John Gill Commentary Jeremiah 10:14

"Every man is become brutish [and is] without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his graven image; for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them." — Jeremiah 10:14 (ASV)

Every man is brutish in his knowledge
Or science of making an idol, whether it be of wood, or of gold, or silver, or brass; he is no better than a brute, if he thinks, when he has made it, he has made a god: or, "because of knowledge" ^F23 ; for want of it; being without the knowledge of God and divine things, he is like the beasts that perish, (Psalms 49:20) : every founder is confounded by the graven image ;
or put to shame on account of it; since, after all his art, and care, and trouble, in melting and refining, and casting it into a form, it is no more than a piece of gold, or silver, or brass, and has no deity, nor anything like it, in it: for his molten image is falsehood ;
it is a lie, when it is said to be a god; and it deceives those who worship it, and place any confidence in it. Kimchi renders it, "his covering" ^F24 . The covering of the idol with gold and silver, with blue and purple, as in (Jeremiah 10:4Jeremiah 10:9) , is all a piece of deceit, to impose upon the people, and lead them into idolatry: and there is no breath in them ;
they are mere stocks and stones, lifeless and inanimate creatures; they have neither life themselves, nor can they give it to others.

---

FOOTNOTES:

• F23: (tedm) "propter scientiam", Pagninus, Montanus; "a scientia", Calvin, Grotius, Schmidt.
• F24: (wkon) "tectio, [sive] obductio ejus", Vatablus.