Note: Words are shown in their original Hebrew order, which differs from English translations. This reflects the emphasis and structure of Scripture as originally written. Click any word to see its full lexicon entry.
1“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.
3O 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.
5I 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.
6Therefore a lion from the forest will strike them down, a wolf from the desert will ravage them. A leopard will lie in wait near their cities, and everyone who ventures out will be torn to pieces. For their rebellious acts are many, and their unfaithful deeds are numerous.
7“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.
14Therefore 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.
15Behold, 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.
17They 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.”
19And 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.’”
22Do 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.
24They 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.’
28They 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.
Jeremiah chapter 5 presents God's indictment of Judah for widespread spiritual and moral corruption. The prophet searches through Jerusalem for even one righteous person who practices justice and truth, but finds none—from the poor to the great, the people have rejected God's covenant and embraced idolatry, injustice, and sexual sin. God announces that judgment is coming in the form of invasion by a distant nation, yet He promises not to utterly destroy His people, offering them an opportunity to understand that their exile will be the natural consequence of forsaking Him for false gods.
God invites Jeremiah (and by extension, us) to conduct an urgent search through Jerusalem's streets and marketplaces to find even one person who acts justly and seeks truth. The implicit answer is devastating: there is none. Though the people profess faith—"The LORD liveth" (verse 2)—their oaths are false. Verse 3 reveals hardened hearts: God has disciplined them repeatedly, but they refuse to grieve over their sin or accept correction. Their resistance has become like stone.
Jeremiah initially suspects this corruption is limited to the poor and ignorant (verse 4), but verses 5 confirms the rot extends to the leaders and influential figures who know God's way yet have deliberately broken His yoke and burst His bonds. This is willful rebellion, not ignorance. The application is clear: spiritual corruption knows no class boundaries; the heart that rejects God can be found anywhere.
God describes coming judgment through vivid animal imagery (verse 6): a lion, wolf, and leopard will attack because transgressions and backslidings have multiplied. The sins catalogued are grave: forsaking God, swearing by false gods, and sexual immorality—they commit adultery "to the full" (verses 7–8), behaving like overfed horses driven by lust.
Verses 10–13 shift focus to false prophets and priests who mislead the people. They deny that evil will come, claiming neither sword nor famine will touch them. The true word of God becomes "wind"—empty and powerless in their mouths. This deception is particularly dangerous because it prevents repentance.
Because the people reject God's true word, His words become like "fire" consuming "wood"—they themselves (verse 14). God will bring a distant nation (later revealed as Babylon) whose language Judah does not understand. Verses 15–17 describe siege, famine, and the loss of harvests and fortified cities. Yet verse 18 contains mercy: God will not make a complete end. When the people ask why God has done this (verse 19), they will understand: as they forsook Him for foreign gods, so they will serve foreign masters in foreign lands. This is the law of the harvest applied to the soul.
Jeremiah is told to publish God's message: this people are foolish and without understanding. Though they have eyes and ears, they neither see nor hear spiritual reality (verse 21). God reminds them of His power over creation—He restrains the sea's waves by a perpetual decree (verses 22)—yet they will not fear Him.
The root problem appears in verse 24: they do not acknowledge that God gives rain and harvest "in his season." Spiritual blindness has led to practical injustice. Verses 26–28 expose wealthy men who trap others for gain, growing rich through deceit while neglecting the fatherless and needy. Verses 30–31 conclude with the horrifying reality: false prophets prophesy falsely, corrupt priests rule by their means, and the people love it so. They have chosen comfortable lies over costly truth.
Application for Today
This chapter warns us that spiritual complacency and moral compromise invite God's judgment. We must examine our hearts: Do we treasure truth-telling and justice, or do we tolerate and enable deception for comfort? Do we truly fear the Lord, acknowledging His power and provision, or do we live as though we are independent? Like Judah, we cannot claim to know God while living in willful disobedience. The gospel calls us to repentance and return—to fear God, pursue justice, and speak truth in love.
Study Notes — Jeremiah 5
5 sectionsJeremiah chapter 5 presents God's indictment of Judah for widespread spiritual and moral corruption. The prophet searches through Jerusalem for even one righteous person who practices justice and truth, but finds none—from the poor to the great, the people have rejected God's covenant and embraced idolatry, injustice, and sexual sin. God announces that judgment is coming in the form of invasion by a distant nation, yet He promises not to utterly destroy His people, offering them an opportunity to understand that their exile will be the natural consequence of forsaking Him for false gods.
God invites Jeremiah (and by extension, us) to conduct an urgent search through Jerusalem's streets and marketplaces to find even one person who acts justly and seeks truth. The implicit answer is devastating: there is none. Though the people profess faith—"The LORD liveth" (verse 2)—their oaths are false. Verse 3 reveals hardened hearts: God has disciplined them repeatedly, but they refuse to grieve over their sin or accept correction. Their resistance has become like stone.
Jeremiah initially suspects this corruption is limited to the poor and ignorant (verse 4), but verses 5 confirms the rot extends to the leaders and influential figures who know God's way yet have deliberately broken His yoke and burst His bonds. This is willful rebellion, not ignorance. The application is clear: spiritual corruption knows no class boundaries; the heart that rejects God can be found anywhere.
God describes coming judgment through vivid animal imagery (verse 6): a lion, wolf, and leopard will attack because transgressions and backslidings have multiplied. The sins catalogued are grave: forsaking God, swearing by false gods, and sexual immorality—they commit adultery "to the full" (verses 7–8), behaving like overfed horses driven by lust.
Verses 10–13 shift focus to false prophets and priests who mislead the people. They deny that evil will come, claiming neither sword nor famine will touch them. The true word of God becomes "wind"—empty and powerless in their mouths. This deception is particularly dangerous because it prevents repentance.
Because the people reject God's true word, His words become like "fire" consuming "wood"—they themselves (verse 14). God will bring a distant nation (later revealed as Babylon) whose language Judah does not understand. Verses 15–17 describe siege, famine, and the loss of harvests and fortified cities. Yet verse 18 contains mercy: God will not make a complete end. When the people ask why God has done this (verse 19), they will understand: as they forsook Him for foreign gods, so they will serve foreign masters in foreign lands. This is the law of the harvest applied to the soul.
Jeremiah is told to publish God's message: this people are foolish and without understanding. Though they have eyes and ears, they neither see nor hear spiritual reality (verse 21). God reminds them of His power over creation—He restrains the sea's waves by a perpetual decree (verses 22)—yet they will not fear Him.
The root problem appears in verse 24: they do not acknowledge that God gives rain and harvest "in his season." Spiritual blindness has led to practical injustice. Verses 26–28 expose wealthy men who trap others for gain, growing rich through deceit while neglecting the fatherless and needy. Verses 30–31 conclude with the horrifying reality: false prophets prophesy falsely, corrupt priests rule by their means, and the people love it so. They have chosen comfortable lies over costly truth.
This chapter warns us that spiritual complacency and moral compromise invite God's judgment. We must examine our hearts: Do we treasure truth-telling and justice, or do we tolerate and enable deception for comfort? Do we truly fear the Lord, acknowledging His power and provision, or do we live as though we are independent? Like Judah, we cannot claim to know God while living in willful disobedience. The gospel calls us to repentance and return—to fear God, pursue justice, and speak truth in love.