Jeremiah 22:3

3 Thus says Yahweh, "Act [with] justice and righteousness, and deliver [the] one who has been seized from the hand of [the] oppressor. And you must not oppress [the] immigrant, [the] orphan, and [the] widow. And you must not shed innocent blood in this place.

Jeremiah 22:3 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 22:3

Thus saith the Lord, execute ye judgment and righteousness,
&c.] Judge righteous Judgment; give the cause to whom it belongs, without respect of persons, and without a bribe or corruption; do no unrighteousness to any, by withholding from them what is due unto them, which was what this prince was chargeable with, ( Jeremiah 22:13 ) ; and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor;
that was robbed or wronged of his property by one superior to him in power or cunning; (See Gill on Jeremiah 21:12); and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor
the widow:
who are not in a situation, and in such a condition and circumstances, as to defend themselves; and whom God has a peculiar regard unto; and therefore they who are his deputies and vicegerents, as kings and civil magistrates are, ought to protect such persons, and neither grieve and injure them themselves, nor suffer others to do it: neither shed innocent blood in this place;
to grieve and wrong the above persons is a very great evil, but to shed the blood of innocent per tons is a greater still; and this is aggravated by being committed by such who are set over men to secure and preserve their properties and their lives; and such heinous sins as these the present reigning king of Judah was guilty of; which is the reason of their being mentioned; see ( Jeremiah 22:17 ) .

Jeremiah 22:3 In-Context

1 Thus says Yahweh: "Go down [to] the house of the king of Judah and you must speak this word there.
2 And you must say, 'Hear the word of Yahweh, O king of Judah, who sits on the throne of David, you, and your servants, and your people who enter through these gates.
3 Thus says Yahweh, "Act [with] justice and righteousness, and deliver [the] one who has been seized from the hand of [the] oppressor. And you must not oppress [the] immigrant, [the] orphan, and [the] widow. And you must not shed innocent blood in this place.
4 And if you indeed obey this word, then kings who sit for David on his throne will enter through the gates of this house, riding in chariots and on horses, he, and his servants, and his people.
5 But if you do not obey these words, I swear by myself," {declares} Yahweh, "that this house will become a site of ruins." '"
Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.