Jeremiah 5:2

Christian Standard Bible ®

When they say, “As the Lord lives,”they are swearing falsely.

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
Though they say, As the LORD lives; surely they swear falsely.

King James Version
And though they say, The Lord liveth; surely they swear falsely.

English Standard Version
Though they say, "As the Lord lives," yet they swear falsely.

New American Standard Bible
"And although they say, 'As the LORD lives,' Certainly they swear falsely."

New Century Version
Although the people say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives!' they don't really mean it."

Amplified Bible
"And though they say, 'As the LORD lives,' Surely they swear [their oaths] falsely."

World English Bible
Though they say, As Yahweh lives; surely they swear falsely.

Geneva Bible (1587)
For though they say, The Lord liueth, yet doe they sweare falsely.

Legacy Standard Bible
And if they say, ‘As Yahweh lives,'Then they swear to a lie."

Berean Standard Bible
Although they say, "As surely as the LORD lives," they are swearing falsely.

Contemporary English Version
Everyone breaks promises made in my name."

Complete Jewish Bible
And though they say, ‘As Adonai lives,' the fact is that they are swearing falsely."

Darby Translation
And if they say, [As] Jehovah liveth! surely they swear falsely.

Easy-to-Read Version
The people make promises and say, ‘As the Lord lives.' But they don't really mean it!"

George Lamsa Translation
And though they say, The LORD lives; truly they swear falsely.

Good News Translation
Even though you claim to worship the Lord , you do not mean what you say.

Lexham English Bible
And though they say, ‘As Yahweh lives,' therefore they swear falsely."

Literal Translation
And though they say, As Jehovah lives, surely they swear falsely.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
For though they can saye: the LORDE lyueth, yet do they sweare to disceaue:

American Standard Version
And though they say, As Jehovah liveth; surely they swear falsely.

Bible in Basic English
And though they say, By the living Lord; truly their oaths are false.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And though they say: 'As the LORD liveth', surely they swear falsely.

King James Version (1611)
And though they say, The Lord liueth, surely they sweare falsely.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
For though they can say, the Lorde lyueth: yet they sweare to deceaue.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
The Lord lives, they say; do they not therefore swear falsely?

English Revised Version
And though they say, As the LORD liveth; surely they swear falsely.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
That if also thei seien, The Lord lyueth, yhe, thei schulen swere this falsli.

Update Bible Version
And if they say, As Yahweh lives; surely they swear falsely.

Webster's Bible Translation
And though they say, The LORD liveth; surely they swear falsely.

New English Translation
These people make promises in the name of the Lord . But the fact is, what they swear to is really a lie."

New King James Version
Though they say, "As the LORD lives,' Surely they swear falsely."

New Living Translation
But even when they are under oath, saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,' they are still telling lies!"

New Life Bible
Even if they say, ‘As the Lord lives,' for sure their promises are false."

New Revised Standard
Although they say, "As the Lord lives," yet they swear falsely.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Even though they say By the life of Yahweh, Yet in fact falsely, do they swear.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And though they say: The Lord liveth; this also they will swear falsely.

Revised Standard Version
Though they say, "As the LORD lives," yet they swear falsely.

Young's Literal Translation
And if they say, `Jehovah liveth,' Surely to a falsehood they swear.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"And although they say, 'As the LORD lives,' Surely they swear falsely."

Contextual Overview

¹Roam through the streets of Jerusalem. ²When they say, “As the Lord lives,”they are swearing falsely.³Lord, don’t your eyes look for faithfulness?You have struck them, but they felt no pain.You finished them off,but they refused to accept discipline.They made their faces harder than rock,and they refused to return. ⁴Then I thought: ⁵I will go to the powerfuland speak to them.Surely they know the way of the Lord,the justice of their God.However, these also had broken the yokeand torn off the chains. ⁶Therefore, a lion from the forest will strike them down.A wolf from arid plains will ravage them.A leopard stalks their cities.Anyone who leaves them will be torn to piecesbecause their rebellious acts are many,their unfaithful deeds numerous. ⁷Why should I forgive you?Your children have abandoned meand sworn by those who are not gods.I satisfied their needs, yet they committed adultery;they gashed themselves at the prostitute’s house. ⁸They are well-fed, eager stallions,each neighing after someone else’s wife. ⁹Should I not punish them for these things?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

though: Jeremiah 4:2, Jeremiah 7:9, Leviticus 19:12, Isaiah 48:1, Hosea 4:1, Hosea 4:2, Hosea 4:15, Hosea 10:4, Zechariah 5:3, Zechariah 5:4, Malachi 3:5, 1 Timothy 1:10, 2 Timothy 3:5, Titus 1:16

Reciprocal: Genesis 42:15 - By the life Leviticus 6:3 - sweareth Deuteronomy 6:13 - shalt swear 1 Samuel 19:6 - sware 1 Samuel 20:21 - as the 1 Kings 17:12 - As the Lord Job 27:2 - God liveth Psalms 24:4 - sworn Isaiah 29:13 - Forasmuch Isaiah 59:15 - truth Jeremiah 2:6 - Where Jeremiah 12:16 - my name Jeremiah 42:5 - The Lord be Jeremiah 44:26 - The Lord God Ezekiel 17:13 - taken an oath of him Ezekiel 17:19 - surely

Cross-References

Genesis 1:27
So God created manin his own image;he created him in the image of God;he created them male and female.

Genesis 2:15
The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it.

Genesis 2:23
And the man said:

Malachi 2:15
Didn’t God make them one and give them a portion of spirit? What is the one seeking? Godly offspring. So watch yourselves carefully, so that no one acts treacherously against the wife of his youth.

Matthew 19:4
“Haven’t you read,”

Mark 10:6
But from the beginning

Acts 17:26
From one man he has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And though they say, the Lord liveth,.... It might be said, that there were multitudes that made mention of the name of the Lord, that professed it, and swore by it; which sometimes is put for the worship and service of God, Deuteronomy 10:20 and therefore it could not be so difficult a matter to find a man of integrity and uprightness among them; this is answered by allowing there were persons that did do so: but then it must be observed,

that surely they swear falsely; they abused the name of God, and were guilty of perjury: or the sense is, they were only nominal professors, hypocritical worshippers; in words professed to know God, but in works denied him; had a form of religion and godliness, but without the power of it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Though they take the most binding form of oath, they do so only as a means of deceiving others.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jeremiah 5:2. The Lord liveth — Though they profess to bind themselves by Jehovah, as if they acknowledged him their God and only Lord, yet they swore falsely; for not believing in him, they took a false oath; one by which they did not believe themselves bound, not acknowledging him as their Lord. See on Jeremiah 4:2.