Jeremiah 5:3

O LORD, [are] not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, [but] they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.

O LORD {H3068}, are not thine eyes {H5869} upon the truth {H530}? thou hast stricken {H5221} them, but they have not grieved {H2342}; thou hast consumed {H3615} them, but they have refused {H3985} to receive {H3947} correction {H4148}: they have made their faces {H6440} harder {H2388} than a rock {H5553}; they have refused {H3985} to return {H7725}.

ADONAI, your eyes look for truth. You struck them, but they weren't affected; you [nearly] destroyed them, but they refused correction. They made their faces harder than rock, refusing to repent.

O LORD, do not Your eyes look for truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain. You finished them off, but they refused to accept discipline. They have made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent.

O Jehovah, do not thine eyes look upon truth? thou hast stricken them, but they were not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.

Commentary

Commentary on Jeremiah 5:3 (KJV)

Jeremiah 5:3 presents a poignant lament from the prophet, highlighting the profound spiritual apathy and stubbornness of the people of Judah in the face of God's repeated attempts to bring them to repentance. It underscores God's unwavering attention to truth and justice, even as His people refuse to acknowledge their sin.

Historical and Cultural Context

The prophet Jeremiah ministered in Judah during a turbulent and declining period, roughly from 627 to 586 BC, leading up to the Babylonian exile. This era was marked by widespread idolatry, social injustice, and a general turning away from the covenant God had established with Israel. Despite repeated warnings through prophets like Jeremiah, the people, including their leaders, largely ignored God's calls to repentance. The "stricken" and "consumed" refer to various forms of divine discipline—famines, plagues, military defeats, and other hardships—which God permitted as a means to draw His people back to Him. However, as this verse powerfully conveys, these chastisements failed to achieve their intended purpose due to the people's hardened hearts.

Key Themes and Messages

  • God's Omniscience and Justice: The opening rhetorical question, "O LORD, [are] not thine eyes upon the truth?" affirms God's perfect knowledge and His righteous judgment. He sees the true state of affairs, the hidden sins, and the unrepentant hearts, contrasting it with the people's self-deception.
  • Human Stubbornness and Impenitence: The core of the verse reveals the depth of Judah's spiritual rebellion. Despite experiencing God's discipline, they showed no sorrow or remorse ("not grieved") and refused to learn from their mistakes ("refused to receive correction"). Their obstinacy is vividly described as making their "faces harder than a rock," signifying an unyielding and defiant refusal to turn back to God. This echoes similar descriptions of a hardened neck or heart found elsewhere in Scripture.
  • The Purpose of Divine Discipline: God's actions—striking and consuming—were not arbitrary acts of destruction but intended as corrective measures. This verse laments the failure of that discipline to produce the desired fruit of repentance, emphasizing the people's active resistance to God's grace and patience. The Bible teaches that the Lord disciplines those He loves, but such discipline requires a humble and receptive heart.
  • Refusal to Return: The ultimate failure is their "refusal to return," which means they refused to repent. Repentance involves a turning away from sin and a turning back to God, a change of mind and direction. This spiritual blindness and unwillingness to change course sealed their fate.

Linguistic Insights

The phrase "made their faces harder than a rock" is a powerful Hebrew idiom expressing extreme obduracy and impenitence. It depicts a deliberate act of resistance, where the people actively chose to stiffen their resolve against God's will and warnings. Their faces, often a reflection of inner emotion, became unyielding and expressionless to the pain and consequences of their actions, indicating a complete lack of shame or sorrow for their sins.

Practical Application

Jeremiah 5:3 serves as a timeless warning about the dangers of a hardened heart and spiritual complacency. It challenges us to:

  • Examine Our Hearts: When faced with difficulties or consequences, do we grieve over our sins and seek to understand God's correction, or do we become resentful and stubborn?
  • Respond to God's Discipline: God's discipline, whether through internal conviction or external circumstances, is always for our good. We must be quick to receive correction and allow it to lead us to repentance, rather than resisting His hand.
  • Guard Against Impenitence: The progression from "not grieved" to "refused to receive correction" to "harder than a rock" illustrates a dangerous spiritual decline. We must actively cultivate a soft and responsive heart towards God, always ready to turn from our wicked ways when confronted with truth.

This verse reminds us that God's eyes are indeed always on the truth, and He patiently seeks our return, but He also respects our choice to harden our hearts, leading to inevitable consequences.

Note: If the commentary doesn’t appear instantly, please allow 2–5 seconds for it to load. It is generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash using a prompt focused on Biblical fidelity over bias. While the insights have been consistently reliable, we encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit.

Please note that only the commentary section is AI-generated — the main Scripture and cross-references are stored on the site and are from trusted and verified sources.

Cross-References

  • Jeremiah 2:30

    In vain have I smitten your children; they received no correction: your own sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion.

  • Jeremiah 7:28

    But thou shalt say unto them, This [is] a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the LORD their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth.

  • 2 Chronicles 16:9

    For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of [them] whose heart [is] perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.

  • Zephaniah 3:7

    I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction; so their dwelling should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them: but they rose early, [and] corrupted all their doings.

  • Isaiah 9:13

    For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the LORD of hosts.

  • Zephaniah 3:1

    ¶ Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city!

  • Zephaniah 3:2

    She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the LORD; she drew not near to her God.
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