Jeremiah 6:4-14

4 "1Prepare war against her; Arise, and let us attack at 2noon. Woe to us, for the day declines, For the shadows of the evening lengthen!
5 "Arise, and let us attack by night And 3destroy her palaces!"
6 For thus says the LORD of hosts, "4Cut down her trees And cast up a 5siege against Jerusalem. This is the city to be punished, In whose midst there is only 6oppression.
7 "7As a well keeps its waters fresh, So she keeps fresh her wickedness. 8Violence and destruction are heard in her; 9Sickness and wounds are ever before * Me.
8 "10Be warned, O Jerusalem, Or 11I shall be alienated from you, And make you a desolation, A land not inhabited."
9 Thus says the LORD of hosts, "They will 12thoroughly glean as the vine the 13remnant of Israel; Pass your hand again like a grape gatherer Over the branches."
10 To whom shall I speak and give warning That they may hear? Behold, their 14ears are closed And they cannot * listen. Behold, 15the word of the LORD has become a reproach to them; They have no delight in it.
11 But I am 16full of the wrath of the LORD; I am 17weary with holding it in. "18Pour it out on the children in the street And on the gathering of young men together; For both husband and wife shall be taken, The aged and the very * old *.
12 "Their 19houses shall be turned over to others, Their fields and their wives together; For I will 20stretch out My hand Against the inhabitants of the land," declares the LORD.
13 "For 21from the least of them even to the greatest of them, Everyone is 22greedy for gain, And from the prophet even to the priest Everyone deals falsely.
14 "They have 23healed the brokenness of My people superficially, Saying, 'Peace, peace,' But there is no peace.

Jeremiah 6:4-14 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 6

This chapter is of the same argument with the former; and contains two things in it, the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, and the causes of it, which are intermixedly handled in it; a lively description is made of the notice of the approach of the enemy by blowing of trumpets and firing of beacons, Jer 6:1, and of the siege of the city, by pitching tents around it, casting up a mount against it, and scaling its walls at noon and by night, Jer 6:2-6, and this destruction is illustrated by the simile of gleaning of grapes, Jer 6:9, and amplified by the universality of it, with respect to persons and things; it reaching to persons of every age, and in every state, as old men, young men, and children, husbands and wives, and to all sorts of possessions, houses and fields, Jer 6:11,12,21, a description is given of the instruments of it, the Chaldeans, Jer 6:22,23 and it is aggravated by the anxiety, distress, and sorrow, the Jews would be in on account of it, Jer 6:24-26, the causes of it are in general the great aboundings of sin and wickedness in the midst of them, illustrated by a fountain casting out its waters, Jer 6:6,7, in particular, their neglect and contempt of the word of the Lord, Jer 6:10, the sin of covetousness, which prevailed among all sorts of people, high and low, in civil or religious life, Jer 6:13, the unfaithfulness of the prophets to the people, declaring peace, when there was none, Jer 6:14, their impenitence and hardness, Jer 6:15, their disregard to all instructions and warnings, Jer 6:16,17, their rejection of the law, and the precepts of it, Jer 6:18,19, their hypocritical sacrifices, Jer 6:20, and the chapter is concluded with an address to the prophet, setting forth his character and office, and the end of it, Jer 6:27 and his testimony concerning the people, showing their obstinacy and stubbornness, illustrated by a simile of refining metal in a furnace without success, Jer 6:28-30.

Cross References 23

  • 1. Jeremiah 6:23; Joel 3:9
  • 2. Jeremiah 15:8; Zephaniah 2:4
  • 3. Isaiah 32:14; Jeremiah 52:13
  • 4. Deuteronomy 20:19, 20
  • 5. Jeremiah 32:24; Jeremiah 33:4
  • 6. Jeremiah 22:17
  • 7. James 3:11
  • 8. Jeremiah 20:8; Ezekiel 7:11, 23
  • 9. Jeremiah 30:12, 13
  • 10. Jeremiah 7:28; Jeremiah 17:23
  • 11. Ezekiel 23:18; Hosea 9:12
  • 12. Jeremiah 16:16; Jeremiah 49:9; Obad 5, 6
  • 13. Jeremiah 8:3; Jeremiah 11:23
  • 14. Jeremiah 5:21; Jeremiah 7:26; Acts 7:51
  • 15. Jeremiah 20:8
  • 16. Job 32:18, 19; Micah 3:8
  • 17. Jeremiah 15:6; Jeremiah 20:9
  • 18. Jeremiah 7:20; Jeremiah 9:21
  • 19. Deuteronomy 28:30; Jeremiah 8:10; Jeremiah 38:22, 23
  • 20. Jeremiah 15:6
  • 21. Jeremiah 8:10
  • 22. Isaiah 56:11; Isaiah 57:17; Jeremiah 8:10; Jeremiah 22:17
  • 23. Jeremiah 8:11; Ezekiel 13:10

Footnotes 11

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