The Meaning of Jeremiah 7:8 Explained

Jeremiah 7:8

KJV: Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.

YLT: Lo, ye are trusting for yourselves On the words of falsehood, so as not to profit.

Darby: Behold, ye confide in words of falsehood that cannot profit.

ASV: Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Behold, ye trust  in lying  words,  that cannot profit. 

What does Jeremiah 7:8 Mean?

Study Notes

trust
.
Trust is the characteristic O.T. word for the N.T. "faith," "believe." It occurs 152 times in the O.T., and is the rendering of Heb. words signifying to take refuge (e.g. Ruth 2:12 "to lean on" (e.g.) Psalms 56:3 "to roll on" (e.g.) Psalms 22:8 "to stay upon" (e.g.) Job 35:14 .

Verse Meaning

The prophet also explained what the Lord meant by trusting in deceptive words ( Jeremiah 7:4), which they had been trusting in but without benefit.

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 7

1  Jeremiah is sent to call to true repentance, to prevent the Jews' captivity
8  He rejects their vain confidence,
12  by the example of Shiloh
17  He threatens them for their idolatry
21  He rejects the sacrifices of the disobedient
29  He exhorts to mourn for their abominations in Tophet;
32  and the judgments for the same

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 7:8 mean?

Behold you trust to in words lying that cannot profit
הִנֵּ֤ה אַתֶּם֙ בֹּטְחִ֣ים לָכֶ֔ם עַל־ דִּבְרֵ֖י הַשָּׁ֑קֶר לְבִלְתִּ֖י הוֹעִֽיל

הִנֵּ֤ה  Behold 
Parse: Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
בֹּטְחִ֣ים  trust 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: בָּטוּחַ 
Sense: to trust.
דִּבְרֵ֖י  words 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
הַשָּׁ֑קֶר  lying 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שֶׁקֶר  
Sense: lie, deception, disappointment, falsehood.
לְבִלְתִּ֖י  that  cannot 
Parse: Preposition-l
Root: בִּלְתִּי  
Sense: not, except adv.
הוֹעִֽיל  profit 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: יָעַל  
Sense: (Hiphil) to gain, profit, benefit, avail.