The Meaning of Jeremiah 5:22 Explained

Jeremiah 5:22

KJV: 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?

YLT: Me 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.

Darby: Will 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?

ASV: Fear 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.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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? 

What does Jeremiah 5:22 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Should His people not fear Him and tremble before Him since He sovereignly controlled the untamable sea? Whatever they feared should have had no power over them, because Yahweh-their God-controlled it. He was the One who also sovereignly controlled the borders of nations. The people of Judah had not observed the sovereignly ordained borders for their behavior, spelled out in the Mosaic Law, and chaos was the result.

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 5

1  The judgments of God upon the people, for their perverseness;
7  for their adultery;
10  for their impiety;
15  for their worship of idols;
19  for their contempt of God;
25  and for their great corruption in the civil state;
30  and ecclesiastical

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 5:22 mean?

Me not do you fear says Yahweh At at My presence not will you tremble who have placed the sand as the bound of the sea by a decree perpetual that cannot it pass beyond it and though toss to and fro and yet cannot they prevail and Though they roar its waves they pass over it
הַאוֹתִ֨י לֹא־ תִירָ֜אוּ נְאֻם־ יְהֹוָ֗ה אִ֤ם מִפָּנַי֙ לֹ֣א תָחִ֔ילוּ אֲשֶׁר־ שַׂ֤מְתִּי חוֹל֙ גְּב֣וּל לַיָּ֔ם חָק־ עוֹלָ֖ם וְלֹ֣א יַעַבְרֶ֑נְהוּ וַיִּֽתְגָּעֲשׁוּ֙ וְלֹ֣א יוּכָ֔לוּ וְהָמ֥וּ גַלָּ֖יו יַעַבְרֻֽנְהוּ

הַאוֹתִ֨י  Me 
Parse: Direct object marker, first person common singular
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
תִירָ֜אוּ  do  you  fear 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: יָרֵא 
Sense: to fear, revere, be afraid.
נְאֻם־  says 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: נְאֻם  
Sense: (Qal) utterance, declaration (of prophet).
יְהֹוָ֗ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אִ֤ם  At 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: אִם  
Sense: if.
מִפָּנַי֙  at  My  presence 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
תָחִ֔ילוּ  will  you  tremble 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: חוּל 
Sense: to twist, whirl, dance, writhe, fear, tremble, travail, be in anguish, be pained.
שַׂ֤מְתִּי  have  placed 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: שׂוּמָה 
Sense: to put, place, set, appoint, make.
חוֹל֙  the  sand 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֹול 
Sense: sand.
גְּב֣וּל  as  the  bound 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: גְּבוּל  
Sense: border, territory.
לַיָּ֔ם  of  the  sea 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יָם  
Sense: sea.
חָק־  by  a  decree 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: חֹק  
Sense: statute, ordinance, limit, something prescribed, due.
עוֹלָ֖ם  perpetual 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֹולָם  
Sense: long duration, antiquity, futurity, for ever, ever, everlasting, evermore, perpetual, old, ancient, world.
וְלֹ֣א  that  cannot 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יַעַבְרֶ֑נְהוּ  it  pass  beyond  it 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine singular
Root: עָבַר 
Sense: to pass over or by or through, alienate, bring, carry, do away, take, take away, transgress.
וַיִּֽתְגָּעֲשׁוּ֙  and  though  toss  to  and  fro 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hitpael, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: גָּעַשׁ  
Sense: to shake, quake.
וְלֹ֣א  and  yet  cannot 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יוּכָ֔לוּ  they  prevail 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: יָכֹל  
Sense: to prevail, overcome, endure, have power, be able.
וְהָמ֥וּ  and  Though  they  roar 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: הָמָה  
Sense: to murmur, growl, roar, cry aloud, mourn, rage, sound, make noise, tumult, be clamorous, be disquieted, be loud, be moved, be troubled, be in an uproar.
גַלָּ֖יו  its  waves 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: גַּל 
Sense: heap, spring, wave, billow.
יַעַבְרֻֽנְהוּ  they  pass  over  it 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural, third person masculine singular, Paragogic nun
Root: עָבַר 
Sense: to pass over or by or through, alienate, bring, carry, do away, take, take away, transgress.