Jeremiah 4:2
WEB
and you will swear, ‘As Yahweh lives,’ in truth, in justice, and in righteousness. The nations will bless themselves in him, and they will glory in him.”
BSB
and if you can swear, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’ in truth, in justice, and in righteousness, then the nations will be blessed by Him, and in Him they will glory.”
KJV
And thou shalt swear, The LORD liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.
Matthew Henry
Hebrew interlinear
H7650
v — seven, swear
Derivation: a primitive root; properly to be complete, but used only as a denominative from 7651;
to seven oneself, i.e. swear (as if by repeating a declaration seven times)
KJV: adjure, charge (by an oath, with an oath), feed to the full (by mistake for 7646), take an oath, × straitly, (cause to, make to) swear.
vb — swear
[שָׁבַע] 186 vb. swear (prob. so to say, seven oneself, or bind oneself by seven things)
Qal Pt. pass. those sworn with (= who have sworn) oaths
Niph.;—swear, take an oath
Hiph.
1. cause take an oath, subj. always man
2. adjure
H2416
a n-m n-f — alive, raw, fresh, strong, life
Derivation: from 2421;
alive; hence, raw (flesh); fresh (plant, water, year), strong; also (as noun, especially in the feminine singular and masculine plural) life (or living thing), whether literally or figuratively
KJV: age, alive, appetite, (wild) beast, company, congregation, life(-time), live(-ly), living (creature, thing), maintenance, merry, multitude, (be) old, quick, raw, running, springing, troop.
adj — alive
חַי adj. alive, living
1.
a. of God, as the living one, the fountain of life
b. of man
c. of animals, alive, living
d. animals and man
e. (dub.) of vegetation, as thorns, green
f. of water, fresh
2. (dub.) lively, active
3. reviving
n.f — living thing
חַיָּה n.f. living thing, animal
1. animal
a. in general
b. wild animals, on account of their vital energy and activity
c. living beings, of the cherubic chariot
2. life, only in late poetry
3. appetite, activity of hunger
4. revival, renewal
n.f — community
חַיָּה n.f. community
n.m — life
חַיִּים n.m. pl. abstr. emph. life
1. life: physical
2. life: as welfare and happiness in king's presence
3. sustenance, maintenance
H3068
n-pr — Existent, Jeho-vah
Derivation: from 1961;
(the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jeho-vah, Jewish national name of God
KJV: Jehovah, the Lord. Compare 3050, 3069.
n.pr.dei — God
יהוה c. 6823 i.e. יַהְוֶה n.pr.dei Yahweh, the proper name of the God of Israel—(1. MT יְהֹוָה 6518 (Qr אֲדֹנָי), or יֱהֹוִה 305 (Qr אֱלֹהִים) 2. Many recent scholars explain יַהְוֶה as Hiph. of הוה (= היה) the one bringing into being, life-giver)
I. יהוה is not used by E in Gn, but is given Ex 3:12-15 as the name of the God who revealed Himself to Moses at Horeb
II.
1. יהוה is used with אלהים and suffixes, especially in D
2. the phrase † אֲנִי יהוה is noteworthy
3. יהוה is also used with several predicates, to form sacred names of holy places of Yahweh
H571
n-f — stability, certainty, truth, trustworthiness
Derivation: contracted from 539;
stability; (figuratively) certainty, truth, trustworthiness
KJV: assured(-ly), establishment, faithful, right, sure, true (-ly, -th), verity.
n.f — firmness
אֱמֶת n.f. firmness, faithfulness
1. reliability, sureness
2. stability, continuance
3. faithfulness, reliableness
4. truth
5. adv. in truth, truly
H4941
n-m — verdict, sentence, law, justice, right, privilege, style
Derivation: from 8199;
properly, a verdict (favorable or unfavorable) pronounced judicially, especially a sentence or formal decree (human or (participant's) divine law, individual or collective), including the act, the place, the suit, the crime, and the penalty; abstractly, justice, including a participant's right or privilege (statutory or customary), or even a style
KJV: adversary, ceremony, charge, × crime, custom, desert, determination, discretion, disposing, due, fashion, form, to be judged, judgment, just(-ice, -ly), (manner of) law(-ful), manner, measure, (due) order, ordinance, right, sentence, usest, × worthy, wrong.
n.m — judgment
מִשְׁפָּט 422 n.m. judgment
1. judgment
2. justice, right, rectitude
3. ordinance
4. decision
5. one's (legal) right, privilege, due
6.
a. proper, fitting, measure
b. custom, manner
c. what manner of
d. plan
H6666
n-f — rightness, rectitude, justice, virtue, prosperity
Derivation: from 6663;
rightness (abstractly), subjectively (rectitude), objectively (justice), morally (virtue) or figuratively (prosperity)
KJV: justice, moderately, right(-eous) (act, -ly, -ness).
n.f — righteousness
צְדָקָה 157 n.f. righteousness
1. righteousness, in government
2. God's attribute as sovereign
3. righteousness, in a case or cause
4. righteousness = truthfulness
5. righteousness, as ethically right
6. righteousness as vindicated, justification, salvation, etc.
7. pl. righteous acts
H1288
v — kneel, bless, curse
Derivation: a primitive root;
to kneel; by implication to bless God (as an act of adoration), and (vice-versa) man (as a benefit); also (by euphemism) to curse (God or the king, as treason)
KJV: × abundantly, × altogether, × at all, blaspheme, bless, congratulate, curse, × greatly, × indeed, kneel (down), praise, salute, × still, thank.
vb — kneel
[בָּרַךְ] 329 vb. kneel, bless
Qal
1. kneel down
2. bless
Niph. bless oneself
Pi.
1. bless God, adore with bended knees
2. God blesses
3. men bless men
4. salute, greet, with an invocation of blessing
5. bless, with the antithetical meaning curse from the greeting in departing, saying adieu to, taking leave of; but rather a blessing overdone and so really a curse as in vulgar English as well as in the Shemitic cognates
Pu.
1. pass. to be blessed, adored
2. prospered by God
3. have prosperity invoked, by Balaam
4. in gratitude
Hiph. and he made his camel kneel
Hithp. bless oneself, congratulate oneself in his heart
H1471
n-m n-pr-m — nation, a Gentile, troop, flight
Derivation: rarely (shortened) גֹּי; apparently from the same root as 1465 (in the sense of massing);
a foreign nation; hence, a Gentile; also (figuratively) a troop of animals, or a flight of locusts
KJV: Gentile, heathen, nation, people.
n.m — nation
גּוֹי 661 n.m. nation, people
n.pr.gent — Goim
גּוֹיִם n.pr.gent. Tid‛al king of Goim
H1984
v — be clear, shine, to make a show, boast, be, foolish, to rave, celebrate, stultify
Derivation: a primitive root;
to be clear (orig. of sound, but usually of color); to shine; hence, to make a show, to boast; and thus to be (clamorously) foolish; to rave; causatively, to celebrate; also to stultify
KJV: (make) boast (self), celebrate, commend, (deal, make), fool(-ish, -ly), glory, give (light), be (make, feign self) mad (against), give in marriage, (sing, be worthy of) praise, rage, renowned, shine.
vb — shine
[הָלַל] vb. shine
Qal when it, viz. his lamp, shone upon my head, fig. of God’s favour.
Hiph. flash forth light
vb — be boastful
[הָלַל] vb. be boastful, Pi. praise
Qal be boastful
Pi.
1. praise man or woman
2. usually praise י׳
3. appar. boast, make one’s boast
Pu. be praised
Hithpa. glory, boast, make one’s boast
Po‛el make into a fool, make a fool of
Po‛al of laughter I said, It is mad (folly)
Hithpo. act madly, or like a madman
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Verses 1–2
Jeremiah 4:1–2
When God called to backsliding Israel to return (Jer 3:22) they immediately answered, Lord, we return; now God here takes notice of their answer, and, by way of reply to it,
I. He directs them how to pursue their good resolutions: "Dost thou say, I will return?" 1. "Then thou must return unto me; make a thorough work of it. Do not only turn from thy idolatries, but return to the instituted worship of the God of Israel." Or, "Thou must return speedily and not delay (as Isa 21:12, If you will enquire, enquire you); if you will return unto me, return you: do not talk of it, but do it." 2. "Thou must utterly abandon all sin, and not retain any of the relics of idolatry: Put away thy abominations out of my sight," that is, out of all places (for every place is under the eye of God), especially out of the temple, the house which he had in a particular manner his eye upon, to see that it was kept clean. It intimates that their idolatries were not only obvious, but offensive, to the eye of God. They were abominations which he could not endure the sight of; therefore they must be put away out of his sight, because they were a provocation to the pure eyes of God's glory. Sin must be put away out of the heart, else it is not put away out of God's sight, for the heart and all that is in it lie open before his eye. 3. They must not return to sin again; so some understand that, Thou shalt not remove, reading it, Thou shalt not, or must not, wander. "If thou wilt put away thy abominations, and wilt not wander after them again, as thou hast done, all shall be well." 4. They must give unto God the glory due unto his name (Jer 4:2): "Thou shalt sear, The Lord liveth. His existence shall be with thee the most sacred fact, than which nothing can be more sure, and his judgment the supreme court to which thou shalt appeal, than which nothing can be more awful." Swearing is an act of religious worship, in which we are to give honour to God three ways: - (1.) We must swear by the true God only, and not by creatures, or any false gods, - by the God that liveth, not by the gods that are deaf and dumb and dead, - by him only, and not by the Lord and by Malcham, as Zac 1:5. (2.) We must swear that only which is true, in truth and in righteousness, not daring to assert that which is false, or which we do not know to be true, nor to assert that as certain which is doubtful, nor to promise that which we mean not to perform, nor to violate the promise we have made. To say that which is untrue, or to do that which is unrighteous, is bad, but to back either with an oath is much worse. (3.) We must do it solemnly, swear in judgment, that is, when judicially called to it, and not in common conversation. Rash swearing is as great a profanation of God's name as solemn swearing is an honour to it. See Deu 10:20; Mat 5:34, Mat 5:37.
II. He encourages them to keep in this good mind and adhere to their resolutions. If the scattered Israelites will thus return to God, 1. They shall be blessed themselves; for to that sense the first words may be read: "If thou wilt return to me, then thou shalt return, that is, thou shalt be brought back out of thy captivity into thy own land again, as was of old promised," Deu 4:29; Deu 30:2. Or, "Then thou shalt rest in me, shalt return to me as they rest, even while thou art in the land of thy captivity." 2. They shall be blessings to others; for their returning to God again will be a means of others turning to him who never new him. If thou wilt own the living Lord, thou wilt thereby influence the nations among whom thou art to bless themselves in him, to place their happiness in his favour and to think themselves happy in being brought to the fear of him. See Isa 65:16. They shall bless themselves in the God of truth, and not in false gods, shall do themselves the honour, and give themselves the satisfaction, to join themselves to him; and then in him shall they glory; they shall make him their glory, and shall please, nay, shall pride, themselves in the blessed change they have made. Those that part with their sins to return to God, however they scrupled at the bargain at first, when they go away, then they boast.
Cross-references: Jer 3:22 · Isa 21:12 · Jer 4:2 · Zech 1:5 · Deut 10:20 · Matt 5:34 · Matt 5:37 · Deut 4:29 · Deut 30:2 · Isa 65:16