Jeremiah 5:23
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But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned aside and gone away.
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
Reproof for sin and threatenings of judgment are intermixed in this chapter, and are set the one over against the other: judgments are threatened, that the reproofs of sin might be the more effectual to bring them to repentance; sin is discovered, that God might be justified in the judgments threatened. I. The sins they are charged with are very great: - Injustice (Jer 5:1), hypocrisy in religion (Jer 5:2), incorrigibleness (Jer 5:3), the corruption and debauchery of both poor and rich (Jer 5:4, Jer 5:5), idolatry and adultery (Jer 5:7, Jer 5:8), treacherous departures from God (Jer 5:11), and impudent defiance of him (Jer 5:12, Jer 5:13), and, that which is at the bottom of all this, want of the fear of God, notwithstanding the frequent calls given them to fear him (Jer 5:20-24). In the close of the chapter they are charged with violence and oppression (Jer 5:26-28), and a combination of those to debauch the nation who should have been active to reform it (Jer 5:30, Jer 5:31). II. The judgments they are threatened with are very terrible. In general, they shall be reckoned with (Jer 5:9, Jer 5:29). A foreign enemy shall be brought in upon them (Jer 5:15-17), shall set guards upon them (Jer 5:6), shall destroy their fortification (Jer 5:10), shall carry them away into captivity (Jer 5:19), and keep all good things from them (Jer 5:25). Herein the words of God's prophets shall be fulfilled (Jer 5:14). But, III. Here is an intimation twice given that God would in the midst of wrath remember mercy, and not utterly destroy them (Jer 5:10, Jer 5:18). This was the scope and purport of Jeremiah's preaching in the latter end of Josiah's reign and the beginning of Jehoiakim's; but the success of it did not answer expectation.
Open source ↗5:23-25 The people falsely thought that they could do without the Lord, who provided rain for their crops (Deut 11:14). This wickedness caused them to lose wonderful blessings and good things (Jer 3:3).
Open source ↗Original language
The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).
Cross-references
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All are hardened rebels, walking around as slanderers. They are bronze and iron; all of them are corrupt.
My people are bent on turning from Me. Though they call to the Most High, He will by no means exalt them.
For forty years I was angry with that generation, and I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known My ways.”
See to it, brothers, that none of you has a wicked heart of unbelief that turns away from the living God.
If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey his father and mother and does not listen to them when disciplined,
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
Return to the One against whom you have so blatantly rebelled, O children of Israel.
They feed on the sins of My people and set their hearts on iniquity.
Why do you want more beatings? Why do you keep rebelling? Your head has a massive wound, and your whole heart is afflicted.
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.