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Saturday, December 20th, 2025
the Third Week of Advent
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Read the Bible

New Life Version

Jeremiah 35:9

We have never built houses to live in, and we do not have grape-fields or fields or seeds to plant.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Abstinence, Total;   Hanan;   Jonadab;   Wine;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Vineyards;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Jonadab;   Rechabites;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Citizenship;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Jehonadab;   Kenites;   Rechab;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Jeremiah;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - God;   Greek Versions of Ot;   Jehonadab;   Kenites;   Nations;   Rechab, Rechabites;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Vote;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Jonadab ;   Rechab ;   Rechabites ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Jonadab;   Rechabites;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Prison;   Re'chab;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Jehu;   Rechab;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Isḥaḳ ben Ya'ḳub Obadiah Abu 'Isa Al-Isfahani;   Will;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
We also have not built houses to live in and do not have vineyard, field, or seed.
Hebrew Names Version
nor to build houses for us to dwell in; neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed:
King James Version
Nor to build houses for us to dwell in: neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed:
English Standard Version
and not to build houses to dwell in. We have no vineyard or field or seed,
New American Standard Bible
nor to build ourselves houses to live in; and we do not have a vineyard, a field, or seed.
New Century Version
We never build houses in which to live, or own fields or vineyards, or plant crops.
Amplified Bible
nor have we built ourselves houses to live in; nor do we have vineyards or fields or seed.
World English Bible
nor to build houses for us to dwell in; neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed:
Geneva Bible (1587)
Neither builde wee houses for vs to dwell in, neither haue we vineyard, nor fielde, nor seede,
Legacy Standard Bible
nor to build ourselves houses to inhabit; and we do not have vineyard or field or seed.
Berean Standard Bible
Nor have we built houses to live in or had vineyards, fields, or crops.
Complete Jewish Bible
not to build houses for ourselves to live in; and not to have vineyards, fields or seed.
Darby Translation
and not to build houses for us to dwell in; neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed;
Easy-to-Read Version
We never build houses to live in, we never own vineyards or fields, and we never plant crops.
George Lamsa Translation
Nor to build houses for ourselves to dwell in; neither to have vineyards nor fields nor seed;
Good News Translation
We do not build houses for homes—we live in tents—and we own no vineyards, fields, or grain. We have fully obeyed everything that our ancestor Jonadab commanded us.
Lexham English Bible
and not to build houses for our living, and there is not vineyard, or field, or seed for us.
Literal Translation
nor to build houses for us for our dwelling; nor do we have a vineyard, or field, or seed.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Nether buylde we eny house to dwell therin, we haue also amonge vs nether vynyardes, ner corne lode to sowe:
American Standard Version
nor to build houses for us to dwell in; neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed:
Bible in Basic English
Building no houses for ourselves, having no vine-gardens or fields or seed:
JPS Old Testament (1917)
nor to build houses for us to dwell in, neither to have vineyard, or field, or seed;
King James Version (1611)
Nor to build houses for vs to dwel in, neither haue we Uineyard, nor field, nor seed.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Neither buylde we any house to dwel therein: we haue also among vs neither vineyardes, nor corne lande to sowe:
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
As for the prophet that has prophesied for peace, when the word has come to pass, they shall know the prophet whom the Lord has sent them in truth.
English Revised Version
nor to build houses for us to dwell in: neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed:
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and we bildiden not housis to dwelle, and we hadden not a vyner, and a feeld, and seed;
Update Bible Version
nor to build houses for us to dwell in; neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed:
Webster's Bible Translation
Nor to build houses for us to dwell in: neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed:
New English Translation
We have not built any houses to live in. We do not own any vineyards, fields, or crops.
New King James Version
nor to build ourselves houses to dwell in; nor do we have vineyard, field, or seed.
New Living Translation
We haven't built houses or owned vineyards or farms or planted crops.
New Revised Standard
and not to build houses to live in. We have no vineyard or field or seed;
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and not to bud houses for us to dwell in, - and so, vineyard or field or seed, have we none;
Douay-Rheims Bible
Nor to build houses to dwell in, nor to have vineyard, or field, or seed:
Revised Standard Version
and not to build houses to dwell in. We have no vineyard or field or seed;
Young's Literal Translation
nor to build houses for our dwelling; and vineyard, and field, and seed, we have none;
New American Standard Bible (1995)
nor to build ourselves houses to dwell in; and we do not have vineyard or field or seed.

Contextual Overview

1 This is the word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: 2 "Go to the house of the Rechabites and speak to them. Then bring them to one of the rooms of the house of the Lord, and give them wine to drink." 3 So I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, son of Habazziniah, and his brothers and all his sons, and all those of the Rechabite family. 4 And I brought them into the house of the Lord, into the room of the sons of Hanan, the son of Igdaliah, the man of God. This room was near the room of the leaders and above the room of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, the doorkeeper. 5 Then I set jars full of wine and some cups in front of the men of the Rechabite family. And I said to them, "Drink wine." 6 But they said, "We will not drink wine. For Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, told us, ‘You and your sons must never drink wine. 7 You must never build a house. You must never plant seeds. And you must never plant a grape-field or own one. But you must always live in tents. Then you will live many days in the land where you have come to.' 8 We have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he told us. We, our wives, our sons, and our daughters, never drink wine. 9 We have never built houses to live in, and we do not have grape-fields or fields or seeds to plant. 10 We have only lived in tents. We have obeyed, and have done all that our father Jonadab told us.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Jeremiah 35:7, Numbers 16:14, 2 Kings 5:26, Psalms 37:16, 1 Timothy 6:6

Reciprocal: Genesis 4:20 - dwell

Cross-References

Genesis 12:7
Then the Lord showed Himself to Abram and said, "I will give this land to your children and to your children's children." So Abram built an altar there to the Lord Who had shown Himself to him.
Genesis 17:1
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord came to him and said, "I am God All-powerful. Obey Me, and be without blame.
Genesis 18:1
The Lord showed Himself to Abraham by the oak trees of Mamre, as he sat at the tent door in the heat of the day.
Genesis 26:2
The Lord showed Himself to Isaac, and said, "Do not go to Egypt. Stay in the land I will tell you about.
Genesis 28:13
And he saw the Lord standing above them. He said, "I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham, and the God of Isaac. I will give to you and your children after you the land where you are lying.
Genesis 31:3
Then the Lord said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers and to those of your family. And I will be with you."
Genesis 32:1
Jacob went on his way, and God's angels met him.
Genesis 35:1
God said to Jacob, "Get ready and go to Bethel to live. Make an altar there to God, Who showed Himself to you when you ran away from your brother Esau."
Genesis 35:2
So Jacob said to those of his house and all who were with him, "Put away the strange gods that are among you. Make yourselves clean and change your clothes.
Genesis 35:3
Then let us get ready and go to Bethel. I will make an altar there to God, Who answered me in the day of my trouble, and was with me every place I went."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Nor build houses for us to dwell in,.... This explains that part of the charge more fully, which respects building of houses; which did not restrain them from building houses for others, if any of them were masters of that art; which is not very likely, since they were wholly brought up in the field as shepherds; but it forbad them building any for themselves, and making use of them by dwelling in them:

neither have we vineyard, nor field, or seed; any piece of ground planted with vines, or field sown with corn, or any seed to sow with; so exactly conformable were they to the prescriptions of their ancestor. Diodorus Siculus g reports of the Nabatheans, a people of Arabia, descended from Nebaioth, see Isaiah 60:7; that they have several laws which are much the same with those enjoined the Rechabites; for he says,

"it is a law with them not to sow corn, nor to plant any plant that bears fruit, nor to make use of wine, nor to build houses; and whosoever is found doing any of these things is, reckoned worthy of death; and the reason of their having such a law is, because they think that those who possess such things are easily compelled by men in power to do whatever is commanded them, for the sake of the enjoyment of them.''

g Bibliothec. l. 19. p. 730. Ed. Rhod.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Our father - Not merely our ancestor, but the founder of our institutions.


 
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