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 |
---|---|---|
Jer 6:15 | Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? Nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither did they consider how to blush; therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time of their visitation they shall be cut off, saith the LORD. | General assessment of Judah's spiritual state |
Jer 3:3 | Take heed lest thou break thy covenant with the LORD thy God, which he made with thee, and go and serve other gods, and worship them: then shall the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and ye shall perish from off the good land which he hath given unto you. | Consequences of spiritual unfaithfulness |
Jer 8:12 | Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither did they consider how to blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: in the time of their visitation they shall be cut off, saith the LORD. | Echoes the same theme of shamelessness |
Ezek 16:30 | How weakened is thine heart, to commit such deeds as the wandering adulteress has wrought! | Critique of adulterous behavior and weakened resolve |
Rom 6:21 | What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. | Contrast between shame from sin and spiritual deadness |
2 Cor 7:14 | For if I have boasted any thing to him of you, I am not ashamed; but as we spake all things to you in Christ truly, so also our boasting which I made before Titus was found true. | Paul's example of proper boasting and lack of shame in righteousness |
Phil 3:19 | Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) | Characterization of those whose glory is in their shame |
Heb 12:17 | For ye know how that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. | Rejection due to hardened heart and inability to repent |
Rev 18:7 | How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. | Idolatrous city exhibiting pride and lack of foresight |
Isa 22:12-14 | And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth: And, behold, joy and gladness, slaying oxen and killing sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die. And it was revealed in mine ears by the LORD of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord GOD of hosts. | A similar call to superficial celebration in the face of impending judgment |
Prov 1:22-24 | How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scoffers delight in their scoffing, and fools hate knowledge? Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at naught all my counsel, and with your reproofs ye did not like. | God's calls to repentance being ignored |
Jer 5:3 | O LORD, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return. | Depicts Judah's hardness of heart and refusal of correction |
Mic 3:11 | The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us. | Leaders corrupted by greed, feigning security in God |
Mal 3:5 | And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts. | God's impending judgment on various sins |
1 Pet 4:3 | For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: | Past Gentile lifestyle that caused shame in hindsight |
Jer 2:26 | As the thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the house of Israel ashamed; they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their prophets, | Compares Israel's shame (or lack thereof) to a caught thief |
Hab 2:16 | Thou art filled with vanity instead of honour: drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered: the cup of the LORD's right hand shall be turned unto thee, and shame shall cover thine indignation. | Shame to be poured on the wicked |
Zech 8:17 | And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the LORD. | Love for plotting evil and false oaths, antithetical to shame and repentance |
Jer 23:9 | Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the LORD, and because of his holy words. | Prophetic anguish over the people's sin and false prophets |
Ps 36:2 | For he flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be hateful. | Self-deception that hides sin's true nature |
Jeremiah 6 verses
Jeremiah 6 15 Meaning
This verse states that the people of Judah lacked shame because they were unable to blush, indicating a profound spiritual and moral corruption. Their actions were so brazen and wicked that the very natural human response of embarrassment or remorse was absent. This lack of shame signifies a deep-seated perversion of their character, making them unreceptive to correction or the consequences of their sin.
Jeremiah 6 15 Context
Jeremiah 6 is part of Jeremiah's prophecy during a turbulent period for Judah. The people were facing the looming threat of Babylonian invasion due to their persistent sin and disobedience to God. Chapter 6 begins with a call to flee Jerusalem to avoid destruction and then proceeds to critique the pervasive sinfulness of the people. This verse specifically addresses the utter lack of repentance and spiritual discernment among them. The contemporary audience, though facing God's judgment, remained calloused and unrepentant, exhibiting a shocking lack of shame for their abominable actions.
Jeremiah 6 15 Word Analysis
- Were they ashamed: "yibboshetû" (H8670) - Past tense of "boshesh," meaning to be ashamed, put to shame, or to be confounded. Implies a lost capacity for recognizing and feeling disgrace.
- when they committed: "b'kherûm" (H3944) - a noun meaning abominations, detestable things, shameful practices, or idols. Refers to their wicked deeds, particularly idolatry and moral corruption.
- Nay, they were not: "Lo kî-yiwwaesû" (H5830 - lo, H3584 - kî, H3680 - yiwwaesû). "Lo" signifies a strong negation, "kî" introduces the reason, and "yiwwaesû" from "w'aes" (H3680), meaning to be stupid, foolish, or lack understanding and discernment. Highlights their utter inability to grasp the gravity of their actions.
- at all ashamed: "mî-bošet" (H4887 - mî, H1322 - bošet). "Mî" denotes entirety, "bošet" is the root word for shame. Reinforces the absolute absence of shame.
- neither did they consider: "w'-bal-yabbînû" (H1115 - bal, H995 - yabbînû). "Bal" is an emphatic prohibition or negation. "Yabbînû" from "bîn" (H995) means to understand, discern, or pay attention. Points to their deliberate refusal to understand or perceive.
- how to blush: "le-hayyebîn" (H2155 - le, H2730 - hayyebîn - 'kalumah' in Masoretic Text, related to blush/confounded). The phrase implies a failure to blush or feel any shame, a literal inability to show outward signs of remorse due to ingrained impenitence. 'Kalumah' implies the color of shame or confusion.
- therefore they shall fall: "khen-yiplû" (H3651 - khen, H5307 - yiplû). "Khen" means so or therefore. "Yiplû" from "naphal" (H5307) meaning to fall, fall down, fall into, perish. Indicates the inevitable consequence of their unashamed sin is judgment and ruin.
- among them that fall: "b'tôḵ nepalîm" (H8432 - tôḵ, H5307 - nepalîm). "Nepalîm" means those who fall, a falling one, or the fallen. It could refer to those already fallen under judgment or to a collective falling during a disaster.
- in the time of their visitation: "b-et-pqûddam" (H8054 - et, H6485 - pqûddam). "Et" means time. "Pqûddam" from "paqad" (H6485) signifies to visit, punish, muster, or reckon. Refers to the appointed time when God would bring judgment upon them.
- they shall be cut off: "yinnûtaqû" (H5475 - yinnûtaqû). Passive form of "nataq" (H5475) meaning to tear off, pluck off, or be estranged. Signifies complete severance and destruction from God's presence and land.
- saith the LORD: "nĕ'um YHVH" (H5002 - nĕ'um, H3068 - YHVH). "Ne'um" means utterance or saying. "YHWH" is the covenant name of God. A common prophetic formula emphasizing divine authority.
Word-group analysis:
- "Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? Nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither did they consider how to blush": This is a rhetorical question followed by an emphatic denial. The structure emphasizes the deep moral bankruptcy of Judah. The sequence moves from a question about the expected human reaction (shame for sin) to a stark declaration of its absence, highlighting their hardened hearts.
- "therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time of their visitation they shall be cut off": This cause-and-effect statement connects their unashamed sin directly to divine judgment. "Falling among those who fall" suggests being swept away in a general disaster, and "being cut off" signifies total removal and destruction, indicating the severity of God's verdict.
Jeremiah 6 15 Bonus Section
The concept of "shame" in the Old Testament often carries a strong social and spiritual dimension. For ancient Israelites, shame was not just an emotion but a public declaration of failure or disgrace. Their refusal to blush indicates they had not only sinned against God but had also lost their societal and spiritual standing, bringing reproach upon themselves and their community. This shamelessness contrasted sharply with the covenant relationship where fidelity to God brought honor, and disobedience brought shame. Jeremiah's prophecy often highlights this spiritual amnesia where God’s people forget their covenants and God’s faithfulness, leading to their downfall.
Jeremiah 6 15 Commentary
Jeremiah 6:15 delivers a somber indictment against Judah. Their sin was so pervasive and entrenched that the natural faculty of shame had atrophied. This isn't merely a lack of guilt but a fundamental disconnect from righteous sensibility. It parallels how those deeply steeped in sin can become desensitized, unable to perceive the enormity of their transgressions. The inability "to blush" is a metaphor for spiritual deadness, an absence of remorse that leaves them exposed to judgment without any internal compass for correction. God's declared verdict, "they shall fall...they shall be cut off," underscores that this lack of shame is not insignificant but a terminal condition leading to inevitable and complete ruin at the appointed time of divine reckoning. It's a potent reminder that true repentance begins with recognizing one's sin and feeling appropriate shame, which then leads to a turning away from evil.