Jeremiah / Chapter 12

Jeremiah 12

17 verses • Westminster Leningrad Codex

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

Jeremiah 12 continues the prophet's first confession with a bold legal complaint against God: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? God's answer is not comfort but warning — if running with footmen has exhausted Jeremiah, how will he compete with horses? The chapter then shifts to an oracle of judgment against Judah's 'evil neighbors' who have seized the LORD's inheritance, followed by a surprising promise that even these pagan nations will be restored if they learn to swear by the LORD's name.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

This chapter contains one of the most stunningly honest prayers in the Bible — a prophet bringing a legal case against God himself. The verb tsadeq ('righteous') in verse 1 is judicial: Jeremiah concedes God's righteousness in advance but still demands an explanation. God's response in verse 5 is one of the harshest divine answers in Scripture — not an explanation but a warning that things will get worse. The 'horses' metaphor has become proverbial for spiritual endurance: if the easy trials defeat you, the hard ones will destroy you. The final oracle (vv. 14-17) is remarkable for its universalism — pagan nations that learn the LORD's ways will be 'built up' among God's people, a promise that anticipates the prophetic vision of gentile inclusion.

Translation Friction

The word mishpatim ('judgments, cases') in verse 1 forced a decision between legal and moral senses — we chose the judicial reading because Jeremiah is explicitly bringing a riv ('case') before God. The phrase 'the thickets of the Jordan' (ga'on ha-Yarden, v. 5) literally means 'the pride/swelling of the Jordan' — a reference to the dense, dangerous jungle that lined the Jordan's banks where lions lived. We rendered this as 'the thickets of the Jordan' to preserve the geographical reference while noting the Hebrew. The shift from personal lament (vv. 1-6) to national oracle (vv. 7-13) to international promise (vv. 14-17) required careful tone transitions.

Connections

The 'why do the wicked prosper' question connects to Job 21:7-15, Psalm 73, and Habakkuk 1:13. God's response about horses anticipates the escalating suffering Jeremiah will endure in chapters 20, 26, 37-38. The vineyard/inheritance language (vv. 7-13) echoes Isaiah 5:1-7 and anticipates Jesus's parable of the wicked tenants (Matthew 21:33-41). The promise to pagan nations (vv. 14-17) connects to Isaiah 19:23-25 and the eventual inclusion of gentiles in the covenant community. **Tradition comparisons:** The Septuagint preserves a significantly different text tradition for Jeremiah. Chapter/verse numbering identical. See the [LXX Jeremiah comparison](/lxx-jeremiah/12).

Jeremiah 12:1

צַדִּ֤יק אַתָּה֙ יְהוָ֔ה כִּ֥י אָרִ֖יב אֵלֶ֑יךָ אַ֤ךְ מִשְׁפָּטִים֙ אֲדַבֵּ֣ר אוֹתָ֔ךְ מַדּ֗וּעַ דֶּ֤רֶךְ רְשָׁעִים֙ צָלֵ֔חָה שָׁל֖וּ כָּל־בֹּ֥גְדֵי בָֽגֶד׃

You are righteous, O LORD, when I bring my case before you. Yet I would plead my case with you: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the treacherous thrive?

KJV Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

צַדִּיק tsaddiq
"righteous" — righteous, just, in the right, legally vindicated

In this context, tsaddiq is a judicial term — God would be vindicated in any legal proceeding. Jeremiah acknowledges this before making his complaint.

Translator Notes

  1. The opening tsaddiq attah ('righteous are you') is a concession, not a praise hymn — Jeremiah acknowledges God's justice before challenging it. The word bogdei ('treacherous ones') implies deliberate betrayal — not mere sinners but covenant-violators who have profited from their disloyalty. This is the biblical locus classicus for the problem of theodicy.
Jeremiah 12:2

נְטַעְתָּ֖ם גַּם־שֹׁרָ֑שׁוּ יֵלְכ֕וּ גַּם־עָשׂ֖וּ פֶֽרִי קָר֤וֹב אַתָּה֙ בְּפִיהֶ֔ם וְרָח֖וֹק מִכִּלְיוֹתֵיהֶֽם׃

You have planted them, and they have taken root. They grow and even bear fruit. You are near in their mouth but far from their heart.

KJV Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root: they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit: thou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The plant metaphor echoes the olive tree of 11:16 — God planted them, they flourish, yet their devotion is only verbal. 'Near in their mouth but far from their kidneys' (kilyoteihem, literally 'kidneys' — the seat of deep emotions) describes superficial religion. We render kilyot as 'heart' here because the mouth/heart contrast communicates the hypocrisy more naturally to modern readers.
Jeremiah 12:3

וְאַתָּ֤ה יְהוָה֙ יְדַעְתָּ֔נִי תִּרְאֵ֕נִי וּבָחַנְתָּ֥ לִבִּ֖י אִתָּ֑ךְ הַתִּקֵ֞ם כְּצֹ֣אן לְטִבְחָ֗ה וְהַקְדִּשֵׁ֖ם לְי֥וֹם הֲרֵגָֽה׃

But you, O LORD — you know me. You see me and test my heart toward you. Drag them out like sheep for the slaughter, and set them apart for the day of killing.

KJV But thou, O LORD, knowest me: thou hast seen me, and tried mine heart toward thee: pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Jeremiah contrasts himself with the hypocrites of verse 2: they are far from God in their inner being, but God knows and tests Jeremiah's heart. The phrase haqdishshem ('set them apart, consecrate them') uses sacrificial language with bitter irony — the wicked are 'consecrated' not for worship but for slaughter. The prayer for vengeance is raw and unfiltered.
Jeremiah 12:4

עַד־מָתַי֙ תֶּאֱבַ֣ל הָאָ֔רֶץ וְעֵ֥שֶׂב כָּל־הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה יִיבָ֑שׁ מֵרָעַ֣ת יֹשְׁבֵי־בָ֗הּ סָפְתָ֤ה בְהֵמוֹת֙ וָע֔וֹף כִּ֣י אָמְר֔וּ לֹ֥א יִרְאֶ֖ה אֶת־אַחֲרִיתֵֽנוּ׃

How long will the land mourn and the grass of every field wither? Because of the wickedness of those who dwell in it, the animals and birds are swept away — for they say, 'He will not see our end.'

KJV How long shall the land mourn, and the herbs of every field wither, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein? the beasts are consumed, and the birds; because they said, He shall not see our last end.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The land itself mourns — creation suffers because of human sin, a theme that connects to Genesis 3:17 and Romans 8:22. The final clause is ambiguous: 'He will not see our end' could mean the wicked believe God does not see their fate, or that Jeremiah will not see their downfall. Most interpreters take it as the wicked's arrogant dismissal of prophetic warnings.
Jeremiah 12:5

כִּ֣י אֶת־רַגְלִ֣ים ׀ רַ֗צְתָּ וַיַּלְא֙וּךָ֙ וְאֵ֤יךְ תְּתַֽחֲרֶה֙ אֶת־הַסּוּסִ֔ים וּבְאֶ֥רֶץ שָׁל֖וֹם אַתָּ֣ה בוֹטֵ֑חַ וְאֵ֥יךְ תַּעֲשֶׂ֖ה בִּגְא֥וֹן הַיַּרְדֵּֽן׃

If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how will you compete with horses? If you stumble in a land of peace, what will you do in the thickets of the Jordan?

KJV If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

גְּאוֹן הַיַּרְדֵּן ga'on ha-Yarden
"thickets of the Jordan" — pride/swelling of the Jordan, jungle of the Jordan, dense undergrowth along the Jordan banks

Literally 'the pride of the Jordan' — the lush, dangerous riparian jungle where lions lived. It represents the most perilous terrain in the land.

Translator Notes

  1. This is God's answer to Jeremiah's complaint — and it is not the answer the prophet wanted. Instead of explaining why the wicked prosper, God warns that the suffering will intensify. The footmen/horses contrast has become proverbial: small trials prepare for greater ones. The 'thickets of the Jordan' was the most dangerous terrain in the land, home to predators and flooding.
Jeremiah 12:6

כִּ֧י גַם־אַחֶ֣יךָ וּבֵית־אָבִ֗יךָ גַּם־הֵ֙מָּה֙ בָּ֣גְדוּ בָ֔ךְ גַּם־הֵ֛מָּה קָרְא֥וּ אַחֲרֶ֖יךָ מָלֵ֑א אַל־תַּאֲמֵ֣ן בָּ֔ם כִּֽי־יְדַבְּר֥וּ אֵלֶ֖יךָ טוֹבֽוֹת׃

For even your brothers and your father's house — even they have betrayed you. Even they have raised a full cry against you. Do not trust them, though they speak kindly to you.

KJV For even thy brethren, and the house of thy father, even they have dealt treacherously with thee; yea, they have called a multitude after thee: believe them not, though they speak fair words unto thee.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. God reveals the full extent of the betrayal: it is not strangers but Jeremiah's own family who have turned against him. The warning 'do not trust them though they speak kindly' indicates that the family's hostility is masked by friendly words — a deeper treachery than open opposition. This family betrayal intensifies the Anathoth conspiracy of chapter 11.
Jeremiah 12:7

עָזַ֙בְתִּי֙ אֶת־בֵּיתִ֔י נָטַ֖שְׁתִּי אֶת־נַחֲלָתִ֑י נָתַ֛תִּי אֶת־יְדִד֥וּת נַפְשִׁ֖י בְּכַ֥ף אֹיְבֶֽיהָ׃

I have abandoned my house. I have forsaken my inheritance. I have given the beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies.

KJV I have forsaken mine house, I have left mine heritage; I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

נַחֲלָה nachalah
"inheritance" — inheritance, portion, possession, patrimony

When God calls Israel his nachalah, it means they are his personal portion — his treasured possession among all the nations (cf. Deuteronomy 32:9).

Translator Notes

  1. The speaker shifts abruptly to God himself — 'my house,' 'my inheritance,' 'the beloved of my soul.' The threefold 'I have' (azavti, natashti, natati) hammers home that God is the one performing the abandonment, and it costs him deeply. The word nachalah ('inheritance') applied to Israel means they are God's personal, treasured possession.
Jeremiah 12:8

הָיְתָ֤ה לִי֙ נַחֲלָתִ֔י כְּאַרְיֵ֖ה בַּיָּ֑עַר נָתְנָ֤ה עָלַי֙ בְּקוֹלָ֔הּ עַל־כֵּ֖ן שְׂנֵאתִֽיהָ׃

My inheritance has become to me like a lion in the forest. She has roared against me; therefore I have turned against her.

KJV Mine heritage is unto me as a lion in the forest; it crieth out against me: therefore have I hated it.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The startling image: Israel, God's treasured inheritance, has become like a wild lion roaring defiance at its owner. The word sne'tiha ('I hated her') is covenant-termination language — not an emotion but a legal declaration of the relationship's end (cf. the use of 'hate' in divorce contexts, Malachi 2:16). We rendered it as 'turned against her' to capture the covenantal rather than emotional sense.
Jeremiah 12:9

הַעַ֨יִט צָב֤וּעַ נַחֲלָתִי֙ לִ֔י הַעַ֖יִט סָבִ֣יב עָלֶ֑יהָ לְכ֗וּ אִסְפ֛וּ כָּל־חַיַּ֥ת הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה הֵתָ֥יוּ לְאָכְלָֽה׃

Is my inheritance to me like a speckled bird of prey, with birds of prey circling against her on every side? Go, gather all the wild beasts — bring them to devour.

KJV Mine heritage is unto me as a speckled bird, the birds round about are against her; come ye, assemble all the beasts of the field, come to devour.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The 'speckled bird of prey' (ayit tsavua) is an unusual bird that attracts attack from other birds — Israel's syncretistic religion has made her a target. The command to gather beasts for devouring is addressed to the nations, whom God summons as instruments of judgment. The imagery is of a carcass attracting predators.
Jeremiah 12:10

רֹעִ֤ים רַבִּים֙ שִׁחֲת֣וּ כַרְמִ֔י בֹּסְס֖וּ אֶת־חֶלְקָתִ֑י נָֽתְנ֛וּ אֶת־חֶלְקַ֥ת חֶמְדָּתִ֖י לְמִדְבַּ֥ר שְׁמָמָֽה׃

Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard. They have trampled my portion underfoot. They have turned my cherished portion into a desolate wilderness.

KJV Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The 'shepherds' (ro'im) are foreign rulers or invading armies whom God has permitted to ravage the land. 'My vineyard' (karmi) echoes Isaiah 5:1-7 where Israel is God's vineyard. The phrase chelqat chemdati ('my cherished portion') uses the language of a landowner surveying his devastated estate. God grieves the destruction even as he permits it.
Jeremiah 12:11

שָׂמָ֥הּ לִשְׁמָמָ֖ה אָבְלָ֣ה עָלַ֑י שְׁמָמָ֗ה נָשַׁ֙מָּה֙ כָּל־הָאָ֔רֶץ כִּ֛י אֵ֥ין אִ֖ישׁ שָׂ֥ם עַל־לֵֽב׃

They have made it desolate. It mourns before me in its desolation. The whole land is made desolate, because no one takes it to heart.

KJV They have made it desolate, and being desolate it mourneth unto me; the whole land is made desolate, because no man layeth it to heart.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The threefold repetition of shemamah ('desolation') creates a drumbeat of devastation. The land itself mourns — personified creation grieving its abuse. The final clause ('no one takes it to heart') indicts not just the invaders but the people of Judah who are indifferent to the destruction of God's land.
Jeremiah 12:12

עַל־כָּל־שְׁפָיִ֣ם בַּמִּדְבָּ֗ר בָּ֚אוּ שֹׁ֣דְדִ֔ים כִּ֣י חֶ֤רֶב לַֽיהוָה֙ אֹֽכְלָ֔ה מִקְצֵה־אֶ֖רֶץ וְעַד־קְצֵ֣ה אָ֑רֶץ אֵ֥ין שָׁל֖וֹם לְכָל־בָּשָֽׂר׃

Over all the barren heights in the wilderness, destroyers have come, for the sword of the LORD devours from one end of the land to the other. There is no peace for any living thing.

KJV The spoilers are come upon all high places through the wilderness: for the sword of the LORD shall devour from the one end of the land even to the other end of the land: no flesh shall have peace.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

שָׁלוֹם shalom
"peace" — peace, wholeness, well-being, safety, prosperity

Here shalom carries its fullest sense — not merely the absence of war but the complete absence of security, health, and well-being for any creature.

Translator Notes

  1. The 'sword of the LORD' (cherev la-YHWH) makes explicit that the invaders are God's instrument — the destruction is divinely directed. The phrase 'no peace for any living thing' (ein shalom lekhol basar) is total: not even animals are spared. The word shalom here means safety, security, well-being — all of it gone.
Jeremiah 12:13

זָרְע֤וּ חִטִּים֙ וְקֹצִ֣ים קָצָ֔רוּ נֶחְל֖וּ לֹ֣א הוֹעִ֑ילוּ וּבֹ֙שׁוּ֙ מִתְּבוּאֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם מֵחֲר֖וֹן אַף־יְהוָֽה׃

They have sown wheat but reaped thorns. They have exhausted themselves for no profit. Be ashamed of your harvests because of the fierce anger of the LORD.

KJV They have sown wheat, but shall reap thorns: they have put themselves to pain, but shall not profit: and they shall be ashamed of your revenues because of the fierce anger of the LORD.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The wheat-and-thorns proverb inverts the expected agricultural cycle — labor produces only futility. This echoes the curse of Genesis 3:18 ('thorns and thistles') and anticipates the futility curses of Deuteronomy 28:38-40. The 'fierce anger of the LORD' (charon af YHWH) is the heat of divine wrath that has scorched the land's productivity.
Jeremiah 12:14

כֹּ֣ה ׀ אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֗ה עַל־כָּל־שְׁכֵנַי֙ הָֽרָעִ֔ים הַנֹּגְעִ֣ים בַּנַּחֲלָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־הִנְחַ֥לְתִּי אֶת־עַמִּ֖י אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל הִנְנִ֤י נֹתְשָׁם֙ מֵעַ֣ל אַדְמָתָ֔ם וְאֶת־בֵּ֥ית יְהוּדָ֖ה אֶתּ֥וֹשׁ מִתּוֹכָֽם׃

This is what the LORD says concerning all my evil neighbors who seize the inheritance I gave my people Israel to possess: I am about to uproot them from their land, and I will uproot the house of Judah from among them.

KJV Thus saith the LORD against all mine evil neighbours, that touch the inheritance which I have caused my people Israel to inherit; Behold, I will pluck them out of their land, and pluck out the house of Judah from among them.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The oracle shifts to address the surrounding nations — 'evil neighbors' (shekhenim hara'im) who have seized portions of Israel's land. God will uproot both the pagan nations and Judah from the land — a shared exile. The verb notesham ('uproot') uses agricultural imagery consistent with the planting/vineyard theme of the chapter.
Jeremiah 12:15

וְהָיָ֕ה אַחֲרֵ֖י נָתְשִׁ֣י אוֹתָ֑ם אָשׁ֣וּב וְרִחַמְתִּ֔ים וַהֲשִׁבֹתִ֛ים אִ֥ישׁ לְנַחֲלָת֖וֹ וְאִ֥ישׁ לְאַרְצֽוֹ׃

And after I have uprooted them, I will again have compassion on them, and I will restore each one to his inheritance and each one to his land.

KJV And it shall come to pass, after that I have plucked them out I will return, and have compassion on them, and will bring them again, every man to his heritage, and every man to his land.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The promise of restoration follows judgment — a pattern characteristic of Jeremiah's theology. The verb richamtim ('I will have compassion on them') shares the root rechem ('womb'), suggesting the deepest maternal tenderness. Remarkably, this compassion extends even to the pagan nations, not only to Judah.
Jeremiah 12:16

וְהָיָ֡ה אִם־לָמֹ֣ד יִלְמְדוּ֩ אֶת־דַּרְכֵ֨י עַמִּ֜י לְהִשָּׁבֵ֤עַ בִּשְׁמִי֙ חַי־יְהוָ֔ה כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר לִמְּד֣וּ אֶת־עַמִּ֔י לְהִשָּׁבֵ֖עַ בַּבָּ֑עַל וְנִבְנ֖וּ בְּת֥וֹךְ עַמִּֽי׃

And if they diligently learn the ways of my people — to swear by my name, 'As the LORD lives,' just as they once taught my people to swear by Baal — then they will be built up in the midst of my people.

KJV And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, The LORD liveth; as they taught my people to swear by Baal; then shall they be built in the midst of my people.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. This verse is remarkably universalist for its context: pagan nations that adopt the worship of the LORD will be incorporated into God's people. The condition is genuine conversion — learning God's ways, swearing by his name. The ironic reversal is pointed: these nations taught Israel idolatry, and now they themselves must learn Israel's faith. The verb nivnu ('be built up') implies permanent establishment, not mere toleration.
Jeremiah 12:17

וְאִ֖ם לֹ֣א יִשְׁמָ֑עוּ וְנָתַשְׁתִּ֞י אֶת־הַגּ֤וֹי הַהוּא֙ נָת֣וֹשׁ וְאַבֵּ֔ד נְאֻ֖ם יְהוָֽה׃

But if they will not obey, then I will utterly uproot and destroy that nation, declares the LORD.

KJV But if they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation, saith the LORD.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The alternative to conversion is total destruction — there is no neutral ground. The emphatic infinitive absolute natosh venatasht ('utterly uproot') doubles the verb for intensity. The chapter ends with ne'um YHWH ('declares the LORD'), the prophetic attestation formula that seals the oracle as divine speech.
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