Jeremiah 5:23
But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and gone away.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The words "revolting and rebellious" aren't just a description of their actions, but of their very core – their "heart" means their inner will and desires. This wasn't a simple mistake; they had actively chosen to turn away and then kept going, not just once, but into deeper disobedience.
In the preceding verses, God points out how even the inanimate elements like the sea and the sky obey Him, questioning why His own people are so disobedient. This verse directly addresses that disobedience, highlighting that their hearts are not just passively drifting away but actively turning against God, persisting in their rebellion and straying further from His ways. The prophet's words emphasize that this isn't a momentary lapse but a deep-seated refusal to return to God.
Jeremiah doesn't just say people rebel; he describes how they rebel. There's a passive turning away and an active defiance.
Jeremiah 5:23 uses two powerful words to describe the people's hearts: 'stubborn' (or revolting) and 'rebellious.' Think of them as two sides of the same coin.
Together, these words paint a picture of a deep-seated spiritual sickness where people not only move away from God but also actively push against Him.
Even the natural world obeys its Creator. Why then do humans, given free will, so often turn away?
Jeremiah contrasts the people's stubbornness with the obedience of creation. The sea and sand, though powerful forces, have boundaries set by God and do not stray (as some commentaries note, referencing the sea's bounds). The natural elements perform their functions without question.
But humans, uniquely gifted with a will and the capacity for relationship with God, choose to disobey. This verse highlights the tragedy of human freedom: the freedom to turn away from the very One who created and sustains us. Our 'stubborn and rebellious heart' is a departure from the order God established.
Understand the original words
sarar · Hebrew Adjective/Verb
A persistent, obstinate, or refractory spirit that resists God’s authority and refuses to submit to His will.
marah · Hebrew Adjective
Deliberate defiance or opposition against God’s established authority and commands; a refusal to comply with His revealed word.
lebab · Hebrew Noun
The internal seat of human personality, will, intellect, and moral decision-making; it is the center of human response to God.
Jeremiah's words in this verse describe the deep-seated spiritual rebellion of Judah, particularly evident after the Babylonian deportations, which demonstrated God's judgment on their persistent disobedience.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The Northern Kingdom of Israel falls to the Neo-Assyrian Empire, leading to the exile of its population and the scattering of the tribes.
626 BC
Jeremiah Begins Prophesying
Jeremiah is called by God to prophesy, primarily to the Southern Kingdom of Judah, during a time of increasing political instability and spiritual decay.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquers Jerusalem and deports a first group of Jewish exiles, including Daniel, to Babylon.
597 BC— this verse
Second Deportation to Babylon
Jerusalem is besieged again, and King Jehoiachin along with thousands more Judeans are exiled to Babylon. This event deeply impacted Judah's sense of security and covenant faithfulness.
This passage describes the Israelites as a generation that did not remain steadfast, echoing Jeremiah's description of a stubborn and rebellious heart that turns aside.
Hebrews 3:12This New Testament warning parallels Jeremiah's indictment, urging believers not to have a hardened, rebellious heart that turns away from the living God.
Ezekiel 3:7Similar to Jeremiah's audience, Ezekiel's people are described as stubborn and rebellious, highlighting a recurring theme of human resistance to God's word throughout Israel's history.
Romans 1:21This verse speaks of foolish hearts being darkened and exchanging the truth of God for a lie, which captures the essence of the 'rebellious heart' that has 'turned aside' in Jeremiah.
clarkeJeremiah 5:23: "But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone."
They are revolted and gone - They have abandoned me, and are gone farther and farther into transgression. They are gone entirely away from truth and righteousness.
pooleJeremiah 5:23: "But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone."
They are not only revolted from me, and gone back, but they continue obstinate, and will not return, Psalm 78:8 , as the next clause intimates, where God shows their obstinacy by the effect of it. Gone, viz. from me, they persist in their courses, no reclaiming of them; for they are not only revolted, but they are gone quite away, and are irreclaimable.
The words "revolting and rebellious" aren't just a description of their actions, but of their very core – their "heart" means their inner will and desires. This wasn't a simple mistake; they had actively chosen to turn away and then kept going, not just once, but into deeper disobedience.
In the preceding verses, God points out how even the inanimate elements like the sea and the sky obey Him, questioning why His own people are so disobedient. This verse directly addresses that disobedience, highlighting that their hearts are not just passively drifting away but actively turning against God, persisting in their rebellion and straying further from His ways. The prophet's words emphasize that this isn't a momentary lapse but a deep-seated refusal to return to God.
In the preceding verses, God points out how even the inanimate elements like the sea and the sky obey Him, questioning why His own people are so disobedient. This verse directly addresses that disobedience, highlighting that their hearts are not just passively drifting away but actively turning against God, persisting in their rebellion and straying further from His ways. The prophet's words emphasize that this isn't a momentary lapse but a deep-seated refusal to return to God.
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586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
The Babylonians completely destroy Jerusalem and its Temple, ending the Davidic monarchy and exiling the majority of the remaining population.
"But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and gone away." — The words "revolting and rebellious" aren't just a description of their actions, but of their very core – their "heart" means their inner will and desires. This wasn't a simple mistake; they had acti…
