Jeremiah 5 · Verse 22

Jeremiah 5:22

Fear ye not me? saith the Lord: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?
Jeremiah 5:22, King James Version

Jeremiah 5:22 in other translations

BSBDo you not fear Me?” declares the LORD. “Do you not tremble before Me, the One who set the sand as the boundary for the sea, an enduring barrier it cannot cross? The waves surge, but they cannot prevail. They roar but cannot cross it.
WEBDon’t you fear me?’ says the LORD; ‘Won’t you tremble at my presence, who have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it can’t pass it? Though its waves toss themselves, yet they can’t prevail. Though they roar, they still can’t pass over it.’
ASVFear ye not me? saith Jehovah: will ye not tremble at my presence, who have placed the sand for the bound of the sea, by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it? and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it.
YLTMe do ye not fear, an affirmation of Jehovah? From My presence are ye not pained? Who hath made sand the border of the sea, A limit age-during, and it passeth not over it, They shake themselves, and they are not able, Yea, sounded have its billows, and they pass not over.
DARBYWill ye not fear me? saith Jehovah. Will ye not tremble at my presence, who have set the sand a bound for the sea by a perpetual decree, and it shall not pass it? and its waves toss themselves, but they do not prevail; and they roar, yet can they not pass over it?
BBEHave you no fear of me? says the Lord; will you not be shaking with fear before me, who have put the sand as a limit for the sea, by an eternal order, so that it may not go past it? and though it is ever in motion, it is not able to have its way; though the sound of its waves is loud, they are not able to go past it.
WebsterFear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence, who have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though its waves toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?

What does Jeremiah 5:22 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
22. sand--Though made up of particles easily shifting about, I render it sufficient to curb the violence of the sea. Such is your monstrous perversity, that the raging, senseless sea sooner obeys Me, than ye do who profess to be intelligent [Calvin], (Job 26:10; 38:10, 11; Pr 8:29; Re 15:4).

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 22 Which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea - What can I not do, who confine the sea, that enormous mass of waters, and prevent it from overflowing the earth; not by immense mountains and rocks, but by the sand, no particle of which is in cohesion with another? The most tremendous waves cannot displace nor pass over this simple barrier.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Jeremiah 5:19-31

Unhumbled hearts are ready to charge God with being unjust in their afflictions. But they may read their sin in their punishment. If men will inquire wherefore the Lord doeth hard things unto them, let them think of their sins. The restless waves obeyed the Divine decree, that they should not pass the sandy shores, which were as much a restraint as lofty mountains; but they burst all restraints of God's law, and…

Read the full comment on Jeremiah 5:19-31 →

Jeremiah 5:22 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.

הַאוֹתִ֨יha.'o.Ti¿ <obj.> meH853
לֹא\־lo'-notH3808
תִירָ֜אוּti.Ra.'udo you fearH3372
נְאֻם\־ne.'um-[the] utterance ofH5002
יְהֹוָ֗הYah.wehYahwehH3068
אִ֤ם'imor?H518
מִפָּנַי֙mi.pa.Naifrom before meH6440
לֹ֣אlo'notH3808
תָחִ֔ילוּta.Chi.ludo you trembleH2342
אֲשֶׁר\־'a.Sher-whoH834
שַׂ֤מְתִּיSam.tiI appointedH7760
חוֹל֙chOl[the] sandH2344
גְּב֣וּלge.Vula boundaryH1366
לַיָּ֔םlai.Yamfor the seaH3220
חָק\־chok-a decree ofH2706
עוֹלָ֖םo.LamperpetuityH5769
וְלֹ֣אve.Lo'and notH3808
יַעַבְרֶ֑נְהוּya.'av.Ren.huit will pass over itH5674
וַיִּֽתְגָּעֲשׁוּ֙vai.yit.ga.'a.Shuand they shook back and forthH1607
וְלֹ֣אve.Lo'and notH3808
יוּכָ֔לוּyu.Kha.luthey will prevailH3201
וְהָמ֥וּve.ha.Muand they roarH1993
גַלָּ֖יוga.Lavwaves itsH1530
וְלֹ֥אve.Lo'and notH3808
יַעַבְרֻֽנְהוּ\׃ya.'av.Run.huthey will pass over itH5674

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

Cross references for Jeremiah 5:22

  • Job 38:10-11

    And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors, And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?

  • Psalms 104:9

    Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.

  • Job 26:10

    He hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end.

  • Proverbs 8:29

    When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth:

  • Deuteronomy 28:58

    If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD;

  • Psalms 119:120

    My flesh trembleth for fear of thee; and I am afraid of thy judgments.

  • Jeremiah 10:7

    Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee.

  • Nahum 1:4

    He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth.

  • Mark 4:39

    And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

  • Revelation 15:4

    Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.

  • Amos 9:6

    It is he that buildeth his stories in the heaven, and hath founded his troop in the earth; he that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The Lord is his name.

  • Psalms 33:7

    He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fear ye not.
10:7; De 28:58; Ps 119:120; Mt 10:28; Lu 12:5; Re 15:4
tremble.
Ps 99:1; 119:120; Isa 66:5; Da 6:26
placed.
Job 26:10; 38:10,11; Ps 33:7; 93:3,4; 104:9; Pr 8:29; Isa 50:2
Am 9:6; Na 1:4; Mr 4:39

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

Context

  • Jeremiah 5:21

    Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not:

  • Jeremiah 5:22

    Fear ye not me? saith the Lord: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?

  • Jeremiah 5:23

    But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone.

Read all of Jeremiah 5

Jeremiah 5:22 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
¿A mí no temeréis? dice Jehová; ¿no os amedrentaréis á mi presencia, que al mar por ordenación eterna, la cual no quebrantará, puse arena por término? Se levantarán tempestades, mas no prevalecerán; bramarán sus ondas, mas no lo pasarán.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Ne me craindrez-vous pas, dit l’ Éternel, ne tremblerez-vous pas devant moi, qui ai mis le sable pour limite à la mer, statut perpétuel, qu’elle n’outrepassera pas? Ses vagues se soulèvent, mais elles ne prévaudront pas; et elles bruient, mais elles ne l’outrepasseront pas.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Wollt ihr mich nicht fürchten, spricht Jehova, und vor mir nicht zittern? der ich dem Meere Sand zur Grenze gesetzt habe, eine ewige Schranke, die es nicht überschreiten wird; und es regen sich seine Wogen, aber sie vermögen nichts, und sie brausen, aber überschreiten sie nicht.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Me ergo non timebitis, ait Dominus, et a facie mea non dolebitis? qui posui arenam terminum mari, præceptum sempiternum quod non præteribit: et commovebuntur, et non poterunt; et intumescent fluctus ejus, et non transibunt illud.