Jeremiah 5 · Verse 14

Jeremiah 5:14

Wherefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.
Jeremiah 5:14, King James Version

Jeremiah 5:14 in other translations

BSBTherefore this is what the LORD God of Hosts says: “Because you have spoken this word, I will make My words a fire in your mouth and this people the wood it consumes.
WEBTherefore the LORD, the God of Armies says, “Because you speak this word, behold, I will make my words in your mouth fire, and this people wood, and it will devour them.
ASVWherefore thus saith Jehovah, the God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.
YLTTherefore, thus said Jehovah, God of Hosts, Because of your speaking this word, Lo, I am making My words in thy mouth become fire, And this people wood, and it hath devoured them.
DARBYTherefore thus saith Jehovah, the God of hosts: Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.
BBEFor this reason the Lord, the God of armies, has said: Because you have said this, I will make my words in your mouth a fire, and this people wood, and they will be burned up by it.
WebsterWherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, Behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.

What does Jeremiah 5:14 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
14. ye ... thy ... this people--He turns away from addressing the people to the prophet; implying that He puts them to a distance from Him, and only communicates with them through His prophet (Jr 5:19). fire ... wood--Thy denunciations of judgments shall be fulfilled and shall consume them as fire does wood. In Jr 23:29 it is the penetrating energy of fire which is the point of comparison.

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 14 Because ye speak this word - Because ye thus treat my message, "I will make my words in thy mouth fire." They have said they are but air; but I will make them fire, and a fire too that shall devour them. And how this was to be done, and by whom, is mentioned in the next verse.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Jeremiah 5:10-18

Multitudes are ruined by believing that God will not be so strict as his word says he will; by this artifice Satan undid mankind. Sinners are not willing to own any thing to be God's word, that tends to part them from, or to disquiet them in, their sins. Mocking and misusing the Lord's messengers, filled the measure of their iniquity. God can bring trouble upon us from places and causes very remote. He has mercy in…

Read the full comment on Jeremiah 5:10-18 →

Jeremiah 5:14 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.

לָכֵ֗ןla.Khen<to> thereforeH3651
כֹּֽה\־koh-thusH3541
אָמַ֤ר'a.Marhe saysH559
יְהוָה֙Yah.wehYahwehH3068
אֱלֹהֵ֣י'e.lo.Hei[the] God ofH430
צְבָא֔וֹתtze.va.'othostsH6635
יַ֚עַןYa.'anbecauseH3282
דַּבֶּרְכֶ֔םda.ber.Khemhave spoken youH1696
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
הַדָּבָ֖רha.da.Varthe wordH1697
הַזֶּ֑הha.Zeh<the> thisH2088
הִנְנִ֣יhi.Nihere IH2005
נֹתֵן֩no.Ten[am] about to makeH5414
דְּבָרַ֨יde.va.Raiwords myH1697
בְּפִ֜יךָbe.Fi.khain mouth yourH6310
לְאֵ֗שׁle.'Eshinto a fireH784
וְהָעָ֥םve.ha.'Amand the peopleH5971
הַזֶּ֛הha.Zeh<the> thisH2088
עֵצִ֖ים'e.Tzimwood<s>H6086
וַאֲכָלָֽתַם\׃va.'a.kha.La.tamand it will consume themH398

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

Cross references for Jeremiah 5:14

  • Jeremiah 23:29

    Is not my word like as a fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?

  • Jeremiah 1:9

    Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.

  • Hosea 6:5

    Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth: and thy judgments are as the light that goeth forth.

  • Revelation 11:5-6

    And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.

  • Zechariah 1:6

    But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.

  • 2 Kings 1:10-14

    And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down quickly. And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. And he sent again a captain of the third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him, O man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight. …

  • Jeremiah 28:15-17

    Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; The Lord hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie. Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the Lord. So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
I will make.
1:9; 23:29; 28:15-17; 2Ki 1:10-14; Ho 6:5; Zec 1:6; Re 11:5,6

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

Context

  • Jeremiah 5:13

    And the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them: thus shall it be done unto them.

  • Jeremiah 5:14

    Wherefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.

  • Jeremiah 5:15

    Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of Israel, saith the Lord: it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest what they say.

Read all of Jeremiah 5

Jeremiah 5:14 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Por tanto, así ha dicho Jehová Dios de los ejércitos: Porque hablasteis esta palabra, he aquí yo pongo en tu boca mis palabras por fuego, y á este pueblo por leños, y los consumirá.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
C’est pourquoi, ainsi dit l’ Éternel, le Dieu des armées: Parce que vous avez prononcé cette parole, voici, je ferai que mes paroles dans ta bouche seront du feu, et ce peuple sera le bois, et le feu les consumera.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Darum, so spricht Jehova, der Gott der Heerscharen: Weil ihr dieses Wort redet, siehe, so will ich meine Worte in deinem Munde zu Feuer machen und dieses Volk zu Holz, und es soll sie verzehren.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Hæc dicit Dominus Deus exercituum: Quia locuti estis verbum istud, ecce ego do verba mea in ore tuo in ignem, et populum istum in ligna, et vorabit eos.