Jeremiah 9:3-4
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The striking image of "bending their tongue like a bow" highlights that their lies are not accidental but deliberately crafted, aiming to strike and wound. This deliberate falsehood is contrasted with a lack of "valor for truth," revealing that they are courageous and skilled in deception, but utterly lacking in boldness when it comes to righteousness.
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. Let everyone beware of his neighbor, and put no trust in any brother, for every brother is a deceiver, and every neighbor goes about as a slanderer.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jeremiah is denouncing the corruption and deception rampant within Judah, comparing their deceitful words to a weapon ready to strike. He highlights that instead of upholding truth and justice in the land, they are skilled in falsehood, moving from one wicked act to another. This pervasive unfaithfulness, he declares, stems from a fundamental lack of knowing and honoring the Lord.
Jeremiah uses a powerful, even violent, image to describe how people use their words. What does it mean to 'bend a tongue like a bow'?
The verse paints a stark picture: 'They bend their tongue like a bow; falsehood and not truth has grown strong in the land.' This isn't just casual gossip; it's a deliberate and skilled crafting of lies.
Deliberate Deception
Think of an archer carefully bending their bow, nocking an arrow, and aiming. It’s a process of preparation and intent. Jeremiah says the people do this with their tongues. They are not accidentally speaking falsely; they are preparing their words, aiming them like deadly arrows of lies.
Weapons of Destruction
These 'arrows' of falsehood aren't harmless. The commentary highlights that these lies are 'noxious words, to the damage of one another' and that 'falsehood and not truth has grown strong.' Lies, skillfully deployed, have real destructive power in relationships, communities, and the nation. They undermine trust and tear down what is good.
The people are 'strong' in their deception, but utterly weak when it comes to truth. What does this 'valiant for falsehood' look like?
The verse declares, 'but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth.' This is a profound indictment. It means they possess a certain kind of strength, but it's misdirected and ultimately reveals their cowardice.
Bold in Evil, Weak in Good
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The original language suggests they are 'mighty for truthlessness' or 'strong in falsehood.' They are energetic, skilled, and even courageous in spreading lies and engaging in evil. They will fight for their deceit.
Truth Needs Champions
However, when it comes to defending or upholding truth, justice, and faithfulness, they show no courage at all. Truth is 'fallen in the land,' and they dare not lift a hand to help it. Their strength is only for destruction, not for building up or defending what is right. They are not 'valiant for the truth.'
Jeremiah points to the ultimate reason behind this deep-seated corruption. What connection does 'not knowing me' have to their evil deeds?
The verse concludes with the devastating reason for this societal decay: 'for they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not know me, declares the LORD.' This isn't just a disconnected observation; it's the core diagnosis.
A Cycle of Sin
'They proceed from evil to evil' means they are trapped in a downward spiral. One sin leads to another, and there's no turning back, no repentance. They are not just occasionally falling into sin; they are advancing in it, becoming more entrenched.
The Core Problem: Divine Ignorance
The ultimate cause is stated plainly: 'they do not know me, declares the LORD.' In the Bible, 'knowing' God isn't just intellectual awareness. It means a deep, intimate understanding that leads to reverence, trust, and obedience. When people lose this vital connection with God, they lose their moral compass.
Their ignorance of God means they have no ultimate accountability, no divine standard, and no inherent love that compels them to act righteously. Without this knowledge, the path of least resistance is the path of evil, leading them further and further from God's ways.
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.
aqob · Hebrew Adjective/Participle
A person who intentionally misleads or acts dishonestly to gain an advantage or harm others, violating the command to love one's neighbor.
rakhil · Hebrew Noun
One who spreads false or malicious reports about others, undermining social unity and violating the biblical mandate to protect the reputation of one's neighbor.
Jeremiah's powerful imagery of deceitful tongues in this verse paints a picture of a society utterly corrupted, set against the backdrop of Judah's final decline and the devastating fall of Jerusalem. The people's willingness to embrace lies over truth, and their profound ignorance of God, directly led to the national catastrophe that Jeremiah so desperately tried to avert.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Israel
The northern kingdom of Israel falls to the Assyrian Empire, leading to the exile of many Israelites and the scattering of the ten tribes. This event serves as a stark warning to the southern kingdom of Judah about the consequences of disobedience.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquers Judah and deports a group of Israelites, including Daniel, to Babylon. This marks the beginning of the Babylonian exile, a period of judgment for Judah's persistent unfaithfulness.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
A larger group of Judeans, including King Jehoiachin and the prophet Ezekiel, are exiled to Babylon. This event further underscores the impending doom of Jerusalem and the temple.
586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem and Destruction of Temple
Babylonian forces under Nebuchadnezzar destroy Jerusalem and its magnificent temple, exiling the majority of the remaining population. This catastrophic event is the ultimate consequence of Judah's widespread corruption and rejection of God's word.
c. 586 BC - 538 BC
The Babylonian Exile
The period of Jewish exile in Babylon, during which the people grapple with their sin, God's faithfulness, and the loss of their homeland and religious center. Jeremiah's prophecies are read and understood within this context of judgment.
This Psalm also uses the imagery of a bent bow and arrows to describe people who speak deceitfully and shoot out sharp, false words.
Isaiah 59:14This passage laments a similar spiritual decay where justice is turned back, and truth stumbles in the open street, mirroring the lack of valor for truth in Jeremiah's day.
Romans 3:13This New Testament passage echoes Jeremiah's condemnation, describing how people's throats are like open graves with tongues practicing deceit, revealing a consistent human tendency towards falsehood when God is not known.
Hosea 4:6This verse directly links ignorance of God to destruction and bad behavior, highlighting the same root cause for the people's evils that Jeremiah points out.
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 striking image of "bending their tongue like a bow" highlights that their lies are not accidental but deliberately crafted, aiming to strike and wound. This deliberate falsehood is contrasted with a lack of "valor for truth," revealing that they are courageous and skilled in deception, but utterly lacking in boldness when it comes to righteousness.
Jeremiah is denouncing the corruption and deception rampant within Judah, comparing their deceitful words to a weapon ready to strike. He highlights that instead of upholding truth and justice in the land, they are skilled in falsehood, moving from one wicked act to another. This pervasive unfaithfulness, he declares, stems from a fundamental lack of knowing and honoring the Lord.
Jeremiah is denouncing the corruption and deception rampant within Judah, comparing their deceitful words to a weapon ready to strike. He highlights that instead of upholding truth and justice in the land, they are skilled in falsehood, moving from one wicked act to another. This pervasive unfaithfulness, he declares, stems from a fundamental lack of knowing and honoring the Lord.
"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. Let everyone beware of his neighbor, and p…" — The striking image of "bending their tongue like a bow" highlights that their lies are not accidental but deliberately crafted, aiming to strike and wound. This deliberate falsehood is contrasted wit…
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Last reviewed October 2026
