Human accomplishments are rendered insignificant compared to the surpassing worth of truly knowing and delighting in the LORD.
In Jeremiah 9:23, Jeremiah conveys a divine warning that human pride can be misplaced: Thus says the LORD, "Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches" (v. 23). The prophet Jeremiah ministered in Judah between around 627 BC and 586 BC during a time of great turmoil, and in this verse, he highlights that relying on one’s own intelligence, power, or wealth is ultimately misguided. This caution serves as a timeless reminder that earthly accomplishments do not reflect true value.
Man's wisdom has limits, especially when it neglects the Creator’s higher perspective. Jeremiah directs his audience to understand that superior achievements in knowledge, might, or financial gains can blind people to their dependence on God. By directing attention away from the fleeting nature of personal successes, the verse calls believers to see past temporary accolades and remember that the LORD alone is the source of ultimate wisdom (James 1:5).
When worldly blessings become objects of pride, they underestimate the giver of those blessings. Jeremiah 9:23 challenges God’s people to examine their hearts, recognizing that their sense of worth should not be anchored in self-glorification. Instead, the call is to remain humble, looking beyond human affirmation and cherishing a deeper relationship with the One who graciously provides every good thing (Philippians 4:19).
Jeremiah 9:24 builds on the previous verse by presenting a positive alternative to empty pride: "But let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things, declares the LORD" (v. 24) Rather than focusing on personal greatness, the true object of boasting should be a genuine knowledge of God. This knowledge is not merely an intellectual awareness; it is an intimate, experiential understanding of His character.
Within God’s nature lies lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness (v. 24). Differing from volatile human virtue, His attributes are steadfast and life-giving. Jeremiah emphasizes that those who seek a meaningful connection with God will discover a love that transcends human imperfection. By immersing themselves in the LORD’s justice and moral uprightness, they align their personal values with the unwavering goodness of divine principles (1 John 1:5).
Ultimately, pleasing God involves reflecting His heart toward others by acting with mercy and fairness, as He is the source of all that is just and right. Jeremiah 9:24 also resonates with later teachings, such as when the Apostle Paul encourages believers to boast only in the LORD (1 Corinthians 1:31).
God’s design has always been for His creation to ascribe all glory to Him. Our accomplishments and insights are not to be praised independent of a recognition of the ultimate source of all glory.
In the New Testament, where Paul quotes this passage in Greek, the Greek words translated let him who boasts and boast each have the root “kauchaomai.” We see this same word also in Romans 5 where it is translated as “exult”:
“And not only this, but we also exult [“kauchaomai”] in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance.” (Romans 5:3)
The essential idea of “kauchaomai” is “who is being applauded, exalted.” When we exalt ourselves, we put self at the center. We can also exalt other people, placing them at the center. The Corinthians were caught up in exalting Paul, Apollo, and Cephas (1 Corinthians 1:12-13). This puts people in the center rather than Jesus Christ, who created the world and holds all things together (Colossians 1:16-17). To place Jesus at the center is to recognize the reality of what is.
For the Corinthians, this call to boast or exalt in the Lord was a corrective against their tendency to elevate human leaders (1 Corinthians 1:12). The world is oriented around celebrities and hero worship. This was the case in the first century church, so it shouldn't surprise us to find the same issue to be true in the twenty-first century church. This then serves as a reminder that experience of life comes through serving a purpose greater than ourselves. The greatest purpose to serve is that of Jesus Christ. Jesus taught us that the greatest among us would be those willing to serve (Luke 9:48).
Jesus taught us to follow Him as faithful witnesses, bringing people to believe in Him and to follow His ways (Matthew 28:18-20,Revelation 1:3, 3:21). Although this is not easy, it is the path to life, because it is the way to connect with our true design, which is life (Matthew 7:13-14). It is God who prepared good works for us to live them out; it is up to us to choose whether to follow the path He has marked out for us (Ephesians 2:10).
When we learn to put the Lord in the center of our lives, and exalt in Him, we find freedom from the endless pursuit of approval and acknowledgement in the world’s system that persistently demands “more.” When we chase “more” we seek that which cannot be acquired; once we get whatever we defined as “more” it is no longer “more”—something else will take its place. Chasing “more” is an endless pursuit which King Solomon described as “striving after wind” (Ecclesiastes 1:14).
Jeremiah's warning Let Him who boasts, boast in the Lord comes from a context of the prophet decrying the proliferation of injustice/unrighteousness that had become pervasive in Israel’s southern kingdom of Judah. He wrote earlier, “For all of them are adulterers, An assembly of treacherous men” in Jeremiah 9:2. Then in Jeremiah 9:8, he added, “Their tongue is a deadly arrow; It speaks deceit; With his mouth one speaks peace to his neighbor, But inwardly he sets an ambush for him.”
As a result of their disobedience to God's law, which requires Israel to love rather than exploit their neighbors, God declares through Jeremiah that He will “scatter them among the nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known; and I will send the sword after them until I have annihilated them” (Jeremiah 9:16).
This is consistent with the covenant/treaty Israel agreed to with God, which imposed enforcement of various cursings for violating the provisions of the treaty (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). In particular, Deuteronomy 28:64 denotes exile as a punishment for refusing to follow His commands, which Jesus summarized as loving God and loving one’s neighbor as themselves (Matthew 22:37-39).
Jeremiah summarizes Israel’s disobedience by contrasting human pride with loving and serving God; this is the answer to injustice and unrighteousness. We see here a contrast between what the world defines as success and what constitutes real and lasting success. The world honors riches and might. But all the riches of the world will be left behind at our death, and all that is left behind will eventually burn up at the end of the age during the day of the Lord (2 Peter 3:12). True riches will last forever and ever, and that comes from understanding and knowing God (Revelation 3:17-18).
Jeremiah 9:23-24
23 Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches;
24 but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.
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Jeremiah 9:23-24 meaning
In Jeremiah 9:23, Jeremiah conveys a divine warning that human pride can be misplaced: Thus says the LORD, "Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches" (v. 23). The prophet Jeremiah ministered in Judah between around 627 BC and 586 BC during a time of great turmoil, and in this verse, he highlights that relying on one’s own intelligence, power, or wealth is ultimately misguided. This caution serves as a timeless reminder that earthly accomplishments do not reflect true value.
Man's wisdom has limits, especially when it neglects the Creator’s higher perspective. Jeremiah directs his audience to understand that superior achievements in knowledge, might, or financial gains can blind people to their dependence on God. By directing attention away from the fleeting nature of personal successes, the verse calls believers to see past temporary accolades and remember that the LORD alone is the source of ultimate wisdom (James 1:5).
When worldly blessings become objects of pride, they underestimate the giver of those blessings. Jeremiah 9:23 challenges God’s people to examine their hearts, recognizing that their sense of worth should not be anchored in self-glorification. Instead, the call is to remain humble, looking beyond human affirmation and cherishing a deeper relationship with the One who graciously provides every good thing (Philippians 4:19).
Jeremiah 9:24 builds on the previous verse by presenting a positive alternative to empty pride: "But let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things, declares the LORD" (v. 24) Rather than focusing on personal greatness, the true object of boasting should be a genuine knowledge of God. This knowledge is not merely an intellectual awareness; it is an intimate, experiential understanding of His character.
Within God’s nature lies lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness (v. 24). Differing from volatile human virtue, His attributes are steadfast and life-giving. Jeremiah emphasizes that those who seek a meaningful connection with God will discover a love that transcends human imperfection. By immersing themselves in the LORD’s justice and moral uprightness, they align their personal values with the unwavering goodness of divine principles (1 John 1:5).
Ultimately, pleasing God involves reflecting His heart toward others by acting with mercy and fairness, as He is the source of all that is just and right. Jeremiah 9:24 also resonates with later teachings, such as when the Apostle Paul encourages believers to boast only in the LORD (1 Corinthians 1:31).
God’s design has always been for His creation to ascribe all glory to Him. Our accomplishments and insights are not to be praised independent of a recognition of the ultimate source of all glory.
In the New Testament, where Paul quotes this passage in Greek, the Greek words translated let him who boasts and boast each have the root “kauchaomai.” We see this same word also in Romans 5 where it is translated as “exult”:
“And not only this, but we also exult [“kauchaomai”] in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance.”
(Romans 5:3)
The essential idea of “kauchaomai” is “who is being applauded, exalted.” When we exalt ourselves, we put self at the center. We can also exalt other people, placing them at the center. The Corinthians were caught up in exalting Paul, Apollo, and Cephas (1 Corinthians 1:12-13). This puts people in the center rather than Jesus Christ, who created the world and holds all things together (Colossians 1:16-17). To place Jesus at the center is to recognize the reality of what is.
For the Corinthians, this call to boast or exalt in the Lord was a corrective against their tendency to elevate human leaders (1 Corinthians 1:12). The world is oriented around celebrities and hero worship. This was the case in the first century church, so it shouldn't surprise us to find the same issue to be true in the twenty-first century church. This then serves as a reminder that experience of life comes through serving a purpose greater than ourselves. The greatest purpose to serve is that of Jesus Christ. Jesus taught us that the greatest among us would be those willing to serve (Luke 9:48).
Jesus taught us to follow Him as faithful witnesses, bringing people to believe in Him and to follow His ways (Matthew 28:18-20, Revelation 1:3, 3:21). Although this is not easy, it is the path to life, because it is the way to connect with our true design, which is life (Matthew 7:13-14). It is God who prepared good works for us to live them out; it is up to us to choose whether to follow the path He has marked out for us (Ephesians 2:10).
When we learn to put the Lord in the center of our lives, and exalt in Him, we find freedom from the endless pursuit of approval and acknowledgement in the world’s system that persistently demands “more.” When we chase “more” we seek that which cannot be acquired; once we get whatever we defined as “more” it is no longer “more”—something else will take its place. Chasing “more” is an endless pursuit which King Solomon described as “striving after wind” (Ecclesiastes 1:14).
Jeremiah's warning Let Him who boasts, boast in the Lord comes from a context of the prophet decrying the proliferation of injustice/unrighteousness that had become pervasive in Israel’s southern kingdom of Judah. He wrote earlier, “For all of them are adulterers, An assembly of treacherous men” in Jeremiah 9:2. Then in Jeremiah 9:8, he added, “Their tongue is a deadly arrow; It speaks deceit; With his mouth one speaks peace to his neighbor, But inwardly he sets an ambush for him.”
As a result of their disobedience to God's law, which requires Israel to love rather than exploit their neighbors, God declares through Jeremiah that He will “scatter them among the nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known; and I will send the sword after them until I have annihilated them” (Jeremiah 9:16).
This is consistent with the covenant/treaty Israel agreed to with God, which imposed enforcement of various cursings for violating the provisions of the treaty (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). In particular, Deuteronomy 28:64 denotes exile as a punishment for refusing to follow His commands, which Jesus summarized as loving God and loving one’s neighbor as themselves (Matthew 22:37-39).
Jeremiah summarizes Israel’s disobedience by contrasting human pride with loving and serving God; this is the answer to injustice and unrighteousness. We see here a contrast between what the world defines as success and what constitutes real and lasting success. The world honors riches and might. But all the riches of the world will be left behind at our death, and all that is left behind will eventually burn up at the end of the age during the day of the Lord (2 Peter 3:12). True riches will last forever and ever, and that comes from understanding and knowing God (Revelation 3:17-18).