Jeremiah 8:5
Why then has this people turned away in perpetual backsliding? They hold fast to deceit; they refuse to return.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The verse highlights a persistent, almost defiant clinging to deception, rather than a simple error. It's not just that they've strayed, but that they actively "hold fast" to what is false, refusing the very idea of turning back to God. This emphasizes that their problem isn't ignorance, but a chosen allegiance to deceit.
Jeremiah is passionately questioning why Jerusalem, God's own people, are caught in a cycle of persistent rebellion. This isn't just a general observation; it's a direct follow-up to God asking if those who fall can't rise or turn away can't return. The people are clinging to lies and deceitful practices, refusing to turn back to God despite the evident consequences and warnings.
Jeremiah uses a powerful wordplay here, linking the people's straying to a deeper, almost intentional, refusal. It’s more than just a mistake; it’s a pattern.
The verse opens with a poignant question: "Why then has this people turned away in perpetual backsliding?" Notice the word 'backsliding' is directly related to the word 'turned away' in the preceding verse (Jeremiah 8:4). It emphasizes a continuous, active turning away from God, not just a passive falling. The original language highlights this by using forms of the same root word. This isn't a slip that can be easily corrected; it's a chosen direction, a "perpetual turning" that has become their identity. This deliberate, ongoing rejection is what makes their situation so dire.
What are they holding onto so tightly? It's not truth, it's not hope, but something that promises comfort without substance.
The verse continues, "They hold fast to deceit; they refuse to return." The 'deceit' here isn't just a minor lie; it refers to the false gods, the hollow promises of security and prosperity that the people clung to instead of trusting in the Lord. They embraced these lies so tightly – "holding fast" – that they became blind to their true spiritual state and the impending consequences. This clinging to deceit is the direct reason they "refuse to return." Their grip on falsehood makes a return to God impossible. It's a powerful picture of how embracing deception, whether personal or societal, hardens the heart and blocks the path back to truth and righteousness.
Understand the original words
meshubah · Hebrew Noun
A state of moral and spiritual rebellion characterized by willful deviation from God's revealed truth and covenantal requirements.
tarmiyt · Hebrew Noun
Falsehood or dishonesty, especially in a spiritual sense, referring to anything that deviates from the truth of God or misleads people into relying on idols and empty promises rather than the Creator.
This verse comes from a time of immense national crisis and impending judgment. Jeremiah is calling out the people of Jerusalem for their stubborn refusal to repent, even as the consequences of their spiritual adultery and deceit are becoming terrifyingly real with the threat of Babylonian conquest and exile.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Israel
The northern kingdom of Israel falls to the Assyrian Empire, leading to the exile of many Israelites and marking a significant spiritual and political downfall for the northern tribes.
c. 605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon conquers Judah and begins deporting its citizens, including skilled workers and nobility, to Babylon. This marks the start of Judah's subjugation.
c. 597 BC
Second Babylonian Deportation
Following a rebellion, more Judeans, including King Jehoiachin and the prophet Ezekiel, are deported to Babylon. Jerusalem's Temple is looted.
c. 587-586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem and Third Deportation
Babylon destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, ending the Davidic dynasty. The majority of the remaining population is exiled to Babylon, devastating the nation.
This passage echoes the same theme of 'backsliding' and God's call to 'return', highlighting the persistent unfaithfulness of His people despite His loving invitations.
Hosea 4:16This verse speaks to the stubbornness of Israel, comparing their persistent straying from God to a stubborn heifer, similar to Jeremiah's depiction of people clinging to deceit and refusing to turn back.
Luke 11:49-51Jesus quotes from Jeremiah and other prophets, condemning the religious leaders for rejecting God's messengers, which resonates with Jeremiah 8:5's accusation that the people refuse to return to God's ways.
Hebrews 10:26-27This New Testament passage warns against deliberately continuing in sin after receiving the knowledge of truth, a concept that strongly parallels the 'perpetual backsliding' and refusal to return described in Jeremiah 8:5.
Isaiah 5:5-7Isaiah uses the metaphor of a vineyard that produces wild grapes instead of good fruit, illustrating how God's people have turned away from what is right and produced only corruption, much like the deceitful practices mentioned in Jeremiah 8:5.
barnesJeremiah 8:5: "Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return."
When men act as in Jeremiah 8:4 , why is God's own people alone an exception? Slidden back ... backsliding - The same words as "turn" and "return" in Jeremiah 8:4. They should be rendered, "Why doth this people of Jerusalem turn away with a perpetual turning?" Deceit - i. e., idolatry; because men worship in it that which is false, and it is false to the wo…
pulpitJeremiah 8:5: "Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return."
Verse 5. - Slidden back... backsliding. The verb is the same verb (in another conjugation) as in Ver. 4, and the noun is a derivative from it. The Authorized Version, therefore, has slightly weakened the force of the argument. They hold fast deceit. They cling to a false view of their relation to their God (comp. Jeremiah 4:2; Jeremiah 5:2).
The verse highlights a persistent, almost defiant clinging to deception, rather than a simple error. It's not just that they've strayed, but that they actively "hold fast" to what is false, refusing the very idea of turning back to God. This emphasizes that their problem isn't ignorance, but a chosen allegiance to deceit.
Jeremiah is passionately questioning why Jerusalem, God's own people, are caught in a cycle of persistent rebellion. This isn't just a general observation; it's a direct follow-up to God asking if those who fall can't rise or turn away can't return. The people are clinging to lies and deceitful practices, refusing to turn back to God despite the evident consequences and warnings.
Jeremiah is passionately questioning why Jerusalem, God's own people, are caught in a cycle of persistent rebellion. This isn't just a general observation; it's a direct follow-up to God asking if those who fall can't rise or turn away can't return. The people are clinging to lies and deceitful practices, refusing to turn back to God despite the evident consequences and warnings.
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c. 539 BC
Persian Conquest of Babylon
Cyrus the Great of Persia conquers Babylon, allowing exiled peoples, including the Judeans, to return to their homelands.
c. 516 BC
Second Temple Rebuilt
With Persian permission, Jewish exiles return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple, symbolizing a return to national and religious life, though under foreign rule.
"Why then has this people turned away in perpetual backsliding? They hold fast to deceit; they refuse to return." — The verse highlights a persistent, almost defiant clinging to deception, rather than a simple error. It's not just that they've strayed, but that they actively "hold fast" to what is false, refusing…
