Jeremiah 22:15

Does it make you a king to excel in cedar? Did not your father have food and drink? He administered justice and righteousness, and so it went well with him.

Berean Standard Bible

Follow its threads on the canvas →

Study note

Setting — Jeremiah confronts the reigning king of Judah, who is boasting in his cedar-paneled palace, contrasting his pride with the conduct of his predecessor.

The words — מְתַחֲרֶה (me.ta.cha.Reh) means "competing" or "excelling," and אָרֶז ('A.rez) denotes "cedar," framing the king's architectural ambition as a hollow contest.

The thread — The passage echoes the principle that righteous governance brings stability, appearing in Proverbs 25:5 and Isaiah 3:10, while the father's justice aligns with the description of Josiah in 2 Kings 23:25.

Why it lands — The text asserts that true kingship is measured by administering justice and righteousness, not by structural grandeur, demanding the reader evaluate leadership by its moral output rather than its visible wealth.

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

הֲתִֽמְלֹ֔ךְha./tim.Lokh¿/ are you king כִּ֥יkifor אַתָּ֖ה'a.Tahyou מְתַחֲרֶ֣הme.ta.cha.Reh[are] competing בָאָ֑רֶזva./'A.rezin <the>/ cedar אָבִ֜יךָ'a.Vi./khafather/ your הֲל֧וֹאha./Lo'¿/ not אָכַ֣ל'a.Khaldid he eat וְשָׁתָ֗הve./sha.Tahand/ did he drink?וְעָשָׂ֤הve./'a.Sahand/ did he do?מִשְׁפָּט֙mish.Patjustice וּצְדָקָ֔הu./tze.da.Kahand/ righteousness אָ֖ז'azthen ט֥וֹבTovit was wellלֽוֹ׃l/ofor <the>/ him

King James Version

Shalt thou reign, because thou closest thyself in cedar? did not thy father eat and drink, and do judgment and justice, and then it was well with him?

Cross-references

2 Kings 23:25 Neither before nor after Josiah was there any king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, according to all the Law of Moses.
Isaiah 3:10 Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their labor.
Proverbs 25:5 Remove the wicked from the king’s presence, and his throne will be established in righteousness.
Ecclesiastes 10:17 Blessed are you, O land whose king is a son of nobles, and whose princes feast at the proper time—for strength and not for drunkenness.
Proverbs 29:4 By justice a king brings stability to the land, but a man who exacts tribute demolishes it.
2 Kings 22:2 And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in all the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.
Psalms 128:1 A song of ascents. Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in His ways!
2 Samuel 8:15 Thus David reigned over all Israel and administered justice and righteousness for all his people:
1 Kings 10:9 Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you to set you on the throne of Israel. Because of the LORD’s eternal love for Israel, He has made you king to carry out justice and righteousness.”
Proverbs 21:3 To do righteousness and justice is more desirable to the LORD than sacrifice.