They bend their tongue like a bow; falsehood and not truth has grown strong in the land; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not know me, declares the LORD.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The sharpest insight here is that their "valor" isn't absent, it's just misdirected. They are incredibly skilled and bold, but their energy is poured into crafting lies and falsehoods, not into defending truth. This shows a profound spiritual sickness: they're armed and ready for battle, but aiming at the wrong enemy, completely unaware of the true source of their corruption.
They bend their tongue like a bow; falsehood and not truth has grown strong in the land; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not know me, declares the LORD.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jeremiah is exposing the deep corruption within Judah, lamenting their persistent dishonesty and deceitfulness that has become their norm. This verse follows his sorrow over the people's rejection of God's warnings and their embrace of lies, setting the stage for him to describe how this pervasive unfaithfulness permeates every aspect of their lives and leads them further from God.
Jeremiah uses a vivid image of a weapon to describe people's speech. What does it mean to 'bend your tongue like a bow'?
The verse paints a picture of deliberate, prepared deception.
The Bow of Lies
Jeremiah compares the tongue to a bow and lies to arrows. This isn't just idle gossip; it's a calculated effort to inflict harm and spread untruth. Just as a hunter carefully bends a bow to shoot an arrow with precision, these individuals deliberately shape their words to deceive.
Intentional Harm
The commentaries highlight that this is not accidental. They are 'bent on falsehood,' 'making ready to do mischief,' and their words are 'deadly.' Their speech is a weapon, skillfully aimed to damage truth and wound others.
A Land of Untruth
This pervasive dishonesty has taken root 'in the land.' It's not an isolated problem but a systemic issue where falsehood has grown strong, overwhelming truth.
The verse contrasts their skill with lies with a lack of courage for truth. What does it mean to be 'not valiant for the truth'?
While they are skilled and bold in spreading lies, they show no strength or courage when it comes to defending what is right.
Valiant for Lies, Not Truth
The Hebrew word translated as 'valiant' can also mean 'strong' or 'mighty.' They are strong and bold in their pursuit of falsehood, but they do not muster that same strength or courage for truth. They don't 'rule faithfully' or 'support' the truth.
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Apathy and Inaction
This isn't just about not telling lies; it's about a failure to actively uphold truth. When truth is under attack or being ignored, they stand by idly. They are courageous in sin but not in righteousness, unwilling to 'lend a hand to help it up.'
The Root of the Problem
This lack of commitment to truth stems from a deeper issue: a profound ignorance of God.
Jeremiah points to the ultimate source of this widespread deceit and cowardice. What does it truly mean to 'know' God?
The prophet declares that the fundamental reason for their destructive behavior is their lack of genuine knowledge of the Lord.
Beyond Intellectual Grasp
'Knowing' God in the biblical sense isn't just having facts about Him. It means an intimate, personal acquaintance that leads to reverence, obedience, and trust. It's a knowledge that impacts one's heart and actions.
Ignorance Breeds Wickedness
When people don't truly know God – His character, His justice, His mercy, His commands – they lose their moral compass. This ignorance allows evil to flourish, leading them from one sin to another without repentance or restraint. It creates a spiritual 'madness' that drives them toward impiety.
The Foundation of All Evil
Jeremiah states plainly: 'This was the root evil from which all other evils issued.' Their failure to acknowledge and obey God is the underlying cause of their deceptive tongues, their unwillingness to defend truth, and their downward spiral into greater sin.
Understand the original words
sheqer · Hebrew Noun
Refers to untruthfulness, deceit, and vanity; in scripture, it is the antithesis of the faithfulness and reliability (truth) found in God.
yada · Hebrew Verb
In the biblical sense, knowing God is not merely intellectual awareness but an experiential, relational intimacy based on covenant obedience and trust.
Yahweh · Hebrew Proper Noun
The covenant name of God, YHWH, which signifies His self-existence, eternal nature, and His faithfulness to His redemptive promises.
Jeremiah's prophecy in this verse directly addresses the moral and spiritual decay of Judah just before and during the Babylonian conquest. The people's deceitful tongues and disregard for truth are laid bare against the backdrop of impending national catastrophe.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Assyrian Exile
The northern kingdom of Israel falls to the Assyrian Empire, leading to the exile of many Israelites. This event serves as a stark warning of what awaits Judah.
626 BC - 586 BC
Prophetic Ministry of Jeremiah
Jeremiah begins his ministry during a time of increasing internal corruption and external threats, particularly from Babylon. He warns Judah about impending judgment.
605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquers Judah and deports a group of its elite, including Daniel, to Babylon. This marks the beginning of Judah's subjugation.
597 BC
Second Babylonian Deportation
After a revolt, Nebuchadnezzar deports King Jehoiachin and more of Judah's skilled workers to Babylon. Jeremiah laments the state of the people.
586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem and Temple Destruction
Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, exiling most of the remaining population to Babylon. This is the catastrophic fulfillment of Jeremiah's warnings.
This Psalm describes enemies who 'sharpen their tongues like swords' and 'aim bitter words like arrows,' which directly parallels Jeremiah's image of tongues bent like bows for lies.
Isaiah 59:14-15This passage laments that 'truth has failed in the public square, and honesty cannot enter,' echoing Jeremiah's complaint that people are not 'valiant for the truth' and that 'falsehood has grown strong in the land.'
Romans 1:28-32Paul describes people who, because they 'did not see fit to acknowledge God,' were filled with deceit and wickedness, mirroring Jeremiah's assertion that the root of their evil is that 'they do not know me, declares the LORD.'
2 Timothy 3:13This verse warns that 'evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse,' which is a direct parallel to Jeremiah's description of Judah's people who 'proceed from evil to evil.'
barnesJeremiah 9:3: "And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the LORD."
Rather, "And they bend their tongue to be their bow of lies, i. e." just as men before a battle get their bows ready, so they of set purpose make ready to do mischief, only their arrows are lying words: "neither do they rule faithfully in the land, i. e." Judaea.
clarkeJeremiah 9:3: "And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the LORD."
They bend their tongues like their bow for lies - And their lies are such that they as fully take away life as the keenest arrow shot from the best strung bow. The false prophets told the people that there was no desolation at hand: the people believed them; made no preparation for their defense; did…
The sharpest insight here is that their "valor" isn't absent, it's just misdirected. They are incredibly skilled and bold, but their energy is poured into crafting lies and falsehoods, not into defending truth. This shows a profound spiritual sickness: they're armed and ready for battle, but aiming at the wrong enemy, completely unaware of the true source of their corruption.
Jeremiah is exposing the deep corruption within Judah, lamenting their persistent dishonesty and deceitfulness that has become their norm. This verse follows his sorrow over the people's rejection of God's warnings and their embrace of lies, setting the stage for him to describe how this pervasive unfaithfulness permeates every aspect of their lives and leads them further from God.
Jeremiah is exposing the deep corruption within Judah, lamenting their persistent dishonesty and deceitfulness that has become their norm. This verse follows his sorrow over the people's rejection of God's warnings and their embrace of lies, setting the stage for him to describe how this pervasive unfaithfulness permeates every aspect of their lives and leads them further from God.
"They bend their tongue like a bow; falsehood and not truth has grown strong in the land; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not know me, declares the LORD." — The sharpest insight here is that their "valor" isn't absent, it's just misdirected. They are incredibly skilled and bold, but their energy is poured into crafting lies and falsehoods, not into def…
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Last reviewed October 2026