The Meaning of Jeremiah 5:24 Explained

Jeremiah 5:24

KJV: Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest.

YLT: And they have not said in their heart, 'Let us fear, we pray you, Jehovah our God, who is giving rain, The sprinkling and the gathered, in its season, The appointed weeks of harvest He keepeth for us.'

Darby: And they say not in their heart, Let us now fear Jehovah our God, that giveth rain, both the early and the latter, in its season; who preserveth unto us the appointed weeks of harvest.

ASV: Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear Jehovah our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in its season; that preserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Neither say  they in their heart,  Let us now fear  the LORD  our God,  that giveth  rain,  both the former  and the latter,  in his season:  he reserveth  unto us the appointed  weeks  of the harvest. 

What does Jeremiah 5:24 Mean?

Study Notes

fear
.
fear of the Lord
The "fear of the Lord," a phrase of the O.T. piety, meaning reverential trust, with hatred of evil.

Verse Meaning

They did not acknowledge Yahweh as the source of the blessings of nature either. The Canaanites believed that Baal controlled the rains and fruitfulness of the land, and the Judahites had adopted their viewpoint. Nevertheless it was Yahweh, not Baal, who gave Israel her grain. The "weeks of the harvest" were the seven weeks between Passover and the Feast of Weeks each spring. At those two feasts the Jews celebrated the Lord"s goodness to them in giving them a good harvest (cf. Leviticus 23:10; Leviticus 23:17).

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 5:24 mean?

And not they do say in their heart let us fear now - Yahweh our God who gives rain - both the former and the latter in its season the weeks of appointed the harvest He reserves for us
וְלֹֽא־ אָמְר֣וּ בִלְבָבָ֗ם נִ֤ירָא נָא֙ אֶת־ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵ֔ינוּ הַנֹּתֵ֗ן גֶּ֛שֶׁם [וירה] (יוֹרֶ֥ה) וּמַלְק֖וֹשׁ בְּעִתּ֑וֹ שְׁבֻע֛וֹת חֻקּ֥וֹת קָצִ֖יר יִשְׁמָר־ לָֽנוּ

וְלֹֽא־  And  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
אָמְר֣וּ  they  do  say 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
בִלְבָבָ֗ם  in  their  heart 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: לֵבָב  
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, soul, understanding.
נִ֤ירָא  let  us  fear 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect Cohortative if contextual, first person common plural
Root: יָרֵא 
Sense: to fear, revere, be afraid.
נָא֙  now 
Parse: Interjection
Root: נָא  
Sense: I (we) pray, now, please.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
יְהוָ֣ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֱלֹהֵ֔ינוּ  our  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
הַנֹּתֵ֗ן  who  gives 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
גֶּ֛שֶׁם  rain 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: גֶּשֶׁם  
Sense: rain, shower.
[וירה]  - 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
(יוֹרֶ֥ה)  both  the  former 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄורֶה  
Sense: early rain, autumn shower.
וּמַלְק֖וֹשׁ  and  the  latter 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מַלְקֹושׁ  
Sense: latter rain, spring rain.
בְּעִתּ֑וֹ  in  its  season 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, common singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: עֵת  
Sense: time.
שְׁבֻע֛וֹת  the  weeks 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: שָׁבוּעַ 
Sense: seven, period of seven (days or years), heptad, week.
חֻקּ֥וֹת  of  appointed 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: חֻקָּה  
Sense: statute, ordinance, limit, enactment, something prescribed.
קָצִ֖יר  the  harvest 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: קָצִיר 
Sense: harvest, harvesting.
יִשְׁמָר־  He  reserves 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁמַר  
Sense: to keep, guard, observe, give heed.
לָֽנוּ  for  us 
Parse: Preposition, first person common plural