Jeremiah 12:1
Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?
Original Language Analysis
יְהוָ֔ה
art thou O LORD
H3068
יְהוָ֔ה
art thou O LORD
Strong's:
H3068
Word #:
3 of 18
(the) self-existent or eternal; jeho-vah, jewish national name of god
כִּ֥י
H3588
כִּ֥י
Strong's:
H3588
Word #:
4 of 18
(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed
אָרִ֖יב
when I plead
H7378
אָרִ֖יב
when I plead
Strong's:
H7378
Word #:
5 of 18
properly, to toss, i.e., grapple; mostly figuratively, to wrangle, i.e., hold a controversy; (by implication) to defend
אַ֤ךְ
H389
מִשְׁפָּטִים֙
with thee of thy judgments
H4941
מִשְׁפָּטִים֙
with thee of thy judgments
Strong's:
H4941
Word #:
8 of 18
properly, a verdict (favorable or unfavorable) pronounced judicially, especially a sentence or formal decree (human or (participant's) divine law, ind
אֲדַבֵּ֣ר
with thee yet let me talk
H1696
אֲדַבֵּ֣ר
with thee yet let me talk
Strong's:
H1696
Word #:
9 of 18
perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdue
אֹתָ֔ךְ
H854
אֹתָ֔ךְ
Strong's:
H854
Word #:
10 of 18
properly, nearness (used only as a preposition or an adverb), near; hence, generally, with, by, at, among, etc
מַדּ֗וּעַ
H4069
מַדּ֗וּעַ
Strong's:
H4069
Word #:
11 of 18
what (is) known?; i.e., (by implication) (adverbially) why?
דֶּ֤רֶךְ
Wherefore doth the way
H1870
דֶּ֤רֶךְ
Wherefore doth the way
Strong's:
H1870
Word #:
12 of 18
a road (as trodden); figuratively, a course of life or mode of action, often adverb
רְשָׁעִים֙
of the wicked
H7563
רְשָׁעִים֙
of the wicked
Strong's:
H7563
Word #:
13 of 18
morally wrong; concretely, an (actively) bad person
צָלֵ֔חָה
prosper
H6743
צָלֵ֔חָה
prosper
Strong's:
H6743
Word #:
14 of 18
to push forward, in various senses (literal or figurative, transitive or intransitive)
שָׁל֖וּ
wherefore are all they happy
H7951
שָׁל֖וּ
wherefore are all they happy
Strong's:
H7951
Word #:
15 of 18
to be tranquil, i.e., secure or successful
כָּל
H3605
כָּל
Strong's:
H3605
Word #:
16 of 18
properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
Cross References
Malachi 3:15And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.Psalms 92:7When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever:Psalms 37:1Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.Job 12:6The tabernacles of robbers prosper, and they that provoke God are secure; into whose hand God bringeth abundantly.Daniel 9:7O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee.Psalms 37:35I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.Psalms 51:4Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.Habakkuk 1:4Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth.Jeremiah 11:20But, O LORD of hosts, that judgest righteously, that triest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I revealed my cause.Zephaniah 3:5The just LORD is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame.
Historical Context
This is Jeremiah's second 'confession' (12:1-6), following the Anathoth plot. Having just experienced betrayal by his hometown while faithfully proclaiming God's word, he questions why the wicked prosper. This pattern—faithful prophet suffering while apostates thrive—contradicted simple reward/punishment theology. The exile would force Israel to develop more sophisticated understanding of suffering.
Questions for Reflection
- How does affirming God's righteousness provide foundation for questioning His ways?
- What makes the prosperity of the wicked such a troubling theological problem?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
This verse opens Jeremiah's complaint: 'Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee.' The Hebrew tsaddiq attah (צַדִּיק אַתָּה) affirms God's righteousness as foundation for the complaint. 'Plead with thee' (riv, contend legally) indicates formal disputation—Jeremiah brings his case to God's court. 'Yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments.' The prophet requests dialogue about mishpatim (מִשְׁפָּטִים, judgments, ordinances, ways of justice). 'Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper?' This is the perennial theodicy question—why do the unrighteous succeed? 'Wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?' The 'treacherous' (bogedim) prosper while the faithful suffer. Jeremiah's complaint anticipates Psalm 73, Job, and Habakkuk.