Jeremiah 45 · Verse 5

Jeremiah 45:5

And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the Lord: but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest.
Jeremiah 45:5, King James Version

Jeremiah 45:5 in other translations

BSBBut as for you, do you seek great things for yourself? Stop seeking! For I will bring disaster on every living creature, declares the LORD, but wherever you go, I will grant your life as a spoil of war.”
WEBDo you seek great things for yourself? Don’t seek them; for, behold, I will bring evil on all flesh,’ says the LORD, ‘but I will let you escape with your life wherever you go.’”
ASVAnd seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not; for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith Jehovah; but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest.
YLTAnd thou--thou seekest for thee great things--do not seek, for lo, I am bringing in evil on all flesh--an affirmation of Jehovah--and I have given to thee thy life for a spoil, in all places whither thou goest.'
DARBYAnd seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not; for behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith Jehovah; but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou shalt go.
BBEAnd as for you, are you looking for great things for yourself? Have no desire for them: for truly I will send evil on all flesh, says the Lord: but your life I will keep safe from attack wherever you go.
WebsterAnd seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not: for behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the LORD: but thy life will I give to thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest.

What does Jeremiah 45:5 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
5. seekest thou great things for thyself--Thou art over-fastidious and self-seeking. When My own peculiar people, a "whole" nation (Jr 45:4), and the temple, are being given to ruin, dost thou expect to be exempt from all hardship? Baruch had raised his expectations too high in this world, and this made his distresses harder to be borne. The frowns of the world would not disquiet us if we did not so eagerly covet its smiles. What folly to seek great things for ourselves here, where everything is little, and nothing certain! all flesh--the whole Jewish nation and even foreign peoples (Jr 25:26). but thy life ... for a prey--Esteem it enough at such a general crisis that thy life shall be granted thee. Be content with this boon of life which I will rescue from imminent death, even as when all things are given up to plunder, if one escape with aught, he has a something saved as his "prey" (Jr 21:9). It is striking how Jeremiah, who once used such complaining language himself, is enabled now to minister the counsel requisite for Baruch when falling into the same sin (Jr 12:1-5; 15:10-18). This is part of God's design in suffering His servants to be tempted, that their temptations may adapt them for ministering to their fellow servants when tempted.

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 5 And seekest thou great things for thyself? - Nothing better can be expected of this people: thy hopes in reference to them are vain. Expect no national amendment, till national judgments have taken place. And as for any benefit to thyself, think it sufficient that God has determined to preserve thy life amidst all these dangers. But thy life will I give unto thee for a prey - This is a proverbial expression. We have met with it before, Jer 21:9, Jer 38:2, Jer 39:18; and it appears to have this meaning. As a prey or spoil is that which is gained from a vanquished enemy, so it is preserved with pleasure as the proof and reward of a man's own valor. So Baruch's life should be doubly precious unto him, not only on account of the dangers through which God had caused him to pass safely, but also on account of those services he had been enabled to render, the consolations he had received, and the continual and very evident interposition of God in his behalf. All these would be dearer to him than the spoils of a vanquished foe to the hero who had overcome in battle. Spoil may signify unlooked-for gain. The preservation of his life, in such circumstances, must be more than he could reasonably expect; but his life should be safe, and he should have it as a spoil, whithersoever he should go. This assurance must have quieted all his fears.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Jeremiah 45:5 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.

וְאַתָּ֛הve.'a.Tahand youH859
תְּבַקֶּשׁ\־te.va.kesh-you are seekingH1245
לְךָ֥le.Khafor <the> yourself
גְדֹל֖וֹתge.do.Lotgreat [things]H1419
אַל\־'al-may notH408
תְּבַקֵּ֑שׁte.va.Keshyou seek [them]H1245
כִּ֡יkiforH3588
הִנְנִי֩hi.Nihere IH2005
מֵבִ֨יאme.Vi'[am] about to bringH935
רָעָ֤הra.'AhcalamityH7451
עַל\־'al-onH5921
כָּל\־kol-allH3605
בָּשָׂר֙ba.SarfleshH1320
נְאֻם\־ne.'um-[the] utterance ofH5002
יְהוָ֔הYah.wehYahwehH3068
וְנָתַתִּ֨יve.na.ta.Tiand I will giveH5414
לְךָ֤le.Khato <the> you
אֶֽת\־'et-<obj.>H853
נַפְשְׁךָ֙naf.she.Khalife yourH5315
לְשָׁלָ֔לle.sha.Lalto plunderH7998
עַ֥ל'alatH5921
כָּל\־kol-allH3605
הַמְּקֹמ֖וֹתha.me.ko.Motthe placesH4725
אֲשֶׁ֥ר'a.SherwhereH834
תֵּֽלֶךְ\־te.lekh-you will goH1980
שָֽׁם\׃\ \סShamthereH8033

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

Cross references for Jeremiah 45:5

  • Jeremiah 39:18

    For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the Lord.

  • 1 Timothy 6:6-9

    But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

  • Hebrews 13:5

    Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

  • Romans 12:16

    Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.

  • Matthew 6:25-32

    Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: …

  • Jeremiah 21:9

    He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey.

  • Jeremiah 25:26

    And all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another, and all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth: and the king of Sheshach shall drink after them.

  • Genesis 6:12

    And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.

  • Jeremiah 38:2

    Thus saith the Lord, He that remaineth in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live; for he shall have his life for a prey, and shall live.

  • Zephaniah 3:8

    Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.

  • 2 Kings 5:26

    And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants?

  • 1 Corinthians 7:26-32

    I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be. Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife. But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you. But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none; …

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
seekest.
2Ki 5:26; Ro 12:16; 1Co 7:26-32; 1Ti 6:6-9; Heb 13:5
seek.
Mt 6:25-32
I will bring.
25:26; Ge 6:12; Isa 66:16; Zep 3:8
thy life.
21:9; 38:2; 39:18

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

Context

  • Jeremiah 45:4

    Thus shalt thou say unto him, The Lord saith thus; Behold, that which I have built will I break down, and that which I have planted I will pluck up, even this whole land.

  • Jeremiah 45:5

    And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the Lord: but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest.

Read all of Jeremiah 45

Jeremiah 45:5 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		¿Y tú buscas para ti grandezas? No busques; porque he aquí que yo traigo mal sobre toda carne, ha dicho Jehová, y á ti te daré tu vida por despojo en todos los lugares adonde fueres.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et toi, tu chercherais pour toi de grandes choses? Ne les cherche pas; car voici, je fais venir du mal sur toute chair, dit l’ Éternel; mais je te donnerai ta vie pour butin, dans tous les lieux où tu iras.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und du, du trachtest nach großen Dingen für dich? Trachte nicht danach! denn siehe, ich bringe Unglück über alles Fleisch, spricht Jehova; aber ich gebe dir deine Seele zur Beute an allen Orten, wohin du ziehen wirst.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		et tu quæris tibi grandia? noli quærere, quia ecce ego adducam malum super omnem carnem, ait Dominus, et dabo tibi animam tuam in salutem in omnibus locis ad quæcumque perrexeris.