The Meaning of Jeremiah 9:8 Explained

Jeremiah 9:8

KJV: Their tongue is as an arrow shot out; it speaketh deceit: one speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in heart he layeth his wait.

YLT: A slaughtering arrow is their tongue, Deceit it hath spoken in its mouth, Peace with its neighbour it speaketh, And in its heart it layeth its ambush,

Darby: Their tongue is a murderous arrow; it speaketh deceit. A man speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in his heart he layeth his ambush.

ASV: Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaketh deceit: one speaketh peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth, but in his heart he layeth wait for him.

Discover Jeremiah 9:8

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Jeremiah 9:8?

MEANING: What does Jeremiah 9:8 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Jeremiah 9:8 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Jeremiah 9:8?

What is the context of Jeremiah 9:8?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Their tongue [is as] an arrow shot out; it speaketh deceit: [one] speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in heart he layeth his wait.

What does Jeremiah 9:8 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The tongue of this "daughter" was as deadly as an arrow (cf. Jeremiah 9:3). Her words appeared to be peaceful, but she was really setting a trap for her neighbors. People greeted their neighbors amicably on the streets, but in their hearts they intended to harm them.

Context Summary

Jeremiah 9:1-16 - National Perversity

Jeremiah 9:1-6

Once the voice of joy and thanksgiving had been heard in Jerusalem, but now on every side there was bloodshed, and the patriot-prophet could only weep incessantly over the slain. A lodge in the wilderness seemed preferable to the most luxurious mansion in the city. Solitude would be better than association with the ungodly perpetrators of such crimes. Yet we must not go out of the fray so long as our Captain wants us to remain in it, in dependence upon him.

Jeremiah 9:7-16

What a magnificent description of the effect of God's judgments on the land! No bird, no beast, no lowing of cattle, but jackals gamboling over the ruins of Jerusalem. However fast we shut our doors and windows, death enters our homes. Neither palace nor cottage is exempted. There is no escape for young or old from the judgments of God, except in penitence and faith. The secret of national decay and overthrow is the same in all ages. The tree is rotten at the core before it falls beneath the hurricane. Let us turn to 1 Corinthians 1:18, which belongs to this chapter, and learn how little the wisdom and might of the world can avail us in the dread hour of universal desolation. Stand with the Crucified and glory in His Cross; be content to bear His reproach and shame, that you may become a son of the Resurrection, and be accounted worthy to escape those things that must come to pass, and at last stand, before Him. [source]

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 9

¹ Jeremiah laments the people for their manifold sins;
⁹ and for their judgment
¹² Disobedience is the cause of their bitter calamity
¹⁷ He exhorts to mourn for their destruction;
²³ and to trust not in themselves, but in God
²⁵ He threatens both Jews and Gentiles

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 9:8 mean?

an arrow - shot out their tongue [is] deceit it speaks with his mouth peaceably to his neighbor [One] speaks but in his heart he lies in wait

חֵ֥ץ [שוחט] (שָׁח֛וּט) לְשׁוֹנָ֖ם מִרְמָ֣ה דִבֵּ֑ר בְּפִ֗יו שָׁל֤וֹם אֶת־ רֵעֵ֙הוּ֙ יְדַבֵּ֔ר וּבְקִרְבּ֖וֹ יָשִׂ֥ים אָרְבּֽוֹ

חֵ֥ץ	an arrow
Parse: Noun, masculine singular Root: חֵץ Sense: arrow.
[שוחט]	-
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
(שָׁח֛וּט)	shot out
Parse: Verb, Qal, QalPassParticiple, masculine singular Root: שָׁחַט Sense: to kill, slaughter, beat.
לְשׁוֹנָ֖ם	their tongue [is]
Parse: Noun, common singular construct, third person masculine plural Root: לָשֹׁון Sense: tongue.
מִרְמָ֣ה	deceit
Parse: Noun, feminine singular Root: מִרְמָה Sense: deceit, treachery.
דִבֵּ֑ר	it speaks
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person masculine singular Root: דָּבַר Sense: to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing.
בְּפִ֗יו	with his mouth
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular Root: פֶּה Sense: mouth.
שָׁל֤וֹם	peaceably
Parse: Noun, masculine singular Root: שָׁלֹום Sense: completeness, soundness, welfare, peace.
רֵעֵ֙הוּ֙	his neighbor
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular Root: רֵעַ Sense: friend, companion, fellow, another person.
יְדַבֵּ֔ר	[One] speaks
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine singular Root: דָּבַר Sense: to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing.
וּבְקִרְבּ֖וֹ	but in his heart
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular Root: קֶרֶב Sense: midst, among, inner part, middle.
יָשִׂ֥ים	he lies
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular Root: שׂוּמָה Sense: to put, place, set, appoint, make.
אָרְבּֽוֹ	in wait
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular Root: אֹרֶב Sense: ambuscade, hiding place.

What are the major concepts related to Jeremiah 9:8?

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