JeremiaKapitel 10

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Hear the word the LORD has spoken concerning you, house of Israel.

This is what the LORD says: Do not learn the ways of the nations, and do not be terrified by signs in the heavens, though the nations are terrified by them.

For the customs of the peoples are worthless. A tree is cut from the forest and shaped by a craftsman's hands with a chisel.

They adorn it with silver and gold and fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not topple.

Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field they stand, and they cannot speak. They must be carried, for they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm, and they have no power to do good.

There is none like you, LORD. You are great, and your name is great in power.

Who would not fear you, King of the nations? Reverence belongs to you. Among all the wise men of the nations and in all their kingdoms there is none like you.

They are all senseless and foolish alike; the instruction of idols is nothing but wood.

Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish and gold from Uphaz, the work of a craftsman and of the goldsmith's hands. They are clothed in violet and purple, all of it the work of skilled hands.

But the LORD is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King. When he is angry, the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure his wrath.

Tell them this: These gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth, will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.[^1] [^1]: This verse is written in Aramaic rather than Hebrew.

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

When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; he raises mist from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.

Everyone is senseless and without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols. His images are a fraud; there is no breath in them.

They are worthless, a work of mockery; when their time of reckoning comes, they will perish.

Jacob's portion is not like these, for he is the maker of all things, and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance. The LORD of hosts is his name.

Gather up your bundle from the ground, you who live under siege.

For this is what the LORD says: Look, this time I am about to sling out the inhabitants of the land, and I will bring distress on them so that they will feel it.

Woe to me because of my ruin! My wound is severe. Yet I said, "This is my sickness, and I must bear it."

My tent is destroyed, all my ropes are snapped. My children have gone from me, and they are no more. There is no one left to pitch my tent or set up my curtains.

For the shepherds are senseless and have not sought the LORD. That is why they have not prospered, and all their flock is scattered.

Listen! A report is coming, a great commotion from the land of the north, to make the cities of Judah a desolation, a haunt of jackals.

I know, LORD, that a person's way is not his own; no one who walks can direct his own steps.

Correct me, LORD, but with justice—not in your anger, or you will reduce me to nothing.

Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not know you, and on the peoples that do not call on your name; for they have devoured Jacob—devoured him and consumed him—and have laid waste his homeland.

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Kapitel 10

Main Theme: The contrast between powerless idols and the Lord, the living God and eternal King, who alone deserves reverence.

Content: Jeremiah warns Israel against following the nations' customs of making idol images from wood adorned with silver and gold—they can neither speak, walk, nor do good or evil. In contrast stands the Lord, who created the earth by His power, established the world by His wisdom, and stretched out the heavens by His understanding. The prophet laments the coming destruction from the north because the shepherds have acted foolishly. He acknowledges that man cannot direct his own steps and asks for God's discipline in justice—not in wrath—while God's anger must fall upon the nations that have devoured Jacob.

Key Words/Images:

The Idol (vv. 3–5): Wood cut from the forest, decorated with silver and gold, yet as lifeless as a scarecrow—unable to speak or walk.
The Lord as Creator (vv. 12–13): He who created the earth by His power, established the world by His wisdom, and stretched out the heavens by His understanding.
Jacob's Portion (v. 16): The God of Israel is not like the idols—He is the One who formed all things, and Israel is His inheritance.
The Shepherds (v. 21): The leaders who have acted foolishly and failed to seek the Lord, resulting in the flock being scattered.

Historisk kontext

Historical and Cultural Context for Jeremiah 10

Events and Customs

Chapter 10 contains a detailed description of the making of idols (vv. 3–5, 8–9, 14–15). The process described—cutting wood from the forest, shaping it with a craftsman’s axe, adorning it with silver and gold, and fastening it with nails so it will not wobble—corresponds precisely to known Mesopotamian and Canaanite practices. In Babylon, there were annual rituals in which divine statues were "born" through craftsmanship, then ritually "opened" (mouth and eyes) to give them "life." The comparison to "a scarecrow in a cucumber field" (כְּתֹמֶר מִקְשָׁה, v. 5) is a sharp satirical comment—these flashy statues were as lifeless and stiff as a wooden post in a vegetable garden.

The warning against "being afraid of the signs of heaven" (v. 2) refers to the widespread Babylonian astrology. The Babylonians had developed a sophisticated system for interpreting celestial bodies, eclipses, and planetary movements as omens of the future. Royal decisions were often delayed based on astronomical observations. For Israelites in exile or threatened by Babylon, the temptation to adopt these practices was great.

Places

Tarshish (v. 9) was likely located in the western Mediterranean region, possibly along the Spanish coast or Sardinia. The place was known for its metal trade, especially silver, but also tin and other metals. Phoenician merchants transported these valuable metals eastward. Uphaz (אוּפָז, v. 9) is more uncertain—some textual critics believe it may be a scribal error for Ophir (אוֹפִיר), while others hold that it was an independent place known for high-quality gold. The reference to these distant places underscores how far the nations went and how much they paid for materials for their worthless idols.

Key Terms

The Aramaic verse (v. 11) is unique in the book of Jeremiah and one of only a few Aramaic passages in the Old Testament outside Daniel and Ezra. Aramaic was the international diplomatic language of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. This verse was probably intended as a ready-made answer that Israelites could give to their pagan neighbors in their own language: "The gods who have not made heaven and earth shall perish from the earth and from under these heavens."

The expression "the portion of Jacob" (חֵלֶק יַעֲקֹב, v. 16) is an important theological term that contrasts Israel’s God with idols. While other nations "received" their gods as part of the world order (cf. Deut 4:19), the Lord himself is Israel’s inheritance—and Israel at the same time is his "inheritance tribe" (שֵׁבֶט נַחֲלָתוֹ). This mutual relationship stands in sharp contrast to the mute and lifeless statues.

Archaeological Background

Archaeological finds from the Iron Age have uncovered numerous divine figures in Israel and Judah, confirming that idolatry was widespread even in private homes—a practice chapter 10 directly confronts. From Mesopotamia we have preserved texts describing rituals for making divine statues, including the "mouth-opening ritual" intended to make the statue into a living deity. Jeremiah 10:14—"there is no breath in them"—is a direct attack on such beliefs.

Personer1

Jacob1

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Nyckelord10

God — The almighty Creator who, according to Genesis, created the heavens, the earth, and all life.
Created — The term used to describe God's act of bringing the universe and everything in it into existence.
Jeremiah — A prophet in the Old Testament who delivered God's message to the people of Israel.
Idols — False gods or images that people worship instead of the true God.
Trinitarian — Something consisting of three parts or aspects.
Craftsmen — People who work at making or repairing things, especially using their hands and simple tools.
Silver — A chemical element and precious metal often associated with wealth and dignity.
Hammer — A tool used to strike or beat on objects, often to shape them or fasten them together.
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