Logos Bible Study

Jeremiah 8:8–10

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8:8How can you say, “We are wise!

We have the law of the Lord”?

The truth is,22 those who teach it23 have used their writings

to make it say what it does not really mean.24

8:9Your wise men will be put to shame.

They will be dumbfounded and be brought to judgment.25

Since they have rejected the word of the Lord,

what wisdom do they really have?

8:1026 So I will give their wives to other men

and their fields to new owners.

For from the least important to the most important of them,

all of them are greedy for dishonest gain.

Prophets and priests alike,

all practice deceit.

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Footnotes

  1. 22 Heb “Surely, behold!”
  2. 23 Heb “the scribes.”
  3. 24 Heb “The lying pen of the scribes have made [it] into a lie.” The translation is an attempt to make the most common interpretation of this passage understandable for the average reader. This is, however, a difficult passage whose interpretation is greatly debated and whose syntax is capable of other interpretations. The interpretation of the , “Assuredly, for naught has the pen labored, for naught the scribes,” surely deserves consideration within the context; i.e. it hasn’t done any good for the scribes to produce a reliable copy of the law, which the people have refused to follow. That interpretation has the advantage of explaining the absence of an object for the verb “make” or “labored” but creates a very unbalanced poetic couplet.
  4. 25 Heb “be trapped.” However, the word “trapped” generally carries with it the connotation of divine judgment. See 540 לָכַד Niph.2, and compare usage in Jer 6:11 for support. The verbs in the first two lines are again the form of the Hebrew verb that emphasizes that the action is as good as done (Hebrew prophetic perfects).
  5. 26 See Jer 6:12–15 for parallels to 8:10–12. The words of Jeremiah to the people may have been repeated on more than one occasion or have been found appropriate to more than one of his collection of messages in written and edited form. See Jer 36:4 and Jer 36:28 for reference to at least two of these collections.

The NET Bible First Edition, Copyright 1996-2005 by Biblical Studies Press

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

“How can you say, ‘We are wise,

and the law of the Lord is with us’?

But behold, the lying pen of the scribes

has made it into a lie.

The wise men shall be put to shame;

they shall be dismayed and taken;

behold, they have rejected the word of the Lord,

so what wisdom is in them?

Therefore I will give their wives to others

and their fields to conquerors,

because from the least to the greatest

everyone is greedy for unjust gain;

from prophet to priest,

everyone deals falsely.

Copyright 2001 Crossway Bibles

NIVNew International Version (2011)

“ ‘How can you say, “We are wise,

for we have the law of the Lord,”

when actually the lying pen of the scribes

has handled it falsely?

The wise will be put to shame;

they will be dismayed and trapped.

Since they have rejected the word of the Lord,

what kind of wisdom do they have?

Therefore I will give their wives to other men

and their fields to new owners.

From the least to the greatest,

all are greedy for gain;

prophets and priests alike,

all practice deceit.

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica, Inc.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

“How can you claim, ‘We are wise;

the law of the Lord is with us’?

In fact, the lying pen of scribes

has produced falsehood.

The wise will be put to shame;

they will be dismayed and snared.

They have rejected the word of the Lord,

so what wisdom do they really have?

Therefore, I will give their wives to other men,

their fields to new occupants,

for from the least to the greatest,

everyone is making profit dishonestly.

From prophet to priest,

everyone deals falsely.

Copyright 2017 Holman Bible Publishers

NLTNew Living Translation

“ ‘How can you say, “We are wise because we have the word of the Lord,”

when your teachers have twisted it by writing lies?

These wise teachers will fall

into the trap of their own foolishness,

for they have rejected the word of the Lord.

Are they so wise after all?

I will give their wives to others

and their farms to strangers.

From the least to the greatest,

their lives are ruled by greed.

Yes, even my prophets and priests are like that.

They are all frauds.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

How can you say, ‘We are wise and the law of Yahweh is with us’?

Look, surely the lying stylus of the scribes has made it a lie.

The wise will be put to shame,

they will be dismayed,

and they will get taken.

Look, they have rejected the word of Yahweh,

and what is wisdom to them?

Therefore I will give their wives to others,

their fields to conquerors,

because from the smallest to the greatest,

all of them make profit for unlawful gain,

from prophet to priest,

all of them practice deceit.

Copyright 2012 Lexham Press

KJV 1900King James Version

How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain. The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the Lord; and what wisdom is in them? Therefore will I give their wives unto others, and their fields to them that shall inherit them: for every one from the least even unto the greatest is given to covetousness, from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.

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