Jeremiah 16:20

Bishop's Bible

Howe can a man make those his gods, which are not able to be gods?

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Can one make gods for himself?But they are not gods.

Hebrew Names Version
Shall a man make to himself gods, which yet are no gods?

King James Version
Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods?

English Standard Version
Can man make for himself gods? Such are not gods!"

New American Standard Bible
Can a person make gods for himself? But they are not gods!

New Century Version
Can people make gods for themselves? They will not really be gods!"

Amplified Bible
"Can a man make gods for himself? Such [things] are not gods!

World English Bible
Shall a man make to himself gods, which yet are no gods?

Geneva Bible (1587)
Shall a man make gods vnto himselfe, and they are no gods?

Legacy Standard Bible
Can man make gods for himself?Yet they are not gods!

Berean Standard Bible
Can man make gods for himself? Such are not gods!

Contemporary English Version
worthless idols made by human hands."

Complete Jewish Bible
Can a person make himself gods? (In fact they aren't gods at all.)

Darby Translation
Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no-gods?

Easy-to-Read Version
Can people make real gods for themselves? No, they can only make statues that are not really gods."

George Lamsa Translation
Behold, men make gods to themselves, and they are no gods.

Good News Translation
Can people make their own gods? No, if they did, those would not really be gods."

Lexham English Bible
Can a human make for himself gods? Yet they are not gods!"

Literal Translation
Can a man make gods to himself? But they are not gods!

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
How can a man make those his goddes, which are not able to be goddes?

American Standard Version
Shall a man make unto himself gods, which yet are no gods?

Bible in Basic English
Will a man make for himself gods which are no gods?

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Shall a man make unto himself gods, and they are no gods?

King James Version (1611)
Shall a man make Gods vnto himselfe, and they are no Gods?

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Will a man make gods for himself, whereas these are no gods?

English Revised Version
Shall a man make unto himself gods, which yet are no gods?

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Whether a man schal make goddis to hym silf? and tho ben no goddis.

Update Bible Version
Shall man make to himself gods, which yet are no gods?

Webster's Bible Translation
Shall a man make gods to himself, and they [are] no gods?

New English Translation
Can people make their own gods? No, what they make are not gods at all."

New King James Version
Will a man make gods for himself, Which are not gods?

New Living Translation
Can people make their own gods? These are not real gods at all!"

New Life Bible
Can man make his own gods? What man makes is not gods!

New Revised Standard
Can mortals make for themselves gods? Such are no gods!

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Shall a son of earth, make for himself gods, Seeing that, they, are no-gods?

Douay-Rheims Bible
Shall a man make gods unto himself and they are no gods?

Revised Standard Version
Can man make for himself gods? Such are no gods!"

Young's Literal Translation
Doth man make for himself gods, And they -- no gods?

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Can man make gods for himself? Yet they are not gods!

Contextual Overview

¹⁴ Beholde therfore saith the Lorde, the dayes are come that it shall no more be sayd: The Lorde liueth which brought the children of Israel out of the lande of Egypt: ¹⁵ But it shalbe sayde, The Lorde liueth that brought the children of Israel from the north, and from all landes where he had scattered them: for I wyll bryng them agayne into the lande that I gaue their fathers. ¹⁶ Beholde, saith the Lorde, I wyll sende out many fisshers to take them, and after that wyll I sende out many hunters, to hunt them out from all mountaynes and hylles, and out of the caues of stone. ¹⁷ For mine eyes behold all their wayes, and they can not be hyd fro my face: neither can their wicked deedes be kept close out of my sight. ¹⁸ But first wyll I sufficiently rewarde their shameful blasphemies and sinnes, because they haue defiled my lande with their stinckyng carions and their abhominations, wherwith they haue filled mine heritage. ¹⁹ O Lorde my strength, my power and refuge in tyme of trouble: the gentiles shall come vnto thee from the endes of the worlde, and say, Ueryly our fathers haue cleaued vnto lyes, their idols are but vayne and vnprofitable. ²⁰ Howe can a man make those his gods, which are not able to be gods? ²¹ And therfore I wyll once teach them, saith the Lorde, I wyll shewe them my hande and my power, and they shall knowe that my name is the Lorde.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Psalms 115:4-8, Psalms 135:14-18, Isaiah 36:19, Isaiah 37:19, Hosea 8:4-6, Acts 19:26, Galatians 1:8, Galatians 4:8

Reciprocal: Genesis 35:2 - strange Isaiah 44:9 - and their Jeremiah 2:11 - no gods Daniel 3:1 - made Amos 2:4 - and their

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Shall a man make gods unto himself,.... Can a man make his own gods? a poor, weak, mortal man? can he make gods of gold, silver, brass, wood, or stone? can he put deity into them? and when he has made images of these, can he be so stupid as to account them gods, and worship them? can he be so sottish, and void of understanding, as to imagine that anything that is made by himself or any other, can be God?

and they are no gods; that are made by men; he only is the true God, that is the Maker and Creator of all things; or they are no gods themselves that pretend to make them, and therefore how should they make gods? can they give that which they have not? or impart deity to others which they have not themselves? These words are a continuation of the speech of the Gentiles, and contain their reasonings, exposing the folly of their idolatrous ancestors: though some take them to be the words of God, or of the prophet, inveighing against the Jews for their stupidity in worshipping idols; when the Gentiles were convinced of the folly and vanity of such practices, and acknowledged it.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jeremiah 16:20. Shall a man make gods unto himself? — Can any be so silly, and so preposterously absurd? Yes, fallen man is capable of any thing that is base, mean, vile, and wicked, till influenced and converted by the grace of Christ.