Jeremiah 10:14
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The real kicker here is that the craftsman, the one who poured all his skill into making the idol, is ultimately "put to shame" by his own creation. He knows deep down it's just metal or stone, a lie he crafted, and that it has no life-giving power – a stark contrast to the Creator God who is life itself.
Every man is stupid and without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols, for his images are false, and there is no breath in them.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jeremiah is contrasting the immense power and glory of the Creator God with the utter impotence of idols, likening those who worship them to senseless brutes. He has just described the intricate craftsmanship of idols made by human hands, and now emphasizes how ridiculous it is for these lifeless objects, devoid of any real power or spirit, to be worshipped as gods.
How can someone create something with their own hands, only to bow down and worship it? Jeremiah calls this 'brutish.' Let's unpack what that really means.
Jeremiah doesn't hold back here. He declares that every person involved in idol worship is "stupid and without knowledge." This isn't just about lacking facts; it's a deep deficiency in spiritual understanding.
What's the most fundamental difference between a lifeless statue and a living being? Jeremiah points to one crucial element: breath.
The ultimate failing of any idol, no matter how beautifully crafted, is its absolute lack of life. Jeremiah hammers this point home with the phrase, 'there is no breath in them.'
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Understand the original words
atsab · Hebrew Noun
Refers to objects of veneration crafted by human hands. Biblically, they represent a rejection of the true God and are characterized as hollow, deceptive, and spiritually empty.
Jeremiah's stark words about the worthlessness of idols and the ignorance of their makers hit home most powerfully during and after the devastation of Jerusalem and the Temple. Faced with the complete loss of their religious center and homeland, the exiles had to confront the ultimate failure of their idols and the deep spiritual blindness that led to their downfall.
c. 722 BC
Fall of the Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquered the northern kingdom of Israel, scattering its people. This event served as a stark warning to the southern kingdom of Judah about the consequences of disobedience and idolatry.
c. 605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian Empire began deporting Judeans, including some nobility and skilled individuals, to Babylon. This marked the start of Judah's exile.
c. 597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Another wave of exiles, including the prophet Ezekiel, were taken to Babylon. This period saw increasing pressure on Jerusalem and Judah.
c. 586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
The Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and its magnificent Temple. The remaining population was largely exiled, intensifying the sense of loss and the need for spiritual understanding.
c. 539 BC
Persian Conquest of Babylon
Cyrus the Great of Persia conquered the Babylonian Empire, leading to a shift in geopolitical power and eventually allowing the Jewish exiles to return to Judah.
This passage provides a powerful, almost sarcastic, description of the futility and foolishness of idol making, mirroring Jeremiah's sentiment that these objects are devoid of life and truth.
Psalm 115:4-8These verses directly contrast the living God with lifeless idols, highlighting their inability to see, hear, speak, or act, which strongly echoes Jeremiah's point about idols having 'no breath in them.'
Habakkuk 2:18-19This passage directly questions the value of idols, calling them teachers of lies and showing how they are made by human hands, which parallels Jeremiah's critique of the idols and their creators being put to shame.
Romans 1:21-23Paul describes how humanity, despite knowing God, exchanged His glory for images, becoming fools and worshipping created things, which connects to Jeremiah's idea that idolaters are 'stupid and without knowledge.'
barnesJeremiah 10:14: "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."
In his knowledge - Rather, "without knowledge; i. e., on comparing his powerless idols with the terrific grandeur of a tropical thunderstorm the man who can still worship them instead of the Creator is destitute of knowledge. Every founder ... - Or, "every goldsmith is put to shame etc." He has exhausted his skill on what re…
ellicottJeremiah 10:14: "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."
(14) Brutish in his knowledge. —Literally, from knowing, i.e., too brutish to know, or, as some take it, brutish without knowledge, overwhelmed and astounded, so that the power of knowing fails. Every founder.—The smelter, or worker in molten metal.
The real kicker here is that the craftsman, the one who poured all his skill into making the idol, is ultimately "put to shame" by his own creation. He knows deep down it's just metal or stone, a lie he crafted, and that it has no life-giving power – a stark contrast to the Creator God who is life itself.
Jeremiah is contrasting the immense power and glory of the Creator God with the utter impotence of idols, likening those who worship them to senseless brutes. He has just described the intricate craftsmanship of idols made by human hands, and now emphasizes how ridiculous it is for these lifeless objects, devoid of any real power or spirit, to be worshipped as gods.
Jeremiah is contrasting the immense power and glory of the Creator God with the utter impotence of idols, likening those who worship them to senseless brutes. He has just described the intricate craftsmanship of idols made by human hands, and now emphasizes how ridiculous it is for these lifeless objects, devoid of any real power or spirit, to be worshipped as gods.
"Every man is stupid and without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols, for his images are false, and there is no breath in them." — The real kicker here is that the craftsman, the one who poured all his skill into making the idol, is ultimately "put to shame" by his own creation. He knows deep down it's just metal or stone, a lie…
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Last reviewed October 2026
