The Folly of Idols
Jeremiah 10:1-16
Jer.10.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- שמעו: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- הדבר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- עליכם: PREP+PRON,2mp
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 6:4 (verbal): The classic covenantal summons 'Hear, O Israel'—both verses use the imperative 'hear' to call Israel to attend to God's word.
- Amos 3:1 (verbal): A prophetic opening addressing Israel: 'Hear this word that the LORD hath spoken against you, O children of Israel,' closely parallel in form and audience to Jer.10:1.
- Jeremiah 11:3 (structural): Within the same book a similar call—'Hear ye the words of this covenant'—shows the recurring prophetic pattern of addressing Israel and invoking covenantal language.
- Isaiah 51:4 (thematic): Another prophetic summons—'Hearken unto me, my people'—which, like Jer.10:1, frames forthcoming instruction as the LORD's authoritative word to the nation.
- Micah 6:1 (thematic): Begins with an address to 'hear' and presents God's case against Israel; thematically linked as an exhortation to listen to divine judgment and instruction.
Alternative generated candidates
- Hear the word that the LORD has spoken to you, O house of Israel.
- Hear the word that the LORD has spoken concerning you, O house of Israel.
Jer.10.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- דרך: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- הגוים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- אל: NEG
- תלמדו: VERB,qal,impf,2,pl
- ומאתות: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- השמים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- אל: NEG
- תחתו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- כי: CONJ
- יחתו: VERB,qal,impf,3,pl
- הגוים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- מהמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 4:19 (verbal): Warns Israel not to be led astray by the sun, moon and stars or be terrified by the signs of heaven—language and concern closely parallel Jeremiah’s prohibition against learning the ways of the nations and being alarmed by heavenly signs.
- Leviticus 18:3 (thematic): Commands Israel not to follow the practices of the nations in the land—echoes Jeremiah’s general injunction not to learn or imitate pagan customs.
- Deuteronomy 18:9–12 (thematic): Prohibits adopting the nations’ occult and divinatory practices; thematically related to Jeremiah’s rejection of pagan signs and practices that lead Israel astray.
- Ezekiel 8:16 (allusion): Describes elders of Israel worshiping ‘the sun at the entrance of the gateway of the house of the Lord’; connects to Jeremiah’s condemnation of looking to and being influenced by heavenly signs.
- Psalm 115:4–8 (thematic): Denounces the impotence of idols and the folly of trusting created things—resonates with Jeremiah’s rejection of foreign religious practices and reliance on signs rather than Yahweh.
Alternative generated candidates
- Thus says the LORD: Do not learn the way of the nations; do not be dismayed by the signs of the heavens, for the nations are dismayed at them.
- Thus says the LORD: Do not learn the way of the nations, and do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens; for the nations are terrified at them.
Jer.10.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- חקות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- העמים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- הבל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- עץ: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מיער: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כרתו: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,pl
- מעשה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ידי: NOUN,f,pl,cons
- חרש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- במעצד: PREP
Parallels
- Psalm 115:4-8 (verbal): Describes idols as the work of human hands that have mouths but cannot speak or act — directly echoing Jeremiah's critique of wooden idols as vain handiwork.
- Psalm 135:15-18 (verbal): Speaks of idols made of wood that cannot move or speak and are called worthless, paralleling Jeremiah's portrayal of carved trees as futile objects of worship.
- Isaiah 44:9-20 (thematic): A sustained mockery of idol-making: craftsmen fashion gods from trees and then burn part of the wood for fuel — develops the same theme of the absurdity and vanity of wooden idols.
- Habakkuk 2:18-19 (allusion): Laments the futility of worshiping carved images and asks who will not ridicule such idols — resonates with Jeremiah's condemnation of pagan practices as 'vanity.'
- Deuteronomy 4:28 (thematic): Warns that Israel will serve wooden and stone images when they turn away from God, aligning with Jeremiah's denunciation of nations' customs involving carved trees and idols.
Alternative generated candidates
- For the customs of the peoples are vanity—an arbor from the forest they cut down; the work of a craftsman with the axe.
- For the customs of the peoples are vain— a piece of wood is cut from the forest; the work of the hands of a craftsman with the axe.
Jer.10.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בכסף: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ובזהב: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ייפהו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- במסמרות: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ובמקבות: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- יחזקום: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ולוא: CONJ_NEG
- יפיק: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 115:4-8 (verbal): Explicitly describes idols made of silver and gold and fastened/immovable, and emphasizes their inability to speak or act—close verbal and thematic parallel to Jeremiah's depiction of ornamented, nailed idols.
- Psalm 135:15-18 (verbal): Speaks of idols of the nations as silver and gold, the work of human hands, with mouths that cannot speak—echoes Jeremiah's critique of man‑made, metal‑ornamented idols.
- Isaiah 44:9-20 (esp. vv.12-17) (thematic): Extended denunciation of craftsmen who fashion idols (wood and metal), using tools and skill to make gods and then worship them—parallels Jeremiah's focus on manufactured, decorated idols and human complicity.
- Habakkuk 2:18-19 (thematic): Condemns idols and those who make them as worthless and mute; thematically aligns with Jeremiah's portrayal of ornamented idols that are powerless and depend on human hands.
- Exodus 32:3-5 (thematic): Narrative example of Israelites fashioning a golden calf from collected gold; parallels the motif of people forming metal idols and adorning them with gold/silver as in Jeremiah 10:4.
Alternative generated candidates
- They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with nails and hammers so that it will not totter.
- They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with nails and hammers so that it will not totter.
Jer.10.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כתמר: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מקשה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- המה: PRON,3,m,pl
- ולא: CONJ
- ידברו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- נשוא: PART,ms,sg
- ינשוא: VERB,qal,impf,3,pl
- כי: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- יצעדו: VERB,qal,impf,3,pl
- אל: NEG
- תיראו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- מהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- כי: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- ירעו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- וגם: CONJ
- היטיב: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אין: PART,neg
- אותם: PRON,3,m,pl,obj
Parallels
- Psalm 115:4-8 (verbal): Direct parallel language about idols: they have mouths but do not speak, eyes but do not see; they cannot speak or act—close verbal resonance with Jeremiah’s statement that the images do not speak or act.
- Psalm 135:15-18 (verbal): Similar catalogue of the impotence of idols (they have eyes, ears, mouths but do not speak or act), reinforcing the same polemic against lifeless idols present in Jeremiah 10:5.
- Isaiah 44:9-20 (thematic): Extended satire on the making and worship of idols: emphasizes human manufacture, impotence and uselessness of idols—themeless treatment that parallels Jeremiah’s critique of idolatrous images that cannot do good or evil.
- Habakkuk 2:18-19 (verbal): Condemns reliance on carved images and ridicules those who address dead idols (’to a stone, Awake!’), echoing Jeremiah’s portrayal of idols as mute and powerless.
- Deuteronomy 4:28 (allusion): Warns that a people may turn to serving carved images that cannot help them—anticipates Jeremiah’s admonition not to fear or rely on idols because they can do neither good nor evil.
Alternative generated candidates
- It is stiff like a palm and cannot speak; it must be carried, for it cannot walk. Do not fear it—neither can it do harm, nor is there any good in it.
- Like a stump of a palm they are made— they do not speak; they must be carried, a burden to be borne, for they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they do no harm, and there is no good in them.
Jer.10.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מאין: ADV,interrog
- כמוך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- גדול: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- וגדול: CONJ+ADJ,m,sg
- שמך: NOUN,m,sg,cs,2,m,sg
- בגבורה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Exodus 15:11 (verbal): Song of Moses: 'Who is like you, O LORD…?'—a near-verbal affirmation of the LORD’s uniqueness and majesty, echoing Jeremiah’s claim that none is like Yahweh.
- Psalm 86:8 (verbal): 'Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord'—explicitly affirms there is no one comparable to God, paralleling Jeremiah’s assertion of Yahweh’s uniqueness.
- 1 Samuel 2:2 (verbal): Hannah’s declaration 'There is none holy like the LORD; there is none besides you'—another close formulation stressing God’s singular greatness and incomparable nature.
- Isaiah 40:18 (thematic): Rhetorical challenge 'To whom then will you liken God?'—thematically parallels Jeremiah’s emphasis on God’s incomparability and transcendence.
- Deuteronomy 10:17 (thematic): Describes the LORD as 'God of gods… a great and awesome God, who shows no partiality'—resonates with Jeremiah’s depiction of God as great and mighty.
Alternative generated candidates
- There is none like you, O LORD; you are great, and great is your name in might.
- Who is like you, O LORD? You are great, and great is your name in might.
Jer.10.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- יראך: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- הגוים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- כי: CONJ
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- יאתה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- בכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חכמי: NOUN,m,pl,const
- הגוים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- ובכל: CONJ+PREP
- מלכותם: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- מאין: ADV,interrog
- כמוך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Exodus 15:11 (verbal): The triumphant song asks 'Who is like you, O LORD?'—a near verbal parallel asserting God's uniqueness among the nations/gods.
- Psalm 96:4-5 (verbal): Declares that the LORD is to be feared above all gods and that among the gods there is none like him, echoing Jeremiah's claim of God's uniqueness over the nations' wise men and kingdoms.
- Deuteronomy 10:17 (thematic): Affirms God's sovereignty and supremacy over 'gods and lords' and the nations—themewise with Jeremiah's address to the 'King of the nations' and the absence of any like him.
- Isaiah 40:18 (allusion): Rhetorical questioning of whom one can compare to God underscores divine incomparability, resonating with Jeremiah's challenge about any like God among the nations' wise men.
Alternative generated candidates
- Who would not revere you, O King of the nations? For to you it is due; among all the wise of the nations and among all their kingdoms there is none like you.
- Who would not fear you, O King of the nations? For to you it is due; among all the wise of the nations and in all their kingdoms there is none like you.
Jer.10.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ובאחת: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יבערו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ויכסלו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- מוסר: NOUN,m,sg,const
- הבלים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- עץ: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Jeremiah 10:3-5 (structural): Immediate context: the chapter repeatedly denounces idols as vain, lifeless, and made of wood—same charge of folly and worthlessness.
- Isaiah 44:14-17 (verbal): Mocks the making and worship of wooden idols (cutting wood for fuel and carving an idol); uses the same motif of wood and depicts the folly of those who fashion and trust in it.
- Psalm 115:4-8 (thematic): Condemns idols as the work of human hands that cannot speak or act, and observes that those who make and trust them are like them—emphasizing the foolishness of idolatry.
- Romans 1:22-23 (allusion): Paul echoes the indictment 'professing themselves to be wise they became fools' and the exchange of divine glory for images, reflecting the same theme of human folly in idolatry.
Alternative generated candidates
- They are all senseless and foolish—their teaching is mere wood, a doctrine of vanities.
- At once they are put to shame and broken; their instruction is mere vanity— it is but wood.
Jer.10.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כסף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מרקע: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מתרשיש: PREP+NOUN,prop,sg,abs
- יובא: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- וזהב: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מאופז: PREP+NOUN,prop,sg,abs
- מעשה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חרש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וידי: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs+1s
- צורף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תכלת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וארגמן: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לבושם: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- מעשה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חכמים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- כלם: PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Psalm 115:4-8 (verbal): Describes idols as silver and gold and the workmanship of human hands, echoing Jeremiah’s emphasis that such objects are crafted by artisans.
- Psalm 135:15-18 (verbal): Similarly portrays idols as the product of craftsmen—silent, powerless images made of metal—paralleling Jeremiah’s critique of manufactured gods.
- 1 Kings 10:22 (thematic): Mentions ships of Tarshish bringing gold and silver, paralleling Jeremiah’s image of precious metals (silver from Tarshish, gold from Uphaz) as imported luxury goods.
- Ezekiel 27:12 (thematic): Speaks of Tarshish trading goods including metals with Tyre, providing a trade-context parallel for Jeremiah’s reference to metals from distant ports.
- Habakkuk 2:18 (thematic): Denounces idols and the futility of worshiping objects made by craftsmen, resonating with Jeremiah’s assertion that these are the work of artisans and thus powerless.
Alternative generated candidates
- Silver is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz—work of the craftsman and the hands of the goldsmith; blue and purple are their clothing; all are the work of skilled men.
- Silver from Tarshish is brought, and gold from Uphaz; the work of the craftsman and of the hands of the goldsmith; blue and purple are their clothing— all are the work of skilled men.
Jer.10.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהוה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אמת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- חיים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- ומלך: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עולם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מקצפו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- תרעש: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ולא: CONJ
- יכלו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- גוים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- זעמו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+SUFF,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 32:39 (thematic): Affirms Yahweh’s unique sovereignty over life and death and his sole deity, echoing Jeremiah’s claim that the LORD is the true God and sovereign ruler.
- Psalm 93:1 (thematic): Proclaims the LORD’s reign and the stability of his rule over the world, corresponding to 'אלהים חיים ומלך עולם' (living God and eternal King).
- Psalm 96:10 (thematic): Calls the nations to acknowledge that the LORD reigns, paralleling Jeremiah’s emphasis on God’s kingship over the world and nations.
- Nahum 1:6-7 (verbal): Speaks of God’s terrifying wrath—'who can stand before his indignation?'/ 'who can withstand his anger?'—closely mirroring Jeremiah’s note that the earth trembles and the nations cannot endure his wrath.
- Isaiah 40:28 (thematic): Describes Yahweh as the everlasting (eternal) God and sovereign Creator, resonating with Jeremiah’s 'living God and king of the world' motif.
Alternative generated candidates
- But the LORD is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King. At his anger the earth trembles, and the nations cannot endure his wrath.
- But the LORD is the true God; he is the living God, the everlasting King. At his anger the earth trembles, and the nations cannot endure his wrath.
Jer.10.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כדנה: PRON,dem,f,sg
- תאמרון: VERB,qal,imperfect,2,m,pl
- להום: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- אלהיא: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- די: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שמיא: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- וארקא: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- עבדו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
- יאבדו: VERB,qal,impf,3,mp
- מארעא: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ומן: CONJ+PREP
- תחות: PREP
- שמיא: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אלה: DEM,pl,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 96:5 (verbal): Contrasts the LORD, creator of the heavens, with worthless idols—echoes Jeremiah’s claim that gods who did not make heaven and earth will perish.
- Psalm 115:4-8 (thematic): Mocks idols as powerless objects made by humans and highlights the futility of worshiping them, paralleling Jeremiah’s denouncement of foreign gods.
- Isaiah 44:9-20 (thematic): A sustained parody of idol-makers and idols, arguing that images are lifeless and created by humans—develops the same critique found in Jer 10:11.
- Isaiah 45:18 (verbal): Affirms that the LORD is the creator of the heavens and the earth, directly contrasting the false gods who did not make creation, a central point of Jer 10:11.
- Acts 14:15 (allusion): Paul and Barnabas urge people to turn from 'worthless things' to the living God 'who made heaven and earth,' echoing Jeremiah’s contrast between the living Creator and impotent idols.
Alternative generated candidates
- Tell them thus: 'These gods who did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens.'
- Thus you shall say to them: The gods that did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens.
Jer.10.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בכחו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,3ms
- מכין: VERB,qal,ptc,3,m,sg
- תבל: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בחכמתו: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- ובתבונתו: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- נטה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- שמים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Proverbs 3:19-20 (verbal): Uses almost the same language: 'By wisdom the LORD founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens,' echoing Jeremiah's attribution of creation to God's wisdom and understanding.
- Isaiah 44:24 (allusion): Declares the LORD as maker who 'stretched out the heavens' and formed all things—an explicit thematic parallel to Jeremiah's depiction of God as creator.
- Genesis 1:1 (structural): Foundational creation statement ('In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth') that provides the narrative backdrop for Jeremiah's claim that God made the earth and stretched out the heavens.
- Psalm 33:6-9 (thematic): Portrays the heavens and earth brought into being by God's word/wordwise action, paralleling Jeremiah's emphasis on divine power, wisdom, and understanding in creation.
- Job 9:8 (verbal): Affirms that God 'alone stretches out the heavens,' a direct verbal and theological correspondence with Jeremiah's portrayal of God's creative act.
Alternative generated candidates
- He made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.
- He made the earth by his power, established the world by his wisdom, and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.
Jer.10.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לקול: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תתו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- המון: NOUN,m,sg,def
- מים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בשמים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ויעלה: VERB,qal,wayyiq,3,m,sg
- נשאים: PARTCP,pual,pass,m,pl
- מקצה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ברקים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- למטר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ויוצא: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- רוח: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מאצרתיו: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,3,ms
Parallels
- Psalm 135:7 (verbal): Nearly identical wording — clouds rise from the ends of the earth, lightning for rain, and wind from God’s treasuries; a close verbal parallel to Jeremiah’s description of God’s control of storm and rain.
- Psalm 29:3-4 (thematic): Speaks of the voice of the LORD over the waters and his thunderous power — shares the motif of God’s voice and thunderstorm imagery signifying divine authority.
- Psalm 104:3-4 (thematic): Describes God making the clouds his chariot and appointing winds as his servants/messengers, echoing Jeremiah’s portrayal of God directing clouds, lightning and wind.
- Psalm 147:8 (thematic): States that God covers the heavens with clouds and provides rain for the earth — parallels the theme of God controlling clouds and rainfall for creation’s provision.
Alternative generated candidates
- At the sound of his voice the waters on high roar; he lifts up the clouds from the ends of the earth; he makes lightning for the rain and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
- At his voice the multitude of waters in the heavens roar; he lifts up the vapors from the ends of the earth; he makes lightning for the rain, and brings out the wind from his storehouses.
Jer.10.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- נבער: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,sg
- כל: DET
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מדעת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- הביש: NOUN,m,sg,def
- כל: DET
- צורף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מפסל: VERB,piel,ptcp,_,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- שקר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נסכו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- ולא: CONJ
- רוח: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Psalm 115:4-8 (verbal): Directly parallels the denunciation of idols: their images are made of metal, cannot speak or breathe, and those who make or trust them are like them—echoing 'his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.'
- Psalm 135:15-18 (verbal): Similar language condemning idols as lifeless creations whose makers become like them; emphasizes the impotence of carved images and the folly of those who fashion or worship them.
- Isaiah 44:9-20 (thematic): A sustained satire on idolatry that depicts craftsmen fashioning and worshiping lifeless images; parallels the idea that makers are confounded and that idols are false and without spirit.
- Deuteronomy 4:28 (thematic): Warns that Israel will one day serve the work of men's hands—wood and stone—which neither see nor hear—resonating with Jeremiah’s charge that molten images are false and lack breath.
- Hosea 4:6 (thematic): Declares that lack of knowledge brings ruin ('my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge'), thematically resonant with Jeremiah’s opening clause that 'every man is brutish in knowledge' in the context of idolatrous practice.
Alternative generated candidates
- Every man is stupid and without knowledge; every metalworker is put to shame by the graven image—because their molten things are deceit; there is no breath in them.
- Every one is stupid and without knowledge; every metalworker is put to shame by the image, for their molten idols are fraud— there is no breath in them.
Jer.10.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הבל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- המה: PRON,3,m,pl
- מעשה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תעתעים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בעת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- פקדתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- יאבדו: VERB,qal,impf,3,mp
Parallels
- Psalm 115:4-8 (verbal): Speaks of idols as silver/wood with mouths but no breath, incapable and doomed—echoes Jeremiah's claim that they are vanity and will perish.
- Psalm 135:15-18 (verbal): Similarly portrays idols as lifeless and ineffective, and their makers as like them; parallels the theme of idols' futility and destruction.
- Isaiah 44:9-20 (thematic): A sustained satire on the folly of crafting and worshiping idols—emphasizes their worthlessness and the self-defeating nature of idolatry, resonating with 'they are vanity'.
- Habakkuk 2:18-19 (thematic): Denounces the profit and reality of idols and pronounces woe on those who trust them; echoes Jeremiah's verdict that such objects are vain and will fail.
- 1 Corinthians 8:4 (allusion): New Testament assertion that 'an idol is nothing in the world' reflects the same basic conviction of idols' futility expressed in Jeremiah 10:15.
Alternative generated candidates
- They are vanity, the work of delusion; in the day of their visitation they shall perish.
- They are vanity, the work of deception; when their punishment comes they shall perish.
Jer.10.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לא: PART_NEG
- כאלה: DEM,f,pl
- חלק: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- יעקב: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- יוצר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הכל: PRON,m,sg,abs
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- וישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שבט: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נחלתו: NOUN,f,sg,abs,suff:3,m
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- צבאות: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- שמו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 43:1 (allusion): Both passages stress God as creator and his intimate relationship with Jacob/Israel ('he who created you, O Jacob...'), echoing Jer 10:16's 'yotzer hakol' and Israel as God's possession.
- Isaiah 44:24 (verbal): Isaiah's 'I am the Lord, who made all things' closely matches the language of Jer 10:16 ('the maker of all things'), emphasizing God's sole role as creator.
- Psalm 135:4 (thematic): Affirms that the LORD has chosen Jacob and Israel as his special possession ('chosen Jacob unto himself; Israel for his peculiar treasure'), paralleling 'Israel [is] the rod of his inheritance.'
- Psalm 100:3 (verbal): Declares 'it is he that hath made us... we are his people,' echoing Jer 10:16's themes that God is the maker of all and Israel belongs to him as his people/possession.
Alternative generated candidates
- Not so is Jacob's portion; for he is the Maker of all, and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance. The LORD of hosts is his name.
- Not so is the portion of Jacob; for he is the Maker of all things. Israel is the tribe of his inheritance— the LORD of hosts is his name.
Hear the word that the LORD speaks to you, house of Israel. Thus says the LORD: Do not learn the way of the nations; do not be terrified by the signs in the heavens, for the nations are terrified at them.
For the customs of the peoples are vanity; from the forest a tree is cut— the work of a craftsman with his axe.
They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with nails and hammers so that it does not totter.
They are stiff as a palm and do not speak; they must be carried, for they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them— they do no harm, and it is not in them to do good.
There is none like you, O LORD; you are great, and your name is great in might.
Who would not fear you, O King of the nations? For it is due to you; among all the wise of the nations and in all their kingdoms there is none like you.
They are altogether senseless and foolish; their teaching is vanity— it is wood.
Silver from Tarshish is brought, and gold from Uphaz; the work of the craftsman and of the hands of the goldsmith; blue and purple form their clothing— every one is the work of skilled men. But the LORD is the true God; he is the living God and an everlasting King. At his anger the earth trembles; the nations cannot endure his wrath. Thus you shall say to them: The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens.
It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens.
When he utters his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens; he lifts up the clouds from the ends of the earth. He makes lightnings for the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.
Every man is senseless, lacking knowledge; every artisan is put to shame by his idol, for its molten things are deceptive— there is no breath in them.
They are vanity, the work of delusion; when reckoning comes they will perish.
Not so is Jacob's portion; for he is the Maker of all things, and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance. The LORD of hosts is his name.