Jeremiah 9:6

6 They pile wrong upon wrong, stack lie upon lie, and refuse to know me." God's Decree.

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 "Be wary of even longtime neighbors. Don't even trust your grandmother! Brother schemes against brother, like old cheating Jacob. Friend against friend spreads malicious gossip.

5 Neighbors gyp neighbors, never telling the truth. They've trained their tongues to tell lies, and now they can't tell the truth.

6 They pile wrong upon wrong, stack lie upon lie, and refuse to know me." God's Decree.

7 Therefore, God-of-the-Angel-Armies says: "Watch this! I'll melt them down and see what they're made of. What else can I do with a people this wicked?

8 Their tongues are poison arrows! Deadly lies stream from their mouths. Neighbor greets neighbor with a smile, 'Good morning! How're things?' while scheming to do away with him.