Jeremiah 15 · Verse 19

Jeremiah 15:19

Therefore thus saith the Lord, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me: and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them.
Jeremiah 15:19, King James Version

Jeremiah 15:19 in other translations

BSBTherefore this is what the LORD says: “If you return, I will restore you; you will stand in My presence. And if you speak words that are noble instead of worthless, you will be My spokesman. It is they who must turn to you, but you must not turn to them.
WEBTherefore the LORD says, “If you return, then I will bring you again, that you may stand before me; and if you take out the precious from the vile, you will be as my mouth. They will return to you, but you will not return to them.
ASVTherefore thus saith Jehovah, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, that thou mayest stand before me; and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: they shall return unto thee, but thou shalt not return unto them.
YLTTherefore, thus said Jehovah: If thou turnest back, then I bring thee back, Before Me thou dost stand, And if thou bringest out the precious from the vile, As My mouth thou art! They--they turn back unto thee, And thou dost not turn back unto them.
DARBYTherefore thus saith Jehovah: If thou return, then will I bring thee again, thou shalt stand before me; and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth. Let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them.
BBEFor this cause the Lord has said, If you will come back, then I will again let you take your place before me; and if you give out what is of value and not that which has no value, you will be as my mouth: let them come back to you, but do not go back to them.
WebsterTherefore thus saith the LORD, If thou shalt return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me: and if thou shalt separate the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return to thee; but return not thou to them.

What does Jeremiah 15:19 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
19. God's reply to Jeremiah. return ... bring ... again--Jeremiah, by his impatient language, had left his proper posture towards God; God saith, "If thou wilt return (to thy former patient discharge of thy prophetic function) I will bring thee back" to thy former position: in the Hebrew there is a play of words, "return ... turn again" (Jr 8:4; 4:1). stand before me--minister acceptably to Me (De 10:8; 1Ki 17:1; 18:15). take ... precious from ... vile--image from metals: "If thou wilt separate what is precious in thee (the divine graces imparted) from what is vile (thy natural corruptions, impatience, and hasty words), thou shall be as My mouth": my mouthpiece (Ex 4:16). return not thou unto them--Let not them lead you into their profane ways (as Jeremiah had spoken irreverently, Jr 15:18), but lead thou them to the ways of godliness (Jr 15:16, 17). Eze 22:26 accords with the other interpretation, which, however, does not so well suit the context, "If thou wilt separate from the promiscuous mass the better ones, and lead them to conversion by faithful warnings," &c.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 19 If thou return - By repentance unto me, - Then will I bring thee again - Restore thee to thy own country. But some think the words are spoken to the prophet in reference to his ministry. He had greatly repined because of the persecutions which he endured. The Lord reprehends him, and is about to take from him the prophetic gift; but exhorts him first to take the precious from the vile - not to attend to the deceitful words of the people, but boldly declare the message he had given him; not to return unto the people, but let the people return unto him. And then he should be as God's mouth - his words should appear to be what they were, the genuine words of God; and the people should be obliged to acknowledge them as such.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Jeremiah 15:15-21

It is matter of comfort that we have a God, to whose knowledge of all things we may appeal. Jeremiah pleads with God for mercy and relief against his enemies, persecutors, and slanderers. It will be a comfort to God's ministers, when men despise them, if they have the testimony of their own consciences. But he complains, that he found little pleasure in his work. Some good people lose much of the pleasantness of…

Read the full comment on Jeremiah 15:15-21 →

Jeremiah 15:19 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

לָכֵ֞ןla.Khen<to> thereforeH3651
כֹּֽה\־koh-thusH3541
אָמַ֣ר'a.Marhe saysH559
יְהוָ֗הYah.wehYahwehH3068
אִם\־'im-ifH518
תָּשׁ֤וּבta.Shuvyou will returnH7725
וַאֲשִֽׁיבְךָ֙va.'a.shi.ve.Khaand I will restore youH7725
לְפָנַ֣יle.fa.Nai<to> before meH6440
תַּֽעֲמֹ֔דta.'a.Modyou will standH5975
וְאִם\־ve.'im-and ifH518
תּוֹצִ֥יאto.Tzi'you will bring forthH3318
יָקָ֛רya.Kar[the] preciousH3368
מִזּוֹלֵ֖לmi.zo.Lelfrom [the] worthlessH2151
כְּפִ֣יke.Filike mouth myH6310
תִֽהְיֶ֑הtih.Yehyou will beH1961
יָשֻׁ֤בוּya.Shu.vuthey will returnH7725
הֵ֙מָּה֙he.mahtheyH1992
אֵלֶ֔יךָ'e.Lei.khato youH413
וְאַתָּ֖הve.'a.Tahand youH859
לֹֽא\־lo'-notH3808
תָשׁ֥וּבta.Shuvyou must returnH7725
אֲלֵיהֶֽם\׃'a.lei.Hemto themH413

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Jeremiah 15:19

  • Zechariah 3:7

    Thus saith the Lord of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by.

  • Luke 21:15

    For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.

  • Leviticus 10:10

    And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean;

  • Ezekiel 44:23

    And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

  • Ezekiel 22:26

    Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.

  • Jude 1:24

    Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,

  • Galatians 1:10

    For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

  • Hebrews 5:14

    But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

  • Acts 20:27

    For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.

  • Exodus 4:12

    Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.

  • Luke 10:16

    He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.

  • Exodus 4:15-16

    And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
return.
10-18; 20:9; Ex 6:29,30; Jon 3:2
stand.
1; 1Ki 17:1; Pr 22:29; Zec 3:7; Lu 1:19; 21:36; Jude 1:24
take.
Le 10:10; Isa 32:5,6; Eze 22:26; 44:23; Heb 5:14
as my.
Ex 4:12,15,16; Lu 10:16; 12:12; 21:15
let them.
38:20,21; Eze 2:7; 3:10,11; Ac 20:27; 2Co 5:16; Ga 1:10; 2:5

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Jeremiah 15:18

    Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound incurable, which refuseth to be healed? wilt thou be altogether unto me as a liar, and as waters that fail?

  • Jeremiah 15:19

    Therefore thus saith the Lord, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me: and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them.

  • Jeremiah 15:20

    And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brasen wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the Lord.

Read all of Jeremiah 15

Jeremiah 15:19 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Por tanto así dijo Jehová: Si te convirtieres, yo te repondré, y delante de mí estarás; y si sacares lo precioso de lo vil, serás como mi boca. Conviértanse ellos á ti, y tú no te conviertas á ellos.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		C’est pourquoi, ainsi dit l’ Éternel: Si tu te retournes, je te ramènerai, tu te tiendras devant moi; et si tu sépares ce qui est précieux de ce qui est vil, tu seras comme ma bouche. Qu’ils reviennent vers toi, mais toi ne retourne pas vers eux.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Darum spricht Jehova also: Wenn du umkehrst, so will ich dich zurückbringen, daß du vor mir stehest und wenn du das Köstliche vom Gemeinen ausscheidest so sollst du wie mein Mund sein. Jene sollen zu dir umkehren, du aber sollst nicht zu ihnen umkehren.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Propter hoc hæc dicit Dominus: Si converteris, convertam te, et ante faciem meam stabis: et si separaveris pretiosum a vili, quasi os meum eris: convertentur ipsi ad te, et tu non converteris ad eos.