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KING JAMES BIBLE · PCE

Jeremiah 10:2–5

TEXT EDITION
Pure Cambridge Edition selected
Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.
For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.
They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.
They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.
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PASSAGE SELECTION

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SCRIPTURE WITH SCRIPTURE

Cross References

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From verse 2

  1. Leviticus 20:23Rank 1 from verse 2
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    23And ye shall not walk in the manners of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them.

  2. Leviticus 18:3Rank 2 from verse 2
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    3After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances.

  3. Ezekiel 20:32Rank 3 from verse 2
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    32And that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all, that ye say, We will be as the heathen, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone.

  4. Luke 21:25–28Rank 4 from verse 2
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    25¶ And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

    26Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

    27And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

    28And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

  5. Deuteronomy 12:30–31Rank 5 from verse 2
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    30Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.

    31Thou shalt not do so unto the Lord thy God: for every abomination to the Lord, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.

  6. Isaiah 47:12–14Rank 6 from verse 2
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    12Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail.

    13Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee.

    14Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it.

From verse 3

  1. 1 Peter 1:18Rank 1 from verse 3
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    18Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

  2. Isaiah 44:9–20Rank 2 from verse 3
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    9¶ They that make a graven image are all of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed.

    10Who hath formed a god, or molten a graven image that is profitable for nothing?

    11Behold, all his fellows shall be ashamed: and the workmen, they are of men: let them all be gathered together, let them stand up; yet they shall fear, and they shall be ashamed together.

    12The smith with the tongs both worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with the strength of his arms: yea, he is hungry, and his strength faileth: he drinketh no water, and is faint.

    13The carpenter stretcheth out his rule; he marketh it out with a line; he fitteth it with planes, and he marketh it out with the compass, and maketh it after the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man; that it may remain in the house.

    14He heweth him down cedars, and taketh the cypress and the oak, which he strengtheneth for himself among the trees of the forest: he planteth an ash, and the rain doth nourish it.

    15Then shall it be for a man to burn: for he will take thereof, and warm himself; yea, he kindleth it, and baketh bread; yea, he maketh a god, and worshippeth it; he maketh it a graven image, and falleth down thereto.

    16He burneth part thereof in the fire; with part thereof he eateth flesh; he roasteth roast, and is satisfied: yea, he warmeth himself, and saith, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire:

    17And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image: he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god.

    18They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand.

    19And none considereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part of it in the fire; yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, and eaten it: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? shall I fall down to the stock of a tree?

    20He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?

  3. Leviticus 18:30Rank 3 from verse 3
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    30Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am the Lord your God.

  4. Jeremiah 10:8Rank 4 from verse 3
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    8But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities.

  5. Romans 1:21Rank 5 from verse 3
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    21Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

  6. Isaiah 45:20Rank 6 from verse 3
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    20¶ Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save.

  7. Matthew 6:7Rank 7 from verse 3
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    7But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

  8. 1 Kings 18:26–28Rank 8 from verse 3
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    26And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made.

    27And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.

    28And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.

  9. Hosea 8:4–6Rank 9 from verse 3
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    4They have set up kings, but not by me: they have made princes, and I knew it not: of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, that they may be cut off.

    5¶ Thy calf, O Samaria, hath cast thee off; mine anger is kindled against them: how long will it be ere they attain to innocency?

    6For from Israel was it also: the workman made it; therefore it is not God: but the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces.

  10. Habakkuk 2:18–19Rank 10 from verse 3
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    18¶ What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols?

    19Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it.

  11. Jeremiah 2:5Rank 11 from verse 3
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    5¶ Thus saith the Lord, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?

  12. Isaiah 40:19–31Rank 12 from verse 3
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    19The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains.

    20He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved.

    21Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?

    22It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:

    23That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.

    24Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.

    25To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.

    26Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.

    27Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God?

    28¶ Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

    29He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

    30Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

    31But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

From verse 4

  1. Isaiah 46:7Rank 1 from verse 4
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    7They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him, and set him in his place, and he standeth; from his place shall he not remove: yea, one shall cry unto him, yet can he not answer, nor save him out of his trouble.

  2. Isaiah 40:19–20Rank 2 from verse 4
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    19The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains.

    20He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved.

  3. Isaiah 41:6–7Rank 3 from verse 4
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    6They helped every one his neighbour; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage.

    7So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, and he that smootheth with the hammer him that smote the anvil, saying, It is ready for the sodering: and he fastened it with nails, that it should not be moved.

  4. Isaiah 44:12Rank 4 from verse 4
    Open

    12The smith with the tongs both worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with the strength of his arms: yea, he is hungry, and his strength faileth: he drinketh no water, and is faint.

  5. Psalms 115:4Rank 5 from verse 4
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    4Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.

  6. Psalms 135:15Rank 6 from verse 4
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    15The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.

From verse 5

  1. Isaiah 46:7Rank 1 from verse 5
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    7They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him, and set him in his place, and he standeth; from his place shall he not remove: yea, one shall cry unto him, yet can he not answer, nor save him out of his trouble.

  2. 1 Corinthians 12:2Rank 2 from verse 5
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    2Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led.

  3. Isaiah 41:23–24Rank 3 from verse 5
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    23Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together.

    24Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work of nought: an abomination is he that chooseth you.

  4. Psalms 115:5–8Rank 4 from verse 5
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    5They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not:

    6They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not:

    7They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat.

    8They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.

  5. 1 Corinthians 8:4Rank 5 from verse 5
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    4As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.

  6. Habakkuk 2:19Rank 6 from verse 5
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    19Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it.

  7. Isaiah 46:1Rank 7 from verse 5
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    1BEL boweth down, Nebo stoopeth, their idols were upon the beasts, and upon the cattle: your carriages were heavy loaden; they are a burden to the weary beast.

  8. Psalms 135:16–18Rank 8 from verse 5
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    16They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not;

    17They have ears, but they hear not; neither is there any breath in their mouths.

    18They that make them are like unto them: so is every one that trusteth in them.

  9. Revelation 13:14–15Rank 9 from verse 5
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    14And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

    15And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

  10. Isaiah 44:9–10Rank 10 from verse 5
    Open

    9¶ They that make a graven image are all of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed.

    10Who hath formed a god, or molten a graven image that is profitable for nothing?

  11. Isaiah 45:20Rank 11 from verse 5
    Open

    20¶ Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save.

WORDS IN THIS PASSAGE

Definitions

Open a word for its full definition and concordance.

DEFINED WORDS

Jeremiah 10:2

COMBINED MEANING

learn

↗

To gain knowledge, receive instruction, or come to know.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

heathen

↗

A Gentile or nation outside Israel; one associated with the worship of other gods.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

heaven

↗

Sense 1: The firmament or expanse above the earth, including the sky and the region of the sun, moon, stars, clouds, rain, and flying creatures. Sense 2: The realm above spoken of as God's throne and dwelling place, and as the place of angels, heavenly beings, and the righteous. Sense 3: By metonymy, God, heavenly authority or source, or those who dwell there.

Meaning drawn from: Direct Scripture definition · KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

for

↗

1. In behalf of or in the place of. 2. With respect to, concerning, or toward. 3. Because of or on account of. 4. During or throughout. 5. In order to obtain or reach. 6. As a conjunction, because or seeing that.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

DEFINED WORDS

Jeremiah 10:3

COMBINED MEANING

for

↗

1. In behalf of or in the place of. 2. With respect to, concerning, or toward. 3. Because of or on account of. 4. During or throughout. 5. In order to obtain or reach. 6. As a conjunction, because or seeing that.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

people

↗

Persons collectively; a nation, community, or group considered as a body.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

vain

↗

Empty, fruitless, ineffective, unprofitable, worthless, false, unsubstantial, or conceited.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

out

↗

Outside, away from within, forth, absent, or no longer in a stated condition.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

work

↗

Sense 1: Labour, occupation, an assigned task, or service. Sense 2: An action, deed, operation, effect, product, thing made, or manner of workmanship. Sense 3: To labour, act, operate, perform, make, produce, accomplish, or bring about.

Meaning drawn from: Direct Scripture definition · KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

hands

↗

Sense 1: The end parts of the arms used for holding and working. Sense 2: Figures of power, possession, agency, or aid.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

workman

↗

Any man employed in labor, whether in tillage or manufactures; by way of eminence, a skillful artificer or laborer.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

DEFINED WORDS

Jeremiah 10:4

COMBINED MEANING

deck

↗

To adorn, array, clothe, or cover with ornaments, splendour, precious material, or another stated decoration.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

silver

↗

A precious white metal used for money, vessels, ornaments, images, trade, valuation, and refining; by extension, money or wealth reckoned in that metal.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

move

↗

To change place; to stir, shake, prompt, influence, or set in action.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

DEFINED WORDS

Jeremiah 10:5

COMBINED MEANING

upright

↗

1. Honest, just, or morally right; also a person so characterized. 2. Straight, erect, or standing up.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

but

↗

Sense 1: However; marking contrast or qualification. Sense 2: Except or unless; excluding all others or alternatives. Sense 3: Only; no more than what follows.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Skeat 1893 · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

speak

↗

Sense 1: To utter words or articulate sounds, or to use a language. Sense 2: To address or converse with someone. Sense 3: To state, declare, make mention of, or otherwise make a matter known.

Meaning drawn from: Direct Scripture definition · KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

borne

↗

1. Carried, supported, conveyed, or sustained. 2. Endured or suffered. 3. Brought forth as offspring. 4. Bore or possessed a likeness. 5. Given testimony.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

for

↗

1. In behalf of or in the place of. 2. With respect to, concerning, or toward. 3. Because of or on account of. 4. During or throughout. 5. In order to obtain or reach. 6. As a conjunction, because or seeing that.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

evil

↗

Sense 1: Moral wickedness, sin, wrong, or corruption. Sense 2: Harm, misery, calamity, adversity, or punishment.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

neither

↗

1. Also not; nor, introducing or joining a further negative statement or prohibition. 2. Not either, or none, of the alternatives named, commonly in a neither ... nor construction.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

in

↗

1. A preposition marking position, presence, state, circumstance, manner, means, sphere, reference, relation, association, or participation. 2. As an adverb, inward, inside, or into the place or position referred to.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

good

↗

Sense 1: Right, morally upright, beneficial, pleasing, useful, suitable, sound, favourable, or excellent. Sense 2: A good thing, benefit, welfare, possession, or goods. Sense 3: In ‘make good,’ to repair, repay, fulfil, establish, or prove.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

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READ THE PASSAGE

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Nearby verses · passage boundary unavailable · Jeremiah 10:1–6

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10:1HEAR ye the word which the Lord speaketh unto you, O house of Israel:

10:2Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.

Selected passage

10:3For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.

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10:4They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.

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10:5They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.

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10:6Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O Lord; thou art great, and thy name is great in might.

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