Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Jeremiah 4:22 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 22. 22For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
The prophetic or communal lament supplies a stated reason through “For my people is foolish, they have not known me” at Jeremiah 4:22 in “The Speaker's Body Sounds the War Alarm.”
Bowels and heart sound the trumpet before any analysis does
This verse is one part of that explanation in Jeremiah 4:19–22. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Jeremiah 4:19–22
Read Jeremiah 4:22 with 4:19–22. By itself, “For my people is foolish, they have not known me” can be detached from the speaker, addressee, date, imperial horizon, poetic movement, or outcome that gives it force. The complete unit establishes: A first-person cry of bowels, heart, trumpet, and battle brings public catastrophe into anguished embodied speech.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Within the same chapter, this unit advances from “The Northern Invader and Siege Alarm Draw Near” into “The Speaker's Body Sounds the War Alarm.” Its non-interchangeable movement is: A first-person cry of bowels, heart, trumpet, and battle brings public catastrophe into anguished embodied speech. This verse's placement is specific: The prophetic or communal lament supplies a stated reason through “For my people is foolish, they have not known me” at Jeremiah 4:22 in “The Speaker's Body Sounds the War Alarm.”
What Remains True
Lament keeps relationship and truth alive when explanation is inadequate. In Jeremiah 4:22, that bounded truth is carried through this verse's role: The prophetic or communal lament supplies a stated reason through “For my people is foolish, they have not known me” at Jeremiah 4:22 in “The Speaker's Body Sounds the War Alarm.”
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Jeremiah 4:19–22 — The Speaker's Body Sounds the War AlarmSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.
Exact location: Jeremiah 4:19–22, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Jeremiah
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2; fixed commit
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology checked at the exact unit without treating morphology as a critical apparatus or interpretation.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Jer.xml, OSIS 4:19–22
Open the fixed Hebrew Jeremiah file ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible: Jeremiah with Translator, Textual, and Study Notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press; official eBible PDF distribution, NET Bible Second Edition; official PDF accessed 2026
Supports: Verse-level controls for Hebrew, syntax, older KJV language, dates, names, textual problems, and material translation alternatives.
Exact location: Official NET Bible Jeremiah PDF, pp. 1258-1459, translator, study, and textual notes attached to Jeremiah 4:19–22
Open the official NET Jeremiah PDF ↗