Jeremiah 22:17
But you have eyes and heart only for your dishonest gain, for shedding innocent blood, and for practicing oppression and violence.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The verse highlights that King Jehoiakim's "gain" wasn't just about money, but was intrinsically linked to violence and oppression. His eyes and heart were focused on acquiring wealth through brutal means, showing how deeply corruption can twist a person's entire being.
This passage directly accuses King Jehoiakim, contrasting him sharply with his righteous father, Josiah. Jeremiah condemns Jehoiakim's absolute focus on personal gain through illicit means, including murder and violent oppression of his people. The verse highlights how his greed fueled his cruelty and extravagance, leading to the unjust suffering of the innocent.
What does it mean for your 'eyes and heart' to be fixed on something? This verse paints a grim picture of King Jehoiakim's inner world.
Jeremiah uses powerful imagery here to describe King Jehoiakim's utter devotion to sin.
A Singular Focus
The Devastating Fruits
The verse then lists the terrible consequences of this fixation:
This isn't just a description of a bad king; it’s a warning about the destructive power of a heart given over to selfish gain.
A king is supposed to protect his people. But what happens when a leader becomes the source of their suffering?
Jeremiah’s words to Jehoiakim reveal a crucial truth about leadership and accountability.
Understand the original words
betza · Hebrew Noun
Unjust profit or wealth gained through corrupt means, extortion, or the exploitation of others. It is strictly forbidden by God as it violates justice and holiness.
dam naqiy · Hebrew Noun phrase
The act of murdering someone who is morally blameless or uninvolved in wrongdoing. It is an abomination before God and is often highlighted as a symptom of a nation in spiritual decay.
osheq · Hebrew Noun
The cruel or unjust use of power to crush, treat harshly, or burden others. It is frequently condemned as a rejection of God’s command to love one's neighbor.
chamas · Hebrew Noun
The use of physical force to cause harm or intimidation. In the prophets, it often refers to public disorder and the abuse of the weak by the strong.
This verse paints a stark picture of King Jehoiakim's reign, characterized by a relentless pursuit of personal wealth and power through corrupt means, including murder and oppression. It stands in sharp contrast to his father Josiah's righteous rule and highlights the devastating consequences of selfish ambition for both the ruler and the people.
627 BC
Death of Josiah's Father
King Josiah, a righteous ruler, dies in battle. His son Jehoahaz (also known as Shallum) takes the throne, but is quickly deposed by the Egyptians. Pharaoh Neco then installs Jehoiakim, another son of Josiah, as king.
609 BC
Jehoiakim's Installation as King
Pharaoh Neco of Egypt installs Jehoiakim as king of Judah, replacing his brother Jehoahaz. Jehoiakim immediately begins a reign marked by unfaithfulness to God and oppressive practices.
c. 605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar, crown prince of Babylon, defeats the Egyptians at Carchemish and advances into Judah. He deports a number of prominent Judeans, including Daniel, to Babylon, marking the beginning of Babylonian dominance.
c. 598 BC
Murder of Urijah the Prophet
Jehoiakim, in a fit of rage and fear, has the prophet Urijah, who prophesied against Jerusalem, murdered. Urijah's body is unceremoniously buried in a common graveyard, an act of violence against a messenger of God.
This verse directly echoes the sentiment that the *love* of money is the root of all sorts of evil, which is precisely the driving force behind Jehoiakim's covetousness, oppression, and violence in Jeremiah.
Luke 12:15Jesus' warning against greed highlights the same danger: 'for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.' Jehoiakim's life was entirely consumed by accumulating wealth, demonstrating a life devoid of true substance.
Matthew 6:24This teaching about not serving both God and money directly applies to Jehoiakim's situation. His 'eyes and heart' were solely for 'gain,' showing a clear allegiance to wealth over righteousness.
Ezekiel 19:6Ezekiel describes a lion cub (representing Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim's brother, but the imagery reflects the royal family's corruption) going out among lions, learning to 'ravage,' which mirrors the violent and predatory nature of Jehoiakim described in Jeremiah.
James 5:3This passage speaks of riches being corroded and acting as a witness against the greedy. It paints a vivid picture of how the ill-gotten gains and the violence used to acquire them will ultimately condemn those who pursue them, just as Jeremiah condemns Jehoiakim.
pulpitJeremiah 22:17: "But thine eyes and thine heart are not but for thy covetousness, and for to shed innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it."
Verse 17. - But thou, O Jehoiakim, art the opposite of thy father. For (not, But) thine eyes and thine heart are not but for thy covetousness. "Covetousness" includes the ideas of injustice and violence (comp. Jeremiah 6:13; Jeremiah 8:10); hence the second half of the verse emphasizes the cruel tyranny which marked the internal polic…
barnesJeremiah 22:17: "But thine eyes and thine heart are not but for thy covetousness, and for to shed innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it."
Covetousness - literally, gain. Besides exacting forced labor Jehoiakim, to procure the necessary means for the vast expenses he incurred, put innocent people to death on various pretexts, and escheated their property.
The verse highlights that King Jehoiakim's "gain" wasn't just about money, but was intrinsically linked to violence and oppression. His eyes and heart were focused on acquiring wealth through brutal means, showing how deeply corruption can twist a person's entire being.
This passage directly accuses King Jehoiakim, contrasting him sharply with his righteous father, Josiah. Jeremiah condemns Jehoiakim's absolute focus on personal gain through illicit means, including murder and violent oppression of his people. The verse highlights how his greed fueled his cruelty and extravagance, leading to the unjust suffering of the innocent.
This passage directly accuses King Jehoiakim, contrasting him sharply with his righteous father, Josiah. Jeremiah condemns Jehoiakim's absolute focus on personal gain through illicit means, including murder and violent oppression of his people. The verse highlights how his greed fueled his cruelty and extravagance, leading to the unjust suffering of the innocent.
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The King's Corrupt Kingdom
Divine Accountability
c. 598-597 BC— this verse
Jehoiakim's Rebellion and Death
Jehoiakim rebels against Nebuchadnezzar. He dies under violent circumstances during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem, possibly assassinated or killed during the invasion.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Jehoiakim's son, Jehoiachin, reigns briefly before surrendering to the Babylonians. He, along with thousands of other Judeans, is deported to Babylon, a consequence of his father's and his own misrule.
"But you have eyes and heart only for your dishonest gain, for shedding innocent blood, and for practicing oppression and violence.”" — The verse highlights that King Jehoiakim's "gain" wasn't just about money, but was intrinsically linked to violence and oppression. His eyes and heart were focused on acquiring wealth through brutal…
