Jeremiah 4:22

KJV

For my people [is] foolish, they have not known me; they [are] sottish children, and they have none understanding: they [are] wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.

KJV (with Strong's)

For my people {H5971} is foolish {H191}, they have not known {H3045} me; they are sottish {H5530} children {H1121}, and they have none understanding {H995}: they are wise {H2450} to do evil {H7489}, but to do good {H3190} they have no knowledge {H3045}.

Complete Jewish Bible

"It is because my people are foolish - they do not know me; they are stupid children, without understanding, wise when doing evil; but they don't know how to do good."

Berean Standard Bible

“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.”

American Standard Version

For my people are foolish, they know me not; they are sottish children, and they have no understanding; they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Jeremiah 4:22 serves as a poignant divine lament, articulating God's profound sorrow and exasperation over the spiritual and moral state of His people, Judah. The verse diagnoses their condition as one of deep spiritual ignorance, characterized by a failure to truly know God, coupled with a tragic perversion of wisdom: they are adept at devising and executing evil, yet utterly devoid of understanding or inclination to do good. This inversion of moral priorities highlights the depth of their covenant unfaithfulness and foreshadows the impending judgment.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** Jeremiah 4:22 is situated within a series of prophetic pronouncements concerning the imminent judgment upon Judah, primarily through the invasion of a formidable northern foe, widely understood to be Babylon. The preceding verses (Jeremiah 4:5-21) vividly describe the impending destruction, using imagery of war, desolation, and a land laid waste. God's lament in verse 22 serves as the divine rationale and heartbroken diagnosis for this impending catastrophe. It explains *why* such severe judgment is necessary, revealing that Judah's spiritual and moral bankruptcy is the root cause. The verse acts as a lament from the divine perspective, providing the theological underpinning for the preceding warnings and the subsequent descriptions of devastation.
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** The prophet Jeremiah ministered during the tumultuous final decades of the Kingdom of Judah (c. 627-586 BC), a period marked by political instability, shifting alliances, and profound spiritual decline. Despite the reforms under King Josiah, the people consistently reverted to widespread idolatry, syncretism, and social injustice, mirroring the very sins that led to the Northern Kingdom of Israel's exile. Judah had inherited a rich covenantal heritage, having been chosen by God and given His law, yet they persistently turned away from Him. The cultural norms of the surrounding pagan nations, including child sacrifice and temple prostitution, had infiltrated Judahite society. Jeremiah 4:22 reflects God's deep disappointment with a people who, having been uniquely privileged with divine revelation, chose ignorance and moral perversion.
* **Key Themes:** Jeremiah 4:22 powerfully encapsulates several core themes prevalent throughout the book of Jeremiah and the prophetic literature. Central is the theme of **Profound Spiritual Ignorance**, where God's people "have not known me." This is not merely a lack of intellectual information but a deliberate rejection of an intimate, covenantal relationship with the Lord, leading to spiritual blindness and disobedience. This spiritual apathy is a recurring indictment against Israel, as seen in [Isaiah 1:3](/isaiah/1-3 "Isaiah 1:3 - Israel's Rebellion") where God laments that "Israel does not know, my people do not understand." Another crucial theme is **Moral Inversion and Perverted Wisdom**. The most striking aspect of the verse is the paradox that Judah is "wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge." This highlights a tragic corruption of their innate human capacity for discernment, where ingenuity is applied to wickedness, while righteousness becomes an alien concept. This theme resonates with [Isaiah 5:20](/isaiah/5-20 "Isaiah 5:20 - Woe to Those Who Call Evil Good"), which pronounces a "woe to those who call evil good and good evil." Finally, the verse conveys a profound sense of **Divine Lament and Frustration**. The language "For my people is foolish... they are sottish children" expresses God's sorrow, exasperation, and parental grief over His wayward children, who act with an immaturity and lack of discernment utterly unfitting for His chosen nation. This echoes the broken covenant relationship described in [Jeremiah 2:13](/jeremiah/2-13 "Jeremiah 2:13 - Israel's Two Evils").

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **foolish (Hebrew, _ʼĕvîyl'_):** This word, derived from an unused root meaning "to be perverse," describes someone who is silly, stupid, or morally perverse. It denotes a lack of sound judgment, not necessarily due to intellectual deficiency, but often stemming from a moral or spiritual unwillingness to grasp truth. In Jeremiah 4:22, it underscores Judah's spiritual immaturity and their deliberate turning away from God's wisdom, leading to absurd and self-destructive behavior.
* **known (Hebrew, _yâdaʻ'_):** This primitive root signifies a deep, intimate, and experiential knowledge, far beyond mere intellectual acquaintance. It implies recognition, understanding, and often, a covenantal relationship involving obedience and faithfulness. When God laments that His people "have not known me," it points to their failure to engage in a personal, transformative relationship with Him, to acknowledge His sovereignty, and to live in accordance with His revealed will. This lack of true knowledge is the root of their spiritual and moral decay.
* **wise (Hebrew, _châkâm'_):** Typically, this word carries a positive connotation, referring to intelligence, skill, discernment, or practical wisdom. However, in this verse, it is employed with profound irony. Judah is "wise" not in understanding divine truth or practicing righteousness, but in devising and executing evil. Their skill and ingenuity, which should have been directed towards God's glory and their own good, were tragically misapplied to wickedness, highlighting a perversion of their God-given capacities.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"For my people [is] foolish, they have not known me":** This opening clause establishes the core problem: God's chosen people, whom He identifies intimately as "my people," are characterized by a profound spiritual foolishness. This foolishness is directly linked to their failure to "know" God in a deep, covenantal, and experiential sense. It's a lament over their willful ignorance and rejection of the intimate relationship He desired with them.
* **"they [are] sottish children, and they have none understanding":** This expands on the previous point, emphasizing their spiritual immaturity and lack of discernment. "Sottish" (Hebrew, _çâkâl'_) means dull, stupid, or foolish, while "children" (Hebrew, _bên'_) highlights their immaturity. They behave like naive, unthinking infants in spiritual matters, utterly incapable of grasping divine truth or discerning right from wrong according to God's standards.
* **"they [are] wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge":** This is the most striking and tragic indictment. It presents a stark antithesis, revealing a complete inversion of moral priorities. The very people who are "foolish" and "sottish" when it comes to God's ways are paradoxically "wise" – skillful and cunning – in perpetrating wickedness. Yet, when it comes to "doing good," they are utterly devoid of "knowledge" or understanding, implying not just an inability but a complete lack of desire or capacity for righteousness. Their moral compass is entirely inverted.

#### Literary Devices
Jeremiah 4:22 employs several powerful literary devices to convey God's lament and judgment. **Irony** is central, particularly in the phrase "wise to do evil." Wisdom (Hebrew, _châkâm_), typically a positive attribute of discernment and skill, is ironically applied to the people's proficiency in wickedness, highlighting the perversion of their intellect and moral compass. This creates a jarring contrast with their spiritual foolishness. The passage also utilizes **Antithesis** or **Contrast** by juxtaposing "wise to do evil" with "to do good they have no knowledge." This sharp opposition underscores the tragic inversion of values and abilities within Judah. Furthermore, the use of **Metaphor** is evident in "sottish children," which likens the people to immature, dull-witted offspring, emphasizing their lack of spiritual discernment and their childish rebellion against their divine Parent. Finally, the entire verse functions as a form of **Anthropomorphism**, attributing human emotions of lament, frustration, and disappointment to God, allowing the reader to grasp the depth of His sorrow over His people's spiritual state.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Jeremiah 4:22 profoundly articulates the tragic consequences of covenant unfaithfulness and spiritual ignorance. It reveals God's character as both deeply loving and justly grieved, lamenting the moral decay of a people He chose and nurtured. The verse underscores the theological truth that true wisdom is rooted in the knowledge of God, and its absence leads to a perversion of moral judgment, where evil is embraced and good is forsaken. This spiritual blindness is not merely a lack of information but a relational failure, a deliberate turning away from the God who revealed Himself. The inability to "do good" is a direct result of their refusal to "know" God, highlighting the intrinsic link between theology and ethics. This divine lament serves as a severe warning that persistent spiritual ignorance and moral perversion inevitably lead to divine judgment, as the covenant blessings are replaced by curses for disobedience.

* [Hosea 4:6](/hosea/4-6 "Hosea 4:6 - My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.")
* [Proverbs 1:7](/proverbs/1-7 "Proverbs 1:7 - The Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Knowledge")
* [Isaiah 5:20](/isaiah/5-20 "Isaiah 5:20 - Woe to Those Who Call Evil Good")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Jeremiah 4:22 serves as a timeless mirror for individuals and communities today, challenging us to examine the true nature of our "wisdom" and the depth of our "knowledge" of God. It compels us to ask whether our intelligence and ingenuity are directed towards God's purposes or, like ancient Judah, tragically misapplied to self-serving or even destructive ends. The verse warns against spiritual apathy and the insidious danger of a moral compass that gradually becomes inverted, where convenience or worldly gain is prioritized over righteousness. True wisdom, as the Scriptures consistently teach, begins with a reverent fear of the Lord and a diligent pursuit of His will. This passage calls us to move beyond mere intellectual assent to a deep, experiential, and obedient knowledge of God, ensuring that our lives are characterized by a genuine desire and capacity to "do good," rather than being cleverly adept at evil.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **How does Jeremiah 4:22 challenge my understanding of true wisdom in contemporary society?**
* **In what areas of my life might I be "wise to do evil" (e.g., clever at rationalizing sin, manipulating situations) but lack knowledge or desire to "do good"?**
* **What does it truly mean for me to "know" God intimately, beyond intellectual understanding, and how can I cultivate that deeper knowledge?**
* **How can I actively resist the spiritual dullness and moral inversion described in this verse, and instead grow in discernment and a passion for righteousness?**

### FAQ
**What does "sottish children" mean in this context?**

Answer: The phrase "sottish children" (Hebrew: _çâkâl bên_) describes Judah as foolish, stupid, or dull-witted, particularly in spiritual matters. Coupled with "children," it emphasizes their profound immaturity and lack of discernment regarding God's ways. Despite being God's chosen people, they behaved like simpletons, unable or unwilling to grasp divine truth, understand the consequences of their actions, or respond appropriately to God's warnings and covenant expectations. It highlights a willful spiritual ignorance that led them astray.

**How does this verse relate to God's covenant with Israel?**

Answer: Jeremiah 4:22 is a direct indictment of Judah's failure to uphold their covenant responsibilities. God had entered into a covenant relationship with Israel (e.g., [Deuteronomy 28](/deuteronomy/28 "Deuteronomy 28 - Blessings and Curses")), promising blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. A core expectation of this covenant was that Israel would "know" God—not just intellectually, but through faithful obedience and an intimate relationship. Their spiritual ignorance ("they have not known me") and moral perversion ("wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge") constituted a profound breach of this covenant. This verse explains God's lament and the impending judgment as a direct consequence of their unfaithfulness and rejection of the covenant relationship, despite God's persistent efforts to call them back, as outlined in [Deuteronomy 4:6](/deuteronomy/4-6 "Deuteronomy 4:6 - Israel's Wisdom and Understanding").

**Is God truly "frustrated" or "lamenting" here?**

Answer: The language used in Jeremiah 4:22, such as "my people is foolish," conveys God's deep sorrow, disappointment, and exasperation. While God is sovereign and unchanging, the prophetic texts often employ anthropomorphic language to express His genuine emotional responses to humanity's sin and rebellion. This lament reflects God's heartbroken grief over His people's persistent unfaithfulness, their self-destructive choices, and their rejection of His loving guidance. It underscores His relational nature and His profound desire for His people to know Him intimately and walk in His ways, making His sorrow over their foolishness all the more poignant.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Jeremiah 4:22, with its lament over Judah's spiritual ignorance and perverted wisdom, finds its ultimate answer and fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Humanity's fundamental problem, as diagnosed here, is a failure to "know" God and an innate tendency to be "wise to do evil." Jesus, however, is the very embodiment of divine wisdom, becoming for us "wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption" as proclaimed in [1 Corinthians 1:30](/1_corinthians/1-30 "1 Corinthians 1:30 - Christ Our Wisdom"). He perfectly reveals the Father, enabling us to truly "know" God in an intimate, saving relationship, for "no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him" ([Matthew 11:27](/matthew/11-27 "Matthew 11:27 - No One Knows the Father Except the Son")). Where humanity was "wise to do evil," Christ, the sinless Lamb of God, took upon Himself the full weight of that evil, becoming sin for us so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God ([2 Corinthians 5:21](/2_corinthians/5-21 "2 Corinthians 5:21 - Christ Became Sin for Us")). Furthermore, through the Holy Spirit, whom Christ sends, believers are empowered to "do good" and walk in God's ways, transforming the heart of stone into a heart of flesh that desires and is enabled to obey ([Ezekiel 36:26-27](/ezekiel/36-26 "Ezekiel 36:26-27 - New Heart and Spirit")). The New Covenant, inaugurated by Christ's blood, promises that God will put His laws into our minds and write them on our hearts, so that "they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest" ([Hebrews 8:10-12](/hebrews/8-10 "Hebrews 8:10-12 - The New Covenant")). Thus, Jesus Christ is the solution to humanity's foolishness, the source of true knowledge of God, and the power to overcome the perverted wisdom that leads to evil, enabling us to truly "do good" for His glory.

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

1 Corinthians 14:20

Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.

Romans 16:19

For your obedience is come abroad unto all [men]. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil.

Jeremiah 5:21

Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not:

Romans 3:11

There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

Hosea 4:6

¶ My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

Romans 1:22

Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

Hosea 5:4

They will not frame their doings to turn unto their God: for the spirit of whoredoms [is] in the midst of them, and they have not known the LORD.