Jeremiah 5 30

Jeremiah 5:30 kjv

A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land;

Jeremiah 5:30 nkjv

"An astonishing and horrible thing Has been committed in the land:

Jeremiah 5:30 niv

"A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land:

Jeremiah 5:30 esv

An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land:

Jeremiah 5:30 nlt

A horrible and shocking thing
has happened in this land ?

Jeremiah 5 verses

Jeremiah 5 30 Meaning

The people of Jerusalem have committed a terrible sin: they have forsaken the Lord and indulged in scandalous practices. Their sin is profound, deeply rooted, and pervasive throughout the city. God is expressing His utter disappointment and judgment through the prophet Jeremiah. The verse highlights the extreme foolishness and the depth of their apostasy, which is a grave offense to the Lord.

Jeremiah 5 30 Context

Jeremiah 5:30 occurs within the larger context of God's indictment against Jerusalem and its people. Jeremiah is pronouncing judgment due to their widespread sinfulness, corruption, and idolatry. The chapter depicts a society where true piety is absent, and religious and civil leaders are compromised. The verse itself acts as a summary statement of the prevailing spiritual and moral decay that characterizes Jerusalem at that time. This was a message delivered to a people who had strayed from God's covenant, resulting in impending doom.

Jeremiah 5 30 Word Analysis

• "A wonderful":

  • Hebrew: פָּלָא (pala')
  • Meaning: Strange, marvelous, extraordinary, to be wonderful, to be too wonderful.
  • Significance: This word suggests something out of the ordinary, beyond expectation, and often carries a sense of awe, though here it's used ironically or shockingly due to the context.

• "and":

  • Hebrew: וְ (wə)
  • Meaning: And, but, or.
  • Significance: Connects the "wonderful" to the "horrible," linking two contrasting, yet strangely related, aspects of the sin.

• "horrible":

  • Hebrew: נוֹרָא (nora')
  • Meaning: Dreadful, terrible, awful, causing terror.
  • Significance: This word carries a stronger sense of fear and dread than "wonderful." The combination points to a shocking perversion where the unholy is embraced.

• "thing":

  • Hebrew: דָּבָר (dabar)
  • Meaning: A word, a thing, an act, a matter, a speech.
  • Significance: Refers to the entirety of the action, the sinful behavior and its outcome.

• "is committed":

  • Hebrew: עָשָׂה (asah) - imperfect form.
  • Meaning: To do, make, accomplish.
  • Significance: Indicates a continuous or habitual action that has been performed within the land.

• "in the land":

  • Hebrew: בָּאָרֶץ (ba'aretz)
  • Meaning: In the land, upon the earth.
  • Significance: Emphasizes that this pervasive sin is found throughout the territory of Judah.

• "the prophets":

  • Hebrew: נְבִיאִים (nevi'im)
  • Meaning: Prophets.
  • Significance: Refers to those who claimed to speak for God.

• "prophesy falsely":

  • Hebrew: נָבְאוּ לַשֶּׁקֶר (nab'u ləšeqer) - nab'u (prophesied), šeqer (falsehood, lie).
  • Meaning: They prophesy lies.
  • Significance: This highlights the betrayal of their calling by delivering messages that were not from God, likely comforting lies rather than truthful warnings.

• "and":

  • Hebrew: וְ (wə)
  • Meaning: And.

• "the priests":

  • Hebrew: הַכֹּהֲנִים (hakohanim)
  • Meaning: The priests.
  • Significance: Refers to the Levitical priesthood responsible for mediating between God and the people.

• "bear rule":

  • Hebrew: רוּצַּפְר (rutzaph)—a denominative verb from "support."
  • Meaning: To support, to manage, to bear rule, to maintain by their means or their power.
  • Significance: Indicates that the priests held power and influence, not through divine mandate, but by their own efforts and methods, suggesting manipulation or control.

• "by their means":

  • Hebrew: בְּיָדָם (bəyādām) - lit. "by their hand."
  • Meaning: By their own hand, by their means, by their power, by their ability.
  • Significance: Further emphasizes their reliance on their own power, schemes, or possessions, rather than divine empowerment or integrity.

• "and":

  • Hebrew: וְ (wə)
  • Meaning: And.

• "my people":

  • Hebrew: עַמִּי (ammî)
  • Meaning: My people.
  • Significance: A poignant reminder of God's covenant relationship, making their sin even more grievous.

• "love to have it so":

  • Hebrew: אֹהֲבִים (’ŏhăbîm) - "love," with suffix 'im indicating plural masculine, coupled with "like that" (kên).
  • Meaning: They love it so, they are pleased with it, they are willing it so.
  • Significance: Shows active complicity and approval of the corrupt system and false prophecies. They desired this comfortable, sin-affirming environment.

• "and what":

  • Hebrew: וְאֶת־ (wə'et) - conjunction and accusative particle.
  • Meaning: And what.

• "will ye do":

  • Hebrew: תַּעֲשׂוּ (taʿăśû) - verb "to do."
  • Meaning: You will do.
  • Significance: A rhetorical question posed by God, demanding consideration of the consequences.

• "in the end thereof?":

  • Hebrew: בְּאַחֲרִיתָהּ (bə’aḥărîtāh) - preposition "in," "end/aftermath," and suffix "its."
  • Meaning: In its end, at its termination, in its finality.
  • Significance: Points to the ultimate consequence of their actions – divine judgment.

• Words Group Analysis:

  • "A wonderful and horrible thing": The paradox captures the repulsive allure of sin and the perversion of values in Jerusalem. What should have been feared was embraced, and what should have been honored was rejected. This describes a deep societal decay.
  • "prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means": This phrase highlights a systemic failure in religious leadership. False prophecy (untruthful divine messages) and leadership maintained by personal influence/power ("by their means") indicate a corrupt spiritual structure that lacks genuine divine authority and seeks self-preservation.
  • "my people love to have it so": This group of words points to the willing participation of the populace in their own spiritual ruin. They are not passive victims but active agents who prefer the comfortable falsehoods to challenging truths.
  • "what will ye do in the end thereof?": This represents God's ultimate challenge, asking them to consider the final, inescapable consequences of their choices, which is judgment.

Jeremiah 5 30 Bonus Section

The combination of "wonderful and horrible" suggests a shocking perversion where that which is morally abhorrent has become alluring. This echoes Isaiah 5:20, "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil." The sin is not merely committed, but is the chosen and desired state of affairs for the people, demonstrating a deeply ingrained corruption that extends from leadership to the populace. The phrase "bear rule by their means" suggests reliance on human power and manipulation rather than divine authority, a recurring theme when leaders fall away from God. The final question serves as a foreshadowing of the exile and judgment that God would bring upon Judah.

Jeremiah 5 30 Commentary

Jeremiah 5:30 is a stark declaration of moral and spiritual bankruptcy in Jerusalem. The "wonderful and horrible thing" speaks to the perverse nature of their sins – they have turned away from God, embraced deception, and perverted religious leadership. The prophets offer soothing lies instead of God's truth, and the priests wield their influence for personal gain, rather than serving God. What is most damning is that the people are complicit; they "love" this corrupted system. This willingly embraces their sin and spiritual blindness. God's concluding question, "what will ye do in the end thereof?" is a somber rhetorical question, prompting contemplation of the inevitable judgment that awaits them for their persistent apostasy. It underscores that there will be a reckoning for such profound rebellion.