual corruption pervasive throughout all levels of Judean society, from the common people to the prophets and priests. The prophet is challenged by the Lord to find just one person who deals honestly and seeks truth in Jerusalem (Jer 5:1). However, he finds only those who "refuse to return" (Jer 5:3) and are hardened in their iniquity, breaking God's commands without shame (Jer 5:5-9). Within this context of widespread rebellion, Jeremiah 5:12 speaks to the specific and dangerous attitude of the people: a brazen dismissal of God's character and the divine warnings given through His prophets. They have fallen into such spiritual blindness and self-deception that they believe God is either powerless, uninterested, or incapable of executing the judgments He has proclaimed. Historically, this occurs as the Babylonian Empire rises, threatening Judah's existence, yet the people, swayed by false prophets promising peace, remain stubbornly defiant of Jeremiah's call to repentance and his warnings of imminent destruction by sword and famine.
Jeremiah 5 12 Word analysis
They have belied: The Hebrew word is kachash (כָּחַשׁ), meaning to lie, deny, deceive, or to be false to. Here, it denotes an active and deliberate falsehood. The people are not merely ignorant; they are intentionally misrepresenting or falsifying the truth about God. This is an act of disloyalty and contempt, a betrayal of the covenant relationship. It signifies not just disagreement, but a profound spiritual deception where they try to prove God wrong or ineffective.
the Lord: The divine name YHWH (יְהוָה) is used, signifying the covenant God of Israel. The denial is specifically against Him, the One who is faithful to His promises and warnings. This highlights the magnitude of their sin—it is a direct affront to the character and sovereignty of the Almighty.
and said: This phrase emphasizes their open declaration, their verbal rejection. It’s not just a thought but an utterance, a public pronouncement of their unbelief and defiance.
It is not he; The Hebrew hu lo (הוּא לֹא) is emphatic, literally "He not!" This statement carries several layers of meaning:
- Denial of agency: "He is not the one doing this," meaning God is not active in judgment or is not speaking through Jeremiah.
- Denial of character: "He is not who you say He is," meaning God is not severe or righteous enough to bring such calamities.
- Denial of existence/power: A deep-seated practical atheism or a dismissal of His sovereignty over events. They imply He cannot or will not intervene.
neither shall evil come upon us; The Hebrew word ra'ah (רָעָה) often means calamity, disaster, or affliction in this context. This is a direct dismissal of the prophecies of judgment. They believe themselves immune to the consequences of their actions, exhibiting extreme complacency and presumption. This phrase reveals their profound overconfidence in their security, stemming from a refusal to believe God's word.
neither shall we see sword nor famine: These two specific judgments (sword meaning war/conquest and famine meaning scarcity/starvation) were core elements of the covenant curses outlined in Lev 26 and Deut 28, frequently announced by prophets as consequences for Israel's unfaithfulness. By denying their occurrence, they directly refute God's established warnings and His capacity to bring about judgment as His word declared. It shows a profound disregard for the consequences of covenant disobedience.
Words-group Analysis:
- "They have belied the Lord, and said, It is not he;": This powerful statement reveals a deliberate spiritual falsification and a rejection of God's active involvement and identity. It is a rebellion against divine revelation itself, portraying God as inactive or as having no authority over the affairs of His people.
- "neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine:": This sequence illustrates the people's deeply ingrained false security and self-deception. They dismiss specific divine judgments foretold by the prophets, including war and starvation, believing they are immune. This demonstrates their arrogant refusal to heed warnings and repent, banking instead on a self-constructed illusion of peace.
Jeremiah 5 12 Bonus section
This verse powerfully reveals a consistent pattern in human history and rebellion against God: the tendency to create a god in one's own image, one who is less demanding, less just, and certainly not capable of bringing judgment. The phrase "It is not he" represents a wish-fulfillment theology where people define God's attributes based on their comfort rather than divine revelation. This rejection is a core characteristic of an unrepentant heart, where self-will takes precedence over divine will, and spiritual delusion leads to physical catastrophe. It underlines the seriousness of unbelief, not merely as an intellectual oversight, but as an active, destructive posture against the living God and His declared word. The denial of specific, tangible consequences like sword and famine illustrates the practical consequences of their theological rebellion.
Jeremiah 5 12 Commentary
Jeremiah 5:12 lays bare the extreme spiritual blindness and hardened hearts of God's people. It is a terrifying glimpse into a people who, despite covenant relationship and persistent prophetic warnings, choose to actively deny the very truthfulness and active involvement of the Lord. Their declaration, "It is not he," encapsulates not just doubt but a defiant dismissal of God as the sovereign one who orchestrates events and upholds justice. They preferred the comforting lies of false prophets over the discomforting truth of divine judgment. This verse vividly illustrates the grave danger of self-deception and spiritual apathy. When God's people refuse to acknowledge His word and power, believing themselves impervious to His judgments (like the promised sword and famine), they stand on the brink of utter destruction. This mindset is a profound rejection of faith, substituting divine reality with human presumption, leading inevitably to the very "evil" they claimed would not come upon them.