Jeremiah 8:5 kjv
Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return.
Jeremiah 8:5 nkjv
Why has this people slidden back, Jerusalem, in a perpetual backsliding? They hold fast to deceit, They refuse to return.
Jeremiah 8:5 niv
Why then have these people turned away? Why does Jerusalem always turn away? They cling to deceit; they refuse to return.
Jeremiah 8:5 esv
Why then has this people turned away in perpetual backsliding? They hold fast to deceit; they refuse to return.
Jeremiah 8:5 nlt
Then why do these people stay on their self-destructive path?
Why do the people of Jerusalem refuse to turn back?
They cling tightly to their lies
and will not turn around.
Jeremiah 8 5 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Persistent Backsliding / Stubbornness | ||
| Jer 7:24 | But they did not listen or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck... | Rejection of God's counsel |
| Deut 9:7 | Remember and do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to wrath in the wilderness... | Recalling Israel's persistent rebellion |
| Neh 9:16 | But they and our fathers acted proudly and stiffened their neck and did not obey... | Recalling historical stubbornness |
| Isa 1:4 | Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers... | Description of deeply corrupt nation |
| Psa 78:8 | and not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation... | Warning against ancestral stubbornness |
| Hos 4:16 | For like a stubborn heifer, Israel is stubborn... | Comparing Israel's obstinacy |
| Zech 7:11-12 | But they refused to pay attention... and made their hearts diamond-hard... | People's hardened hearts and refusal to hear |
| Heb 3:12-13 | Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away... | New Testament warning against a hardened heart |
| Clinging to Deceit / Falsehood | ||
| Jer 14:14 | The prophets are prophesying lies to you... prophesying to you a lying vision, an augury... | Condemnation of false prophets' deceit |
| Jer 23:16 | Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you; they delude you... | Warning against deceptive prophetic messages |
| Psa 4:2 | O men, how long will you turn my glory into shame? How long will you love delusion... | Questioning the embrace of falsehood |
| Eph 4:25 | Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth... | New Testament call to abandon deceit |
| Col 3:9 | Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices... | Command to discard deceptive practices |
| Refusal to Return / Repentance | ||
| Jer 7:23-24 | But they did not obey or incline their ear; but walked in their own counsels... | Contrast with obedience and listening |
| Isa 30:15 | For thus said the Lord God... "In returning and rest you shall be saved..." | God's rejected path to salvation |
| Prov 1:24-25 | Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand... | Wisdom's lament over those who ignore calls |
| Acts 7:51 | "You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit." | Stephen's condemnation of persistent rejection |
| God's Plea / Call to Repentance | ||
| Isa 55:7 | Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord... | Universal call to repentance and return |
| Joel 2:12-13 | "Yet even now," declares the Lord, "return to me with all your heart..." | Urgent divine plea for wholehearted repentance |
| Acts 3:19 | Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out... | Apostolic call to repentance and restoration |
| Jer 3:22 | "Return, O faithless sons; I will heal your faithlessness." "Behold, we come to you..." | God's invitation and the people's expected response |
| Consequences of Refusal | ||
| Jer 5:6 | Therefore a lion from the forest shall strike them down; a wolf from the desert shall devastate them. | Judgment due to rebellion and unfaithfulness |
| Deut 28:15 | "But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God... all these curses shall come upon you." | Warnings of consequences for disobedience |
Jeremiah 8 verses
Jeremiah 8 5 Meaning
Jeremiah 8:5 expresses God's perplexed lament over the persistent and willful rebellion of His covenant people, Jerusalem. Despite their privileged relationship, they have continuously turned away from Him, becoming entrenched in spiritual apostasy. Instead of seeking truth and turning back, they embrace deceit and deliberately refuse to repent, hardening their hearts against divine calls.
Jeremiah 8 5 Context
Jeremiah chapter 8 continues a lament begun in chapter 7, where God exposes the deep-seated hypocrisy and spiritual delusion of the people of Judah and Jerusalem. Jeremiah speaks during a time when Judah believed itself safe due to the presence of the Temple in Jerusalem (Jer 7:4), despite rampant idolatry, social injustice, and a refusal to heed prophetic warnings. Verses preceding 8:5 describe the people's lack of conscience in their sin, contrasting their stubbornness with natural creatures that know their seasons (Jer 8:7). The verse directly reflects God's rhetorical questioning of why His chosen people, unlike even animals guided by instinct, reject true wisdom and persist in self-destructive disobedience, leading directly into prophecies of their coming devastation.
Jeremiah 8 5 Word analysis
- Why then: A rhetorical question expressing profound dismay, sorrow, and bewilderment from God, highlighting the utter irrationality and inexcusability of their behavior. It underscores divine pathos over human defiance.
- has this people, Jerusalem: Specifically identifies the addressees. "This people" refers to God's covenant nation, emphasizing their unique, chosen relationship. Naming "Jerusalem" explicitly targets the heart of religious and political life in Judah, a place meant to be consecrated but now deeply corrupted, signifying a total national decline.
- slidden back: (Heb. šôvəbâ - שׁוֹבְבָה). Derived from shuv ("to return"), the feminine form in this context indicates an active, decisive, and intentional "turning away" or apostasy from God. It signifies a conscious deviation from the right path, a going astray from covenant faithfulness.
- by a perpetual backsliding: (Heb. məšūḇāh niṣḥît - מְשׁוּבָה נִצְחִית). Məšūḇāh further defines the nature of their backsliding. Niṣḥît means enduring, constant, perpetual, highlighting that this is not a momentary error but an established, chronic state of deep spiritual defection and disobedience, indicating their sin is ingrained.
- They hold fast to deceit: (Heb. ḥāzaq bū-rəmiyyāh - חָזְקוּ בָרְמִיָּה). Ḥāzaq implies a strong, firm, and deliberate grasp, showing active and willful commitment. Rəmiyyāh refers to falsehood, treachery, or delusion. This "deceit" likely encompasses trusting in false gods, the deceptive words of false prophets (e.g., "peace, peace"), empty religious rituals, or a self-delusional belief that God would not judge them due to their Temple.
- they refuse to return: (Heb. mē’ănū mišūv - מֵאֲנוּ מִשּׁוּב). Mē’ănū is a strong verb meaning "to utterly refuse," indicating obstinate rejection. Mišūv (from shuv) refers to "returning," the crucial act of repentance and turning back to God. This phrase unequivocally underscores their unwillingness to repent despite God's repeated invitations, making their sin deliberate and culpable.
Jeremiah 8 5 Bonus section
The profound rhetorical question at the beginning of the verse, "Why then?", powerfully communicates God's frustration and incomprehension at Judah's inexplicable choice to defy their covenant relationship. This deepens the lament tone, as even natural order functions according to design (Jer 8:7), yet humanity, particularly the chosen people, willfully deviates. The dual emphasis on "backsliding" (šôvəbâ and məšūḇāh) stresses the ingrained and habitual nature of their apostasy. The verse therefore stands as a significant theological statement on human free will exercised in opposition to revealed truth, leading to profound self-deception and incurring righteous divine judgment.
Jeremiah 8 5 Commentary
Jeremiah 8:5 unveils God's sorrowful indignation at Judah's relentless apostasy. It highlights a core problem: not ignorance of God's will, but a stubborn and deliberate refusal to obey and return. Unlike even migratory birds, which instinctively follow their creator's programmed order (Jer 8:7), God's covenant people irrationally turned from divine wisdom to embrace destructive lies. Their "perpetual backsliding" was an ingrained pattern, deepened by their conscious decision to cling to false securities (Temple presence, political alliances, deceptive prophecies) instead of wholeheartedly repenting. This deliberate rejection of God's consistent call to shuv (return) makes their impending judgment not an arbitrary act, but a direct and just consequence of their unyielding rebellion.
- Example 1: A person consistently ignores clear warning signs about a harmful addiction, actively seeks out sources that justify their habit, and pushes away any friends or family attempting to help them recover.
- Example 2: A nation, despite knowing its historical constitution, repeatedly disregards its founding principles, adopts self-serving laws, and silences anyone advocating a return to original justice.