经文研读
Jeremiah 9:23-24 — The True Object of Boasting
Jeremiah 9:23-24 redefines glory: the only legitimate boast is knowing the Lord, whose character is marked by lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness.
经文
- 23.耶 和 華 如 此 說 ： 智 慧 人 不 要 因 他 的 智 慧 誇 口 ， 勇 士 不 要 因 他 的 勇 力 誇 口 ， 財 主 不 要 因 他 的 財 物 誇 口 。Thus saith Jehovah, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches;
- 24.誇 口 的 卻 因 他 有 聰 明 ， 認 識 我 是 耶 和 華 ， 又 知 道 我 喜 悅 在 世 上 施 行 慈 愛 、 公 平 ， 和 公 義 ， 以 此 誇 口 。 這 是 耶 和 華 說 的 。but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he hath understanding, and knoweth me, that I am Jehovah who exerciseth lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith Jehovah.
这段经文的意思
These two verses form a contrastive pair. Verse 23 issues three parallel prohibitions — the wise man must not boast in wisdom, the mighty in might, the rich in riches. The repetition of 'glory' (Hebrew התהלל) across the three lines ties them together as one category misplaced: human resources treated as ultimate grounds of confidence. The wise man, the warrior, and the wealthy man represent the three primary sources of self-sufficiency in the ancient world — intellect, force, and possessions — and each is declared an illegitimate ground for boasting.
Verse 24 presents the alternative. The particle of contrast 'but' marks the shift: the only legitimate boasting is 'in this,' namely that one 'hath understanding, and knoweth me.' Knowing YHWH is positioned as a moral and relational reality, not merely information. The text then defines who YHWH is not abstractly but by what he does 'in the earth': he 'exerciseth lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness.' These three qualities — חסד (lovingkindness), משפט (justice), and צדקה (righteousness) — describe covenant faithfulness expressed in ordered social life. The closing clause 'for in these things I delight' sets these attributes as God's own self-description, not merely human ideals.
Read together, the verses argue that knowing God and practicing covenant-shaped character are inseparable. Boasting in wisdom, might, or riches assumes that gifts are separable from the Giver; but since the Giver is defined by lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness, true knowledge of him entails conformity to those qualities. The unit therefore does not merely condemn pride but redirects it toward the kind of knowledge that produces just action in the visible world.
背景
Verses 23-24 sit in the middle of a judgment oracle that opens with the prophet's grief over the slain (9:1-2) and continues with accusations of deceit, treachery, and idolatry (9:3-9). The preceding verses (9:20-22) summon women to mourn the coming disaster, describing death invading windows and palaces and the slain lying unburied like dung. In this context of national catastrophe, the prohibition on boasting is not abstract moral instruction: it comes as a word to a people facing the loss of every usual ground of confidence — political power, social stability, even normal burial.
Immediately after, in 9:25-26, the theme widens to Israel and the nations together, declaring that those 'circumcised in uncircumcision' — whose outward sign is divorced from inward reality — will be punished. This literary placement sharpens the polemic of 9:23-24: the boasts condemned are not merely personal vices but reflect a communal illusion that external markers of covenant status suffice. The call to glory in knowing YHWH who practices lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness 'in the earth' is therefore a prophetic redefinition of what it means to belong to God's people.
常见问题
Why does Jeremiah single out three categories — wise, mighty, rich?
These three — wisdom, might, and riches — represent the principal sources of human self-sufficiency in the Old Testament world: intellect, force, and property. By naming them together, the verse identifies the entire range of human resources that tend to become competing grounds of confidence beside the Lord. The Hebrew parallelism (wisdom/wisdom, might/might, riches/riches) treats them as a single category of misplaced trust, not as three separate vices.
What does it mean to 'know' the Lord in Jeremiah 9:24?
In this verse 'knowing' is not merely intellectual assent. It is paired with 'understanding' (the Hebrew root בין, to discern) and immediately defined by what YHWH does: 'exerciseth lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness, in the earth.' True knowledge of God, according to the text, entails grasping and aligning with his character as it operates in the world. To know this God and to practice favoritism or injustice is, in effect, not to know him at all — a theme reinforced by the previous verses, where the people's refusal to know him is tied to deceit and treachery (9:3-6).
How does the immediately following passage (9:25-26) relate to the boasting command?
Verses 25-26 extend the oracle to nations and to Israel together, declaring that merely outward covenant markers — physical circumcision — without inward reality are worthless. Placed directly after 9:23-24, this sharpens the point: the boast condemned is not just personal pride but a communal reliance on external status. Glorifying in knowing the Lord who acts with lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness is offered as the genuine inner reality that outward signs were meant to represent.