Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version This is what the LORD says to the people of Judah and to Jerusalem: “Break up your unplowed ground and do not sow among thorns. New Living Translation This is what the LORD says to the people of Judah and Jerusalem: “Plow up the hard ground of your hearts! Do not waste your good seed among thorns. English Standard Version For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: “Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. Berean Standard Bible For this is what the LORD says to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: “Break up your unplowed ground, and do not sow among the thorns. King James Bible For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. New King James Version For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: “Break up your fallow ground, And do not sow among thorns. New American Standard Bible For this is what the LORD says to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem: “Break up your uncultivated ground, And do not sow among thorns. NASB 1995 For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, “Break up your fallow ground, And do not sow among thorns. NASB 1977 For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, “Break up your fallow ground, And do not sow among thorns. Legacy Standard Bible For thus says Yahweh to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, “Break up your fallow ground, And do not sow among thorns. Amplified Bible For this is what the LORD says to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, “Plow your uncultivated ground [for a season], And do not sow among thorns. Christian Standard Bible For this is what the LORD says to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: Break up the unplowed ground; do not sow among the thorns. Holman Christian Standard Bible For this is what the LORD says to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: Break up the unplowed ground; do not sow among the thorns. American Standard Version For thus saith Jehovah to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. Contemporary English Version People of Jerusalem and Judah, don't be so stubborn! Your hearts have become hard, like unplowed ground where thornbushes grow. English Revised Version For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. GOD'S WORD® Translation This is what the LORD says to the people of Judah and to Jerusalem: Plow your unplowed fields, and don't plant among thorns. Good News Translation The LORD says to the people of Judah and Jerusalem, "Plow up your unplowed fields; do not plant your seeds among thorns. International Standard Version For this is what the LORD says to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, "Break up your unplowed ground, and don't sow among thorns. Majority Standard Bible For this is what the LORD says to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: “Break up your unplowed ground, and do not sow among the thorns. NET Bible Yes, the LORD has this to say to the people of Judah and Jerusalem: "Like a farmer breaking up hard unplowed ground, you must break your rebellious will and make a new beginning; just as a farmer must clear away thorns lest the seed is wasted, you must get rid of the sin that is ruining your lives. New Heart English Bible For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, "Break up your fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns. Webster's Bible Translation For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. World English Bible For Yahweh says to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, “Break up your fallow ground, and don’t sow among thorns. Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionFor thus said YHWH, "" To the man of Judah, and to Jerusalem: “Till for yourselves tillage, "" And do not sow to the thorns. Young's Literal Translation For thus said Jehovah, To the man of Judah, and to Jerusalem: Till for yourselves tillage, And do not sow unto the thorns. Smith's Literal Translation For thus said Jehovah to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, Break up to you the fallow ground, and ye shall not sow to thorns. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleFor thus saith the Lord to the men of Juda and Jerusalem: Break up anew your fallow ground, and sow not upon thorns: Catholic Public Domain Version For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and of Jerusalem: “Break new ground, and do not choose to sow upon thorns. New American Bible For to the people of Judah and Jerusalem, thus says the LORD: Till your untilled ground, and do not sow among thorns. New Revised Standard Version For thus says the LORD to the people of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem: Break up your fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleFor thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Light your lamp; and sow not among thorns. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated Because thus says LORD JEHOVAH to the men of Judea and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem: “Light for yourselves a lamp and you shall not sow among the thorns OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem: Break up for you a fallow ground, And sow not among thorns. Brenton Septuagint Translation For thus saith the Lord to the men of Juda, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Break up fresh ground for yourselves, and sow not among thorns. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context God Calls Israel by His Promise…2and if you can swear, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’ in truth, in justice, and in righteousness, then the nations will be blessed by Him, and in Him they will glory.” 3For this is what the LORD says to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: “Break up your unplowed ground, and do not sow among the thorns. 4Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and remove the foreskins of your hearts, O men of Judah and people of Jerusalem. Otherwise, My wrath will break out like fire and burn with no one to extinguish it, because of your evil deeds.”… Cross References Hosea 10:12 Sow for yourselves righteousness and reap the fruit of loving devotion; break up your unplowed ground. For it is time to seek the LORD until He comes and sends righteousness upon you like rain. Matthew 13:3-9 And He told them many things in parables, saying, “A farmer went out to sow his seed. / And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. / Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. ... Mark 4:3-9 “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. / And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. / Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. ... Luke 8:5-8 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, where it was trampled, and the birds of the air devoured it. / Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the seedlings withered because they had no moisture. / Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the seedlings. ... Isaiah 55:6-7 Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He is near. / Let the wicked man forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that He may have compassion, and to our God, for He will freely pardon. Joel 2:12-13 “Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.” / So rend your hearts and not your garments, and return to the LORD your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. And He relents from sending disaster. Ezekiel 18:30-32 Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge you, each according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, so that your iniquity will not become your downfall. / Cast away from yourselves all the transgressions you have committed, and fashion for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, O house of Israel? / For I take no pleasure in anyone’s death, declares the Lord GOD. So repent and live! James 1:21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and every expression of evil, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save your souls. Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. 2 Corinthians 7:1 Therefore, beloved, since we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that defiles body and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Hebrews 3:7-8 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear His voice, / do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion, in the day of testing in the wilderness, Proverbs 28:13 He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy. Isaiah 1:16-17 Wash and cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from My sight. Stop doing evil! / Learn to do right; seek justice and correct the oppressor. Defend the fatherless and plead the case of the widow.” Matthew 3:8 Produce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance. Luke 3:8 Produce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. Treasury of Scripture For thus said the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. break Genesis 3:18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; Hosea 10:12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. Matthew 13:7,22 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: … Jump to Previous Break Fallow Ground Inhabitants Jerusalem Judah Ploughed Sow Thorns Tillage Unplowed YourselvesJump to Next Break Fallow Ground Inhabitants Jerusalem Judah Ploughed Sow Thorns Tillage Unplowed YourselvesJeremiah 4 1. God calls Israel by his promise3. He exhorts Judah to repentance by fearful judgments 19. A grievous lamentation for Judah “For this is what the LORD says” This phrase establishes the authority and divine origin of the message. The Hebrew word for "LORD" is "YHWH," the sacred and personal name of God, emphasizing His covenant relationship with Israel. This introduction underscores that the message is not from Jeremiah himself but from God, demanding attention and reverence. “to the men of Judah and Jerusalem” “Break up your unplowed ground” “and do not sow among the thorns.” To the men of Judah.--Literally, to each man individually. Break up your fallow ground.--The Hebrew has the force which comes from the verb and noun being from the same root, Break up for you a broken ground or fallow a fallow field. The metaphor had been used before by Hosea (Hosea 10:12). What the spiritual field needed was to be exposed to God's sun and God's free air, to the influences of spiritual light and warmth, and the dew and soft showers of His grace. Sow not among thorns.--Not without a special interest as, perhaps, containing the germ of the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13:7. Here, as there, the seed is the "word of God," spoken by the prophet, and taking root in the heart, and the thorns are the "cares of this world," the selfish desires which choke the good seed and render it unfruitful. Verse 3. - There is no occasion to separate vers. 3, 4, from the preceding prophecy. We have other instances of as sudden a transition from the Israelites (in the narrower sense) to the men of Judah (see Isaiah 8:6-14; Isaiah 10:1-4; Isaiah 28:1-6; in the writer's commentary). For thus, etc. "For" is here not causal, but explanatory: "I say this not only to the men of Israel, but to you, O men of Judah, who need the admonition to repentance, how deeply!" (see Jeremiah 5:2). Break up your fallow ground; the same figure as in Hosea 10:12. To understand it we must read the clause in connection with the following one. Sow not among thorns. The prophet means, though he does not say so, the roots which will spring up into thorns. "Do not plant your good resolutions in a heart filled up with the roots of thorns, but first rake up the soil, and clear it of noxious germs, and then sow the seed which will grow up in a holy life" (comp. Matthew 13:7).Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew Forכִּי־ (kî-) Conjunction Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction this is what כֹ֣ה ׀ (ḵōh) Adverb Strong's 3541: Like this, thus, here, now the LORD יְהֹוָ֗ה (Yah·weh) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel says אָמַ֣ר (’ā·mar) Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 559: To utter, say to the men לְאִ֤ישׁ (lə·’îš) Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person of Judah יְהוּדָה֙ (yə·hū·ḏāh) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 3063: Judah -- 'praised', a son of Jacob, also the southern kingdom, also four Israelites and Jerusalem: וְלִיר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם (wə·lî·rū·šā·lim) Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Noun - proper - feminine singular Strong's 3389: Jerusalem -- probably 'foundation of peace', capital city of all Israel “Break up נִ֥ירוּ (nî·rū) Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural Strong's 5214: To break up, freshly till your unplowed ground, נִ֑יר (nîr) Noun - masculine singular Strong's 5215: Plowing, freshly plowed land and do not וְאַֽל־ (wə·’al-) Conjunctive waw | Adverb Strong's 408: Not sow תִּזְרְע֖וּ (tiz·rə·‘ū) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural Strong's 2232: To sow, to disseminate, plant, fructify among אֶל־ (’el-) Preposition Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to the thorns. קוֹצִֽים׃ (qō·w·ṣîm) Noun - masculine plural Strong's 6975: A thorn, thornbush Links Jeremiah 4:3 NIVJeremiah 4:3 NLT Jeremiah 4:3 ESV Jeremiah 4:3 NASB Jeremiah 4:3 KJV Jeremiah 4:3 BibleApps.com Jeremiah 4:3 Biblia Paralela Jeremiah 4:3 Chinese Bible Jeremiah 4:3 French Bible Jeremiah 4:3 Catholic Bible OT Prophets: Jeremiah 4:3 For thus says Yahweh to the men (Jer.) |
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