Bible Strands
Jeremiah 10:2
This is what the LORD says: “Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by the signs in the heavens, though the nations themselves are terrified by them.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The LORD addresses the house of Israel at the opening of a prophetic warning against foreign religious practices. The command is delivered before a detailed critique of idol craftsmanship in the following verse.
The words — The Hebrew תִלְמָ֔דוּ (til.Ma.du) literally means "you learn," paired with אַל־ ('al-) to form the explicit prohibition "do not learn."
The thread — The text forbids adopting foreign customs in Leviticus 18:3 and Leviticus 20:23, while Ezekiel 20:32 records Israel’s stated desire to serve wood and stone like surrounding peoples.
Why it lands — The passage commands readers to reject pagan rituals and astrological fear as incompatible with exclusive devotion to Yahweh. It requires a conscious break from cultural religious patterns that elevate created signs over the Creator.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.
Cross-references
- Leviticus 20:23 You must not follow the statutes of the nations I am driving out before you. Because they did all these things, I abhorred them.
- Leviticus 18:3 You must not follow the practices of the land of Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not follow the practices of the land of Canaan, into which I am bringing you. You must not walk in their customs.
- Ezekiel 20:32 When you say, ‘Let us be like the nations, like the peoples of the lands, serving wood and stone,’ what you have in mind will never come to pass.
- Luke 21:25 There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among the nations, bewildered by the roaring of the sea and the surging of the waves.
- Deuteronomy 12:30 be careful not to be ensnared by their ways after they have been destroyed before you. Do not inquire about their gods, asking, “How do these nations serve their gods? I will do likewise.”
- Isaiah 47:12 So take your stand with your spells and with your many sorceries, with which you have wearied yourself from your youth. Perhaps you will succeed; perhaps you will inspire terror!