Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the LORD your God sends you to tell us. New Living Translation Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD your God be a faithful witness against us if we refuse to obey whatever he tells us to do! English Standard Version Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act according to all the word with which the LORD your God sends you to us. Berean Standard Bible Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act upon every word that the LORD your God sends you to tell us. Berean Literal Bible And they said to Jeremiah: “May YHWH be against us as a true and faithful witness, if according to every word that YHWH your God sends you to us, we do not thus. King James Bible Then they said to Jeremiah, The LORD be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not even according to all things for the which the LORD thy God shall send thee to us. New King James Version So they said to Jeremiah, “Let the LORD be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not do according to everything which the LORD your God sends us by you. New American Standard Bible Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with the whole message with which the LORD your God will send you to us. NASB 1995 Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with the whole message with which the LORD your God will send you to us. NASB 1977 Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us, if we do not act in accordance with the whole message with which the LORD your God will send you to us. Legacy Standard Bible And they said to Jeremiah, “May Yahweh be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with the whole message with which Yahweh your God will send you to us. Amplified Bible Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we fail to act in accordance with all the things that the LORD your God sends you to tell us. Berean Annotated Bible Then they said to Jeremiah (whom YHWH has appointed), “May the LORD {YHWH} be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act upon every word that the LORD your God {YHWH Eloheka} sends you⁺ to tell us. Christian Standard Bible And they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we don’t act according to every word the LORD your God sends you to tell us. Holman Christian Standard Bible And they said to Jeremiah, “As for every word the LORD your God sends you to tell us, if we don’t act accordingly, may the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us. American Standard Version Then they said to Jeremiah, Jehovah be a true and faithful witness amongst us, if we do not according to all the word wherewith Jehovah thy God shall send thee to us. Contemporary English Version They answered, "The LORD himself will be our witness that we promise to do whatever he says, English Revised Version Then they said to Jeremiah, The LORD be a true and faithful witness amongst us, if we do not even according to all the word wherewith the LORD thy God shall send thee to us. GOD'S WORD® Translation They said to Jeremiah, "May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we don't do exactly what the LORD your God tells us to do. Good News Translation Then they said to me, "May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not obey all the commands that the LORD our God gives you for us. International Standard Version Then they told Jeremiah, "May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we don't do everything that the LORD your God tells us through you. NET Bible They answered Jeremiah, "May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not do just as the LORD sends you to tell us to do. New Heart English Bible Then they said to Jeremiah, "The LORD be a true and faithful witness among us, if we do not do according to all the word with which the LORD your God shall send you to us. Webster's Bible Translation Then they said to Jeremiah, The LORD be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not even according to all things for which the LORD thy God shall send thee to us. Majority Text Translations Majority Standard BibleThen they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act upon every word that the LORD your God sends you to tell us. World English Bible Then they said to Jeremiah, “May Yahweh be a true and faithful witness among us, if we don’t do according to all the word with which Yahweh your God sends you to tell us. Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionAnd they have said to Jeremiah, “YHWH is against us for a true and faithful witness, if—according to all the word with which your God YHWH sends you to us—we do not do so. Berean Literal Bible And they said to Jeremiah: “May YHWH be against us as a true and faithful witness, if according to every word that YHWH your God sends you to us, we do not thus. Young's Literal Translation And they have said to Jeremiah, 'Jehovah is against us for a witness true and faithful, if -- according to all the word with which Jehovah thy God doth send thee unto us -- we do not so. Smith's Literal Translation And they said to Jeremiah, Jehovah will be with us for a witness of truth and faithful, if not according to all the words which Jehovah thy God will send thee to us, thus will we do. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleAnd they said to Jeremias: The Lord be witness between us of truth and faithfulness, if we do not according to every thing for which the Lord thy God shall send thee to us. Catholic Public Domain Version And they said to Jeremiah: “May the Lord be the witness between us of truth and fidelity, if we do not act according to whatever word the Lord your God will send by you to us. New American Bible And they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not follow all the instructions the LORD, your God, sends us through you. New Revised Standard Version They in their turn said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act according to everything that the LORD your God sends us through you. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleThen they said to Jeremiah, May the LORD be a true and faithful witness between us if we do not do according to the word with which the LORD your God shall send you to us. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated And they said to Jeremiah: “LORD JEHOVAH shall be a firm and faithful witness with us if we will not do according to the answer that LORD JEHOVAH your God will send you for us! OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917Then they said to Jeremiah: 'The LORD be a true and faithful witness against us, if we do not even according to all the word wherewith the LORD thy God shall send thee to us. Brenton Septuagint Translation And they said to Jeremias, Let the Lord be between us for a just and faithful witness, if we do not according to every word which the Lord shall send to us. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Warning Against Going to Egypt…4“I have heard you,” replied Jeremiah the prophet. “I will surely pray to the LORD your God as you request, and I will tell you everything that the LORD answers; I will not withhold a word from you.” 5Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act upon every word that the LORD your God sends you to tell us. 6Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God to whom we are sending you, so that it may go well with us, for we will obey the voice of the LORD our God!”… Cross References Then they said to Jeremiah, 2 Kings 22:13 “Go and inquire of the LORD for me, for the people, and for all Judah concerning the words in this book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the LORD that burns against us because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book by doing all that is written about us.” Jeremiah 37:3 Yet King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, to Jeremiah the prophet with the message, “Please pray to the LORD our God for us!” 1 Kings 22:7 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not still a prophet of the LORD here of whom we can inquire?” “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us Malachi 3:5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. And I will be a swift witness against sorcerers and adulterers and perjurers, against oppressors of the widowed and fatherless, and against those who defraud laborers of their wages and deny justice to the foreigner but do not fear Me,” says the LORD of Hosts. 1 Samuel 12:5 Samuel said to them, “The LORD is a witness against you, and His anointed is a witness today, that you have not found anything in my hand.” “He is a witness,” they replied. Genesis 31:50 If you mistreat my daughters or take other wives, although no one is with us, remember that God is a witness between you and me.” if we do not act upon every word Deuteronomy 5:27 Go near and listen to all that the LORD our God says. Then you can tell us everything the LORD our God tells you; we will listen and obey.” Joshua 1:16-17 So they answered Joshua, “Everything you have commanded us we will do, and everywhere you send us we will go. / Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. And may the LORD your God be with you, as He was with Moses. Deuteronomy 8:3 He humbled you, and in your hunger He gave you manna to eat, which neither you nor your fathers had known, so that you might understand that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. that the LORD your God sends you to tell us. Jeremiah 1:7 But the LORD told me: “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ For to everyone I send you, you must go, and all that I command you, you must speak. Deuteronomy 18:18-19 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. I will put My words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. / And I will hold accountable anyone who does not listen to My words that the prophet speaks in My name. Exodus 4:12 Now go! I will help you as you speak, and I will teach you what to say.” Deuteronomy 6:13 Fear the LORD your God, serve Him only, and take your oaths in His name. Joshua 24:22 Then Joshua told them, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the LORD.” “We are witnesses!” they said. 2 Kings 17:13-15 Yet through all His prophets and seers, the LORD warned Israel and Judah, saying, “Turn from your wicked ways and keep My commandments and statutes, according to the entire Law that I commanded your fathers and delivered to you through My servants the prophets.” / But they would not listen, and they stiffened their necks like their fathers, who did not believe the LORD their God. / They rejected His statutes and the covenant He had made with their fathers, as well as the decrees He had given them. They pursued worthless idols and became worthless themselves, going after the surrounding nations that the LORD had commanded them not to imitate. Isaiah 48:1 “Listen to this, O house of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel, who have descended from the line of Judah, who swear by the name of the LORD, who invoke the God of Israel—but not in truth or righteousness— Treasury of Scripture Then they said to Jeremiah, The LORD be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not even according to all things for the which the LORD your God shall send you to us. The Lord be. Jeremiah 5:2 And though they say, The LORD liveth; surely they swear falsely. Genesis 31:50 If thou shalt afflict my daughters, or if thou shalt take other wives beside my daughters, no man is with us; see, God is witness betwixt me and thee. Exodus 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. if we. Exodus 20:19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. Deuteronomy 5:27-29 Go thou near, and hear all that the LORD our God shall say: and speak thou unto us all that the LORD our God shall speak unto thee; and we will hear it, and do it… Jump to Previous Accordance Act Amongst Faith Faithful Good Jeremiah Message Sends True. Wherewith Whole Witness WordJump to Next Accordance Act Amongst Faith Faithful Good Jeremiah Message Sends True. Wherewith Whole Witness WordJeremiah 42 1. Johanan desires Jeremiah to enquire of God, promising obedience to his will.7. Jeremiah assures him of safety in Judea; 13. and destruction in Egypt. 19. He reproves their hypocrisy. Then they said to Jeremiah This phrase indicates a dialogue between the people and the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah was a major prophet in the Old Testament, known for his messages of warning and hope to the people of Judah. The context here is after the fall of Jerusalem, when the remnant of Judah is seeking guidance. Jeremiah, as a prophet, served as a mediator between God and the people, often delivering messages that were difficult to hear. “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act upon every word that the LORD your God sends you to tell us. Persons / Places / Events 1. JeremiahA major prophet in the Old Testament, known for his prophecies concerning the destruction of Jerusalem and the subsequent exile of the Israelites. He is often called the "weeping prophet" due to his deep sorrow over the sins of his people. 2. The Remnant of Judah The group of Israelites who remained in Judah after the Babylonian conquest. They sought guidance from Jeremiah on whether to flee to Egypt or stay in the land. 3. The LORD (Yahweh) The covenantal name of God in the Hebrew Bible, emphasizing His faithfulness and sovereignty. The people invoke His name as a witness to their promise. 4. Egypt A neighboring nation to which the remnant considered fleeing for safety. Historically, Egypt was both a place of refuge and a symbol of reliance on human strength rather than God. 5. Babylonian Conquest The historical backdrop of this passage, where Babylon had conquered Judah, leading to the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of many Israelites. Teaching Points The Seriousness of VowsInvoking God as a witness is a solemn act. Believers should be cautious and sincere when making commitments, understanding the weight of their words before God. Seeking Divine Guidance Like the remnant, we should seek God's guidance in our decisions. However, we must be prepared to follow through with obedience, regardless of personal desires. God's Faithfulness The passage underscores God's role as a "true and faithful witness." Believers can trust in God's faithfulness and truthfulness in all circumstances. The Danger of Insincere Promises The remnant's promise to obey God's word through Jeremiah was not kept, leading to dire consequences. This serves as a warning against making insincere commitments to God. Reliance on God vs. Human Solutions The temptation to flee to Egypt symbolizes reliance on human solutions rather than trusting in God's provision and protection. Bible Study Questions and Answers 1. What is the meaning of Jeremiah 42:5?2. How does Jeremiah 42:5 emphasize the importance of keeping our promises to God? 3. What can we learn about accountability from the people's vow in Jeremiah 42:5? 4. How does Jeremiah 42:5 connect with Matthew 5:37 about letting your 'Yes' be 'Yes'? 5. In what ways can we ensure our commitments align with God's will today? 6. How can Jeremiah 42:5 inspire us to seek God's guidance in decision-making? 7. What does Jeremiah 42:5 reveal about the seriousness of making vows to God? 8. How does Jeremiah 42:5 emphasize the importance of accountability in faith? 9. Why is invoking God as a witness significant in Jeremiah 42:5? 10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Jeremiah 42? 11. What is the meaning of hope in the Bible? 12. Jeremiah 42:1–6: If the people truly sought God’s guidance, why did they ignore it immediately after receiving Jeremiah’s answer? 13. Do the promises in Jer 42 about the safety of the remnant conflict with the calamities in Jer 43? 14. How can I find hope in times of despair? What Does Jeremiah 42:5 Mean Then they said to Jeremiah- A delegation of Judean leaders approaches the prophet after Jerusalem’s fall, showing outward respect. - Their address reveals they recognize Jeremiah’s prophetic authority, much like King Zedekiah once did in Jeremiah 37:3. - Their initiative mirrors Israel’s earlier appeals to God’s messengers in Judges 20:27–28, yet history warns that mere words do not equal obedience (Isaiah 29:13). May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us - They invoke the covenant name “LORD,” calling Him to stand as guarantor of their vow. - The idea of God as “witness” echoes Genesis 31:49 and Malachi 2:14, underscoring that He observes both promise and performance. - By calling Him “true and faithful,” they affirm His unchanging character (Numbers 23:19; Revelation 19:11), tacitly committing themselves to reflect that same faithfulness. If we do not act upon every word - Their commitment is comprehensive: “every word,” not selective obedience. Compare this wholehearted pledge with Joshua 24:24 and Deuteronomy 5:27. - Scripture warns that vows invite accountability (Ecclesiastes 5:4–6). Failure would make God Himself their prosecutor. That the LORD your God sends you to tell us - They acknowledge that Jeremiah’s message originates with God, paralleling 1 Samuel 3:17 and John 12:49. - Calling Yahweh “your God” hints at distance; they still view Jeremiah’s relationship as unique, much like Pharaoh speaking to Moses in Exodus 10:17. - True faith bridges that distance by making the LORD “our God” (Jeremiah 31:33); their phrasing foreshadows their later disobedience in Jeremiah 43:2–7. summary Jeremiah 42:5 captures a solemn vow: the leaders promise total obedience to whatever word God delivers through Jeremiah, inviting the LORD Himself to testify against them if they fail. Their language is orthodox and fervent, affirming God’s faithfulness and Jeremiah’s authority, yet subsequent chapters reveal their hearts were divided. The verse reminds us that God hears every promise, expects complete obedience, and remains the ultimate Witness who vindicates truth and exposes hypocrisy. (5, 6) The Lord be a true and faithful witness . . .--The emphatic adjuration implies that they are ready to accept the punishment which the righteous Judge will inflict in the event of their proving unfaithful to their promise. The name of the place where they had lately been staying may have reminded them of the history of Genesis 31:49 (though that refers to another Mizpah), in which we find the same formula.Verse 5. - A true and faithful witness between us; rather, against us. If they broke their promise, Jehovah was to "witness against" them by punishing them.Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew Then theyוְהֵ֙מָּה֙ (wə·hêm·māh) Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - third person masculine plural Strong's 1992: They said אָמְר֣וּ (’ā·mə·rū) Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural Strong's 559: To utter, say to אֶֽל־ (’el-) Preposition Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to Jeremiah, יִרְמְיָ֔הוּ (yir·mə·yā·hū) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 3414: Jeremiah -- 'Yah loosens', the name of a number of Israelites “May the LORD יְהוָה֙ (Yah·weh) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel be יְהִ֤י (yə·hî) Verb - Qal - Imperfect Jussive - third person masculine singular Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be a true אֱמֶ֣ת (’ĕ·meṯ) Noun - feminine singular Strong's 571: Stability, certainty, truth, trustworthiness and faithful וְנֶאֱמָ֑ן (wə·ne·’ĕ·mān) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine singular Strong's 539: To confirm, support witness against us לְעֵ֖ד (lə·‘êḏ) Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 5707: A witness, testimony, a recorder, prince if אִם־ (’im-) Conjunction Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not we do not לֹ֡א (lō) Adverb - Negative particle Strong's 3808: Not, no act upon נַעֲשֶֽׂה׃ (na·‘ă·śeh) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common plural Strong's 6213: To do, make every כְּֽכָל־ (kə·ḵāl-) Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every word הַ֠דָּבָר (had·dā·ḇār) Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 1697: A word, a matter, thing, a cause that אֲשֶׁ֨ר (’ă·šer) Pronoun - relative Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that the LORD יְהוָ֧ה (Yah·weh) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel your God אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ (’ĕ·lō·he·ḵā) Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative sends you יִֽשְׁלָחֲךָ֜ (yiš·lā·ḥă·ḵā) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular | second person masculine singular Strong's 7971: To send away, for, out to tell us. אֵלֵ֖ינוּ (’ê·lê·nū) Preposition | first person common plural Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to Links Jeremiah 42:5 NIVJeremiah 42:5 NLT Jeremiah 42:5 ESV Jeremiah 42:5 NASB Jeremiah 42:5 KJV Jeremiah 42:5 BibleApps.com Jeremiah 42:5 Biblia Paralela Jeremiah 42:5 Chinese Bible Jeremiah 42:5 French Bible Jeremiah 42:5 Catholic Bible OT Prophets: Jeremiah 42:5 Then they said to Jeremiah Yahweh be (Jer.) |
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