The Meaning of Jeremiah 10:14 Explained

Jeremiah 10:14

KJV: Every man is brutish in his knowledge: every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.

YLT: Brutish is every man by knowledge, Put to shame is every refiner by a graven image, For false is his molten image. And there is no breath in them.

Darby: Every man is become brutish, bereft of knowledge; every founder is put to shame by the graven image, for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.

ASV: Every man is become brutish and is without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his graven image; for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Every man  is brutish  in [his] knowledge:  every founder  is confounded  by the graven image:  for his molten image  [is] falsehood,  and [there is] no breath  in them. 

What does Jeremiah 10:14 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Everyone who worships idols is stupid and ignorant (cf. 1 Corinthians 8:4-6). Their inability to do anything shames those who glorify them.

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 10

1  The unequal comparison of God and idols
17  The prophet exhorts to flee from the calamity to come
19  He laments the spoil of the tabernacle by foolish pastors
23  He makes an humble supplication

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 10:14 mean?

Is dull-hearted every Everyone without knowledge is put to shame metalsmith by an image for falsehood his molded image [is] and [there is] no breath in them
נִבְעַ֤ר כָּל־ אָדָם֙ מִדַּ֔עַת הֹבִ֥ישׁ צוֹרֵ֖ף מִפָּ֑סֶל כִּ֛י שֶׁ֥קֶר נִסְכּ֖וֹ וְלֹא־ ר֥וּחַ בָּֽם

נִבְעַ֤ר  Is  dull-hearted 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בָּעַר 
Sense: to burn, consume, kindle, be kindled.
כָּל־  every 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
אָדָם֙  Everyone 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָדָם 
Sense: man, mankind.
מִדַּ֔עַת  without  knowledge 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine singular
Root: דַּעַת 
Sense: knowledge.
הֹבִ֥ישׁ  is  put  to  shame 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָבֵשׁ  
Sense: to make dry, wither, be dry, become dry, be dried up, be withered.
צוֹרֵ֖ף  metalsmith 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: צָרַף  
Sense: to smelt, refine, test.
מִפָּ֑סֶל  by  an  image 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular
Root: פֶּסֶל  
Sense: idol, image.
שֶׁ֥קֶר  falsehood 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שֶׁקֶר  
Sense: lie, deception, disappointment, falsehood.
נִסְכּ֖וֹ  his  molded  image  [is] 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: נֶסֶךְ 
Sense: drink offering, libation, molten image, something poured out.
וְלֹא־  and  [there  is]  no 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
ר֥וּחַ  breath 
Parse: Noun, common singular
Root: רוּחַ  
Sense: wind, breath, mind, spirit.
בָּֽם  in  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural