Jeremiah 9:3

“They bend their tongues like bows; lies prevail over truth in the land. For they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not take Me into account,” declares the LORD.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The LORD declares this against the people of Judah, bracketed by Jeremiah's wish to abandon them (v. 2) and his warning that no one can be trusted (v. 4).

The words — שֶׁקֶר (she-ker), "falsehood," is the grammatical subject of גָּבְרוּ (ga-ve-Ru), "they are strong" — falsehood prevails, not truth. The tongue is bent like a bow (קַשְׁתָּם, kash-tam), a weapon drawn and ready.

The thread — Jeremiah 9:8 sharpens the image: tongues are "deadly arrows" that speak deception. Judges 2:10 and Jeremiah 4:22 both tie the same failure — not knowing the LORD — to a generation's moral collapse.

Why it lands — The verse names a pattern: proceeding from evil to evil while not taking God into account is not an anomaly but the described default. It asks the reader to check whether their own speech and conduct follow that arc.

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

וַֽיַּדְרְכ֤וּva/i.yad.re.Khuand/ they have bent אֶת־'et-<obj.>לְשׁוֹנָם֙le.sho.Na/mtongue/ their קַשְׁתָּ֣םkash.Ta/mbow of/ their שֶׁ֔קֶרShe.kerfalsehood וְלֹ֥אve./Lo'and/ not לֶאֱמוּנָ֖הle./'e.mu.Nahto/ faithfulness גָּבְר֣וּga.ve.Ruthey are strong בָאָ֑רֶץva./'A.retzin the/ land כִּי֩kifor מֵרָעָ֨הme./ra.'Ahfrom/ evil אֶל־'el-to רָעָ֧ה׀ra.'Ahevil יָצָ֛אוּya.Tza.'uthey have gone out וְאֹתִ֥יve./'o.T/iand/ <obj.>/ me לֹֽא־lo'-not יָדָ֖עוּya.Da.'uthey know נְאֻם־ne.'um-[the] utterance of יְהוָֽה׃ סYah.wehYahweh

King James Version

And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the Lord.

Cross-references

Jeremiah 4:22 “For My people are fools; they have not known Me. They are foolish children, without understanding. They are skilled in doing evil, but they know not how to do good.”
Jeremiah 9:8 Their tongues are deadly arrows; they speak deception. With his mouth a man speaks peace to his neighbor, but in his heart he sets a trap for him.
Judges 2:10 After that whole generation had also been gathered to their fathers, another generation rose up who did not know the LORD or the works that He had done for Israel.
Isaiah 59:13 rebelling and denying the LORD, turning away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering lies from the heart.
1 Samuel 2:12 Now the sons of Eli were wicked men; they had no regard for the LORD
Romans 3:13 “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The venom of vipers is on their lips.”
Psalms 52:2 Your tongue devises destruction like a sharpened razor, O worker of deceit.
Psalms 64:3 who sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their bitter words like arrows,
Psalms 120:2 Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips and a deceitful tongue.
Isaiah 59:3 For your hands are stained with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue mutters injustice.