Jeremiah 10:8

The people of those nations ¹  are both stupid and foolish. Instruction from a wooden idol is worthless! ² 

Ps 115:8; Ps 135:18; Isa 41:29; Isa 44:19; Jer 2:27; Jer 10:14; Jer 51:17,18; Ho 4:12; Hab 2:18; Zec 10:2; Ro 1:21,22

¹ tn Or “Those wise people and kings are…” It is unclear whether the subject is the “they” of the nations in the preceding verse, or the wise people and kings referred to. The text merely has “they.”

² tn Heb “The instruction of vanities [worthless idols] is wood.” The meaning of this line is a little uncertain. Various proposals have been made to make sense, most of which involve radical emendation of the text. For some examples see J. A. Thompson, Jeremiah (NICOT), 323-24, fn 6. However, this is probably a case of the bold predication that discussed in GKC 452 §141.d, some examples of which may be seen in Ps 109:4 “I am prayer,” and Ps 120:7 “I am peace.”