Jeremiah 9 26

Jeremiah 9:26 kjv

Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all that are in the utmost corners, that dwell in the wilderness: for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart.

Jeremiah 9:26 nkjv

Egypt, Judah, Edom, the people of Ammon, Moab, and all who are in the farthest corners, who dwell in the wilderness. For all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart."

Jeremiah 9:26 niv

Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab and all who live in the wilderness in distant places. For all these nations are really uncircumcised, and even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart."

Jeremiah 9:26 esv

Egypt, Judah, Edom, the sons of Ammon, Moab, and all who dwell in the desert who cut the corners of their hair, for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart."

Jeremiah 9:26 nlt

the Egyptians, Edomites, Ammonites, Moabites, the people who live in the desert in remote places, and yes, even the people of Judah. And like all these pagan nations, the people of Israel also have uncircumcised hearts."

Jeremiah 9 verses

Jeremiah 9 26 Meaning

Jeremiah 9:26 declares God's impending judgment upon various nations—Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab, and specific desert tribes marked by their distinctive hair custom. The verse reveals a profound spiritual indictment: while the gentile nations are physically uncircumcised, Israel (Judah) is denounced for being uncircumcised in heart. This pronouncement equates Judah's spiritual rebellion and hardened disobedience with the paganism of their uncircumcised neighbors, highlighting that their covenant sign of physical circumcision has become meaningless without genuine internal devotion to God.

Jeremiah 9 26 Context

Jeremiah chapter 9 is a deep lament mixed with God's stern judgment against Judah for its pervasive sin. The prophet grieves over the widespread deceit, faithlessness, and rejection of God among his own people. Verses 3-6 depict Judah as a nation immersed in lies, lacking knowledge of the Lord. The passage emphasizes a call to boast only in knowing God, His justice, righteousness, and steadfast love (v. 23-24). Verse 26, then, follows immediately after this declaration, underscoring Judah's failure by comparing them unfavorably to their pagan neighbors. Historically, Judah was on the cusp of the Babylonian exile, a direct consequence of their unfaithfulness and persistent rebellion, despite the outward markers of their covenant with God. The verse serves as a climactic warning that external religious practices, like circumcision, offer no protection when the heart is far from God, particularly when their spiritual condition is no better than, or even worse than, that of uncircumcised Gentiles.

Jeremiah 9 26 Word analysis

• Egypt (מִצְרַיִם - Mitsrayim): A powerful ancient civilization, often seen as Israel's historical oppressor (Exodus) and later a treacherous ally against Assyria/Babylon. Mentioned first as a prominent gentile nation without the covenant sign.
• Judah (יְהוּדָה - Yehudah): The southern kingdom, the people of the covenant. Its inclusion in a list of "uncircumcised" nations creates an immediate tension and highlights their profound spiritual failure.
• Edom (אֱדוֹם - Edom): Descendants of Esau, Jacob's brother, perpetually hostile to Israel. Their physical uncircumcision marked their distinction from Israel.
• Ammon (עַמּוֹן - Ammon): Descendants of Lot, known for their persistent animosity towards Israel and idolatrous practices.
• Moab (מוֹאָב - Mo'av): Also descendants of Lot, similar history of antagonism and paganism towards Israel.
• and all who live in the desert in curly hair (וְכָל־יֹשְׁבֵי מִדְבָּר הַקְּצוּצֵי פֵאָה - v'khol-yoshvei midbar haqqᵉtzootsê phe'ah): This refers to various desert tribes, often Arabians or Qedrites, who practiced shaving or trimming the hair at their temples. This practice was forbidden for Israel in Lev 19:27 as it was associated with pagan mourning rituals or idolatry, marking them distinctly as non-Israelites in appearance and custom.
• for all these nations are uncircumcised (כִּי כָל־הַגּוֹיִם אֵלֶּה עֲרֵלִים - ki khol-hagoyim elleh `arelim): Explicitly states the physical condition of these gentile nations. Their lack of the covenant sign sets them apart from Israel. This highlights a superficial, external distinction that Judah mistakenly relied upon.
• and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart (וְכָל־בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל עַרְלֵי־לֵב - v'khol-beit Yisrael `arlei-lev): This is the crucial twist. It denotes a profound spiritual condition where the internal disposition is hardened, rebellious, and unresponsive to God. The phrase uses `arlei-lev, "uncircumcised of heart," revealing Judah's inner apostasy despite their physical covenant sign.
• "Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab, and all who live in the desert in curly hair": This list groups Judah alongside prominent Gentile nations, signaling God's impartial judgment based not on identity, but on faithfulness. Their shared inclusion for divine scrutiny subverts Judah's perceived exclusivity.
• "for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart": This parallel structure creates a sharp, rhetorical climax. It elevates Judah's spiritual failing above the merely physical state of the gentiles, indicating that a corrupt heart negates the value of any outward religious rite. The contrast makes it clear that while gentiles might lack the sign, Judah lacks the substance.

Jeremiah 9 26 Bonus section

The specific mention of "curly hair" (or "shaven hair at the temples") for the desert dwellers is significant. It's not just a description but an identification marker for tribes whose practices violated Israel's distinctiveness. Leviticus 19:27 ("You shall not round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard") prohibited such grooming for Israelites, associating it with pagan practices often linked to cultic rituals or mourning rites for false gods. By comparing Judah, uncircumcised in heart, with these particular pagan groups identified by a specific forbidden hairstyle, Jeremiah underscores the extent to which Judah has spiritually blurred the lines between themselves and the nations they were meant to be distinct from. This verse also foreshadows the New Covenant teaching, where physical signs like circumcision become secondary to an inward work of the Spirit, uniting all who have faith (Gal 3:28).

Jeremiah 9 26 Commentary

Jeremiah 9:26 delivers a powerful indictment that cuts to the core of Judah's spiritual failure. By listing Judah alongside surrounding pagan nations—Egypt, Edom, Ammon, Moab, and the desert tribes with their distinctive (and forbidden for Israel) hair rituals—Jeremiah systematically dismantles any notion of inherent superiority based solely on physical or ritual distinctions. The initial list categorizes those physically "uncircumcised," meaning they lacked the covenant sign given to Abraham. This external mark distinguished Israel, theoretically. However, the crushing blow comes at the end: "all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart."

This phrase, "uncircumcised in heart," encapsulates a state of spiritual stubbornness, rebellion, and insensitivity to God's will, a hardened inner disposition that refuses to submit to divine instruction or feel godly sorrow for sin. For Jeremiah and the prophets, the heart (the center of intellect, emotion, and will) needed to be softened, responsive, and wholly devoted to God. Without this inner transformation, the outward physical sign of circumcision—designed to signify a covenant relationship and a separated people—was rendered hollow and meaningless. In fact, Israel's state was arguably worse than their pagan neighbors. The pagans, while uncircumcised in flesh, were merely acting according to their lack of knowledge of the true God. Judah, however, possessing the covenant and the law, yet rejecting them inwardly, was deliberately disobedient and therefore more culpable. The verse is a severe prophetic challenge to all who rely on external religious acts while neglecting internal transformation, asserting that true covenant identity is defined by the heart's alignment with God.