Jeremiah 5:21

Judgment

¹⁹ And when the people ask, ‘For what offense has the LORD our God done all these things to us?’ You are to tell them, ‘Just as you have forsaken Me and served foreign gods in your land, so will you serve foreigners in a land that is not your own.’”

²⁰ Declare this in the house of Jacob and proclaim it in Judah:

“Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear.

²² Do you not fear Me?” declares the LORD. “Do you not tremble before Me, the One who set the sand as the boundary for the sea, an enduring barrier it cannot cross? The waves surge, but they cannot prevail. They roar but cannot cross it.

²³ But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned aside and gone away.

This was said to Israel at a particular time, so it is wise to read it together with the surrounding text. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: “Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear.
KJV: Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not:
WEB: ‘Hear this now, foolish people without understanding, who have eyes, and don’t see, who have ears, and don’t hear:
ASV: Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; that have eyes, and see not; that have ears, and hear not:
DARBY: Hear now this, O foolish and heartless people, who have eyes and see not; who have ears, and hear not.
BLB: “Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; unto them [are] eyes, and they do not see, unto them [are] ears, and they do not hear.

ÅB: Hør dette, du uvettige og uforstandige folk, som har øyne, men ikke ser, som har ører, men ikke hører!
OTB: Hør dette, dere sanseløse og tåpelige folk, som har øyne men ikke ser, som har ører men ikke hører:
B1930: Hør dette, du uvettige og uforstandige folk, som har øine, men ikke ser, som har ører, men ikke hører!

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Acts 28:26
‘Go to this people and say, “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.”
Read in context
Ezekiel 12:2
“Son of man, you are living in a rebellious house. They have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious house.
Read in context
Isaiah 6:9–10
And He replied: “Go and tell this people, ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
Read in context
Romans 11:8
as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see, and ears that could not hear, to this very day.”
Read in context
John 12:40
“He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so that they cannot see with their eyes, and understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.”
Read in context
Matthew 13:13–15
This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’
Read in context
Jeremiah 4:22
“For My people are fools; they have not known Me. They are foolish children, without understanding. They are skilled in doing evil, but they know not how to do good.”
Read in context
Mark 8:18
‘Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear?’ And do you not remember?
Read in context