Jeremiah 10:4
New International Version
They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter.

New Living Translation
They decorate it with gold and silver and then fasten it securely with hammer and nails so it won’t fall over.

English Standard Version
They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move.

Berean Standard Bible
They adorn it with silver and gold and fasten it with hammer and nails, so that it will not totter.

King James Bible
They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.

New King James Version
They decorate it with silver and gold; They fasten it with nails and hammers So that it will not topple.

New American Standard Bible
“They decorate the idol with silver and gold; They fasten it with nails and hammers So that it will not totter.

NASB 1995
“They decorate it with silver and with gold; They fasten it with nails and with hammers So that it will not totter.

NASB 1977
“They decorate it with silver and with gold; They fasten it with nails and with hammers So that it will not totter.

Legacy Standard Bible
They make it beautiful with silver and with gold; They strengthen it with nails and with hammers So that it will not totter.

Amplified Bible
“They adorn the idol with silver and with gold; They fasten it with hammers and nails So that it will not fall apart.

Christian Standard Bible
He decorates it with silver and gold. It is fastened with hammer and nails, so it won’t totter.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He decorates it with silver and gold. It is fastened with hammer and nails, so it won’t totter.

American Standard Version
They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.

Contemporary English Version
cover it with silver and gold, and then nail it down so it won't fall over.

English Revised Version
They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Craftsmen decorate them with silver and gold and fasten them [together] with hammers and nails so that they won't fall over.

Good News Translation
and decorated with silver and gold. It is fastened down with nails to keep it from falling over.

International Standard Version
They decorate it with silver and gold. They secure it with nails and hammers so it won't totter.

Majority Standard Bible
They adorn it with silver and gold and fasten it with hammer and nails, so that it will not totter.

NET Bible
He decorates it with overlays of silver and gold. He uses hammer and nails to fasten it together so that it will not fall over.

New Heart English Bible
They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it not move.

Webster's Bible Translation
They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it may not move.

World English Bible
They deck it with silver and with gold. They fasten it with nails and with hammers, so that it can’t move.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
They beautify it with silver and with gold, "" They fix it with nails and with hammers, "" And it does not stumble.

Young's Literal Translation
With silver and with gold they beautify it, With nails and with hammers they fix it, And it doth not stumble.

Smith's Literal Translation
With gold and with silver they will beautify; with nails and with hammers they will make firm and it will not move.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
He hath decked it with silver and gold: he hath put it together with nails and hammers, that it may not fall asunder.

Catholic Public Domain Version
He has adorned it with silver and gold. He has put it together with nail and hammer, so that it will not fall apart.

New American Bible
adorned with silver and gold. With nails and hammers they are fastened, so they do not fall.

New Revised Standard Version
people deck it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
They are decked with silver and with gold; men fasten them with hammers and nails, so that they may not fall apart.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
With silver and with gold overlaid, with spikes and with nails they secure them that they will not be removed
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
They deck it with silver and with gold, They fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
They are beautified with silver and gold, they fix them with hammers and nails;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Sovereignty of God
3For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut down a tree from the forest; it is shaped with a chisel by the hands of a craftsman. 4They adorn it with silver and gold and fasten it with hammer and nails, so that it will not totter. 5Like scarecrows in a cucumber patch, their idols cannot speak. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them, for they can do no harm, and neither can they do any good.”…

Cross References
Isaiah 44:13-17
The woodworker extends a measuring line; he marks it out with a stylus; he shapes it with chisels and outlines it with a compass. He fashions it in the likeness of man, like man in all his glory, that it may dwell in a shrine. / He cuts down cedars or retrieves a cypress or oak. He lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a laurel, and the rain makes it grow. / It serves as fuel for man. He takes some of it to warm himself, and he kindles a fire and bakes his bread. He also fashions it into a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it. ...

Isaiah 40:19-20
To an idol that a craftsman casts and a metalworker overlays with gold and fits with silver chains? / One lacking such an offering chooses wood that will not rot. He seeks a skilled craftsman to set up an idol that will not topple.

Habakkuk 2:18-19
What use is an idol, that a craftsman should carve it—or an image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak. / Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Awake!’ or to silent stone, ‘Arise!’ Can it give guidance? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, yet there is no breath in it at all.”

Psalm 115:4-8
Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. / They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; / they have ears, but cannot hear; they have noses, but cannot smell; ...

Psalm 135:15-18
The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. / They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; / they have ears, but cannot hear; nor is there breath in their mouths. ...

Isaiah 41:6-7
Each one helps the other and says to his brother, “Be strong!” / The craftsman encourages the goldsmith, and he who wields the hammer cheers him who strikes the anvil, saying of the welding, “It is good.” He nails it down so it will not be toppled.

Isaiah 46:6-7
They pour out their bags of gold and weigh out silver on scales; they hire a goldsmith to fashion it into a god, so they can bow down and worship. / They lift it to their shoulder and carry it along; they set it in its place, and there it stands, not budging from that spot. They cry out to it, but it does not answer; it saves no one from his troubles.

Deuteronomy 4:28
And there you will serve man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell.

1 Kings 18:26-29
And they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, shouting, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no sound, and no one answered as they leaped around the altar they had made. / At noon Elijah began to taunt them, saying, “Shout louder, for he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or occupied, or on a journey. Perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened!” / So they shouted louder and cut themselves with knives and lances, as was their custom, until the blood gushed over them. ...

1 Corinthians 12:2
You know that when you were pagans, you were influenced and led astray to mute idols.

Acts 17:29
Therefore, being offspring of God, we should not think that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by man’s skill and imagination.

Romans 1:22-23
Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools, / and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

1 Corinthians 10:19-20
Am I suggesting, then, that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? / No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God. And I do not want you to be participants with demons.

Revelation 9:20
Now the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the works of their hands. They did not stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk.

Hosea 8:4-6
They set up kings, but not by Me. They make princes, but without My approval. With their silver and gold they make themselves idols, to their own destruction. / He has rejected your calf, O Samaria. My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of innocence? / For this thing is from Israel—a craftsman made it, and it is not God. It will be broken to pieces, that calf of Samaria.


Treasury of Scripture

They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.

deck.

Psalm 115:4
Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands.

Psalm 135:15
The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men's hands.

Isaiah 40:19,20
The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains…

fasten.

Isaiah 41:6
They helped every one his neighbour; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage.

Isaiah 44:12
The smith with the tongs both worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with the strength of his arms: yea, he is hungry, and his strength faileth: he drinketh no water, and is faint.

Isaiah 46:7
They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him, and set him in his place, and he standeth; from his place shall he not remove: yea, one shall cry unto him, yet can he not answer, nor save him out of his trouble.

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Jeremiah 10
1. The unequal comparison of God and idols.
17. The prophet exhorts to flee from the calamity to come.
19. He laments the spoil of the tabernacle by foolish pastors.
23. He makes an humble supplication.














They adorn it with silver and gold
This phrase refers to the practice of decorating idols, which was common among the pagan nations surrounding Israel. The Hebrew word for "adorn" is "יַפְאֲרוּ" (yaf'aru), which implies beautifying or glorifying something. In the context of ancient Near Eastern cultures, silver and gold were not only symbols of wealth but also of divine presence and power. The use of these precious metals in idol-making highlights the futility of worshipping man-made objects, as they are merely adorned with earthly materials and lack any true divine essence. This practice contrasts sharply with the worship of the God of Israel, who is spirit and truth, not confined to physical representations.

and fasten it with hammer and nails
The act of fastening the idol with hammer and nails underscores the lifelessness and instability of these man-made gods. The Hebrew word "יַחְזִיקוּ" (yachziku) means to make firm or secure. This imagery is almost ironic, as it points out the absurdity of worshipping something that requires human effort to stand upright. In the ancient world, idols were often crafted from wood and overlaid with precious metals, necessitating physical support to prevent them from falling. This serves as a powerful reminder of the impotence of idols compared to the living God, who needs no such support or embellishment.

so that it will not totter
The phrase "will not totter" comes from the Hebrew "יִמּוֹט" (yimot), meaning to shake or be unstable. This highlights the inherent weakness and vulnerability of idols. Despite their ornate appearance, they are prone to falling over without human intervention. This is a stark contrast to the God of Israel, who is described throughout Scripture as a rock and fortress, unshakeable and eternal. The imagery here serves to ridicule the idea of relying on idols for stability or protection, emphasizing the foolishness of trusting in anything other than the sovereign, all-powerful God.

Verse 4. - They deck it... that it move not. The close resemblance of this verse to Isaiah 40:19, 20; Isaiah 41:7, will strike every reader. "Move" should rather be totter.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
They adorn it
יְיַפֵּ֑הוּ (yə·yap·pê·hū)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine singular
Strong's 3302: To be bright, beautiful

with silver
בְּכֶ֥סֶף (bə·ḵe·sep̄)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3701: Silver, money

and gold
וּבְזָהָ֖ב (ū·ḇə·zā·hāḇ)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2091: Gold, something gold-colored, as oil, a clear sky

and fasten it
יְחַזְּק֖וּם (yə·ḥaz·zə·qūm)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine plural | third person masculine plural
Strong's 2388: To fasten upon, to seize, be strong, obstinate, to bind, restrain, conquer

with hammer
וּבְמַקָּב֛וֹת (ū·ḇə·maq·qā·ḇō·wṯ)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 4717: A perforatrix, a hammer

and nails,
בְּמַסְמְר֧וֹת (bə·mas·mə·rō·wṯ)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 4548: A nail

so that it will not
וְל֥וֹא (wə·lō·w)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

totter.
יָפִֽיק׃ (yā·p̄îq)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6328: To reel, totter


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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 10:4 They deck it with silver and (Jer.)
Jeremiah 10:3
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