Jeremiah 5:22 kjv
Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?
Jeremiah 5:22 nkjv
Do you not fear Me?' says the LORD. 'Will you not tremble at My presence, Who have placed the sand as the bound of the sea, By a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass beyond it? And though its waves toss to and fro, Yet they cannot prevail; Though they roar, yet they cannot pass over it.
Jeremiah 5:22 niv
Should you not fear me?" declares the LORD. "Should you not tremble in my presence? I made the sand a boundary for the sea, an everlasting barrier it cannot cross. The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail; they may roar, but they cannot cross it.
Jeremiah 5:22 esv
Do you not fear me? declares the LORD. Do you not tremble before me? I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea, a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass; though the waves toss, they cannot prevail; though they roar, they cannot pass over it.
Jeremiah 5:22 nlt
Have you no respect for me?
Why don't you tremble in my presence?
I, the LORD, define the ocean's sandy shoreline
as an everlasting boundary that the waters cannot cross.
The waves may toss and roar,
but they can never pass the boundaries I set.
Jeremiah 5 22 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah 5:22 | "But you have not feared the Lord your God, who gives the [early] rain and [late] rain in [its] season, who keeps for us the appointed weeks for the harvest." | Sets God's sovereignty over seasons |
| Genesis 1:14 | "And God said, 'Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years." | God establishes times/seasons |
| Psalm 104:7 | "You rebuke the earth by your word; they flee at your voice. They go up in the mountains, they go down in the valleys to the place you appointed for them." | God's control over natural forces |
| Isaiah 45:7 | "I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things." | God as creator of all, including cycles |
| Amos 4:7 | "‘Yet,’ declares the Lord, ‘three times you have punished your city, but I have not relented. I sent against you – plague by plague – the sword and destruction, wasting of your crops by blight and mildew. Your gardens and vineyards and olive trees and fruit trees have withered from your armies, yet you have not returned to me,’ declares the Lord." | God controls agricultural seasons, judgment on disobedience |
| John 7:2, 6, 8 | "Now the Feast of Booths was near... ‘My time has not yet come,’ Jesus told them. ‘But your time is always here... You go to the Feast. I am not going yet, because my time has not yet come.’" | Jesus speaks of appointed times |
| Acts 1:7 | "He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, that the Father hath put in his own power.’" | Times and seasons in the Father's power |
| 1 Thessalonians 5:1 | "Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you," | God's timing of events |
| Daniel 2:21 | "He changes times and seasons, he removes kings and raises up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who understand." | God's sovereign control over temporal matters |
| Hosea 2:9 | "‘Then I will take back my grain when the time comes, and my wine in its season, and will take away my wool and my flax, which were to cover her nakedness." | God controls seasonal produce |
| Job 38:26-27 | "Who has a channel for the torrents of rain, and a way for the thunderbolts, to bring rain on a land where there is no one, on a desert inhabited by no man," | God's sovereignty over rain |
| Psalm 65:9-13 | "You care for the land and water it; you enrich it greatly with rivers of God that are filled with water. You provide the grain, for so you have ordained it. You water its ridges and level its soil; you make it soft with showers and bless its growth. You crown the year with your bounty, and your paths overflow with richness. The grasslands of the wilderness overflow, the hills celebrate with shouting. The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are clothed with grain; they sing, for they also sing for joy." | God's provision through seasons |
| Revelation 1:3 | "Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near." | The nearness of prophetic times |
| Malachi 3:4 | "Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in former years and as in ancient times." | Appointed times for worship/offerings |
| Deuteronomy 11:14 | "I will send rain on your land in its season, both early and late, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine and your oil." | God's promise of seasonal rain |
| 1 Corinthians 15:23 | "But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ." | Order within God's plan |
| Psalm 37:23 | "The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives." | God's guidance in timing |
| Acts 17:26 | "From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands." | God sets appointed times for nations |
| Romans 5:6 | "For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly." | The right time for Christ's death |
| Jeremiah 5:20-21 | "Announce this in the house of Jacob, and declare it in Judah: Hear this, you foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, and ears but do not hear." | Contrasts spiritual blindness with God's order |
Jeremiah 5 verses
Jeremiah 5 22 Meaning
The verse declares that the Lord, who commands the very seas and the earth, is the one who establishes "appointed times" or "seasons." This signifies God's absolute sovereignty over creation and time itself. His ultimate plan unfolds according to His divinely set schedule, not by chance or human intervention.
Jeremiah 5 22 Context
Jeremiah is addressing the people of Judah who have turned away from God. They are facing imminent judgment because of their sin and disobedience. In this chapter, God is portrayed as the righteous judge who is not only allowing but orchestrating the consequences for their apostasy. The verse directly contrasts God's ordered provision and His timing with the people's spiritual blindness and lack of reverence. They fail to acknowledge the God who blesses them with fertile seasons and harvests, highlighting their deep-seated ingratitude and lack of faith. The immediate historical context is the period leading up to the Babylonian exile, where God's covenant faithfulness is juxtaposed with Israel's covenant unfaithfulness.
Jeremiah 5 22 Word Analysis
- And: Connects actions and ideas, indicating a sequential or causal relationship.
- you: Refers to the people of Judah, specifically those addressed by Jeremiah.
- have not: Indicates a lack of action or a negative past state.
- feared: Implies reverence, awe, and respect towards God. In Hebrew, yare' (ירא) often carries the sense of revering God, not just being scared. It signifies obedience stemming from a proper relationship.
- the Lord: Yahweh (יהוה), the personal covenantal name of God, emphasizing His relationship with His people.
- your God: Reinforces the covenant relationship; the God who has claimed them.
- who: Introduces a relative clause describing God.
- gives: yitten (יתן) – present tense, indicating a continuous action or provision from God.
- the [early] rain: moreh (מורה) – refers to the autumn rain, crucial for preparing the ground for planting.
- and: Connects the two types of rain.
- [late] rain: malkosh (מל קוש) – refers to the spring rain, vital for the maturation of the grain before harvest.
- in [its] season: le‘etho (לְעִתּוֹ) – emphasizing God’s precise and ordered timing for these vital agricultural rains. The word ‘eth (עֵת) denotes a specific appointed time or season.
- who: Another relative clause describing God.
- keeps: shomer (שׁמר) – implies guarding, protecting, and preserving. God is actively maintaining and safeguarding these appointed times.
- for us: Indicates that these provisions are for their benefit.
- the appointed weeks: mo‘adim (מוֹעֲדִים) – appointed times, festivals, or designated periods. In this agricultural context, it refers to the harvest seasons, particularly the weeks leading up to and including the grain harvests.
- for the harvest: ba’abur qatsir (בעבור קציר) – for the sake of the harvest, signifying the purpose for which God appoints these times and sends the rain. The word qatsir (קציר) refers specifically to the grain harvest.
Group Analysis:
- "have not feared the Lord your God": This phrase highlights the core issue of Judah's sin – a lack of reverential awe and obedience towards the God with whom they had a special relationship. Their fear was directed elsewhere, or absent altogether.
- "who gives the [early] rain and [late] rain in [its] season": This describes God's consistent, punctual, and vital provision for their agricultural needs. It's a demonstration of His faithfulness and His absolute control over the natural world, which directly impacts their survival and prosperity. The specific mention of both early and late rains emphasizes the completeness of God's provision and the critical role of timing.
- "who keeps for us the appointed weeks for the harvest": This reiterates God's role in preserving and upholding the specific times dedicated to gathering their crops. It speaks of His meticulous governance over the cyclical nature of life and sustenance, ensuring that the cycle of sowing and reaping comes to fruition at the right moment.
Jeremiah 5 22 Bonus Section
The "early rain" (moreh) typically fell in the autumn, soaking the ground to prepare it for sowing, while the "late rain" (malkosh) came in the spring, swelling the grains before the harvest. The complete absence of either would be catastrophic for the harvest, making God's faithful provision a clear indicator of His ongoing faithfulness and power over creation. Jeremiah's use of these natural phenomena emphasizes that the very cycle of life and sustenance depended on God, a truth the people were callously ignoring. This also serves as a reminder from God's perspective that their material blessings were contingent on their spiritual obedience, a recurring theme throughout the Old Testament covenant. The spiritual parallels to the "seasons" in the New Testament, such as the "season" for Christ's suffering (Romans 5:6) or the "times and seasons" belonging to the Father (Acts 1:7), also reflect this concept of divinely appointed periods.
Jeremiah 5 22 Commentary
Jeremiah 5:22 sharply rebukes Judah for their spiritual blindness and lack of fear towards God. Despite God faithfully providing the crucial early and late rains that ensure their harvests, and safeguarding the appointed times for reaping, the people failed to acknowledge Him. Their lack of reverence ( yare' ) for Yahweh, their covenant God, meant they did not attribute their sustenance and prosperity to His sovereign hand. Instead, they likely attributed their agricultural success to pagan deities or their own efforts, displaying profound ingratitude. This verse underscores the importance of recognizing God's providence in every aspect of life, especially the foundational elements like rain and seasons, which directly reflect His care and power. Failure to do so indicates a deeper problem of spiritual insensitivity, a blindness to God's ongoing work and a lack of appreciation for His covenanted promises. The concept of "appointed weeks for the harvest" ties God's sovereignty to human labor and provision, highlighting that human efforts are fruitful only because of God's timing and blessing.