Jeremiah 10

The Lord Versus Idols

¹Hear the word which the LORD speaks to you, house of Israel!

²The LORD says, “Don’t learn the way of the nations, and don’t be dismayed at the signs of the sky; for the nations are dismayed at them.

³For the customs of the peoples are vanity; for one cuts a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman with the ax.

⁴They deck it with silver and with gold. They fasten it with nails and with hammers, so that it can’t move.

⁵They are like a palm tree, of turned work, and don’t speak. They must be carried, because they can’t move. Don’t be afraid of them; for they can’t do evil, neither is it in them to do good.”

⁶There is no one like you, LORD. You are great, and your name is great in might.

⁷Who shouldn’t fear you, King of the nations? For it belongs to you. Because among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their royal estate, there is no one like you.

⁸But they are together brutish and foolish, instructed by idols! It is just wood.

⁹There is silver beaten into plates, which is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the engraver and of the hands of the goldsmith. Their clothing is blue and purple. They are all the work of skillful men.

¹⁰But the LORD is the true God. He is the living God, and an everlasting King. At his wrath, the earth trembles. The nations aren’t able to withstand his indignation.

¹¹“You shall say this to them: ‘The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth will perish from the earth, and from under the heavens.’”

¹²God has made the earth by his power. He has established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding has he stretched out the heavens.

¹³When he utters his voice, the waters in the heavens roar, and he causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth. He makes lightnings for the rain, and brings the wind out of his treasuries.

¹⁴Every man has become brutish and without knowledge. Every goldsmith is disappointed by his engraved image; for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.

¹⁵They are vanity, a work of delusion. In the time of their visitation they will perish.

¹⁶The portion of Jacob is not like these; for he is the maker of all things; and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance. The LORD of Armies is his name.

Coming Exile

¹⁷Gather up your wares out of the land, you who live under siege.

¹⁸For the LORD says, “Behold, I will sling out the inhabitants of the land at this time, and will distress them, that they may feel it.”

¹⁹Woe is me because of my injury! My wound is serious; but I said, “Truly this is my grief, and I must bear it.”

²⁰My tent has been destroyed, and all my cords are broken. My children have gone away from me, and they are no more. There is no one to spread my tent any more, to set up my curtains.

²¹For the shepherds have become brutish, and have not inquired of the LORD. Therefore they have not prospered, and all their flocks have scattered.

²²The voice of news, behold, it comes, and a great commotion out of the north country, to make the cities of Judah a desolation, a dwelling place of jackals.

Jeremiah's Prayer

²³LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself. It is not in man who walks to direct his steps.

²⁴LORD, correct me, but gently; not in your anger, lest you reduce me to nothing.

²⁵Pour out your wrath on the nations that don’t know you, and on the families that don’t call on your name; for they have devoured Jacob. Yes, they have devoured him, consumed him, and have laid waste his habitation.

Previous Jeremiah 9

Next Jeremiah 11

Jeremiah 10 presents a stark contrast between the living God and lifeless idols, mocking the futility of idol worship while exalting the Lord as Creator and King of nations. The chapter transitions from this theological polemic to announcing Jerusalem's coming exile, with the prophet lamenting the nation's destruction and failed leadership. Jeremiah concludes with a personal prayer, acknowledging human frailty while asking God to discipline Israel with mercy rather than full wrath.

Context

This chapter continues the themes of judgment from chapters 8-9 while preparing for the specific prophecies of exile that dominate chapters 11-20.

Key Themes

Outline

1-5
Warning Against Idolatry God commands Israel not to follow pagan customs of crafting wooden idols that are powerless and mute.
6-10
The Lord's Supremacy Jeremiah contrasts the greatness of the living God with the foolishness of idol worship.
11-16
Creator Versus Created False gods will perish while the Lord who made heaven and earth remains Israel's eternal portion.
17-18
Announcement of Exile God declares He will forcibly remove the inhabitants from the land like stones from a sling.
19-22
Lament Over Destruction The prophet grieves over the nation's wounds and failed shepherds who caused the people to scatter.
23-25
Jeremiah's Prayer The prophet acknowledges human inability to direct their own steps and asks for measured discipline and justice on enemies.

The Lord Versus Idols

10:1–10:16

prophecy instruction defiant

God contrasts the powerless, man-made idols of wood and metal with His own sovereignty as the living God and Creator. The passage emphasizes the futility of idol worship and declares God's supreme authority over all nations.

geographic

Jeremiah ironically sources idol gold from Uphaz, a place name appearing only here and Daniel 10:5, emphasizing how even the finest materials cannot create true divinity.

Coming Exile

10:17–10:22

prophecy speech mournful

God announces the coming exile of Judah's inhabitants, with the prophet expressing deep grief over the destruction. The passage blames failed spiritual leadership (shepherds) for the nation's scattered condition and impending desolation.

theme_rarity

Jeremiah uniquely combines the metaphor of God "slinging out" inhabitants like stones from a sling with the failure of "shepherds" (leaders) who scatter rather than gather the flock.

Jeremiah's Prayer

10:23–10:25

prophecy prayer contemplative

Jeremiah prays acknowledging human inability to direct one's own path and asks God for gentle correction rather than wrathful judgment. He concludes by asking God to pour out wrath on the nations that have devoured Israel instead.

person_contrast

Jeremiah, typically God's mouthpiece pronouncing judgment, here becomes vulnerable supplicant, using the rare Hebrew phrase "correct me gently" found nowhere else in his prophecies.

Insight Geography

Jeremiah ironically sources idol gold from Uphaz, a place name appearing only here and Daniel 10:5, emphasizing how even the finest materials cannot create true divinity.

Insight Rare Theme

Jeremiah uniquely combines the metaphor of God "slinging out" inhabitants like stones from a sling with the failure of "shepherds" (leaders) who scatter rather than gather the flock.

Insight Character Study

Jeremiah, typically God's mouthpiece pronouncing judgment, here becomes vulnerable supplicant, using the rare Hebrew phrase "correct me gently" found nowhere else in his prophecies.

Cross-References

Connected passages across Scripture

Jeremiah 10:3 3 references

Lexicals 3

Isaiah 44:12 Lexical

The blacksmith takes an ax, works in the coals, fashions it with hammers, and works it with his strong arm. He is hungry…

2 shared words

Isaiah 44:14 Lexical

He cuts down cedars for himself, and takes the cypress and the oak, and strengthens for himself one among the trees of t…

Jeremiah 10

The Lord Versus Idols

Coming Exile

Jeremiah's Prayer

The Lord Versus Idols

Coming Exile

Jeremiah's Prayer

Insights

Cross-References

Jeremiah 10:3 3 references

Jeremiah 10:4 1 reference

Jeremiah 10:9 5 references

Jeremiah 10:11 5 references

Jeremiah 10:12 5 references

Jeremiah 10:13 4 references

Jeremiah 10:14 1 reference

Jeremiah 10:15 1 reference

Jeremiah 10:16 4 references

Jeremiah 10:19 3 references

Jeremiah 10:20 2 references

Jeremiah 10:21 1 reference

Jeremiah 10:22 1 reference

Jeremiah 10:24 1 reference

Jeremiah 10:25 5 references

Interlinear

Historical Context