An Accusation against Jerusalem's Corruption
Jeremiah 5:1-31
Jer.5.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- שוטטו: VERB,qal,imp,2,pl
- בחוצות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וראו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- נא: PART
- ודעו: VERB,qal,impv,2,NA,pl
- ובקשו: CONJ+VERB,qal,imp,2,pl
- ברחובותיה: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs,3,fs
- אם: CONJ
- תמצאו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אם: CONJ
- יש: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- משפט: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מבקש: VERB,qal,ptc,ms,sg
- אמונה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ואסלח: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- לה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Ezek.22.30 (verbal): God 'sought for a man' to stand in the breach—language and idea closely parallel Jeremiah's command to search for anyone who does justice and seeks truth.
- Isa.59.16 (thematic): God 'saw there was no man' to intercede; like Jeremiah, this passage highlights the absence of righteous persons and the consequence for the community.
- 2 Chron.16.9 (verbal): 'The eyes of the LORD run to and fro' echoes Jeremiah's call to 'run to and fro' through the streets—both portray divine searching for hearts faithful to God.
- Micah 6.8 (thematic): The summons to 'do justice' and seek what is right parallels Jeremiah's criterion for pardon—doing justice and seeking truth (faithfulness).
Alternative generated candidates
- Go about through the streets of Jerusalem; look and take note, search in her squares—if you can find a man, if there is one who does justice, who seeks faithfulness, I will pardon her.
- Walk the streets of Jerusalem; look and take notice; search her public squares—if you can find a man, if there is one who does justice and seeks faithfulness, I will pardon her.
Jer.5.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואם: CONJ
- חי: ADJ,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- יאמרו: VERB,qal,imprf,3,m,pl
- לכן: ADV
- לשקר: VERB,qal,inf
- ישבעו: VERB,qal,imprf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Jeremiah 7:9-10 (verbal): Same prophetic context condemning hypocrisy: lists 'swear falsely' among social and cultic sins and exposes the people's deceitful vows before God.
- Leviticus 19:12 (verbal): Legal prohibition against swearing falsely by God's name (’You shall not swear falsely by my name’), providing the covenantal background for condemning false oaths.
- Isaiah 59:4-5 (thematic): Condemns reliance on falsehood and speaking lies; thematically parallels Jeremiah’s critique of invoking God’s name while committing deception.
- Matthew 5:33-37 (thematic): Jesus' teaching against swearing oaths and insistence that one's speech be simply truthful echoes the prophetic rejection of perfunctory or false vows to God.
- James 5:12 (thematic): Echoes Jesus' ethic—do not swear but let 'Yes' be 'Yes'—reinforcing the New Testament continuation of the prophetic demand for veracity rather than false oaths.
Alternative generated candidates
- Though they swear by the life of the LORD, they swear falsely.
- Yet—even if they say, “As the LORD lives”—they swear falsely.
Jer.5.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- עיניך: NOUN,f,pl,abs+2ms
- הלוא: PART
- לאמונה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- הכיתה: VERB,qal,perf,2,mp
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- ולא: CONJ
- חלו: VERB,qal,perf,3,mp
- כליתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,mp
- מאנו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- קחת: VERB,qal,inf
- מוסר: NOUN,m,sg,const
- חזקו: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,pl
- פניהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- מסלע: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מאנו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- לשוב: INF,qal
Parallels
- Ezekiel 3:7 (verbal): Speaks of Israel being 'not willing to hear' and 'hard of forehead and obstinate of heart,' paralleling Jeremiah's image of faces hardened like rock and refusal to return.
- Proverbs 29:1 (verbal): Describes one who is often reproved but hardens his neck and is suddenly destroyed—parallels the idea of repeated correction without repentance in Jer 5:3.
- Psalm 81:11-12 (thematic): God laments that his people would not listen and were given over to stubbornness—thematic parallel to being stricken yet refusing correction and to return.
- Psalm 95:8-11 (verbal): Warnings against hardening the heart (as at Meribah) and consequent exclusion from God's rest echo Jeremiah's charge of a hardened, unrepentant people.
- Proverbs 1:24-33 (thematic): Wisdom's lament that repeated calls are refused and judgment follows mirrors Jeremiah's claim that chastening met with obstinacy and refusal to repent.
Alternative generated candidates
- O LORD, do Your eyes not search for faithfulness? You struck them, yet they did not change; You consumed them, but they refused correction; they hardened their faces like flint and would not return.
- O LORD, are not your eyes upon faithfulness? You have chastised them, and they did not repent; you consumed them, yet they refused correction; they have hardened their faces like rock; they would not return.
Jer.5.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואני: PRON,1,sg
- אמרתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,com,sg
- אך: PART
- דלים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- הם: PRON,personal,3,m,pl
- נואלו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- כי: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- ידעו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- דרך: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- משפט: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אלהיהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3mp
Parallels
- Hosea 4:6 (verbal): ‘My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge’ closely parallels Jeremiah’s complaint that people ‘do not know the way of the LORD’ — both link ignorance of God’s ways with judgment and ruin.
- Isaiah 5:13 (verbal): Isaiah likewise attributes exile and disaster to a lack of knowledge: ‘Therefore my people go into exile, because they have no knowledge,’ echoing Jeremiah’s theme that not knowing the LORD’s way leads to calamity.
- Jeremiah 2:8 (allusion): An intra‑Jeremian parallel: priests/teachers ‘did not know’ the LORD (did not inquire ‘Where is the LORD?’), echoing 5:4’s charge that people ‘do not know the way of the LORD’ and so fail in justice.
- Deuteronomy 32:28 (thematic): ‘There is no counsel, nor understanding...’ (Deut. 32:28) resonates with Jeremiah’s indictment of a people ignorant of God’s way and of right judgment — a broader theme of communal lack of wisdom and guidance.
Alternative generated candidates
- And I said, 'Only this—they are helpless, each one worthless; they do not know the way of the LORD, the justice of their God.'
- And I said, “Surely they are poor, they are fools; for they do not know the way of the LORD, the judgment of their God.”
Jer.5.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אלכה: VERB,qal,impf,1,?,sg
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- אל: NEG
- הגדלים: ADJ,m,pl,def
- ואדברה: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- אותם: PRON,3,m,pl,obj
- כי: CONJ
- המה: PRON,3,m,pl
- ידעו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- דרך: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- משפט: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אלהיהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3mp
- אך: PART
- המה: PRON,3,m,pl
- יחדו: ADV
- שברו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- על: PREP
- נתקו: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,pl
- מוסרות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
Parallels
- Jeremiah 5:31 (structural): Same prophetic context condemning leaders (prophets/priests) whose teaching and rule mislead the people — continuity of the charge that those in office fail to uphold God's way.
- Hosea 4:6 (thematic): Accuses Israel's leaders/priests of culpable ignorance and rejection of divine instruction — correlates with Jeremiah's indictment that leaders knew God's way yet broke the covenantal bonds.
- Ezekiel 34:2-4 (thematic): Ezekiel's denunciation of shepherds (leaders) who neglect and exploit the flock parallels Jeremiah's complaint that those who should lead in God's way have broken the yoke and burst the bonds.
- Psalm 2:3 (verbal): Uses similar imagery of 'breaking bands/cords' ('let us break their bonds/let us cast off their cords') echoing Jeremiah's language of breaking the yoke and bursting bonds.
- Micah 3:11 (thematic): Charges chiefs and priests with corrupting justice for gain and bringing ruin on Zion — parallels Jeremiah's theme of leaders who know God's ways yet pervert or abandon them.
Alternative generated candidates
- I will go to the leaders and speak to them; for they know the way of the LORD, the justice of their God. Yet they too have turned aside— they have broken the yoke and burst the bonds.
- I will go to the leaders and speak with them, for they should know the way of the LORD, the judgment of their God. But they—all of them—have dealt treacherously; they have broken the yoke and burst the bonds.
Jer.5.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- על: PREP
- כן: ADV
- הכם: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אריה: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- מיער: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- זאב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ערבות: NOUN,f,pl,cons
- ישדדם: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- נמר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שקד: VERB,qal,ptcp,NA,m,sg
- על: PREP
- עריהם: NOUN,f,pl,poss:3mp
- כל: DET
- היוצא: VERB,qal,ptc,ms,sg,def
- מהנה: PREP+PRON,3,f,pl
- יטרף: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- רבו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- פשעיהם: NOUN,m,pl,poss
- עצמו: PRON,3,m,sg
- משובותיהם: NOUN,f,pl,abs,poss:3,m,pl
Parallels
- Hosea 13:7-8 (verbal): Uses lion and leopard language for God’s punishment—close verbal parallel in predator imagery and the idea of being watched/attacked on the way.
- Leviticus 26:22 (thematic): God threatens to 'send wild beasts' among the people as punishment for disobedience—same theme of predators used as divine judgment.
- Isaiah 13:21-22 (thematic): Speaks of desert/wild animals inhabiting ruined cities and desolation—parallel theme of beasts and destruction following judgment.
- Jeremiah 4:7 (verbal): Earlier Jeremiah passage with similar motif: 'a lion is come up from his thicket'—comparable language of a predator bringing devastation.
- Deuteronomy 28:26 (thematic): Part of the covenant curses where corpses become food for birds and beasts—related idea of people/devastation being torn and consumed by animals as judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- Therefore I will make them like a lion from the forest, like a wolf of the desert that ravages; a leopard will watch their cities—everyone who goes out from there shall be torn, because their transgressions are many and their apostasies are great.
- Therefore I will make them like a lion from the forest, like a wolf of the wilderness that tears; a leopard watches their cities. Everyone who goes out from there shall be torn, because their sins are many, their rebellions are multiplied.
Jer.5.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אי: PRON,interrog
- לזאת: PREP+DEM,f,sg
- אסלח: VERB,qal,impf,1,?,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- בניך: NOUN,m,pl,abs+POSS,2,m,sg
- עזבוני: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl,suff_1cs
- וישבעו: VERB,qal,imf,3,m,pl
- בלא: PREP
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ואשבע: VERB,qal,impf,1,?,sg
- אותם: PRON,3,m,pl,obj
- וינאפו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ובית: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,cs
- זונה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יתגדדו: VERB,hitpael,impf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Jeremiah 2:20 (verbal): Same prophetic denunciation of Israel’s idolatrous 'harlotry' — abandoning YHWH and prostituting themselves on every high place (verbal and thematic continuity within Jeremiah).
- Hosea 4:10 (verbal): 'They shall eat, but not be satisfied; they shall play the harlot…' Echoes Jeremiah’s link between being fed/provided for and responding with sexualized imagery of unfaithfulness to God.
- Ezekiel 16:15 (thematic): God recounts how he nourished and adorned Jerusalem only for her to become a harlot — closely parallels the motif of divine provision followed by Israel’s adultery.
- Deuteronomy 32:15 (thematic): After God prospered and 'they grew fat,' Israel 'forsook the God who made him' — similar pattern of ingratitude and apostasy following divine blessing.
- Jeremiah 3:6–10 (thematic): Another Jeremiah passage treating Israel's spiritual adultery and legal/prophetic consequences (putting away/divorce imagery), developing the same unfaithfulness theme as 5:7.
Alternative generated candidates
- Shall I not punish them? declares the LORD. Your children have forsaken me and sworn by what is no god. Though I disciplined them, they committed adultery and multiplied houses of prostitution.
- How then shall I pardon you? Your children have forsaken me and sworn by that which is no god. I fed them, yet they committed adultery; they flocked to the houses of harlotry and multiplied therein.
Jer.5.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- סוסים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- מיזנים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- משכים: VERB,qal,ptc,-,m,pl
- היו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- אשת: NOUN,f,sg,cns
- רעהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- יצהלו: VERB,qal,imprf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Jeremiah 3:1-3 (thematic): Jeremiah elsewhere depicts Israel's political and religious unfaithfulness as sexual adultery; both passages use marital infidelity imagery to accuse the people of betraying covenant loyalties.
- Ezekiel 16:15-32 (allusion): Ezekiel's extended allegory portrays Jerusalem as an adulterous wife who lies with neighbors and foreign lovers—parallel sexualized language and charges of promiscuity and shame.
- Hosea 2:5-7 (thematic): Hosea likewise characterizes Israel's idolatry as whoredom, depicting pursuit of other 'lovers' and resulting disgrace—similar moral and prophetic framing of covenant violation.
- Deuteronomy 22:22 (verbal): The law forbids intercourse with another man's wife; Jeremiah's charge that men lie with their neighbor's wife echoes this legal/ethical prohibition and underscores social disorder.
- Habakkuk 1:8 (verbal): Habakkuk uses vivid horse imagery of swift, neighing warhorses to describe invading forces; the mention of horses/neighing in Jeremiah 5:8 evokes similar associations of wildness, violence, and disruption.
Alternative generated candidates
- They are like well-fed horses at dawn; every one neighs after his neighbor's wife.
- They are sleek, well-fed horses at dawn; each neighs after his neighbor’s wife.
Jer.5.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- העל: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אלה: DEM,pl,abs
- לוא: NEG
- אפקד: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- נאם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ואם: CONJ
- בגוי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- כזה: PRON,dem,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- תתנקם: VERB,hitpael,impf,3,f,sg
- נפשי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+1cs
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 32:35 (verbal): Contains the declaration 'Vengeance is mine; I will repay,' closely paralleling Jeremiah's claim that God will visit and take vengeance on a wicked nation.
- Romans 12:19 (quotation): Paul quotes Deut 32:35—'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord'—using the same principle that God, not humans, will avenge wrongdoing, echoing Jeremiah's announcement of divine retribution.
- Hebrews 10:30 (quotation): Explicitly cites 'Vengeance is mine; I will repay' from the Old Testament, applying the theme of God's vindication and judgment found in Jeremiah 5:9.
- Psalm 94:1-2 (thematic): A plea for God to act as judge and avenger ('O Lord, God of vengeance'), sharing the same theme of God visiting and vindicating against the wicked as in Jeremiah 5:9.
Alternative generated candidates
- Shall I not punish these things, declares the LORD? Or shall my soul not take vengeance on such a nation as this?
- Shall I not punish these things? declares the LORD. Shall my soul not take vengeance on such a nation as this?
Jer.5.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- עלו: PREP+3ms_suff
- בשרותיה: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs+3fs
- ושחתו: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,pl
- וכלה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- תעשו: VERB,qal,impv,2,pl
- הסירו: VERB,hiph,imp,2,m,pl
- נטישותיה: NOUN,f,pl,abs+3fs
- כי: CONJ
- לוא: NEG
- ליהוה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,def
- המה: PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Jeremiah 23:16 (thematic): Denounces false prophets and warns not to listen to those who claim to speak for YHWH — same theme of leaders/prophets who are not of the LORD.
- Ezekiel 13:6-9 (verbal): Ezekiel condemns prophets who prophesy from their own heart and give false security — parallel language and charge against false prophecy.
- 2 Kings 25:10 (structural): Report of the destruction of the king’s house and the city’s buildings during the Babylonian siege — parallels the command to go up on the walls and strip away defenses.
- Psalm 115:4-8 (thematic): Contrast between the living LORD and powerless idols (‘they have mouths but do not speak’) — echoes Jeremiah’s assertion that these figures/objects ‘are not the LORD.’
Alternative generated candidates
- Go up into her palaces and lay them waste; break down her strongholds—do not spare, for they are not the LORD's.
- They have climbed into their houses and done wickedness; they have destroyed and made a full end. Do not spare them—remove their spoil— for they are not the LORD’s.
Jer.5.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- בגוד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בגדו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- בי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ובית: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,cs
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- נאם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Jeremiah 3:20 (verbal): Nearly identical rebuke—’house of Israel and house of Judah’ charged with faithlessness to the LORD; parallel wording and covenant‑unfaithfulness motif.
- Hosea 11:7 (thematic): God accuses his people of turning away from him; thematically parallels Jeremiah’s charge of Israel/Judah’s treachery and refusal to return.
- Isaiah 1:4 (thematic): The nation is called sinful and accused of forsaking the LORD—similar language of rebellion and betrayal of the covenant.
- Ezekiel 23:37 (allusion): Ezekiel uses adulterous/prostitute imagery to depict Israel and Judah’s unfaithfulness to God, echoing Jeremiah’s charge of betrayal.
Alternative generated candidates
- For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt treacherously with me, declares the LORD.
- For treachery has dealt treacherously with me—the house of Israel and the house of Judah, declares the LORD.
Jer.5.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כחשו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- ביהוה: PREP+PN,sg
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- לא: PART_NEG
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- תבוא: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- עלינו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- רעה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וחרב: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ורעב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לוא: NEG
- נראה: VERB,nip,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Zephaniah 1:12 (verbal): Uses virtually the same language and idea — condemns those who say in their hearts the LORD will neither do good nor do harm, expressing the same complacant denial of divine judgment.
- Amos 6:1 (thematic): Condemns the complacent elite 'at ease in Zion' who presume security and ignore impending judgment, echoing Jeremiah's critique of false confidence that calamity will not come.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:3 (thematic): Speaks of a false sense of 'peace and safety' followed by sudden destruction — a New Testament parallel to the prophetic rebuke of those who deny that disaster will befall them.
- Jeremiah 18:7-10 (structural): Within Jeremiah's prophetic framework this passage treats God's responsiveness in judgment and mercy; it addresses misconceptions about God's action and underscores that people cannot assume immunity from divine retribution.
Alternative generated candidates
- They have lied against the LORD and said, 'No harm will come upon us; we shall not see sword or famine.'
- They have lied to the LORD and said, “He will not bring calamity upon us; neither shall sword nor famine be seen among us.”
Jer.5.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והנביאים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- יהיו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- לרוח: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- והדבר: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,def
- אין: PART,neg
- בהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- כה: ADV
- יעשה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Jeremiah 23:16-22 (verbal): Same prophet Jeremiah condemns false prophets who 'speak a vision of their own heart' and 'have not stood in my council'—echoes 'the word is not in them' and the judgment that follows.
- Ezekiel 13:2-7 (thematic): Ezekiel rebukes 'foolish prophets' who follow their own spirit and utter 'vanity and lying divination,' paralleling Jeremiah's charge that the prophets are empty wind and lack God's word.
- Deuteronomy 18:20-22 (structural): The Torah's test and judgment of false prophecy (a prophet who speaks presumptuously or whose word does not come to pass is not from the LORD) undergirds Jeremiah's condemnation of prophets without God's word.
- Micah 3:5-7 (thematic): Micah criticizes prophets who prophesy deceit and lead people astray with empty visions—thematically paralleling Jeremiah's portrayal of prophets as wind with no true word from God.
- Matthew 7:15-20 (thematic): Jesus' warning to 'beware of false prophets' and to judge them by their fruits resonates with Jeremiah's denunciation of prophets whose words are empty and who will receive judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- The prophets are wind; the word is not in them—thus shall it be done to them.
- The prophets are wind; the word is not in them. So it shall be done to them.
Jer.5.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לכן: ADV
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- צבאות: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- יען: CONJ
- דברכם: NOUN,m,sg,abs,2,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- הדבר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- הנני: PRT+PRON,1,sg
- נתן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- דברי: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,1,c,sg
- בפיך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+2ms
- לאש: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- והעם: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- עצים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ואכלתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
Parallels
- Jeremiah 23:29 (verbal): Uses the same simile of God's word as fire—“Is not my word like a fire?”—directly parallels “my words in your mouth a fire.”
- Jeremiah 20:9 (verbal): The prophet describes God’s word as a burning fire in his bones that he cannot hold back, echoing the inward/active, consuming image of prophetic speech as fire.
- Jeremiah 23:15 (thematic): God’s judgment on false prophets—feeding them wormwood and poison—relates to the motif that prophetic words/instruments bring divine punishment on the people and the prophets.
- Deuteronomy 32:22 (thematic): God’s anger kindled as a consuming fire that makes the earth/people fuel for the flame—parallels the image of the people as wood to be devoured by the fire of God’s word/anger.
Alternative generated candidates
- Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: Because you have spoken this word, behold, I put my words in your mouth as fire, and this people wood—and the fire shall devour them.
- Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: Because you have spoken this word, behold, I will put my words in your mouth as fire, and this people as wood; and the fire shall devour them.
Jer.5.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הנני: PRT+PRON,1,sg
- מביא: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- עליכם: PREP+PRON,2mp
- גוי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ממרחק: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נאם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- גוי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- איתן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- גוי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מעולם: ADV
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- גוי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- תדע: VERB,qal,impf,2,ms,sg
- לשנו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- ולא: CONJ
- תשמע: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- מה: PRON,int
- ידבר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 28:49 (verbal): Speaks of God bringing 'a nation from afar' whose language you will not understand as part of the curses — language and foreign invader motif closely parallels Jeremiah 5:15.
- Habakkuk 1:6 (thematic): God announces raising up a distant, ruthless people (the Chaldeans/Babylonians) to enact judgment — similar theme of a powerful foreign nation used as divine instrument.
- Jeremiah 25:9 (structural): Within Jeremiah the prophecy that God will summon the nations of the north (Nebuchadnezzar/Babylon) to punish Judah mirrors 5:15's announcement of a distant nation brought against Israel.
- Isaiah 28:11 (allusion): Declares God will speak to the people 'with stammering lips and another tongue' — a prophetic motif of foreign speech as a sign/judgment that echoes the 'language you do not know' in Jeremiah 5:15.
- 1 Corinthians 14:21 (quotation): Paul quotes Isaiah 28:11 about 'another tongue' to explain foreign-speech imagery; this NT citation reflects the prophetic tradition that links foreign languages with divine judgment found in Jeremiah 5:15.
Alternative generated candidates
- Behold, I bring upon you a nation from far away, O house of Israel, declares the LORD. A mighty nation—an ancient people—you will not know their language, nor understand what they say.
- Behold, I am bringing upon you a nation from afar, O house of Israel, declares the LORD. A mighty nation—an ancient nation—you shall not know its language nor understand what it speaks.
Jer.5.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אשפתו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- כקבר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- פתוח: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- כלם: PRON,3,m,pl
- גבורים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Ezek. 32:27 (verbal): Ezekiel depicts mighty warriors lying in the grave with language close to Jeremiah's—mighty men brought low and associated with the open pit/sepulchre motif.
- Isa. 5:14 (thematic): Uses the image of Sheol/pit opening its mouth (an expanded death-grave motif) to portray the inescapable power of death over the proud, paralleling Jeremiah's 'open grave' image.
- Ps. 49:14-15 (thematic): Speaks of the mighty and wealthy being appointed for Sheol and of death’s leveling power—theme of powerful men ultimately consumed by the grave, echoing Jeremiah's juxtaposition of 'mighty' and open tomb.
- Matt. 23:27 (allusion): Jesus' ‘whitewashed tombs’ image evokes exposed graves and hypocrisy; visually and rhetorically related to Jeremiah’s motif of open graves revealing the fate of the proud/mighty.
Alternative generated candidates
- Their appearance is like an open grave; all of them are warriors.
- Its archers are like an open grave; every one is a mighty man.
Jer.5.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואכל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- קצירך: NOUN,m,sg,abs,poss:2,m
- ולחמך: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יאכלו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- בניך: NOUN,m,pl,abs+POSS,2,m,sg
- ובנותיך: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- יאכל: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- צאנך: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- ובקרך: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs+POSS,2,m,sg
- יאכל: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- גפנך: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ותאנתך: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ירשש: VERB,qal,impf,3,pl
- ערי: NOUN,f,pl,cons
- מבצריך: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- בוטח: PART,qal,act,m,sg
- בהנה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- בחרב: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 28:30-33 (verbal): Part of the covenant curses: planting/harvestes wasted, you will not enjoy your vineyard, sons and daughters given to another nation — language and sequence closely parallel Jeremiah's list of losses (harvest, children, flocks, vine/fig).
- Leviticus 26:31-33 (thematic): Covenantal punishment formula: cities laid waste, people scattered, sword/pursuit by enemies — echoes Jeremiah's promise of siege, despoiling of possessions, and exile as consequence of unfaithfulness.
- Isaiah 5:2-6 (thematic): Vineyard imagery used to diagnose failure and announce judgment: the cultivated vine yields ruin or is left to be devoured — parallels Jeremiah's image of vine and fig tree being laid waste and possessions consumed.
- Joel 1:12-17 (thematic): Laments over ruined fields, dried vines and figs, loss of grain and wine, and communal mourning before the coming judgment — similar motifs of harvest loss, ruined trees, and devastation of the land found in Jeremiah 5:17.
Alternative generated candidates
- They shall eat your harvest and your bread; they shall eat your sons and your daughters; they shall eat your flocks and your herds; they shall eat your vines and your fig trees; they shall lay waste your fortified cities in which you trust with the sword.
- They shall eat your harvest and your bread; they shall eat your sons and your daughters; they shall eat your flocks and your herds; they shall eat your vines and your fig trees; they shall lay waste the fortified cities in which you trust with the sword.
Jer.5.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וגם: CONJ
- בימים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ההמה: DEM,m,pl
- נאם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- אעשה: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- אתכם: PRT+PRON,2,m,pl
- כלה: ADV
Parallels
- Jeremiah 30:11 (verbal): In a promise of future restoration God says he will not make the people a complete end—echoes the same assurance of not utterly destroying Israel.
- Amos 9:8 (verbal): God declares he will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob—explicitly parallels the language and idea of refusing to make Israel a total end.
- Deuteronomy 4:30–31 (thematic): When Israel faces distress God will be merciful and not abandon or utterly destroy them; thematically parallels divine restraint and preservation.
- Hosea 11:8–9 (thematic): God's compassion and refusal to execute total destruction on Israel ("how can I give you up?") resonates with Jeremiah's declaration that he will not make them an end.
Alternative generated candidates
- Yet in those days, declares the LORD, I will not make a full end of you.
- Yet in those days, declares the LORD, I will not make a full end of you.
Jer.5.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והיה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- תאמרו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- תחת: PREP
- מה: PRON,int
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהינו: NOUN,m,pl,abs,poss:1,pl
- לנו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- אלה: DEM,pl,abs
- ואמרת: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- אליהם: PREP,3,m,pl
- כאשר: CONJ
- עזבתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- אותי: PRON,1,sg,acc
- ותעבדו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- נכר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בארצכם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg+PRON,2m,pl
- כן: ADV
- תעבדו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- זרים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בארץ: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,def
- לא: PART_NEG
- לכם: PREP,2,m,pl
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 28:36 (verbal): Speaks of the LORD bringing you and your king to a nation you have not known—language and idea parallel Jeremiah’s warning about serving strangers in a land not your own.
- Deuteronomy 28:64 (thematic): Promises that the LORD will scatter Israel among the nations as judgment for disobedience—connects the exile-as-punishment motif underlying Jeremiah’s reply.
- Leviticus 26:33 (verbal): Declares that God will scatter Israel among the nations and leave them desolate—verbal and causal link to punishment for abandoning God and serving foreign gods.
- 2 Kings 17:23 (structural): Narrates Israel’s exile to Assyria because they served other gods; mirrors Jeremiah’s cause‑and‑effect formula (idolatry → removal to foreign land).
- 2 Chronicles 36:20-21 (thematic): Describes Judah’s exile to Babylon as consequence of persistent idolatry and disobedience—parallels Jeremiah’s explanation that foreign servitude results from abandoning YHWH.
Alternative generated candidates
- When you then ask, 'Why has the LORD our God done all these things to us?' you shall say to them: 'Because you forsook me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve strangers in a land that is not yours.'
- And it shall be, when you say, “Why has the LORD our God done all these things to us?” you shall then answer them: “As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve strangers in a land that is not yours.”
Jer.5.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הגידו: VERB,hiph,impv,2,m,pl
- זאת: DEM,f,sg
- בבית: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,def
- יעקב: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- והשמיעוה: VERB,hiph,impv,2,m,pl
- ביהודה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
Parallels
- Jeremiah 2:4 (verbal): Same summons formula—'Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob'—addressing the house of Jacob/Israel to receive a prophetic proclamation.
- Amos 3:1 (verbal): Opens with 'Hear this word that the LORD has spoken against you, O children of Israel'—a like introductory summons to announce a divine message to Israel.
- Isaiah 1:2 (structural): Begins with a broad call to hear ('Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth')—parallel in function as an opening summons to proclaim God’s words to the community.
- Ezekiel 3:4–5 (thematic): God commissions the prophet to 'speak my words to them' and to deliver a message to the house of Israel—similar prophetic mandate to declare and publish God’s word to the people.
Alternative generated candidates
- Speak this in the house of Jacob; make it heard in Judah, saying:
- Declare this in the house of Jacob; publish it in Judah, saying:
Jer.5.21 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- שמעו: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,pl
- נא: PART
- זאת: DEM,f,sg
- עם: PREP
- סכל: ADJ,m,sg
- ואין: CONJ+PART,exist
- לב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עינים: NOUN,f,du,abs
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- ולא: CONJ
- יראו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- אזנים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- ולא: CONJ
- ישמעו: VERB,qal,imf,3,mp
Parallels
- Isaiah 6:9-10 (verbal): Isaiah is commissioned to proclaim a message that people will hear but not understand and see but not perceive—language and rhetorical pattern closely parallel 'they have eyes but do not see, ears but do not hear.'
- Isaiah 29:10 (verbal): Speaks of the LORD pouring out a spirit of deep sleep and closing eyes and sealing ears—similar imagery of spiritual insensitivity and divine judgment on perception and hearing.
- Mark 8:18 (verbal): Jesus rebukes the disciples with the rhetorical questions 'having eyes, do you not see? and having ears, do you not hear?,' echoing the same contrast between physical senses and spiritual perception.
- Romans 11:8 (quotation): Paul cites Isaiah to describe a 'spirit of stupor' with 'eyes that cannot see and ears that cannot hear,' explicitly using the Isaiah/Jeremianic motif of judicial blinding/deafening to explain Israel's hardening.
Alternative generated candidates
- Hear this, O foolish people, who have no heart—who have eyes and do not see, who have ears and do not hear.
- Hear this, O foolish people, without understanding—who have eyes and do not see, who have ears and do not hear.
Jer.5.22 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- האותי: NOUN,f,sg,abs,1s
- לא: PART_NEG
- תיראו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- נאם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אם: CONJ
- מפני: PREP
- לא: PART_NEG
- תחילו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- אשר: PRON,rel
- שמתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- חול: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- גבול: NOUN,m,sg,cs
- לים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- חק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עולם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- יעברנהו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg,3s
- ויתגעשו: VERB,hithpael,impf,3,m,pl
- ולא: CONJ
- יוכלו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- והמו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- גליו: NOUN,m,pl,abs,3,ms
- ולא: CONJ
- יעברנהו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg,3s
Parallels
- Job 38:8-11 (verbal): God describes setting bars and limits on the sea and commanding it 'Thus far shall you come, and no farther,' closely paralleling Jeremiah's imagery of fixed bounds for the waters and waves that cannot pass them.
- Psalm 104:9 (verbal): Speaks of God setting a boundary for the waters so they shall not pass over it—language and theme nearly identical to Jeremiah's 'I have set sand as its boundary... it shall not pass it.'
- Job 26:10 (thematic): Describes God inscribing a boundary on the face of the waters, echoing Jeremiah's motif of divine limits imposed on the sea.
- Nahum 1:4 (thematic): Affirms God's sovereign control over the sea—he rebukes the sea and dries up rivers—paralleling Jeremiah's assertion that the waves may roar but cannot prevail against God's decree.
Alternative generated candidates
- Do you not fear me? says the LORD. Will you not tremble before me, who set the sand as the bound of the sea—an everlasting limit which it cannot pass, though its waves roar they cannot prevail; though they lift up their voice, they cannot go over it.
- Will you not fear me? declares the LORD. Will you not tremble before my presence, who set the sand as the bound of the sea—an everlasting limit it shall not pass; though its waves roar, they shall not prevail; though the sea lifts its voice, it shall not pass over it?
Jer.5.23 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ולעם: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- היה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- סורר: ADJ,m,sg
- ומורה: CONJ+ADJ,m,sg
- סרו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- וילכו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 21:18 (verbal): Uses the identical legal phrase לב סורר ומורה (“a stubborn and rebellious son”); same Hebrew wording for stubborn/rebellious heart.
- Psalm 78:8 (verbal): Speaks of a ‘stubborn and rebellious generation’ (דור סורר ומורה), close verbal and thematic parallel to Jeremiah’s characterization.
- Ezekiel 2:3-4 (allusion): God commissions Ezekiel to a ‘rebellious house’; language and situation echo Jeremiah’s depiction of a people with a rebellious heart who refuse to listen.
- Jeremiah 7:24 (thematic): Same prophet condemns the people for not listening and for following the stubbornness of their evil hearts—parallel charge of turning aside.
- Isaiah 63:10 (thematic): Describes Israel’s rebellion and grieving of the Spirit and their turning away from God—themewise connection to a people with a perverse, rebellious heart.
Alternative generated candidates
- For this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and gone.
- For this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and gone away.
Jer.5.24 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ולא: CONJ
- אמרו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- בלבבם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+3mp-suf
- נירא: VERB,qal,impf,1,pl
- נא: PART
- את: PRT,acc
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהינו: NOUN,m,pl,abs,poss:1,pl
- הנתן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- גשם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יורה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ומלקוש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בעתו: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+3ms
- שבעות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- חקות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- קציר: NOUN,m,sg,construct
- ישמר: VERB,qal,imprf,3,m,sg
- לנו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 11:13-14 (verbal): Promises that if Israel fears and obeys Yahweh he will give rain in its season—language and conditional link between fearing God and receiving seasonal rain echoes Jeremiah 5:24.
- Leviticus 26:4 (verbal): God's covenant formula: 'I will give you rain in its season'—directly parallels the promise of timely rain cited in Jeremiah 5:24.
- Joel 2:23 (verbal): Speaks of 'the former and the latter rain' given by the LORD to satisfy his people—uses the same seasonal rain imagery found in Jeremiah 5:24.
- Jeremiah 14:22 (thematic): Rhetorical question denying that pagan idols give rain, implicitly calling people to acknowledge Yahweh as the giver of rain—closely parallels the theological concern of 5:24.
- Amos 4:7-8 (thematic): Describes the LORD's control over rain—withholding and sending it as judgment or restoration—echoing Jeremiah's emphasis on Yahweh as the source and regulator of seasonal rains and harvest.
Alternative generated candidates
- They do not say in their hearts, 'Let us fear the LORD our God, who gives rain, the former and the latter, in its season, who keeps for us the appointed weeks of the harvest.'
- They have not said in their hearts, “Let us fear the LORD our God, who gives rain, the former and the latter, in its season; who guards the appointed weeks of the harvest for us.”
Jer.5.25 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- עונותיכם: NOUN,m,pl,suf
- הטו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- אלה: DEM,pl,abs
- וחטאותיכם: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,cs
- מנעו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- הטוב: ADJ,m,sg,def
- מכם: PREP,2,m,pl
Parallels
- Isaiah 59:2 (allusion): Explicitly links sin/iniquity with separation from God and the hiding of his face—close verbal and theological parallel to sins withholding good.
- Psalm 66:18 (verbal): States that regarding iniquity in the heart prevents God from hearing prayer—similar causal claim that sin blocks blessing or divine favor.
- Proverbs 13:21 (thematic): Offers the wisdom theme that evil consequences follow sinners while the righteous receive good, reflecting the idea that sin results in deprivation of good.
- Deuteronomy 28:20 (structural): Part of the covenantal curse tradition where disobedience brings curses and lack of prosperity—contextual background for Jeremiah’s claim that sin withholds good.
Alternative generated candidates
- Your offenses have turned these away, and your sins have withheld good from you.
- Your iniquities have turned these away, and your sins have withheld good from you.
Jer.5.26 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- נמצאו: VERB,niphal,perf,3,pl
- בעמי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,poss,1
- רשעים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ישור: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כשך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יקושים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- הציבו: VERB,hifil,perf,3,m,pl
- משחית: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אנשים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ילכדו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Psalm 10:9 (verbal): Describes the wicked lying in wait like a lion and setting a net to catch the poor—same image of ambush and snares as Jeremiah 5:26.
- Proverbs 1:11-12 (thematic): Speaks of companions lying in wait for blood and ambushing the innocent—similar theme of predatory, treacherous people setting traps for others.
- Psalm 35:7-8 (verbal): Prays that the nets the wicked hid may capture them—explicit use of nets/snares imagery and the motif of ambush reflected in Jeremiah 5:26.
- Psalm 140:5 (verbal): Complains that insolent men have hidden a snare and spread a net along the path—closely parallels the language of enemies setting traps to catch people.
Alternative generated candidates
- For among my people are found wicked men—like trappers who set snares; they catch men.
- For among my people are found wicked men—like fowler’s snares are their ways; they set a trap and catch men.
Jer.5.27 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ככלוב: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלא: ADJ,m,sg
- עוף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כן: ADV
- בתיהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- מלאים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- מרמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- כן: ADV
- גדלו: NOUN,m,sg,abs,suff:3ms
- ויעשירו: VERB,hiphil,impf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Jeremiah 5:26 (structural): Immediate context—repeats the charge that among the people are men who lie in wait and whose houses are full of deceit, closely mirroring v.27's image and theme.
- Amos 6:1,4-6 (thematic): Condemns the complacent, well-to-do in Zion whose comfortable houses and luxury (indicating prosperity built on injustice) parallel Jeremiah's picture of households full of deceit that grow rich.
- Proverbs 21:6 (verbal): Speaks of gaining treasures by a lying tongue—links the idea of wealth acquired through deceit to the judgment theme in Jeremiah 5:27.
- Psalm 10:7 (thematic): Describes the wicked whose mouth is full of deceit and oppression; parallels the moral character of those whose houses are 'full of deceit' and who prosper thereby.
Alternative generated candidates
- Their houses are full of deceit, like a cage full of birds; therefore they grow and become rich.
- Like a cage full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit; therefore they grow great and rich.
Jer.5.28 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- שמנו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1,pl
- עשתו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- גם: ADV
- עברו: VERB,qal,imp,2,pl
- דברי: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,1,c,sg
- רע: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- דין: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- דנו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- דין: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יתום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויצליחו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ומשפט: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אביונים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- שפטו: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,pl
Parallels
- Isaiah 1:23 (verbal): Isaiah charges leaders who love bribes and 'do not defend the fatherless' and 'do not uphold the right of the poor,' language very close to Jeremiah 5:28.
- Psalm 82:3-4 (verbal): A direct call to 'defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed,' echoing Jeremiah's indictment of failure to judge for the needy.
- Ezekiel 22:29-30 (allusion): Depicts societal extortion and oppression of the poor and notes absence of one to intercede—parallel imagery of corrupt society prospering while justice for the needy is neglected.
- Jeremiah 22:3 (thematic): Within Jeremiah the prophet repeatedly demands justice for victims of oppression ('do justice and righteousness, deliver the robbed'), reflecting the same ethical charge as 5:28.
- Zechariah 7:10 (verbal): A prophetic injunction 'do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the sojourner or the poor,' closely matching Jeremiah's concern for orphans and the needy.
Alternative generated candidates
- They are sleek and fat; they do not judge the cause; the cause of the needy and poor does not come before them.
- They have grown fat and sleek; they do not judge the cause of the orphan; the right of the poor does not come to them.
Jer.5.29 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- העל: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אלה: DEM,pl,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- אפקד: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- נאם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אם: CONJ
- בגוי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- כזה: PRON,dem,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- תתנקם: VERB,hithp,impf,3,f,sg
- נפשי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+1cs
Parallels
- Deut.32:35 (verbal): Uses the formula of divine vengeance (“Vengeance is mine; I will repay”)—parallels Jeremiah’s declaration that the Lord’s soul will be avenged on a nation.
- Rom.12:19 (quotation): New Testament citation of Deut.32:35 (“Vengeance is mine, I will repay”); echoes the principle that God, not humans, will execute retribution—resonates with Jeremiah’s claim about God avenging His soul.
- Nahum 1:2 (thematic): Proclaims the LORD as an avenging, jealous God who takes vengeance and is furious—thematically close to Jeremiah’s assertion of divine retribution against a nation.
- Ezek.25:17 (verbal): God announces execution of great vengeance upon nations and adds the purpose that they will know the LORD—language and purpose of divine punishment parallel Jeremiah’s pronouncement.
- Ps.94:1-2 (thematic): Invocation of God as the one to whom vengeance belongs and who will repay; reflects the Psalms’ trust in divine justice comparable to Jeremiah’s statement about God avenging Himself.
Alternative generated candidates
- Shall I not punish these, declares the LORD? Or shall my soul not take vengeance on such a nation as this?
- Shall I not punish these things? declares the LORD. Shall my soul not take vengeance on such a nation as this?
Jer.5.30 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- שמה: ADV
- ושערורה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- נהיתה: VERB,nip,perf,3,f,sg
- בארץ: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,def
Parallels
- Jeremiah 23:14 (verbal): Uses the same condemnation of prophetic corruption—'an horrible thing' and false prophecy in Jerusalem; close verbal and thematic affinity to Jer 5:30–31.
- Ezekiel 13:10-11 (thematic): Denounces false prophets who prophecy out of their own heart and give false comfort—parallel critique of deceptive prophecy and its social harm.
- Zephaniah 3:4 (verbal): Speaks of prophets as 'light and treacherous' and priests profaning the sanctuary—similar charge against both prophets and priests as corrupting the land.
- Micah 3:5-7 (thematic): Condemns prophets and priests who lead the people astray by flattering or false words and promises, anticipating Jeremiah’s indictment of religious leaders.
- Hosea 4:6 (thematic): Links the people's ruin to lack of knowledge and faithfulness caused by corrupt leadership—echoes Jeremiah’s theme of leadership failure producing national disaster.
Alternative generated candidates
- Scorn and disgrace have come upon the land.
- Shame and reproach have come into the land.
Jer.5.31 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הנביאים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- נבאו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- בשקר: PREP
- והכהנים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- ירדו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- על: PREP
- ידיהם: NOUN,f,pl,abs+3,m,pl
- ועמי: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs,poss1s
- אהבו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg,3ms.obj
- כן: ADV
- ומה: CONJ+PRON,int
- תעשו: VERB,qal,impv,2,pl
- לאחריתה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+3,f,sg
Parallels
- Jeremiah 6:13 (verbal): Same book and close context — accuses prophets and priests of dealing falsely and corrupting the people, echoing the charge that prophets ‘prophesy falsely’ and priests lead by them.
- Ezekiel 13:2-9 (thematic): Condemns false prophets who prophesy out of their own hearts and give the people false hope — parallels Jeremiah’s denunciation of deceptive prophecy and its destructive outcome.
- Micah 3:5-7 (thematic): Speaks of prophets who lead God’s people astray and of leaders who benefit from false prophecy — similar critique of prophetic and priestly abuse and the people’s willingness to accept it.
- Isaiah 30:10-11 (thematic): Speaks of hearers demanding soothing, false assurances (‘speak unto us smooth things’) — parallels Jeremiah’s observation that ‘my people love to have it so.’
- Jeremiah 8:11 (verbal): Criticizes prophets who heal the people superficially, saying ‘Peace, peace, when there is no peace’ — closely echoes the motif of false reassurance in 5:31.
Alternative generated candidates
- The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their hands, and my people love to have it so—what will you do at the end?
- The prophets prophesy lies, the priests profane by their hands, and my people love to have it so. What then will you do at the end?
Walk about in the streets of Jerusalem, look and take note; search her squares—if you can find one man, if there is anyone who does justice and seeks faithfulness—I will pardon her.
Yet they swear falsely: ‘As the LORD lives!’—and swear to a lie.
O LORD, are your eyes not on truth? You struck them, yet they did not grieve; you consumed them, yet they did not cease; they hardened their faces like flint—refusing to return. And I said, ‘Only the poor and the simple remain—fools, for they do not know the way of the LORD or the justice of their God.’
I will go to the leaders and speak with them, for they know the way of the LORD, the justice of their God; but they—yes, they—have each broken the yoke and burst the bonds.
Therefore I will make them like a lion from the forest, like a wolf of the wastes to devastate them; like a leopard lurking round their towns—everyone who goes out from there shall be torn in pieces. For their sins are many, their rebellions great.
Shall I not punish them? Their children have forsaken me and sworn by what is not God. I will punish them—yet they commit adultery; the house of harlotry grows strong.
Like stallions they neigh at dawn; every man rouses himself—each covets his neighbor’s wife.
Shall I not visit these things?—declares the LORD. Shall I not take vengeance on a nation such as this?
Go up into their strongholds and palaces and destroy; bring them to ruin—leave them no refuge; for they are not the LORD’s.
For they have both betrayed me—the house of Israel and the house of Judah, declares the LORD.
They have lied to the LORD and said, ‘He will not bring calamity upon us; no sword or famine will come to us.’
The prophets are wind; the word is not in them—so it shall be done to them.
Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: Because you have said this word, behold I will set my words in your mouth as fire, and this people wood, and they shall devour them.
Behold, I am bringing upon you a nation from afar, O house of Israel—declares the LORD—an ancient, mighty nation; you shall not know its language, and you will not understand what it speaks.
Its uproar is like an open sepulcher; all of them are warriors.
They shall consume your harvest and your bread; your sons and your daughters shall be devoured; your flocks and your herds shall be taken; your vines and your fig trees shall be ruined; the fortified cities in which you trust shall be laid waste by the sword.
Yet in those days—declares the LORD—I will not make a complete end of you. And it shall be, when you ask, ‘Why has the LORD our God done all this to us?’—you shall say to them, ‘Because you abandoned me and served foreign gods in your land, so shall you serve foreigners in a land that is not yours.’
Declare this in the house of Jacob; proclaim it in Judah, saying:
Hear this, foolish people without sense—who have eyes and do not see, ears and do not hear.
Do you not fear me?—declares the LORD; will you not tremble before me? I set the sand as the boundary for the sea, a perpetual limit which it cannot pass; though its waves roar, they cannot prevail; though they surge, they cannot cross it. But this people has a stubborn, rebellious heart; they have turned aside and gone away.
They do not say in their hearts, ‘Let us fear the LORD our God, who gives the former and the latter rain in its season, who keeps for us the weeks of the harvest.’
Your iniquities have turned these away, and your sins have withheld good from you.
For there are found among my people wicked men who crouch like fowlers with snares; they set a trap and catch men.
Their houses are full, like a birdcage—full of deceit; therefore they prosper and grow rich.
They are fat and sleek; they have grown wealthy and have done evil— they do not judge the cause, the case of the orphan is not heard, and justice for the needy does not come.
Shall I not punish these, declares the LORD? Shall I not take vengeance on a nation such as this?
Shame and disgrace have become in the land.
The prophets prophesy lies; the priests rule by their hand; and my people love to have it so. Yet what will you do at the end?