They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.

JEREMIAH 10:4KJV
Know the Bible

Jeremiah 10:4 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 10:4 mean?

Jeremiah 10:4 describes how people decorate an object with silver and gold, then secure it with nails and hammers so that it will not move. The verse is showing a process where something is made to look valuable and then fixed in place.

In this chapter, the prophet Jeremiah is speaking to the people of Judah, warning them not to follow the customs of other nations. The immediate context is about making idols—statues or images that people worship. Jeremiah is pointing out how these idols are crafted by human hands, decorated to appear impressive, and then physically fastened so they do not topple over, highlighting their lifelessness and inability to act.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 10:4

  • "deck" (יָפָה, yāfāh): This word means to beautify or adorn. Here, it emphasizes the effort people put into making the idol look attractive and valuable.
  • "fasten" (חָזַק, ḥāzaq): This means to make strong or secure. The verse uses it to show that the idol must be physically stabilized, underlining its helplessness.
  • "nails" (מַסְמֵר, masmēr) and "hammers" (מַקָּב, maqqāb): These are ordinary tools, but their mention highlights how the idol needs basic support to stay upright, unlike a living, powerful being.

Why Jeremiah 10:4 matters

  • Jeremiah 10:4 helps clear up that the prophet is not just criticizing idol worship in general, but specifically pointing out how idols are man-made and powerless—they need to be nailed down so they do not fall.
  • The verse emphasizes the contrast between the living God and lifeless idols, setting up the argument that only God is truly worthy of worship.
  • Understanding the details of how idols are made and secured connects to the wider passage, which mocks the idea that something crafted and stabilized by humans could have real power or divinity.

Where else these words appear

“move” Hebrew H6328 · used in 2 verses

  • Isaiah 28:7 But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.

“hammers” Hebrew H4717 · used in 3 verses

  • 1 Kings 6:7 And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.
  • Isaiah 44:12 The smith with the tongs both worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with the strength of his arms: yea, he is hungry, and his strength faileth: he drinketh no water, and is faint.

“nails” Hebrew H4548 · used in 4 verses

  • 1 Chronicles 22:3 And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the joinings; and brass in abundance without weight;
  • 2 Chronicles 3:9 And the weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold.
  • Isaiah 41:7 So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, and he that smootheth with the hammer him that smote the anvil, saying, It is ready for the sodering: and he fastened it with nails, that it should not be moved.

“deck” Hebrew H3302 · used in 8 verses

  • Psalms 45:2 Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.
  • Song of Solomon 7:1 How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince's daughter! the joints of thy thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of a cunning workman.
  • Jeremiah 4:30 And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face with painting, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life.