Jeremiah 5 26

Jeremiah 5:26 kjv

For among my people are found wicked men: they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men.

Jeremiah 5:26 nkjv

'For among My people are found wicked men; They lie in wait as one who sets snares; They set a trap; They catch men.

Jeremiah 5:26 niv

"Among my people are the wicked who lie in wait like men who snare birds and like those who set traps to catch people.

Jeremiah 5:26 esv

For wicked men are found among my people; they lurk like fowlers lying in wait. They set a trap; they catch men.

Jeremiah 5:26 nlt

"Among my people are wicked men
who lie in wait for victims like a hunter hiding in a blind.
They continually set traps
to catch people.

Jeremiah 5 verses

Jeremiah 5 26 Meaning

This verse describes a spiritual condition where God's people have turned away from Him, accumulating wicked deeds and acting as collectors or hoarders of injustice and sin. The "good" is not found among them because their hearts and actions are consistently opposed to divine principles.

Jeremiah 5 26 Context

Jeremiah 5 speaks of Jerusalem's deep-seated corruption and impending judgment. The preceding verse, 5:25, states that the people's sins have prevented the good rains from falling. Verse 26 serves as an explanation for this spiritual drought and impending doom, revealing that wickedness has become deeply entrenched within the very fabric of society, even among those who should know better. The prophet is diagnosing the spiritual sickness of Judah, a sickness that makes them unreceptive to God's blessings and increasingly vulnerable to divine judgment.

Jeremiah 5 26 Word Analysis

• "For" (Ki - כִּי): This is a conjunction indicating a reason or explanation for the preceding statement. It signals that what follows will justify why the good rains are withheld.
• "among" (Bekerev - בְּקֶרֶב): Within; in the midst of; among. Highlights the pervasive nature of the sin. It is not isolated but widespread throughout the community.
• "my people" (Ami - עַמִּי): Refers to the covenant people of Israel, emphasizing that this wickedness is found within God's chosen nation. This is particularly poignant, as their sin is a betrayal of their covenant relationship with God.
• "are found" (Nimtsa’u - נִמְצָאוּ): Passively found; discovered; existed. Implies that these wicked individuals are present and evident within the community.
• "wicked men" (Resha'im - רְשָׁעִים): Those who are evil, unjust, guilty, wicked, or unrighteous. This is a strong term for moral depravity and rebellion against God.
• "ye" (Attem - אַתֶּם): Pronoun, plural, referring back to "my people."
• "lay wait" (Orov - אֹרְבִים): To lie in wait; to lurk; to plot secretly. This suggests calculated sin and deception, akin to predatory behavior. It speaks of ambushing others for ill-gotten gain or harm.
• "as fowlers" (Kephakh'kim - כְּפַחִים): Like bird-catchers. This simile compares the wicked to hunters who set traps to capture birds. It emphasizes their deceptive and predatory methods used to ensnare and exploit others.
• "contrive" (Mechashash - מְחַשָּׁשׁ): To grope; to search out; to plot; to devise. Indicates cunning and systematic planning in their wicked schemes. They actively seek out opportunities to sin and exploit.
• "a net" (Cherem - חֶרֶם): A net; a trap. The instrument used by the fowlers to ensnare prey. Metaphorically, their wicked plans and actions are the traps that capture and harm others.
• "they set" (Saim - שָׂמוּ): To place; to set; to establish. Action of establishing or putting in place the traps.
• "a trap" (Mokhesh - מוֹקֵשׁ): A snare; a trap; a trap for game. Another word for a device used to catch.
• "their house" (Beitham - בֵּיתָם): Their house; their dwelling. Can refer to their literal homes, but also metaphorically to their position or status within society.
• "is full" (Mala’ - מָלְאָה): To be full; to be complete. Their entire environment, influence, and way of life are saturated with this practice.
• "of deceit" (Mirmah - מִרְמָה): Deceit; treachery; fraud; guile. Highlights the dishonest and untrustworthy nature of their actions.
• "therefore" (Al-ken - עַל-כֵּן): Because of this; therefore. Connects their sinfulness to their elevated status and prosperity.
• "they have become" (Gidlu - גָּדְלוּ): They have become great; grown large; proud. Their sin has paradoxically led to their prominence and size in the nation. It is a twisted form of prosperity resulting from ungodliness.
• "great" (Gedolayim - גְּדֹלָיִם): Great ones; mighty ones; important ones. This term signifies their social or economic power.
• "and" (ve - וְ): Conjunction.
• "fat" (Basayim - בָּסוּקִים): Well-fed; fat. Refers to their physical prosperity, wealth, and indulgence. This contrasts sharply with the spiritual emptiness described earlier.
• "and" (ve - וְ): Conjunction.
• "shine" (Bake’u - בָּקְעוּ): They break forth; they shine. Implies a vigorous flourishing and success in their ventures, though it is a success built on corruption.
• "yea" (Ki gam - כִּי גַּם): Also; moreover; indeed even. Emphasizes the extent of their prospering.
• "they have also" (gam govo’u - גַּם גָּבְהוּ): They are also arrogant; proud. This boldness is fueled by their ill-gotten gains.
• "transgressed" (Anvo – עָוֹן): Sin; iniquity. The act of going beyond limits, turning away from God's law.
• "and" (ve – וְ): Conjunction.
• "done wickedly" (Heh’teu – הֶחֱטִיאוּ): They have made others sin; acted sinfully. Can imply either committing sin themselves or causing others to sin.

Group Analysis:

• "lay wait... as fowlers... contrive a net": This cluster emphasizes deliberate, insidious sin. It portrays sinners not as falling into temptation by accident, but actively creating traps for others, like hunters plotting to catch prey.
• "their house is full of deceit": This phrase signifies that deceit permeates their entire existence—their homes, families, businesses, and public lives. It's not an isolated act but a systemic issue.
• "they have become great, and fat, and have shone; yea, they are also become great, and have transgressed, and done wickedly": This progression shows how sin leads to outward prosperity (great, fat, shone) but also breeds arrogance and deeper transgression. Their prosperity is not a sign of God's favor but of their own corrupted success.

Jeremiah 5 26 Bonus Section

The concept of the "good" not being found among them carries significant theological weight. It signifies a total absence of God's influence in their actions and choices. It's not just that they sin occasionally, but that righteousness is a foreign concept in their community's functioning. This can be understood as a consequence of persistently rejecting God's ways and embracing corruption, which in turn blocks divine intervention and blessing, as seen in the verse's preceding context. Their "greatness" is an outward show of wealth and influence achieved through means contrary to God, a success that actually leads to their spiritual downfall and impending judgment. This "fatness" or well-fed state is often depicted in Scripture as a sign of apostasy when it is not accompanied by devotion to God, as seen in instances like Deuteronomy 32:15.

Jeremiah 5 26 Commentary

The prophet highlights a crucial irony: the very people meant to be conduits of God's blessing are instead characterized by deep-seated wickedness. Their sin is not passive but active; they are like skilled hunters setting traps (verse 26a) that ensnare the unwary, causing injustice and harm. This manipulative, predatory approach to life fills their "houses"—their lives, families, and businesses—with "deceit" (verse 26b).

Remarkably, this very sin seems to lead to outward success. They become "great" and "fat," experiencing a prosperity that blinds them to their spiritual bankruptcy (verse 26c). This flourishing on ungodliness is coupled with increasing pride and a further descent into transgression and outright wickedness. The prophet identifies this state as a perversion of true blessings, noting that "the good is not found among them" (verse 25, context). Their prosperity is not divine favor but the bitter fruit of their pervasive corruption, rendering them deaf to God's warnings and unreceptive to His blessings.