Jeremiah 6:15 kjv
Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the LORD.
Jeremiah 6:15 nkjv
Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed; Nor did they know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; At the time I punish them, They shall be cast down," says the LORD.
Jeremiah 6:15 niv
Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; they will be brought down when I punish them," says the LORD.
Jeremiah 6:15 esv
Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time that I punish them, they shall be overthrown," says the LORD.
Jeremiah 6:15 nlt
Are they ashamed of their disgusting actions?
Not at all ? they don't even know how to blush!
Therefore, they will lie among the slaughtered.
They will be brought down when I punish them,"
says the LORD.
Jeremiah 6 15 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isa 3:9 | The look on their faces testifies against them; they parade their sin like Sodom... | No shame in sin. |
| Zeph 3:5 | ...every morning he brings his justice to light; he does not fail. But the unrighteous know no shame. | Unrighteous lack shame. |
| Rom 1:32 | Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these things... | Know sin, no shame, even approval. |
| Rom 2:5 | But because of your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself... | Hardness of heart brings wrath. |
| Eph 4:19 | Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more. | Lost sensitivity, indulge in sin. |
| Gen 6:12 | God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. | Earth corrupted by evil actions. |
| Jer 7:9 | Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known...? | Lists abominable practices. |
| Jer 8:12 | Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct? No, they have no shame at all... | Echoes Jere 6:15 regarding lack of shame. |
| Prov 29:1 | Whoever remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy. | Stubbornness leads to sudden destruction. |
| Isa 1:28 | But rebels and sinners will both be broken, and those who forsake the LORD will perish. | Rebels and sinners perish. |
| Ezek 7:27 | The king will mourn, the prince will be clothed with despair, and the hands of the common people will tremble... I will repay them... | Repayment for their conduct. |
| Deut 28:15 | However, if you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all his commands... all these curses will come on you... | Curses for disobedience. |
| Lev 18:24-30 | Do not defile yourselves by any of these practices, for by all these the nations I am driving out before you have become defiled. | Abominations defile the land. |
| 1 Ki 11:7 | On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh... and for Molek... | Solomon's abominable idolatry. |
| Hos 4:1-2 | There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land. There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery... | Widespread moral corruption. |
| 1 Pet 4:3 | For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness... | Gentile ways before Christ. |
| Isa 5:20-23 | Woe to those who call evil good and good evil... who acquit the guilty for a bribe, but deny justice to the innocent. | Perversion of moral judgment. |
| Psa 14:1 | The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile... | Corrupt deeds stem from foolishness. |
| Jer 3:3 | Therefore the showers have been withheld, and no spring rains have fallen. Yet you have the brazen look of a prostitute; you refuse to be ashamed. | Refusal to be ashamed like a harlot. |
| Joel 3:13 | Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full and the vats overflow—so great is their wickedness! | Readiness for divine judgment. |
| Prov 10:9 | Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out. | Contrast: honesty vs. crookedness leading to discovery. |
Jeremiah 6 verses
Jeremiah 6 15 Meaning
Jeremiah 6:15 profoundly condemns the spiritual insensitivity and hardened hearts of the people of Judah. It highlights their complete lack of shame or remorse, even when engaged in actions that are an "abomination" to God. This moral depravity is so entrenched that they have lost the very capacity to "blush," indicating a total breakdown of conscience. As a direct consequence of this unrepentant wickedness, the Lord declares that they will face severe divine judgment, experiencing utter overthrow and ruin when the appointed time for their punishment arrives. The verse underscores that their defiant disregard for God's standards inevitably leads to catastrophic downfall.
Jeremiah 6 15 Context
Jeremiah chapter 6 serves as a powerful and urgent prophecy of impending judgment upon Jerusalem and Judah. The city, referred to as Zion, is portrayed as besieged, its inhabitants unprepared for the imminent attack from the north. The prophet describes a land rife with spiritual and moral decay: false prophets proclaiming peace when there is none (v.14), leaders consumed by greed, and people living in persistent rebellion against God's law. This verse (6:15) encapsulates the heart of their offense – an absolute moral bankruptcy evidenced by their inability to feel shame for their egregious "abominations." The judgment described in the preceding verses and affirmed here is not arbitrary but a direct consequence of their unrepentant sin and deep-seated spiritual callousness. Historically, this prophecy was delivered in the decades leading up to the Babylonian invasion and subsequent destruction of Jerusalem (586 BC), during a period when Judah oscillated between brief reforms and prolonged periods of idolatry and injustice. Jeremiah consistently challenged the superficial religiosity and false sense of security propagated by many, exposing their moral failures that brought about divine wrath.
Jeremiah 6 15 Word analysis
- Were they ashamed (הֹבִישׁוּ - hovíshu): From the root bosh, meaning to be ashamed, confounded, disgraced. In this context, it implies more than mere embarrassment; it denotes the inner sense of guilt, regret, and the proper response of turning from wrongdoing. The rhetorical question, "Were they ashamed?" emphasizes the shocking lack thereof.
- when they committed (כִּי־עָשׂוּ - ki asu): "When they committed" signifies not isolated acts but ongoing practice and active engagement in the listed behaviors.
- abomination (תּוֹעֵבָה - to'evah): This powerful Hebrew term refers to something abhorrent, detestable, or offensive, particularly in a cultic, moral, or ritual sense to God. It often encompasses idolatry, child sacrifice, sexual perversions, and injustice – acts that pollute the land and violate God's covenant.
- No, they were not at all ashamed (גַם־בּוֹשׁ לֹא־בוֹשׁוּ - gam bosh lo boshu): A forceful negation using a cognate accusative for emphasis: "They did not even shame, they were not ashamed." This construction highlights their utter lack of shame, reinforcing the shocking extent of their moral insensitivity.
- they did not know (וְגַם הַבִּישׁ לֹא יָדָעוּ - ve'gam habish lo yada'u): "And they did not know how to blush." This is the pinnacle of their moral decay. "Blushing" is an outward, involuntary physical manifestation of inward shame or guilt. To "not know how to blush" means their conscience is so seared and their moral compass so broken that they no longer even possess the basic human reflex of shame, indicating a state beyond hope for self-correction.
- Therefore (לָכֵן - lachen): This conjunctive signals a direct consequence or divine judgment for the preceding moral failure.
- they shall fall (יִפְּלוּ - yiplu): From the root naphal, to fall, lie prostrate, be overthrown. This signifies military defeat, national collapse, and suffering the severe consequences of God's wrath.
- among those who fall (בַּנֹּפְלִים - banoof'lim): "Among the fallen ones." This implies that they will be indiscriminately judged and destroyed alongside others who are receiving punishment for their iniquity, highlighting their loss of covenant protection.
- at the time (בְּעֵת - be'et): Specifies a distinct and determined period, a set time ordained by God for this specific act of judgment.
- that I punish them (פְּקַדְתִּים - peqadtīm): From the root paqad, meaning to visit, inspect, count, or commission. In a judicial context, it implies a "visitation" for accountability, bringing forth deserved consequences, which often means judgment or punishment.
- they shall be overthrown (יִכָּשֵׁלוּ - yikkasheilu): From kashal, to stumble, fall down, totter. It reiterates the theme of their complete collapse and ruin.
- says the LORD (נְאֻם־יְהוָה - neum YHWH): The standard prophetic formula, signifying that this declaration is an authoritative and unchangeable word directly from God, the covenant God of Israel (YHWH).
Jeremiah 6 15 Bonus section
The Hebrew word to'evah (abomination) in Jeremiah 6:15 is critically important. It's not just a general term for sin; it specifies practices and attitudes that are fundamentally offensive to God's nature and covenant relationship. In the Torah, to'evah refers to things like idolatry (Deut 7:25), child sacrifice (Deut 12:31), certain sexual behaviors (Lev 18:22), and dishonest weights (Deut 25:16). For the people of Judah to commit such actions without shame signals a profound rejection of their unique identity as God's covenant people. They had adopted the very detestable practices of the nations God had driven out before them, losing all distinction. This deliberate moral erosion explains why God's judgment was both necessary and inevitable, as their spiritual "light" had become utter darkness.
Jeremiah 6 15 Commentary
Jeremiah 6:15 exposes the critical moral failing that undergirds Judah's impending destruction: an absolute spiritual insensitivity. The rhetorical question about shame (v. 15a, mirroring 6:14, and repeated in 8:12) highlights a profound moral degradation where the capacity for guilt, remorse, or blushing—natural human responses to wrongdoing—has completely vanished. This state indicates a seared conscience and a heart so hardened against God and His Law that their actions, even abominations detestable to Him, evoke no sense of disgrace. Their moral compass is entirely broken; they literally "do not know how to blush" anymore.
The prophetic "therefore" (לָכֵן) then introduces the inevitable divine consequence. Because of this radical and unrepentant moral depravity, God declares that they "shall fall among those who fall." This judgment is not a mere accident but a just and certain act of God's 'visitation' (punishment), meted out at His appointed time. They will not merely suffer consequences but be "overthrown," emphasizing a comprehensive national defeat and ruin, removing any sense of hope in their false security. This verse powerfully links spiritual condition directly to historical outcome, illustrating that chronic unrepentant sin inevitably invites God's righteous wrath. It serves as a stark warning against losing the capacity for moral introspection and repentance.