Jeremiah 22:13-14
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This verse highlights that building one's grand house isn't just about outward appearance; it reveals the character of the builder. The "woe" falls not just on the construction itself, but specifically on the injustice of making neighbors work without fair pay, showing how personal greed can corrupt even the most elaborate projects.
“Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms by injustice, who makes his neighbor serve him for nothing and does not give him his wages, who says, ‘I will build myself a great house with spacious upper rooms,’ who cuts out windows for it, paneling it with cedar and painting it with vermilion.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The prophet Jeremiah begins a new section of his message, directly addressing King Jehoiakim and denouncing his unjust practices. This passage unfolds in the context of national hardship and foreign oppression, highlighting how the king's lavish building projects were funded by exploiting his own people, forcing them to work without fair wages and contributing to the kingdom's overall iniquity. The woe pronounced here sets the stage for the subsequent judgment against Jehoiakim and the impending destruction of Jerusalem.
A king’s palace isn't just stone and mortar; it can be built on sorrow. This verse reveals a specific kind of sin that invites God's judgment.
Jeremiah pronounces a "woe" – a declaration of divine judgment – on those who build their homes and even their upper rooms through unethical means. This isn't just about stealing money; it's about profiting from the exploitation of others.
Building on a Foundation of Wrong
When leaders prioritize personal gain over the well-being of their people, disaster is inevitable. This verse contrasts the king's lavish building projects with the cries of the oppressed.
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The prophet Jeremiah calls out King Jehoiakim (or possibly Jehoahaz) for his self-serving extravagance at the expense of his people. In a time of national crisis, when the kingdom was burdened by foreign powers and internal struggles, the king was focused on expanding his palace and personal comfort.
A Corrupt Foundation for Power
Understand the original words
hoy · Hebrew Interjection
A pronouncement of grief, judgment, or coming disaster. In prophetic literature, it signifies God's condemnation of specific behaviors or lifestyles that oppose His moral law.
avel · Hebrew Noun
Living or acting in a way that violates God's standards of fairness, integrity, and truth. It stands in direct opposition to the divine requirement of holiness and reflects a heart that lacks the fear of God.
avel · Hebrew Noun
The perversion of justice or the failure to act equitably. It involves depriving others of their due rights and is frequently condemned by the prophets as a violation of the covenant community's social obligations.
This prophecy against King Jehoiakim reveals how extravagant personal gain built on the backs of the oppressed was a direct offense to God, even amidst national crisis and impending judgment.
c. 609-598 BC— this verse
Reign of King Jehoiakim
Jehoiakim ruled as king of Judah. He imposed heavy taxes on his people to pay tribute to Egypt and indulged in lavish building projects, including a grand palace, by exploiting his subjects.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon led his forces against Judah. He deported a group of prominent Judeans, including members of the royal family and skilled individuals, to Babylon.
601 BC
Battle of Carchemish
Egypt and Babylon clashed for control of the Near East. This battle resulted in a Babylonian victory, shifting regional power and increasing pressure on Judah.
597 BC
Siege and Second Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem. Jehoiakim's son, Jehoiachin, was captured, and he and many more Judeans were deported to Babylon.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Temple Destruction
The Babylonians conquered Jerusalem for a final time, destroying the city and Solomon's Temple. The remaining population was largely exiled to Babylon.
This passage from the Law directly prohibits withholding the wages of a hired servant overnight, highlighting that the injustice in Jeremiah is a violation of God's established commands for fair treatment.
Deuteronomy 24:14-15This text reiterates the command not to oppress a hired servant, particularly by withholding wages, emphasizing that this injustice cries out to God, just as it does in Jeremiah's prophecy.
James 5:4The New Testament echoes Jeremiah's accusation, warning those who defraud laborers of their wages that the Lord of Hosts has heard their cry, showing this is a timeless sin with eternal consequences.
Micah 3:10Micah also condemns leaders who build up cities and Jerusalem 'with bloodshed and wickedness,' drawing a parallel to Jeremiah's denunciation of unjust construction funded by oppression.
Habakkuk 2:9This passage pronounces a woe on anyone who builds unjust gain for their house, showing that the practice of profiting from exploitation, as described in Jeremiah, invites God's judgment.
calvinJeremiah 22:13: "Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; that useth his neighbour's service without wages, and giveth him not for his work;"
- Ileus qui aedificat domum suam in non justitia, (hoc est, injuste,) et coenacula sua in non judicio (hoc est, sine rectitudine et aequitate;) proximum suum servire facit gratis, et opus ejus non reddit ei (vel, quod ille operatus fuerit non reddit ei; (vel, quod ille operatus fuerit non reddit ei; quidam enim…
barnesJeremiah 22:13: "Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; that useth his neighbour's service without wages, and giveth him not for his work;"
Far worse is the second example. Shallum was no heartless tyrant like Jehoiakim, who lived in splendor amid the misery of the nation, and perished so little cared for that his body was cast aside without burial. His chambers - Really, his upper chambers. From the absence of machinery the raising of materials for…
This verse highlights that building one's grand house isn't just about outward appearance; it reveals the character of the builder. The "woe" falls not just on the construction itself, but specifically on the injustice of making neighbors work without fair pay, showing how personal greed can corrupt even the most elaborate projects.
The prophet Jeremiah begins a new section of his message, directly addressing King Jehoiakim and denouncing his unjust practices. This passage unfolds in the context of national hardship and foreign oppression, highlighting how the king's lavish building projects were funded by exploiting his own people, forcing them to work without fair wages and contributing to the kingdom's overall iniquity. The woe pronounced here sets the stage for the subsequent judgment against Jehoiakim and the impending destruction of Jerusalem.
The prophet Jeremiah begins a new section of his message, directly addressing King Jehoiakim and denouncing his unjust practices. This passage unfolds in the context of national hardship and foreign oppression, highlighting how the king's lavish building projects were funded by exploiting his own people, forcing them to work without fair wages and contributing to the kingdom's overall iniquity. The woe pronounced here sets the stage for the subsequent judgment against Jehoiakim and the impending destruction of Jerusalem.
"“Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms by injustice, who makes his neighbor serve him for nothing and does not give him his wages, who says, ‘I will build myself a great house w…" — This verse highlights that building one's grand house isn't just about outward appearance; it reveals the character of the builder. The "woe" falls not just on the construction itself, but specifical…
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Last reviewed October 2026
