Jeremiah 5 Study Notes: Not One Just Person in Jerusalem
God offers to pardon Jerusalem if even one honest, just person can be found there, but rich and poor alike have rejected Him. He announces a distant nation as judgment, rebukes a people who do not fear the Creator, and condemns cheating, false prophets, and a people who approve of them.
General
In 5:22, what display of His power does the LORD point to as a reason His people should fear Him?
Answer: The sand He set as a limit the sea cannot cross
The LORD calls His people foolish and senseless, with eyes that do not see and ears that do not hear (5:21). He asks why they do not tremble before Him, the One who made the sand a lasting limit for the sea, so that its waves roar but cannot pass (5:22). The raging sea obeys Him, but His people have stubborn, rebellious hearts and have walked away (5:23). They never resolved inwardly to fear the LORD, who sends the seasonal rains and keeps the harvest weeks for them (5:24), and their sins have kept these good gifts from them (5:25). God’s control of the sea is also praised in Job 38:8-11 and Psalm 104:9, and Paul and Barnabas told the crowd at Lystra that God’s gifts of rain and harvest testify to His goodness (Acts 14:17).
- Jeremiah 5:21-24 (BSB)““Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear. Do 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. But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned aside and gone away. They 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.’”The LORD rebukes a senseless people for not fearing the One who bounds the sea and gives the rains.
- Job 38:8-11 (BSB)“Who enclosed the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and thick darkness its blanket, when I fixed its boundaries and set in place its bars and doors, and I declared: ‘You may come this far, but no farther; here your proud waves must stop’?”God tells Job that He fixed the sea’s limits and told its waves where to stop.
- Psalm 104:9 (BSB)“You set a boundary they cannot cross, that they may never again cover the earth.”The psalm praises God for setting a boundary the waters cannot cross.
- Acts 14:17 (BSB)“Yet He has not left Himself without testimony to His goodness: He gives you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness.””Paul and Barnabas say God’s gift of rain and fruitful seasons testifies to His goodness.
Theological
What feature of creation does the LORD cite in 5:22 to rebuke His people’s lack of fear?
Answer: The sand He set as a limit the sea cannot cross
The LORD rebukes a people with eyes and ears yet without perception (5:21) by pointing to His sovereign restraint of the sea: He fixed the sand as a perpetual boundary that the roaring waves cannot pass (5:22). The irony is pointed: the sea keeps its bounds, but Judah, with a stubborn and rebellious heart, has broken hers (5:23). They did not fear the God who sends the seasonal rains and guards the harvest (5:24), and their iniquities have withheld these goods (5:25). The same sovereignty over the sea appears in Job 38:8-11 and Psalm 104:9, and Acts 14:17 cites rain and fruitful seasons as God’s witness to Himself.
- Jeremiah 5:21-24 (BSB)““Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear. Do 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. But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned aside and gone away. They 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.’”The LORD rebukes a senseless people for not fearing the One who bounds the sea and gives the rains.
- Job 38:8-11 (BSB)“Who enclosed the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and thick darkness its blanket, when I fixed its boundaries and set in place its bars and doors, and I declared: ‘You may come this far, but no farther; here your proud waves must stop’?”God tells Job that He fixed the sea’s limits and told its waves where to stop.
- Psalm 104:9 (BSB)“You set a boundary they cannot cross, that they may never again cover the earth.”The psalm praises God for setting a boundary the waters cannot cross.
- Acts 14:17 (BSB)“Yet He has not left Himself without testimony to His goodness: He gives you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness.””Paul and Barnabas say God’s gift of rain and fruitful seasons testifies to His goodness.
General
The people claimed the LORD would do nothing and the prophets were only wind (5:12-13). How did the LORD answer in 5:14?
Answer: God’s words would be fire in the prophet’s mouth
The people told lies about the LORD, saying He would do nothing, no harm would come, they would see no sword or famine, and the prophets were empty air with no word from God (5:12-13). The LORD answers that because they have said this, He will make His words in Jeremiah’s mouth a fire, and the people will be the wood it burns up (5:14). God’s word is not empty; it accomplishes what He says. Zephaniah describes the same careless attitude in people who assume the LORD will never act (Zephaniah 1:12), and elsewhere the LORD says His word is like fire and a hammer smashing rock (23:29).
- Jeremiah 5:12-14 (BSB)“They 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. The prophets are but wind, for the word is not in them. So let their own predictions befall them.” Therefore this is what the LORD God of Hosts says: “Because you have spoken this word, I will make My words a fire in your mouth and this people the wood it consumes.”The people deny that the LORD will act, and He answers that His words will be fire consuming them.
- Zephaniah 1:12 (BSB)“And at that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish the men settled in complacency, who say to themselves, ‘The LORD will do nothing, either good or bad.’”Zephaniah describes complacent people who think the LORD will do nothing.
- Jeremiah 23:29 (BSB)““Is not My word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that smashes a rock?””The LORD says His word is like fire and like a hammer that shatters rock.
Theological
What is the LORD’s response in 5:14 to the people’s dismissal of His warnings in 5:12-13?
Answer: God’s words would be fire in the prophet’s mouth
The people’s lie about the LORD was a practical denial of His judgment: He will do nothing, no calamity, sword, or famine will come, and the prophets are only wind (5:12-13). The LORD replies that His words in Jeremiah’s mouth will be fire and the people its fuel (5:14). The scoffers’ complacency matches Zephaniah 1:12, and the efficacy of the prophetic word matches 23:29: the word is never idle but carries out the judgment it announces.
- Jeremiah 5:12-14 (BSB)“They 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. The prophets are but wind, for the word is not in them. So let their own predictions befall them.” Therefore this is what the LORD God of Hosts says: “Because you have spoken this word, I will make My words a fire in your mouth and this people the wood it consumes.”The people deny that the LORD will act, and He answers that His words will be fire consuming them.
- Zephaniah 1:12 (BSB)“And at that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish the men settled in complacency, who say to themselves, ‘The LORD will do nothing, either good or bad.’”Zephaniah describes complacent people who think the LORD will do nothing.
- Jeremiah 23:29 (BSB)““Is not My word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that smashes a rock?””The LORD says His word is like fire and like a hammer that shatters rock.
General
True or False: In 5:30-31 the LORD says the people were pleased that the prophets spoke lies and the priests ruled as they pleased.
Answer: True
This is true. The LORD calls it an appalling, dreadful thing: the prophets give false messages, the priests rule as they please, and His people love it that way (5:30-31). He then asks what they will do when the end comes. The fault was not only with the leaders; the people wanted to be told what they liked. Isaiah describes people who tell prophets to speak only pleasant things (Isaiah 30:10), and Paul warns that people will gather teachers who say what their own desires want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3-4).
- Jeremiah 5:30-31 (BSB)“A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land. The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own authority. My people love it so, but what will you do in the end?”The LORD describes prophets speaking falsely, priests ruling by their own authority, and a people who love it.
- Isaiah 30:10 (BSB)“They say to the seers, “Stop seeing visions!” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us the truth! Speak to us pleasant words; prophesy illusions.”Isaiah records people asking prophets for pleasant words instead of the truth.
- 2 Timothy 4:3-4 (BSB)“For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”Paul warns that people will gather teachers who suit their own desires.
Theological
True or False: According to 5:30-31, the people approved of the false prophecy and self-directed rule of their prophets and priests.
Answer: True
This is true. The appalling thing in the land is not merely false prophecy and priests ruling by their own direction, but that the LORD’s people are glad of it (5:30-31). Corrupt leadership and a willing people reinforce each other, and the LORD’s closing question presses the coming reckoning. Isaiah 30:10 and 2 Timothy 4:3-4 describe the same appetite for teachers who suit the hearers’ desires.
- Jeremiah 5:30-31 (BSB)“A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land. The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own authority. My people love it so, but what will you do in the end?”The LORD describes prophets speaking falsely, priests ruling by their own authority, and a people who love it.
- Isaiah 30:10 (BSB)“They say to the seers, “Stop seeing visions!” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us the truth! Speak to us pleasant words; prophesy illusions.”Isaiah records people asking prophets for pleasant words instead of the truth.
- 2 Timothy 4:3-4 (BSB)“For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”Paul warns that people will gather teachers who suit their own desires.
General
How does the LORD describe the nation He will bring against His people in 5:15-17?
Answer: An old, strong nation whose speech they would not know
The LORD says He is bringing a far-off nation against Israel, an old and enduring nation whose language they will not know or understand (5:15). Its warriors are mighty, and it will consume their harvest, their flocks, their vines, and even their sons and daughters, and with the sword it will break down the walled cities they trusted (5:16-17). This fulfills the covenant warning Moses gave, that if Israel turned from the LORD, He would send a far-off nation whose language they would not understand (Deuteronomy 28:49-50).
- Jeremiah 5:15-17 (BSB)“Behold, 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 know and whose speech you do not understand. Their quivers are like open graves; they are all mighty men. They 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 destroy the fortified cities in which you trust.””The LORD describes a distant, ancient nation of foreign speech that will devour the land.
- Deuteronomy 28:49-50 (BSB)“The LORD will bring a nation from afar, from the ends of the earth, to swoop down upon you like an eagle—a nation whose language you will not understand, a ruthless nation with no respect for the old and no pity for the young.”Moses warned that God would bring a nation from afar whose language Israel would not understand.
- Deuteronomy 28:47-48 (BSB)“Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and gladness of heart in all your abundance, you will serve your enemies the LORD will send against you in famine, thirst, nakedness, and destitution. He will place an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you.”The covenant warned that Israel would serve enemies sent by the LORD if they did not serve Him with joy.
Theological
What description of the invading nation does 5:15-17 give?
Answer: An old, strong nation whose speech they would not know
The invader of 5:15-17 is a distant, ancient, enduring nation of unintelligible speech, whose mighty warriors will devour harvest, children, flocks, and orchards, and whose sword will shatter the fortresses Judah relied on. The description closely matches the covenant curse of Deuteronomy 28:49-50: Israel’s disobedience calls down the very judgment the covenant had threatened.
- Jeremiah 5:15-17 (BSB)“Behold, 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 know and whose speech you do not understand. Their quivers are like open graves; they are all mighty men. They 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 destroy the fortified cities in which you trust.””The LORD describes a distant, ancient nation of foreign speech that will devour the land.
- Deuteronomy 28:49-50 (BSB)“The LORD will bring a nation from afar, from the ends of the earth, to swoop down upon you like an eagle—a nation whose language you will not understand, a ruthless nation with no respect for the old and no pity for the young.”Moses warned that God would bring a nation from afar whose language Israel would not understand.
- Deuteronomy 28:47-48 (BSB)“Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and gladness of heart in all your abundance, you will serve your enemies the LORD will send against you in famine, thirst, nakedness, and destitution. He will place an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you.”The covenant warned that Israel would serve enemies sent by the LORD if they did not serve Him with joy.
General
True or False: When Jeremiah turned from the poor to the powerful in 5:4-5, he found that the leaders were faithful to the LORD.
Answer: False
This is false. Jeremiah first thought the poor might simply be ignorant of the LORD’s way and decided to go to the leading men, who surely knew God’s justice (5:4-5). But they too had, all together, thrown off the yoke and snapped the chains. Rich and poor alike had rejected His rule. Earlier the LORD had said that Judah broke her yoke long ago and refused to serve (2:20), and Psalm 2 describes rulers who want to throw off God’s restraints (Psalm 2:3).
- Jeremiah 5:4-5 (BSB)“Then 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. I will go to the powerful and 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 yoke and torn off the chains.”Jeremiah goes from the poor to the powerful but finds that they too have broken the yoke.
- Jeremiah 2:20 (BSB)““For long ago you broke your yoke and tore off your chains, saying, ‘I will not serve!’ Indeed, on every high hill and under every green tree you lay down as a prostitute.”The LORD had already charged Judah with breaking the yoke and refusing to serve Him.
- Psalm 2:3 (BSB)““Let us break Their chains and cast away Their cords.””Rebellious rulers speak of throwing off God’s chains and cords.
Theological
True or False: In 5:4-5 Jeremiah finds that the powerful, unlike the poor, have kept the LORD’s way.
Answer: False
This is false. Jeremiah supposed the poor erred from ignorance and turned to the great, expecting them to know the LORD’s way and His just requirements (5:4-5). Yet the powerful had, with one accord, cast off the yoke and burst the bonds. Rebellion against God’s rule ran through every class, as 2:20 had already charged, and as the rulers of Psalm 2:3 resolve to tear off His restraints.
- Jeremiah 5:4-5 (BSB)“Then 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. I will go to the powerful and 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 yoke and torn off the chains.”Jeremiah goes from the poor to the powerful but finds that they too have broken the yoke.
- Jeremiah 2:20 (BSB)““For long ago you broke your yoke and tore off your chains, saying, ‘I will not serve!’ Indeed, on every high hill and under every green tree you lay down as a prostitute.”The LORD had already charged Judah with breaking the yoke and refusing to serve Him.
- Psalm 2:3 (BSB)““Let us break Their chains and cast away Their cords.””Rebellious rulers speak of throwing off God’s chains and cords.
General
According to the prophet’s words to the LORD in 5:3, how did the people respond when God struck them?
Answer: They hardened their faces and would not repent
In 5:3 Jeremiah speaks to the LORD, saying that God looks for truth. God had struck the people and even crushed them, yet they felt nothing, would not accept correction, made their faces as hard as stone, and would not turn back. Isaiah describes the same stubbornness: the people would not come back to the God who struck them (Isaiah 9:13), and Zechariah says the earlier generations made their hearts flint-hard and would not heed Him (Zechariah 7:11-12). Suffering by itself does not soften a hard heart.
- Jeremiah 5:3 (BSB)“O 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 stone and refused to repent.”The prophet tells the LORD that the people refused His discipline and would not repent.
- Isaiah 9:13 (BSB)“But the people did not return to Him who struck them; they did not seek the LORD of Hosts.”Isaiah likewise says the people would not come back to the God who struck them.
- Zechariah 7:11-12 (BSB)“But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder; they stopped up their ears from hearing. They made their hearts like flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the LORD of Hosts had sent by His Spirit through the earlier prophets. Therefore great anger came from the LORD of Hosts.”Earlier generations made their hearts hard as flint and would not listen to God’s word.
Theological
In the prophet’s address to the LORD in 5:3, what was the people’s response to God’s corrective blows?
Answer: They hardened their faces and would not repent
Jeremiah’s appeal in 5:3 affirms that the LORD’s eyes seek truth, and then describes a people unmoved by chastisement: struck, they were unmoved; crushed, they still refused discipline, set their faces like stone, and would not repent. Isaiah 9:13 and Zechariah 7:11-12 describe the same hardness. Affliction alone does not produce repentance; the heart must be changed.
- Jeremiah 5:3 (BSB)“O 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 stone and refused to repent.”The prophet tells the LORD that the people refused His discipline and would not repent.
- Isaiah 9:13 (BSB)“But the people did not return to Him who struck them; they did not seek the LORD of Hosts.”Isaiah likewise says the people would not come back to the God who struck them.
- Zechariah 7:11-12 (BSB)“But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder; they stopped up their ears from hearing. They made their hearts like flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the LORD of Hosts had sent by His Spirit through the earlier prophets. Therefore great anger came from the LORD of Hosts.”Earlier generations made their hearts hard as flint and would not listen to God’s word.
General
According to 5:26-28, how had the wicked among God’s people become rich and powerful?
Answer: By trapping others and filling their houses with fraud
The LORD says there are wicked men among His people who lie in wait like bird-catchers setting traps, but they catch people (5:26). Their houses are stuffed with deceit the way a cage is stuffed with birds, and that is how they grew powerful, rich, fat, and sleek (5:27-28). They outdo others in wickedness, and they ignore the orphan’s case and do not defend the poor. God Himself defends the fatherless and the widow (Deuteronomy 10:18), He commanded His people to do the same (Isaiah 1:17), and James calls the care of orphans and widows pure religion (James 1:27).
- Jeremiah 5:26-28 (BSB)“For among My people are wicked men; they watch like fowlers lying in wait; they set a trap to catch men. Like cages full of birds, so their houses are full of deceit. Therefore they have become powerful and rich. They 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 defended the rights of the needy.”The LORD describes wicked men who trap others, grow rich by deceit, and neglect the fatherless and needy.
- Deuteronomy 10:18 (BSB)“He executes justice for the fatherless and widow, and He loves the foreigner, giving him food and clothing.”God Himself executes justice for the fatherless and the widow.
- Isaiah 1:17 (BSB)“Learn to do right; seek justice and correct the oppressor. Defend the fatherless and plead the case of the widow.””God commands His people to seek justice and defend the fatherless and the widow.
- James 1:27 (BSB)“Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”James says caring for orphans and widows is pure religion before God.
Theological
According to 5:26-28, how had the wicked in Judah gained their wealth?
Answer: By trapping others and filling their houses with fraud
The indictment of 5:26-28 targets predatory wealth: men who set snares for people as fowlers do for birds, whose homes are crammed with fraud like a cage crammed with birds, and who thereby became great and rich, fat and sleek, while refusing justice to the fatherless and the needy. Since the LORD Himself upholds justice for the orphan and widow (Deuteronomy 10:18) and requires it of His people (Isaiah 1:17), their neglect is covenant betrayal; James 1:27 carries the same requirement into the new covenant as the mark of true religion.
- Jeremiah 5:26-28 (BSB)“For among My people are wicked men; they watch like fowlers lying in wait; they set a trap to catch men. Like cages full of birds, so their houses are full of deceit. Therefore they have become powerful and rich. They 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 defended the rights of the needy.”The LORD describes wicked men who trap others, grow rich by deceit, and neglect the fatherless and needy.
- Deuteronomy 10:18 (BSB)“He executes justice for the fatherless and widow, and He loves the foreigner, giving him food and clothing.”God Himself executes justice for the fatherless and the widow.
- Isaiah 1:17 (BSB)“Learn to do right; seek justice and correct the oppressor. Defend the fatherless and plead the case of the widow.””God commands His people to seek justice and defend the fatherless and the widow.
- James 1:27 (BSB)“Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”James says caring for orphans and widows is pure religion before God.
General
In 5:1, what does the LORD say He would do if even one person who acts justly and seeks truth could be found in Jerusalem?
Answer: He would pardon the whole city if one were found
The LORD calls for a search through Jerusalem’s streets and public squares to look for just one person who does what is right and pursues truth, and He promises that if such a person is found, He will pardon the city (5:1). Even their oaths in the LORD’s name are false. The search recalls Abraham pleading for Sodom, when God agreed to spare the city for ten righteous people (Genesis 18:32), but here the number is one, and still no one is found. Ezekiel records God seeking someone to stand in the breach for the land and finding nobody (Ezekiel 22:30), and the psalms and Paul say that, left to themselves, no one does good, not a single person (Psalm 14:2-3; Romans 3:10-12).
- Jeremiah 5:1-2 (BSB)““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. Although they say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’ they are swearing falsely.””The LORD calls for Jerusalem to be searched for one just person, for whose sake He would forgive the city.
- Genesis 18:32 (BSB)“Finally, Abraham said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak once more. Suppose ten are found there?” And He answered, “On account of the ten, I will not destroy it.””God agreed to spare Sodom if only ten righteous people were found there.
- Ezekiel 22:30 (BSB)“I searched for a man among them to repair the wall and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, so that I should not destroy it. But I found no one.”God says He looked for one person to stand in the gap for the land and found no one.
- Romans 3:10-12 (BSB)“As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one. There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.””Paul states that no one is righteous and no one does good, not even one.
Theological
What offer does the LORD attach in 5:1 to finding a single just and truth-seeking person in Jerusalem?
Answer: He would pardon the whole city if one were found
The LORD’s command in 5:1 is a search through Jerusalem for a single person who does justice and seeks truth, with the promise that the city will be pardoned if one is found; even oaths sworn by the LORD’s life are false. The scene inverts Genesis 18:32, where Sodom would have been spared for ten righteous: here one would suffice and none is found. Ezekiel 22:30 records the same fruitless divine search, and Psalm 14:2-3, cited by Paul in Romans 3:10-12, generalizes it to the universal condition of fallen humanity.
- Jeremiah 5:1-2 (BSB)““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. Although they say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’ they are swearing falsely.””The LORD calls for Jerusalem to be searched for one just person, for whose sake He would forgive the city.
- Genesis 18:32 (BSB)“Finally, Abraham said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak once more. Suppose ten are found there?” And He answered, “On account of the ten, I will not destroy it.””God agreed to spare Sodom if only ten righteous people were found there.
- Ezekiel 22:30 (BSB)“I searched for a man among them to repair the wall and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, so that I should not destroy it. But I found no one.”God says He looked for one person to stand in the gap for the land and found no one.
- Romans 3:10-12 (BSB)“As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one. There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.””Paul states that no one is righteous and no one does good, not even one.
General
According to 5:19, what answer is the prophet to give when the people want to know why the LORD has done all this to them?
Answer: They would serve strangers in a land not their own
The LORD says that even then He will not wipe them out completely (5:18). When the people demand to know why God has done all this, they are to be told that just as they abandoned Him and worshiped foreign gods at home, so they will be servants of strangers in a country not their own (5:19). The punishment matches the sin. Moses had warned that those who refused to serve the LORD gladly would end up serving their enemies (Deuteronomy 28:47-48), and later the LORD says He will cast them into an unknown land (16:13).
- Jeremiah 5:18-19 (BSB)““Yet even in those days,” declares the LORD, “I will not make a full end of you. And 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.’””The LORD promises not to make a full end and explains that those who served foreign gods will serve foreigners abroad.
- Deuteronomy 28:47-48 (BSB)“Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and gladness of heart in all your abundance, you will serve your enemies the LORD will send against you in famine, thirst, nakedness, and destitution. He will place an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you.”Moses warned that those who did not serve the LORD would serve their enemies.
- Jeremiah 16:13 (BSB)“So I will cast you out of this land into a land that neither you nor your fathers have known. There you will serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor.’”The LORD later says He will cast them out into a land unknown to them.
Theological
What correspondence between sin and penalty does the answer of 5:19 draw?
Answer: They would serve strangers in a land not their own
Two notes sound together in 5:18-19: a limit to judgment (no full end) and its exact fittingness. Because they forsook the LORD and worshiped foreign gods at home, they will be servants of strangers in a country not their own. The penalty mirrors the sin, as the covenant had warned (Deuteronomy 28:47-48), and the exile is again announced in 16:13.
- Jeremiah 5:18-19 (BSB)““Yet even in those days,” declares the LORD, “I will not make a full end of you. And 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.’””The LORD promises not to make a full end and explains that those who served foreign gods will serve foreigners abroad.
- Deuteronomy 28:47-48 (BSB)“Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and gladness of heart in all your abundance, you will serve your enemies the LORD will send against you in famine, thirst, nakedness, and destitution. He will place an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you.”Moses warned that those who did not serve the LORD would serve their enemies.
- Jeremiah 16:13 (BSB)“So I will cast you out of this land into a land that neither you nor your fathers have known. There you will serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor.’”The LORD later says He will cast them out into a land unknown to them.
General
In 5:7-8, what did the people do after the LORD had supplied all their needs?
Answer: They turned to adultery and false gods
The LORD asks why He should forgive them (5:7). Their children had abandoned Him and sworn by false gods that have no divinity. Though He had fully provided for them, they were unfaithful in marriage and crowded into houses of prostitution, and He compares them to well-fed stallions lusting after their neighbors’ wives (5:7-8). He asks whether He should not punish such a nation (5:9). Moses had warned of exactly this pattern, when Israel grew fat and then forsook his Maker (Deuteronomy 32:15), and Hosea says that once the people were satisfied, they became proud and forgot God (Hosea 13:6).
- Jeremiah 5:7-9 (BSB)““Why should I forgive you? Your children have forsaken Me and sworn by gods that are not gods. I satisfied their needs, yet they committed adultery and assembled at the houses of prostitutes. They are well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing after his neighbor’s wife. Should I not punish them for these things?” declares the LORD. “Should I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?”The LORD lists the people’s idolatry and adultery after He had satisfied their needs and asks if He should not punish them.
- Deuteronomy 32:15 (BSB)“But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked—becoming fat, bloated, and gorged. He abandoned the God who made him and scorned the Rock of his salvation.”Moses foresaw Israel growing fat and then abandoning the God who made him.
- Hosea 13:6 (BSB)“When they had pasture, they became satisfied; when they were satisfied, their hearts became proud, and as a result they forgot Me.”Hosea says the people became satisfied, then proud, and then forgot God.
Theological
According to 5:7-8, how did the people respond to the LORD’s provision?
Answer: They turned to adultery and false gods
The LORD’s rhetorical question, why He should pardon them (5:7), is answered by the indictment: they forsook Him, swore by non-gods, and repaid His full provision with adultery and visits to houses of prostitution, like sated stallions neighing after their neighbors’ wives (5:7-8). The charge echoes the warning of Deuteronomy 32:15 and Hosea 13:6: abundance received without gratitude breeds pride and apostasy. Judgment is therefore just (5:9).
- Jeremiah 5:7-9 (BSB)““Why should I forgive you? Your children have forsaken Me and sworn by gods that are not gods. I satisfied their needs, yet they committed adultery and assembled at the houses of prostitutes. They are well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing after his neighbor’s wife. Should I not punish them for these things?” declares the LORD. “Should I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?”The LORD lists the people’s idolatry and adultery after He had satisfied their needs and asks if He should not punish them.
- Deuteronomy 32:15 (BSB)“But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked—becoming fat, bloated, and gorged. He abandoned the God who made him and scorned the Rock of his salvation.”Moses foresaw Israel growing fat and then abandoning the God who made him.
- Hosea 13:6 (BSB)“When they had pasture, they became satisfied; when they were satisfied, their hearts became proud, and as a result they forgot Me.”Hosea says the people became satisfied, then proud, and then forgot God.