Jeremiah 10:6 · Bible study
Jeremiah 10:6 Commentary: No One Like Yahweh
Hebrew · 8 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Jeremiah declares Yahweh's incomparable greatness as the foundation for rejecting idolatry. A study of grammar, context, and theological weight.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Yahweh's absolute incomparability, no being, power, or name rivals Him.
- Key words: me'en (strongest negation), ga.Dol (great), shim/cha (Your name), ge.vu.rah (might).
- Main debate: Is this passage original to Jeremiah or a later exilic addition? Meaning unaffected.
- Theological theme: The incomparability of God as the basis for rejecting idolatry and calling for exclusive worship.
- Best use: A confession of praise and a foundation for teaching God's uniqueness in a pluralistic world.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
There is none like You, O LORD. You are great, and Your name is mighty in power.
WEB World English Bible 2000
There is no one like you, Yahweh. You are great, and your name is great in might.
KJV King James Version 1769
Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O Lord; thou art great, and thy name is great in might.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
There is none like unto thee, O Jehovah; thou art great, and thy name is great in might.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Because there is none like Thee, O Jehovah, Great art Thou, and great Thy name in might.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
There is none like unto thee, Jehovah; thou art great, and thy name is great in might.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
There is none like to thee, O Lord: thou art great, and great is thy name in might.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
No hay semejante á ti, oh Jehová; grande tú, y grande tu nombre en fortaleza.
Pois ninguém há semelhante a ti, SENHOR! Grande és tu, e grande é teu nome em poder!
Nul n’ est semblable à toi, ô Éternel!
Aber dir, HERR, ist niemand gleich; du bist groß, und dein Name ist groß, und kannst es mit der Tat beweisen.
Omdat niemand U gelijk is, o HEERE! zo zijt Gij groot, en groot is Uw Naam in mogendheid.
Non v’è alcuno pari a te, o Eterno; tu sei grande, e grande in potenza è il tuo nome.
Żaden z tych nie jest tobie podobny, Panie! wielkiś ty, i wielkie jest imię twoje w mocy.
Нет подобного Тебе, Господи! Ты велик, и имя Твое велико могуществом.
耶和華啊，沒有能 比你的！你 本為大，有大能 大力 的名。
There is no one like you, O Lord; you are great and your name is great in power.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Jeremiah 10:6
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this verse declares Yahweh's absolute incomparability, functioning as the theological pivot in Jeremiah's polemic against idols. Barnes states that the passage “contrasts God’s greatness with the impotence of idols.” Gill expands: none is like Him “for the perfections of his nature, for the works of his hands, and for the instances of his kindness and beneficence.” The Hebrew construction me'en (literally “from nothingness”) forms, as Jamieson-Fausset-Brown note, “the strongest possible denial”, no particle of anything compares. Calvin reads the turn to Yahweh as necessary: without the brightness of God's glory, the emptiness of idols cannot be perceived. The verse grounds the rejection of idolatry not in argument but in the sheer weight of who God is.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Original to Jeremiah: The passage contains Jeremianic language ('vanity,' 'visitation') and fits the prophet's polemic against idolatry (cf. Jer 10:2-5).
- Exilic addition: The passage breaks the connection between chs. 9 and 10:17, and its style resembles Second Isaiah; it may have been added to address exiles in Babylon.
What is clear: All traditions agree that the verse declares Yahweh's absolute incomparability and serves as the theological foundation for rejecting idols.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Authorship of the passage | The passage (Jer 10:1-16) warns against idolatry and declares Yahweh's greatness. | Some scholars (e.g., Cambridge Bible) view it as a later insertion from the exilic period, while others (conservative traditions) attribute it to Jeremiah himself. |
| Interpretation of 'name' | God's 'name' refers to His revealed character and reputation. | Some emphasize 'name' as God's personal presence (cf. Deut 12:5), while others focus on His fame among the nations. |
| Nature of God's 'might' | God's might is demonstrated in creation, history, and judgment. | Whether this primarily refers to military power (conquest) or cosmic power (creation) depends on the immediate context of exile and the broader Jeremianic themes. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Jeremiah 10:6 sits within a broader warning against adopting the religious customs of the nations (Jer 10:2). The surrounding passage (vv. 3, 5) mocks idol manufacture: a tree is cut, shaped with axe, decorated with silver and gold, fastened with nails so it will not totter. These idols are speechless, must be carried, can neither harm nor help. Ancient Near Eastern peoples often associated their deities with celestial signs, astrology was widespread in Babylon. The Cambridge Bible notes that this passage may have been addressed to exiles in Babylon, surrounded by elaborate idol worship. The verse's declaration of Yahweh's unparalleled greatness thus confronts a context where visible, man-made gods seemed powerful.
Hebrew word order emphasizes the contrast. The opening me'en (from nothingness) negates any rival. Then the two clauses “you are great” and “your name is great in might” (using ga.Dol as predicate adjective) build a confession of Yahweh's character. The term ge.vu.rah (might) often describes God's mighty deeds in history, exodus, conquest, creation. This was not abstract theology but a living claim that the God who acted in Israel's past was present and unmatched.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note that Jeremiah 10:1-16 is considered by many critics to be a later addition (Cambridge Bible; Lange). The Masoretic Text is longer than the Septuagint, which omits some verses and reorders others. For verse 6 specifically, no significant textual variants are recorded in the consulted commentaries. The verse is well preserved across Hebrew manuscripts and early translations.
Reception History
This verse has been used throughout church history as a confession of God's incomparability, often in liturgy and hymnody echoing Exodus 15:11 and Psalm 86:8. Early Christian writers drew on it to argue against pagan worship, and the Reformation tradition (Calvin, Geneva Notes) saw it as a key text for directing worship to God alone. In contemporary use, it serves as a concise statement of divine uniqueness in preaching and teaching.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Negation: “There is no one like you.” The Hebrew me'en leaves no room, no god, no power, no force compares.
- The Affirmation: “You are great, and your name is great in might.” God's greatness is personal and demonstrated in powerful acts.
- The Implication: Because no one is like Yahweh, idols, dead things made by human hands, deserve neither fear nor worship.
Five-point outline
- The incomparable God (v.6a): The foundation of all true worship.
- Greatness in being (v.6b): God's nature is inherently great.
- Greatness in name (v.6c): His reputation and revealed character are mighty.
- Contrast with idols (vv.3-5,8-9): They are wood, gold, silver, speechless and powerless.
- Call to fear and trust (v.7): Only this God deserves reverence and hope.
Illustration hooks
- A child's trust in a toy that breaks, we outgrow such things, but we transfer trust to subtler idols (money, status).
- A smartphone that promises connection but leaves us empty, an idol cannot deliver what it promises.
- Standing under a clear night sky: the vastness humbles; yet the God who made it all is greater still.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why does the Bible spend so much time attacking idols? Aren't they just statues?
- How do I know if I've turned something good into an idol?
- If God is so great, why doesn't He show His power more obviously today?
Leading a Discussion
This verse sits at the heart of a passage that contrasts the living God with dead idols. Before reading, consider: what do you trust in that you can see, touch, or control? How does that trust compare to trusting Yahweh, whom you cannot see?
Discussion questions
- Read Jeremiah 10:2-10. What specific practices does God warn against?
- Verse 6 begins “There is no one like you.” How does this statement function as both a confession and a warning?
- The Hebrew me'en is an absolute negation. Why does the Bible use such strong language about God's uniqueness?
- Why does Jeremiah emphasize God's “name” and “might”? What does that tell us about how God wants to be known?
- In what ways do people today “make idols” out of good things (career, family, technology)?
- How does remembering God's greatness (rather than arguing against idols) help you turn from them?
- What difference would it make in your daily life if you really believed no one and nothing is like Yahweh?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Exodus 8:10 | Pharaoh said, “Tomorrow.” Moses said, “Let it be according to your word, that you may know that there is no one like Yahweh our God. |
| Exodus 9:14 | For this time I will send all my plagues against your heart, against your officials, and against your people; that you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth. |
| Exodus 15:11 | Who is like you, Yahweh, among the gods? Who is like you, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? |
| Deuteronomy 32:31 | For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves concede. |
| Deuteronomy 33:26 | “There is no one like God, Jeshurun, who rides on the heavens for your help, in his excellency on the skies. |
| II Samuel 7:22 | Therefore you are great, Yahweh God. For there is no one like you, neither is there any God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. |
| Nehemiah 4:14 | I looked, and rose up, and said to the nobles, to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them! Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.” |
| Nehemiah 9:32 | Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and loving kindness, don’t let all the travail seem little before you that has come on us, on our kings, on our princes, on our priests, on our prophets, on our fathers, and on all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria to this day. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
7 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes notes that the opening phrase can be rendered as a direct declaration: "No one is like you, O Jehovah." He draws a parallel to Jeremiah, where God's unmatched greatness is set against the complete powerlessness of idols.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin argues that the truth that heathen gods are mere figments is useless without knowledge of the true God. The brightness of God's glory must dissipate the darkness of the Gentiles, so that true religion influences hearts, leading them not only to reject idols but to hate them.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
This commentary argues that Jeremiah 10:1-16 is a later addition to the book, likely written for exiled Jews in Babylon. The warning shifts from the prophet's earlier message that idols cannot save to a new emphasis that they cannot harm, reflecting the different circumstances of the exiles surrounded by elaborate idol worship.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note emphasizes that no being compares to the Lord, not only because of his own greatness but because the very name by which he makes himself known carries inherent power. God's uniqueness is tied directly to the authority and might contained in his revealed identity.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill stresses that no being compares to God, whether in kindness or judgment, goodness or greatness. God's greatness appears in every aspect of His nature and works, and His name is renowned for might because the effects of His power fill the whole earth.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB emphasizes that the word translated "none" literally means "no particle of nothing," making it the strongest possible denial. This is not a simple "no" but an absolute negation, leaving no room for anything that could compare.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry contrasts the lifeless idols of the nations with the living God. Idols are man-made, speechless, and must be carried, but God created the earth and heavens, commands the elements, and is the everlasting King who alone is worthy of fear.