Jeremiah 8:9 kjv
The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the LORD; and what wisdom is in them?
Jeremiah 8:9 nkjv
The wise men are ashamed, They are dismayed and taken. Behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD; So what wisdom do they have?
Jeremiah 8:9 niv
The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the LORD, what kind of wisdom do they have?
Jeremiah 8:9 esv
The wise men shall be put to shame; they shall be dismayed and taken; behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD, so what wisdom is in them?
Jeremiah 8:9 nlt
These wise teachers will fall
into the trap of their own foolishness,
for they have rejected the word of the LORD.
Are they so wise after all?
Jeremiah 8 9 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah 8:8 | "How can you say, 'We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us'?" | Jeremiah 8:8 |
| Jeremiah 7:28 | "Therefore say to them, ‘This is the nation that has not obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, or accepted discipline..." | Jeremiah 7:28 |
| Jeremiah 2:8 | "The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?’" | Jeremiah 2:8 |
| Isaiah 29:14 | "Therefore, behold, I will again do marvelous things with this people, a marvelous work and a wonder..." | Isaiah 29:14 |
| Isaiah 5:21 | "Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!" | Isaiah 5:21 |
| Hosea 4:6 | "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge..." | Hosea 4:6 |
| Luke 11:52 | "Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge." | Luke 11:52 |
| Romans 1:22 | "Professing to be wise, they became fools..." | Romans 1:22 |
| 1 Corinthians 1:19 | "For it is written, 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise...'" | 1 Corinthians 1:19 |
| 1 Corinthians 1:20 | "Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age?" | 1 Corinthians 1:20 |
| 2 Timothy 3:7 | "always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth." | 2 Timothy 3:7 |
| Proverbs 1:7 | "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction." | Proverbs 1:7 |
| Matthew 23:13 | "“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces." | Matthew 23:13 |
| Psalm 119:104 | "I get understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every false way." | Psalm 119:104 |
| Jeremiah 6:13 | "For from the least to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for unjust gain..." | Jeremiah 6:13 |
| Jeremiah 6:14 | "They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace." | Jeremiah 6:14 |
| Jeremiah 8:10 | "Therefore I will give their wives to others and their fields to those who will inherit them..." | Jeremiah 8:10 |
| Zechariah 7:11 | "But they refused to listen, and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears from hearing." | Zechariah 7:11 |
| John 7:48 | "Did any of the authorities believe in him, or of the Pharisees?" | John 7:48 |
| Acts 5:34 | "But a Pharisee in the council, by name Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, held in honor by all the people..." | Acts 5:34 |
| 1 Kings 22:13 | "Now the prophets spoke as one prophet to another..." | 1 Kings 22:13 |
| Ezekiel 13:10 | "Because, yes, because they have led my people astray, saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace..." | Ezekiel 13:10 |
Jeremiah 8 verses
Jeremiah 8 9 Meaning
The wisdom of the scribes has been turned to foolishness. They rejected the word of the LORD, and thus have no inherent wisdom. Their boasted knowledge is rendered useless because it was built on a foundation of rebellion against God's revealed truth.
Jeremiah 8 9 Context
Jeremiah 8:9 occurs within a prophecy addressing Judah's impending judgment due to their persistent sin and rejection of God's word. In the preceding verses, Jeremiah has accused the scribes and religious leaders of claiming wisdom and possessing the law, yet actively disregarding and twisting it. They offered false assurances of peace, ignoring the real spiritual sickness of the nation. This verse directly points to the consequence of their perverted understanding of God's counsel, which has rendered their supposed wisdom useless. The broader context of Jeremiah's ministry is one of confronting religious hypocrisy and calling a disobedient people back to covenant faithfulness, warning them of the Babylonian exile if they do not repent.
Jeremiah 8 9 Word Analysis
Indeed (Hebrew: 'ap) - A particle of emphasis, signifying "also," "even," or "truly." It underscores the veracity of the following statement.
for (Hebrew: ki) - A conjunction indicating cause or reason. It explains why the scribes' wisdom is foolish.
behold (Hebrew: hineh) - An interjection calling for attention, emphasizing the following declaration. It signals a significant truth about to be revealed.
lo (Hebrew: hen) - Similar to hineh, another interjection signifying attention or surprise, further highlighting the surprising foolishness of the learned.
they (Hebrew: hem) - Pronoun referring to the scribes and their wisdom.
have rejected (Hebrew: ma'asu) - A strong verb meaning "to reject," "to refuse," "to despise," or "to abhor." It implies a willful and contemptuous dismissal.
the word (Hebrew: dabar) - Refers to God's spoken communication, His commandments, and His counsel. It encompasses both written and unwritten divine instruction.
of the LORD (Hebrew: Yehovah) - The personal covenantal name of God.
and (Hebrew: wa-) - A conjunction connecting clauses, often with an implied sense of consequence or addition.
what (Hebrew: mah) - An interrogative pronoun, leading into the description of the rejected item.
wisdom (Hebrew: chokmah) - Skill, shrewdness, or sagacity. Here, it refers to the supposed intellectual and religious understanding possessed by the scribes, which has proven hollow.
Word group analysis:
- "have rejected the word of the LORD" - This phrase signifies a complete abandonment of God's divine instruction and guidance. It's not just a casual disregard but an active refusal and contempt for His truth.
- "what wisdom is in them" - This is a rhetorical question emphasizing the absence of true wisdom. The scribes' knowledge is proven to be futile and empty because it is disconnected from the divine source of all wisdom.
Jeremiah 8 9 Bonus Section
The scribes' rejection of God's word in Jeremiah 8:9 echoes the accusations against religious leaders in the New Testament. Jesus confronted the Pharisees, whom He also called "lawyers" or scribes in Luke 11:52, accusing them of taking away the "key of knowledge" and shutting the kingdom of heaven. This demonstrates a consistent theme throughout biblical history: the danger of possessing religious knowledge without genuine submission to God's will. The wisdom described here is not merely intellectual acumen but spiritual insight that comes from obedience to God's word, a truth powerfully emphasized in Proverbs 1:7. The folly of these scribes served as a warning that mere adherence to the letter of the law, without the spirit and the empowering presence of God, renders one foolish in God's sight.
Jeremiah 8 9 Commentary
The scribes, esteemed for their knowledge of the law, have become fools because their purported wisdom is divorced from its divine source. They studied the scrolls but did not embrace the LORD's authoritative word, nor did they allow it to shape their lives and teaching. Their learning was academic and self-serving, not revelatory or transformative. By rejecting the LORD's communication, they forfeited any claim to genuine wisdom. This highlights a critical biblical principle: true wisdom begins with reverence for God and submission to His revealed truth, not mere intellectual accumulation of knowledge. Their understanding was practical folly, leading to national destruction.