Jeremiah 6 30

Jeremiah 6:30 kjv

Reprobate silver shall men call them, because the LORD hath rejected them.

Jeremiah 6:30 nkjv

People will call them rejected silver, Because the LORD has rejected them."

Jeremiah 6:30 niv

They are called rejected silver, because the LORD has rejected them."

Jeremiah 6:30 esv

Rejected silver they are called, for the LORD has rejected them."

Jeremiah 6:30 nlt

I will label them 'Rejected Silver,'
for I, the LORD, am discarding them."

Jeremiah 6 verses

Jeremiah 6 30 Meaning

Jeremiah 6:30 pronounces a severe judgment upon the people of Judah: "They are to be called rejected silver, because the Lord has rejected them." This verse is the climactic conclusion to an extended metaphor comparing the prophet's work to a refiner attempting to purify silver. The declaration signifies that the people are irredeemable, possessing no true value or purity in the sight of God. Their impurities are so deeply ingrained that the refining process, even with intense heat, has failed, resulting only in dross, not purified metal. Thus, they are branded as worthless by divine decree, fully repudiated by the covenant Lord they betrayed.

Jeremiah 6 30 Context

Jeremiah 6:30 concludes a significant section within Jeremiah's prophecies against Judah, delivered before the Babylonian exile. The chapter details the impending invasion of Jerusalem and God's severe judgment upon His people for their pervasive sin, idolatry, and social injustice. Verses 1-8 describe the enemy's approach and Jerusalem's unpreparedness. Verses 9-15 condemn the widespread corruption, from prophets to priests, all living in deceit and unrepentance. The people have repeatedly rejected God's commands (Jer 6:16-17).

The immediate context (Jer 6:27-29) describes God appointing Jeremiah as a "tester" or "refiner" of His people, much like one refines metals. Jeremiah is tasked to observe and test their ways, to "burn them as silver" in a furnace. However, the outcome is negative: the bellows blow fiercely, the lead (a flux agent used in refining to remove impurities) is consumed by the fire, but "the wicked are not removed." The "dross" (impure material) remains, indicating that the people are irredeemably corrupt. Verse 30 directly states the consequence of this failed refining process, confirming their worthlessness in God's eyes and their ultimate rejection by Him.

Jeremiah 6 30 Word Analysis

• They: Refers to the people of Judah, God's chosen nation, who have persistently sinned and rejected His word.
• are to be called: (קָרְאוּ לָהֶם - qar'u lahem). Implies a divine pronouncement or labeling, indicating their public, undeniable identity from God's perspective. It's a statement of intrinsic being due to their actions and God's judgment.
• rejected: (נִמְאָס - nim'as). A Nifal participle from the root מָאַס (ma'as). It means "despised," "loathed," "rejected," or "spurned." The Nifal form emphasizes the state of being rejected rather than the act itself, portraying their permanent status. It signifies utter contempt and unacceptability.
• silver: (כֶּסֶף - kesef). This metal traditionally symbolizes purity, value, and nobility in Scripture. Here, it refers to the people of Judah, whom God once valued as His precious treasure (Exod 19:5). The juxtaposition with "rejected" highlights the tragic failure and complete loss of their intrinsic value.
• rejected silver: (כֶּסֶף נִמְאָס - kesef nim'as). This phrase is a powerful metaphor. Silver is typically refined to purify it; "rejected silver" is silver that, despite refining attempts, proves so full of impurities that it becomes worthless. It cannot achieve purity and thus is fit only to be cast away as dross. This denotes not just impurity, but an incorrigible state, rendering it useless for God's purposes.
• because: (כִּי - ki). A causal conjunction, clearly linking the people's descriptive state ("rejected silver") to the divine action and ultimate authority ("the Lord has rejected them").
• the Lord: (יהוה - YHWH, or Adonai in vocalization). Refers to the covenant God of Israel. This emphasizes that the rejection is not a human decision or a natural consequence alone, but an authoritative, sovereign act of the Holy God of justice and righteousness. It highlights the divine prerogative and the gravity of their sin against Him.
• has rejected them: (מְאָסָם - m’asam). From the same root מָאַס (ma'as) as "rejected silver." This Qal perfect verb asserts God's definitive and accomplished act of repudiation. The active form here shows the Lord doing the rejecting, making explicit the divine agent behind their condemned status. This repeated use of ma'as powerfully underscores the completeness and certainty of their divine disavowal.

Jeremiah 6 30 Bonus section

The metaphor of the refiner and precious metals holds dual significance throughout Scripture. While here it denotes failed purification and ultimate rejection due to stubborn sin, in other contexts (e.g., Mal 3:3, Zech 13:9, 1 Pet 1:7), it points to God's redemptive work of purification, where the testing fire successfully removes dross, producing true purity and making a people fit for His service. This contrast highlights that the outcome of divine testing is dependent on the heart of the tested. For Judah in Jeremiah's time, the hearts were hardened like "bronze and iron" (Jer 6:28), resisting the refiner's fire rather than yielding to it. This verse serves as a sober warning that there is a limit to divine patience and a point beyond which repentance becomes impossible and divine judgment immutable. The Lord, being perfectly just, ultimately renders according to the spiritual state found in His people.

Jeremiah 6 30 Commentary

Jeremiah 6:30 stands as a stark and irreversible divine verdict on the kingdom of Judah. It brings to a culmination the preceding metaphor of the refiner, a common biblical image for divine testing and purification. God, through Jeremiah, acted as a refiner, subjecting His people to the heat of testing and prophecy, attempting to separate the dross of their sin from any genuine faith. However, the process failed completely; the impurities—the rebellious, greedy, and unrighteous elements—were too deeply ingrained, making true purification impossible. The "rejected silver" metaphor signals that the nation is not merely partially impure or temporarily tarnished; it has become utterly devoid of its original intended worth in God's eyes, being deemed irreparable and worthless. This rejection is active, definitive, and sourced from the covenant Lord Himself. It underscores God's righteous intolerance of persistent and incorrigible sin, and the solemn truth that even His chosen people can, through their unyielding rebellion, forfeit their divine favor and face ultimate repudiation. It is a terrifying testament to the consequences of despising the divine call to repentance and righteousness.