Jeremiah 9:6

6 Your dwelling [is] in the midst of deceit, upon deceit they refuse to know me," {declares} Yahweh.

Jeremiah 9:6 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 9:6

Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit
In the midst of a people of deceit, as Kimchi and Ben Molech. These are the words of the Lord to the prophet, showing what a people he dwelt among, and had to do with; how cautiously and prudently he should act; how little they were to be trusted to and depended upon; and what little hope there was of bringing them to true repentance, since there was so much deceit and hypocrisy among them. The Targum interprets the words not of the habitation of the prophet, but of the people, thus,

``they sit in the house of their own congregation, and talk of their iniquities deceitfully;''

and so Jarchi,

``while they are sitting they devise deceitful devices.''

Through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the Lord:
or, "because of deceit" ^F20; hypocrisy being a reigning and governing sin in them; they liked not the true knowledge of God, and refused to worship him according to the revelation of his will.

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FOOTNOTES:

F20 (hmrmb) "ob dolum", Schmidt.

Jeremiah 9:6 In-Context

4 "Let everyone be on your guard against his neighbor, and you must not trust in any brother, for everyone surely betrays, and every neighbor goes about [with] slander.

5 And everyone deceives his neighbor, and they do not speak [the] truth, they have taught their tongues to speak lies, they are tired [from] going astray.

6 Your dwelling [is] in the midst of deceit, upon deceit they refuse to know me," {declares} Yahweh.

7 Therefore, thus says Yahweh of hosts: "Look, I [am] about to refine them, and I will test them, for what else can I do, because of the {presence} of the daughter of my people?

8 Their tongue [is] a murderous arrow, it speaks deceit. With his mouth he speaks peace with his neighbor, but in his inner parts he sets up his ambush.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "through"
• [b]. Literally "a declaration of"