Jeremiah 8:4 kjv
Moreover thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; Shall they fall, and not arise? shall he turn away, and not return?
Jeremiah 8:4 nkjv
"Moreover you shall say to them, 'Thus says the LORD: "Will they fall and not rise? Will one turn away and not return?
Jeremiah 8:4 niv
"Say to them, 'This is what the LORD says: "?'When people fall down, do they not get up? When someone turns away, do they not return?
Jeremiah 8:4 esv
"You shall say to them, Thus says the LORD: When men fall, do they not rise again? If one turns away, does he not return?
Jeremiah 8:4 nlt
"Jeremiah, say to the people, 'This is what the LORD says: "'When people fall down, don't they get up again?
When they discover they're on the wrong road, don't they turn back?
Jeremiah 8 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jer 8:4 | "Turn back! Should they fall, will they not rise again?" | The Lord’s direct question |
| Jer 8:5 | "Why then have this people turned away in persistent apostasy?" | Rhetorical question to the people |
| Jer 8:6 | "No one repents of their wickedness, saying, 'What have I done?'" | Analysis of their inaction |
| Jer 10:23 | "I know, Lord, that no one knows the way of man nor is it in man to direct his steps." | Acknowledging human frailty |
| Isa 53:6 | "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way..." | Parallel imagery of straying sheep |
| Psa 119:176 | "I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant..." | Prayer for restoration |
| Luke 15:4 | Jesus' parable of the lost sheep, seeking the one who strays | Jesus’ teaching on seeking the lost |
| John 10:27 | "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me." | Contrasting true Shepherd |
| Jer 3:1 | "If a man divorces his wife and she goes from him and becomes another man's wife, can he return to her again?" | Imagery of broken covenant |
| Jer 5:23-24 | "But these people have hearts that are stubborn and rebellious... They do not say in their hearts, 'Let us fear the Lord our God...'" | Describes the people’s hardness |
| Jer 2:8 | "The priests did not ask, 'Where is the Lord?'" | Leaders failed their duty |
| Jer 2:26 | "Like a thief is disgraced when caught, so are the houses of Israel disgraced..." | Shame of their actions |
| Jer 2:32 | "Does a maiden forget her ornaments, or a bride her array? Yet my people have forgotten me days without number." | Spiritual forgetfulness |
| Ezek 14:9 | "And when a prophet has spoken, if he is not struck down, then if the Lord has not spoken, that prophet has spoken falsely in my name; and I have seen his face and hidden my face from him." | Warning against false prophecy/leadership |
| Prov 14:12 | "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death." | Self-deception |
| Matt 7:13-14 | "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." | Parallel about destructive paths |
| Rom 3:23 | "...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." | Universal human sinfulness |
| 2 Tim 4:3 | "For the time will come when people will not endure sound teaching..." | Warning about future apostasy |
| Rev 3:19 | "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent." | Call to repentance |
| Hos 4:6 | "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge..." | Consequences of ignorance/rejection |
Jeremiah 8 verses
Jeremiah 8 4 Meaning
This verse laments the apostasy of the people, portraying them as straying like lost sheep, unable to return to God. Their rulers have not sought the Lord, leading to this widespread spiritual wandering and subsequent judgment.
Jeremiah 8 4 Context
Jeremiah 8 is part of the prophet's lament over the impending destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of Judah. The preceding verses speak of judgment on all levels of society due to their pervasive sin and rebellion. This particular verse addresses the people and their leaders directly, questioning their spiritual state and their inability to self-correct. The historical context is a period of severe national crisis for Judah, with threats from Babylon looming, yet the people remained largely unrepentant. Their spiritual blindness, due to both their own willful disobedience and the failure of their leaders, is the central theme.
Jeremiah 8 4 Word Analysis
- Turn (Hebrew: שׁוּבוּ, shuvuh): "Turn" or "return." This word carries the imperative sense of turning back to God, implying a radical change of direction from their current sinful path. It signifies repentance and a return to obedience.
- They (Hebrew: הֵם, hem): Refers to the people of Judah.
- Fall (Hebrew: יִפָּלוּ, yipalu): "They fall" or "they collapse." Indicates a state of ruin or downfall, referring to the impending national destruction and judgment.
- Will not rise again? (Hebrew: הֲלֹא יָקוּמוּ, haloh yakumu): A rhetorical question. Haloh (הֲלֹא) is an interrogative particle that often implies an expected negative answer, emphasizing the people's continued inability or refusal to recover from their fallen state due to persistent sin. Yakumu means "they will rise," referring to physical recovery or spiritual renewal. The question challenges whether those who have apostatized so profoundly can truly get back up without divine intervention or genuine repentance.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "Turn back! Should they fall, will they not rise again?": This phrase questions the very possibility of restoration for those who have so utterly strayed. The people's "falling" is a consequence of their turning away from God, and the verse asks if, in their current state of apostasy, they possess the capacity to rise again independently. The rhetorical nature of the question suggests that their fallen state is one of near-irreversible spiritual death due to their persistent rebellion and the lack of leadership seeking God.
Jeremiah 8 4 Bonus Section
This verse serves as a poignant preface to the denunciation of false prophets and leaders that follows in subsequent verses. The people's inability to "rise again" is directly linked to the spiritual failure of their leaders, who have not sought the Lord. This reflects a common theme in prophetic literature: the sin of the leaders often corrupts the entire nation, leading to a collective downfall. The imagery of falling and rising again also has theological weight, hinting at the impossibility of human self-salvation and the necessity of God's saving grace, which is later fully revealed in Christ.
Jeremiah 8 4 Commentary
Jeremiah 8:4 highlights a crucial spiritual dynamic: genuine repentance is the prerequisite for restoration after sin's fall. The verse interrogates the possibility of recovery for a people so deeply entrenched in apostasy that they appear incapable of self-redemption. The repeated failure of leadership to seek God exacerbates this, leaving the nation adrift and spiritually dead in its transgressions. The prophet poses a question that underscores the desperate need for divine intervention and true contrition to reverse the nation's disastrous course. It reflects the consequence of spiritual blindness when both the flock and the shepherds have wandered from the divine shepherd.