←Jeremiah 5→BSB

In This Chapter 3 people 9 places 81 terms

People

Israel 4 Jacob (Patriarch) 2 Jeshurun (Israel)

Places

    Key Terms

    Forgive (Grant Pardon) 8 Swear 6 Serve 5 Fear 5 Steadiness (Quality) 4 Defection 4 Deal With 4 Way of Life 3 Rebellion (Offense) 3 Be Rebellious 2 Transgression 2 Sin 2 Faithfulness (Truth) Faithful Faithfulness (Trust) Forgive Forgive (Remove Guilt) Spare (Release) Hand Over Forgiveness (Remove Guilt) Forgive (Wipe Out) Forgiveness (Pardon) Have Mercy To Cover (Forgive) Cover (Figurative) Forgiving The Way Way of the Lord (Metaphorical) Way to Live Way of Life Rebel (Act) Rebel (Against Authority) Rebellion Rebelliousness Appoint Trust Force to Serve Enslave Hold in Bondage Gain Control Over Fear (State) Awe (State) Fear (Terror) Fear (Reverence) Fear (Awe) Fearful Respect Respect (Among People) Decree Fixed Allowance Fixed Quota To Sin Guilt (State) Sin (Act) Sin (Incur Guilt) Guilty (Responsible) Guilt (Consequence) Guiltiness Trespass (Sin) Sinful Sin (Offense) To Stand Guilty Sin (Guilty) Sin (Wrongdoing) Guilty Considered Guilty Guilty Of Sin Previously Sin Against Deceit (Act) Deceit (Deception) Deceive Deceit (Betrayal) Laziness Deceit (Covert) Speak as a Prophet To Prophesy Prophetic Love To Love Love (Appreciation)

    No One Is Just

    ⓘ A just person follows God's laws and treats...

    A just person follows God's laws and treats others fairly. An honest person is reliable, truthful, and loyal to God. Jeremiah found neither justice nor honesty. Although some people were under oath, their claims of innocence were false. Their actions showed they had lied under oath (Genesis 4:2; 7:9; Genesis 18:23–32; Isaiah 48:1; Ezekiel 22:30; Titus 1:15–16).
    1“Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem.Look now and take note; search her squares.If you can find a single person,anyone who acts justly,anyone who seeks the truth,then I will forgive the city.2Although they say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’they are swearing falsely.”
    3O LORD, do not Your eyes look for truth?You struck them, but they felt no pain.You finished them off,but they refused to accept discipline.They have made their faces harder than stoneand refused to repent.
    ⓘ Jeremiah looked for an economic reason for Jerusalem’s...

    • Jeremiah looked for an economic reason for Jerusalem’s rebellion. He discovered that the leaders, despite their advantages, were as rebellious as the uneducated poor.

    • A wooden yoke was placed on a farm animal's neck. Chains attached it to a plow or another tool for fieldwork (compare Jeremiah 27:2–12; Psalm 2:3).
    4Then I said, “They are only the poor;they have played the fool,for they do not know the way of the LORD,the justice of their God.5I will go to the powerfuland speak to them.Surely they know the way of the LORD,the justice of their God.”
    But they too, with one accord, had broken the yokeand torn off the chains.6Therefore a lion from the forest will strike them down,a wolf from the desert will ravage them.A leopard will lie in wait near their cities,and everyone who ventures out will be torn to pieces.For their rebellious acts are many,and their unfaithful deeds are numerous.
    ⓘ These verses list the evidence of sins the...

    These verses list the evidence of sins the people committed, such as:

    Idolatry and adultery were closely linked in Israel because both broke an exclusive covenant.
    7“Why should I forgive you?Your children have forsaken Meand sworn by gods that are not gods.I satisfied their needs, yet they committed adulteryand assembled at the houses of prostitutes.8They are well-fed, lusty stallions,each neighing after his neighbor’s wife.9Should I not punish them for these things?”declares the LORD.“Should I not avenge Myselfon such a nation as this?
    ⓘ The Lord issued a decree to destroy Judah’s...

    The Lord issued a decree to destroy Judah’s vineyards, likely symbolizing Judah itself (see Isaiah 5:1–7; 27:2–6). The people ignored the Lord. They did not belong to him as his children, and he could not ignore their betrayal through idol worship (Jeremiah 3:6; 4:27; 7:27).
    10Go up through her vineyards and ravage them,but do not finish them off.Strip off her branches,for they do not belong to the LORD.11For the house of Israel and the house of Judahhave been utterly unfaithful to Me,”declares the LORD.
    ⓘ Even with the enemy approaching from the north,...

    • Even with the enemy approaching from the north, the people believed nothing bad would happen to them (Jeremiah 14:13; Isaiah 47:8). They did not respect God’s prophets (literally the prophets).

    • Some interpreters end the people’s quote with Jeremiah 5:12 and attribute 5:13 to the Lord. The term "for the wind" would then refer to false prophets.

    12They have lied about the LORD and said:

    “He will not do anything; harm will not come to us;we will not see sword or famine.13The prophets are but wind,for the word is not in them.So let their own predictions befall them.”†

    Judgment Proclaimed

    ⓘ The approaching army was likely Babylon's, which attacked...

    The approaching army was likely Babylon's, which attacked Jerusalem in 605 BC. The Lord summoned the Babylonians to deliver the promised punishment (see Deuteronomy 28:15–62).

    14Therefore this is what the LORD God of Hosts says:

    “Because you have spoken this word,I will make My words a fire in your mouthand this people the wood it consumes.15Behold, I am bringing a distant nation against you,O house of Israel,” declares the LORD.“It is an established nation,an ancient nation,a nation whose language you do not knowand whose speech you do not understand.
    ⓘ The well-trained and well-equipped Babylonian army treated their...

    The well-trained and well-equipped Babylonian army treated their victims cruelly and destroyed everything valuable in the lands they conquered (see Habakkuk 1:6–10).
    16Their quivers are like open graves;they are all mighty men.17They will devour your harvest and food;they will consume your sons and daughters;they will eat up your flocks and herds;they will feed on your vines and fig trees.With the sword they will destroythe fortified cities in which you trust.”
    ⓘ The Lord reassured Jeremiah that the destruction would...

    The Lord reassured Jeremiah that the destruction would not be complete. He prepared Jeremiah to answer those who questioned why the Lord would bring such harsh judgment.

    18“Yet even in those days,” declares the LORD, “I will not make a full end of you. 19And when the people ask, ‘For what offense has the LORD our God done all these things to us?’ You are to tell them, ‘Just as you have forsaken Me and served foreign gods in your land, so will you serve foreigners in a land that is not your own.’”

    ⓘ in the house of Jacob: In the Old...

    • in the house of Jacob: In the Old Testament, "Jacob" and "Israel" are often used interchangeably. They can refer to the patriarch or the nation.

    • To be foolish means to act rashly and immorally, ignoring consequences.

    • senseless: This literally means no heart. When "heart" is negative, it means a person or group does not want to do moral acts and rejects intelligent behavior that pleases God.

    • The people's ears and eyes worked (see study note on Jeremiah 6:10), but they stubbornly ignored the true meaning of what they heard and saw (Isaiah 6:9; Ezekiel 12:2; Mark 8:18).

    20Declare this in the house of Jacob and proclaim it in Judah:

    21“Hear this,O foolish and senseless people,who have eyes but do not see,who have ears but do not hear.22Do you not fear Me?”declares the LORD.“Do you not tremble before Me,the One who set the sand as the boundary for the sea,an enduring barrier it cannot cross?The waves surge, but they cannot prevail.They roar but cannot cross it.
    ⓘ The people mistakenly believed they could manage without...

    The people mistakenly believed they could manage without the Lord, who gave rain for their crops (Deuteronomy 11:14). This wrongdoing led them to miss out on wonderful blessings and good things (Jeremiah 3:3).
    23But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts.They have turned aside and gone away.24They have not said in their hearts,‘Let us fear the LORD our God,who gives the rains, both autumn and spring, in season,who keeps for us the appointed weeks of harvest.’
    25Your iniquities have diverted these from you;your sins have deprived you of My bounty.
    ⓘ In Jerusalem, some wicked men became wealthy by...

    In Jerusalem, some wicked men became wealthy by oppressing orphans and the poor (Jeremiah 7:6).
    26For among My people are wicked men;they watch like fowlers lying in wait;they set a trap to catch men.27Like cages full of birds,so their houses are full of deceit.Therefore they have become powerful and rich.
    28They have grown fat and sleek,and have excelled in the deeds of the wicked.They have not taken up the cause of the fatherless,that they might prosper;nor have they defendedthe rights of the needy.
    ⓘ The people's sins (Jeremiah 5:26–28) fully justified the...

    The people's sins (Jeremiah 5:26–28) fully justified the Lord's punishment, but the religious leaders committed even more wrongs. The prophets lied and claimed these lies were prophecies from the Lord (Jeremiah 14:14; Ezekiel 13:6). The priests, who were supposed to serve the people, became tyrants and ruled harshly. Surprisingly, the people accepted their leaders' new roles, even though this left them unprepared for the disaster approaching them (Micah 2:11).
    29Should I not punish them for these things?”declares the LORD.“Should I not avenge Myselfon such a nation as this?
    30A horrible and shocking thinghas happened in the land.31The prophets prophesy falsely,and the priests rule by their own authority.My people love it so,but what will you do in the end?