Jeremiah 5:14 kjv
Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.
Jeremiah 5:14 nkjv
Therefore thus says the LORD God of hosts: "Because you speak this word, Behold, I will make My words in your mouth fire, And this people wood, And it shall devour them.
Jeremiah 5:14 niv
Therefore this is what the LORD God Almighty says: "Because the people have spoken these words, I will make my words in your mouth a fire and these people the wood it consumes.
Jeremiah 5:14 esv
Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of hosts: "Because you have spoken this word, behold, I am making my words in your mouth a fire, and this people wood, and the fire shall consume them.
Jeremiah 5:14 nlt
Therefore, this is what the LORD God of Heaven's Armies says: "Because the people are talking like this,
my messages will flame out of your mouth
and burn the people like kindling wood.
Jeremiah 5 14 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Deut 4:24 | For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. | God's nature as consuming fire |
| Deut 32:22 | For a fire is kindled in My anger, and shall burn to the lowest Hell... | Divine judgment likened to a burning fire |
| Heb 12:29 | For our God is a consuming fire. | Echoes God's nature as fire in NT |
| Jer 1:9-10 | Then the LORD put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me... See, I have this day set you over the nations... to root out and to pull down... to build and to plant. | God's word in prophet's mouth has power |
| Jer 20:9 | But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones... | Prophet internalizes God's burning word |
| Jer 23:29 | "Is not My word like a fire?" says the LORD, "And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?" | God's word is powerfully destructive & refining |
| Amos 1:4 | But I will send a fire upon the house of Hazael, which shall devour the palaces of Ben-Hadad. | Fire as an instrument of national judgment |
| Zeph 3:8 | Therefore wait for Me," says the LORD... "For My determination is to gather the nations... to pour on them My fierce anger, all My hot displeasure; for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of My jealousy." | Global judgment by divine fire |
| Mal 4:1 | "For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud... will be stubble... and the day which is coming shall burn them up," Says the LORD of hosts, "That will leave them neither root nor branch." | Eschatological judgment by fire |
| 2 Kgs 17:15 | They rejected His statutes... they stiffened their necks, like the neck of their fathers... | Israel's stubbornness against God's commands |
| 2 Chr 36:16 | But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people till there was no remedy. | Rejection of prophets leads to no remedy |
| Isa 1:31 | The strong shall be as tinder, and the work of it as a spark; both will burn together, and no one shall quench them. | Wicked as easily consumable fuel |
| Isa 5:24 | Therefore, as the fire devours the stubble, and the flame consumes the chaff, so their root will be as rottenness... because they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts... | Divine judgment consuming the wicked |
| Isa 10:17 | So the Light of Israel will be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame; It will burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day. | God as fire consuming obstacles and wickedness |
| Eze 15:6 | "Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: 'As the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so will I give up the inhabitants of Jerusalem...' " | Jerusalem's inhabitants as fuel for judgment |
| Luke 13:34-35 | O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets... See! Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' " | Consequences of rejecting God's messengers |
| Matt 3:10 | And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. | Bearing no good fruit leads to fiery judgment |
| Rom 1:18 | For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness. | God's wrath against unrighteousness |
| Deut 28:15 | But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God... all these curses shall come upon you... | Fulfillment of covenant curses |
| Lev 26:14-16 | 'But if you do not obey Me... you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it...' | Warnings against disobedience leading to judgment |
| Jer 7:1-15 | Prophecy against false trust in the Temple while practicing idolatry... | False security in religious symbols |
| Jer 8:12-13 | ...Therefore they shall fall among those who fall... I will surely consume them... there shall be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree... | Denial of sin leads to complete judgment |
| Joel 2:3 | A fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns; the land is like the Garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness... | Devastating effects of divine judgment |
Jeremiah 5 verses
Jeremiah 5 14 Meaning
Jeremiah 5:14 declares God's imminent judgment upon Judah. Because the people of Judah have rejected God's warnings and spoken defiant words, the Lord promises to transform His divine messages, spoken through Jeremiah, into a consuming fire. This prophetic word will act as an agent of destruction, with the disobedient people becoming the fuel (wood) to be utterly devoured by its blaze, signifying inevitable and complete divine wrath.
Jeremiah 5 14 Context
Jeremiah 5 describes a corrupt and rebellious Judah ripe for judgment. The chapter details the widespread moral decay, unfaithfulness to God, idolatry, injustice, and oppression that permeated all levels of society, from common people to prophets and priests. The people were deeply entrenched in sin, with a blatant disregard for God's law (Jer 5:1). They explicitly rejected divine warnings and prophetic pronouncements of impending doom, mockingly asserting that "He will not do it" and "No trouble will come upon us" (Jer 5:12). Jeremiah 5:14 serves as God's direct and stern response to this unbelief and defiance. Historically, Judah was rapidly approaching the Babylonian exile, a period where persistent unfaithfulness would result in the utter devastation of Jerusalem, the Temple, and the exile of its inhabitants. The verse is set against this backdrop of Judah's moral depravity and the immediate, terrifying reality of an approaching foreign invader, which God Himself declares will be His instrument of judgment.
Jeremiah 5 14 Word analysis
- Therefore (לָכֵן, lākhēn): This conjunction links the divine decree to the preceding statements, specifically the people's dismissive words in Jeremiah 5:12-13. It establishes a cause-and-effect relationship between their defiance and God's impending action.
- thus says the LORD (כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה, kōh ’āmar YHVH): A classic and authoritative prophetic formula. It emphasizes that the message is not Jeremiah’s personal opinion but a direct, incontrovertible utterance from God Himself, conferring divine weight and certainty to the following declaration.
- the God of hosts (אֱלֹהֵי צְבָאוֹת, ’ělōhê ṣĕvā’ôt): "Hosts" (צְבָאוֹת, tsavaot) refers to armies, both earthly and heavenly (angels). This title underscores God's sovereignty over all forces, His supreme power, and His readiness to execute judgment. It highlights His omnipotence and capacity to fulfill His word, even through devastating means.
- Because (יַעַן, ya‘an): Specifies the reason for the divine judgment—the direct consequence of the people's actions and words.
- you have spoken this word (דַּבֶּרְכֶם אֶת־הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה, dabbērkem ’et-haddāvār hazzֶh): Refers directly to the people's disbelief and casual dismissal of God’s impending judgment found in Jer 5:12-13 ("It is not He! Nor will evil come upon us; Nor shall we see sword or famine."). Their words were not merely skeptical; they were defiant and challenged God's truthfulness and power.
- behold, I am making (הִנְנִי נֹתֵן, hinnēnī nōtēn): "Behold" (הִנְנִי, hinnēnī) signifies immediate and certain divine action. "I am making" denotes God's active involvement in bringing about the prophecy, not just allowing it to happen. It's a statement of active divine initiative.
- My words (דְּבָרַי, děvārāy): These are not simply Jeremiah's human utterances, but God's own inspired messages spoken through the prophet. It is God's truth, God's warnings, and God's pronouncements.
- in your mouth (בְּפִיךָ, befîḵā): Jeremiah is the chosen instrument, the vessel through whom God’s words are declared. This confirms the prophetic commission where God literally put His words in Jeremiah's mouth (Jer 1:9).
- a fire (לְאֵשׁ, lĕ’ēš): The metaphorical transformation of God's word. Fire, in biblical contexts, is often a symbol of purification, testing, but crucially here, divine judgment and destructive power (Deut 4:24; Heb 12:29). It suggests an all-consuming, unquenchable, and inescapable force.
- and this people (וְאֶת־הָעָם הַזֶּה, wĕ’et-hā‘ām hazzֶh): Refers specifically to the rebellious inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem, who were "this" immediate audience of Jeremiah's prophecy.
- wood (עֵצִים, ‘ētsîm): The metaphorical counterpoint to "fire." Wood is fuel; it is powerless against fire, readily consumed, and destined for destruction. It paints a picture of vulnerability and total inability to resist the incoming judgment.
- and it shall devour them (וְאָכְלָתַם, wĕ’āḵlāttām): The fire (God's words) will consume the wood (the people). The verb "devour" signifies complete consumption and annihilation. It underscores the severity and totality of the impending judgment.
- "Thus says the LORD, the God of hosts": This phrase asserts ultimate divine authority and power behind the coming judgment. It’s not a mere threat but a sovereign declaration from the Commander of all creation.
- "My words in your mouth a fire": This highlights the dynamic and potent nature of the prophetic message. God’s spoken word, delivered by Jeremiah, is active, transformative, and has intrinsic power to destroy, becoming the very instrument of divine wrath.
- "this people wood, and it shall devour them": This vivid metaphor sharply contrasts the powerless, fuel-like state of the people with the consuming force of God's word. Their resistance or disbelief is rendered meaningless in the face of such a destructive, divine decree. It signifies absolute, unescapable judgment.
Jeremiah 5 14 Bonus section
The strong imagery of "fire and wood" employed in Jeremiah 5:14 signifies that the divine word, far from being inert or dismissible, is a dynamic and active force in the world. When ignored and mocked, it ceases to be a mere spoken message and becomes the very instrument of divine wrath. This active nature of God's word means that people's dismissive words and disbelief don't cancel out God's plan but rather trigger a more severe aspect of it. The verse also underscores the profound responsibility of the prophet: the words Jeremiah speaks are not his own, but God's, and they carry the weight of life and death, blessing and curse, to his audience. The metaphor portrays the judgment not as an external force acting arbitrarily but as a natural, unavoidable consequence of Judah's state of rebellion and hardness of heart. Their own unrepentance provides the fuel for their destruction.
Jeremiah 5 14 Commentary
Jeremiah 5:14 encapsulates God's ultimate response to Judah's deep-seated rebellion and outright defiance. After the people mocked and dismissed the idea of judgment, declaring that God "will not do it" (Jer 5:12-13), the Lord immediately turns their own dismissive words against them. Through Jeremiah, God pronounces that His divine messages, which the people had continually rejected, will transform from mere warnings into an instrument of burning judgment. The word, which could have been a source of life and guidance, becomes a devastating fire, with the people themselves designated as the wood, totally susceptible and unable to escape complete consumption. This verse powerfully illustrates the active, inescapable, and often terrifying consequence of consistently spurning God's truth and challenging His authority. It emphasizes that the prophet is not merely a messenger but a channel for a living, active divine word, holding immense power for both creation and destruction. The vivid imagery conveys the certainty and totality of the impending divine judgment, driven by their own sin and unbelief.