Study notes

Jeremiah 5

Introducing JeremiahWho wrote it, when, why, and what to look for as you read

2:1–12:17 Section

Jeremiah’s judgement messages explained how and why God’s people would be judged. These messages were like the judgement messages that Isaiah shared.

The work of being a prophet was very hard for Jeremiah. He wept and suffered with deep sadness and pain. Inside his own body he felt God’s anger like a burning fire. The people and leaders of the southern kingdom hadn’t been faithful to the Mount Sinai covenant. They didn’t obey the Ten Commandments. They didn’t treat others the way God taught them to in the Law of Moses. They treated needy people badly. They worshipped false gods instead of worshipping only God. They felt no shame about this. They expected God to continue blessing them. This showed that they not only spoke lies but also lived out lies. It showed that they had no sense or wisdom.

They hadn’t learnt from the example of the northern kingdom. They hadn’t learnt from times in the past when God brought judgement against them. Storks and other birds had more wisdom than God’s people did. God’s people didn’t serve him with all their heart. God described this as not being circumcised in their hearts. Their bodies were circumcised. So on the outside of their bodies they had the sign of God’s covenant. But the choices they made showed that they didn’t respect and honour God. This was true for both the people and the leaders of the southern kingdom. The kings, priests and prophets didn’t follow God’s example for rulers. They didn’t know God’s laws and didn’t lead the people in obeying God. They lied by saying that everything was going well and that the nation had peace. As a result of this, God would no longer stop the covenant curses from coming.

God longed to forgive his people. He wanted them to turn away from their sin, repent and follow him. But they refused. So God told Jeremiah to stop praying that God would have mercy on them. God would use the Babylonian army as his tool to judge the southern kingdom. The temple would be destroyed. The people would be thrown out of the land God had given them. God had warned Solomon about this judgement (1 Kings 9:6–9). Yet God promised that he wouldn’t destroy his people completely. He would always allow a few to remain alive. In this way God would remain faithful to his covenant with David.

God also gave Jeremiah messages of hope to share about a time in the future. God would live with his people and rule the world from Jerusalem as King. The northern and southern kingdoms would live together in their land as one kingdom again. God would return all nations to their own lands. Jews would teach other nations that God is the Lord who rules over all. Every nation would be invited to follow the practices God taught his people. Every people group that honoured God would become part of God’s people.

5:1–2

A just person follows God's laws and treats others fairly. An honest person is reliable, truthful, and loyal to God. Jeremiah found neither justice nor honesty. Although some people were under oath, their claims of innocence were false. Their actions showed they had lied under oath (Genesis 4:2; 7:9; Genesis 18:23–32; Isaiah 48:1; Ezekiel 22:30; Titus 1:15–16).

5:3

Even when war brought disaster, the people ignored God and refused to turn away from their sins (Isaiah 9:13).

5:4–5

Jeremiah looked for an economic reason for Jerusalem’s rebellion. He discovered that the leaders, despite their advantages, were as rebellious as the uneducated poor.
A wooden yoke was placed on a farm animal's neck. Chains attached it to a plow or another tool for fieldwork (compare Jeremiah 27:2–12; Psalm 2:3).

5:6

The Babylonians would attack like a lion, a wolf, and a leopard. These fierce animals could destroy human life. The people's rebellion and sins were very serious to the Lord (Jeremiah 4:7; 30:14–15; Psalm 104:20; Ezekiel 22:27; Hosea 13:7; Habakkuk 1:8; Zephaniah 3:3).

5:7–8

These verses list the evidence of sins the people committed, such as:

rejecting the Lord
worshiping pagan gods
engaging in sexual misconduct (Jeremiah 7:9; 12:16; Numbers 25:1–3; Deuteronomy 32:21; Joshua 23:7; Zephaniah 1:5; Galatians 4:8)

Idolatry and adultery were closely linked in Israel because both broke an exclusive covenant.

5:9

The Lord saw the people's sins as deserving punishment (Jeremiah 9:9; 13:27; 29:23; Ezekiel 22:11).

5:10–13

The Lord issued a decree to destroy Judah’s vineyards, likely symbolizing Judah itself (see Isaiah 5:1–7; 27:2–6). The people ignored the Lord. They did not belong to him as his children, and he could not ignore their betrayal through idol worship (Jeremiah 3:6; 4:27; 7:27).

5:12–13

Even with the enemy approaching from the north, the people believed nothing bad would happen to them (Jeremiah 14:13; Isaiah 47:8). They did not respect God’s prophets (literally the prophets).
Some interpreters end the people’s quote with Jeremiah 5:12 and attribute 5:13 to the Lord. The term "for the wind" would then refer to false prophets.

5:14–19

The approaching army was likely Babylon's, which attacked Jerusalem in 605 BC. The Lord summoned the Babylonians to deliver the promised punishment (see Deuteronomy 28:15–62).

5:15

The Babylonian language was Semitic like Hebrew, but the Israelites could not understand it.

5:16–17

The well-trained and well-equipped Babylonian army treated their victims cruelly and destroyed everything valuable in the lands they conquered (see Habakkuk 1:6–10).

5:18–19

The Lord reassured Jeremiah that the destruction would not be complete. He prepared Jeremiah to answer those who questioned why the Lord would bring such harsh judgment.

5:20–21

in the house of Jacob: In the Old Testament, "Jacob" and "Israel" are often used interchangeably. They can refer to the patriarch or the nation.
To be foolish means to act rashly and immorally, ignoring consequences.
senseless: This literally means no heart. When "heart" is negative, it means a person or group does not want to do moral acts and rejects intelligent behavior that pleases God.
The people's ears and eyes worked (see study note on Jeremiah 6:10), but they stubbornly ignored the true meaning of what they heard and saw (Isaiah 6:9; Ezekiel 12:2; Mark 8:18).

5:22

People should respect the Lord for his power and fear the idea of him using it against them. If the powerful sea cannot cross the boundaries the Lord set, then the rebellion of small Jerusalem will surely fail.

5:23–25

The people mistakenly believed they could manage without the Lord, who gave rain for their crops (Deuteronomy 11:14). This wrongdoing led them to miss out on wonderful blessings and good things (Jeremiah 3:3).

5:26–28

In Jerusalem, some wicked men became wealthy by oppressing orphans and the poor (Jeremiah 7:6).

5:29–31

The people's sins (Jeremiah 5:26–28) fully justified the Lord's punishment, but the religious leaders committed even more wrongs. The prophets lied and claimed these lies were prophecies from the Lord (Jeremiah 14:14; Ezekiel 13:6). The priests, who were supposed to serve the people, became tyrants and ruled harshly. Surprisingly, the people accepted their leaders' new roles, even though this left them unprepared for the disaster approaching them (Micah 2:11).

Verse notes: Adapted by Mission Mutual (Aquifer Open Study Notes) from Tyndale Open Study Notes © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. CC BY-SA 4.0. Section notes: Biblica Study Notes © 2023 Biblica, Inc. CC BY-SA 4.0, via BibleAquifer. About the sources