Jeremiah 6:13

My Notes

What Does Jeremiah 6:13 Mean?

Jeremiah indicts every level of Israelite society: for from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.

From the least of them even unto the greatest of them — the scope is total. Least (qatan — the small, the insignificant, the powerless) to greatest (gadol — the large, the prominent, the powerful). The corruption is not limited to one class. It spans the entire social spectrum — bottom to top, small to great, powerless to powerful. No social level is exempt. The diagnosis is universal within the community.

Every one is given to covetousness (batsa betsa — to make dishonest gain, to profit through exploitation, to cut off a piece for yourself) — every one. The universality is emphatic: not most. Every one. The covetousness (betsa — unjust profit, gain obtained at others' expense) is the common denominator. Rich and poor alike are driven by the desire for dishonest gain. The greed crosses every social boundary.

And from the prophet even unto the priest — the indictment narrows to the spiritual leadership. Prophets (navi — those who speak for God) and priests (kohen — those who mediate between God and the people). The two offices that should be the moral backbone of the nation are included in the universal corruption. The spiritual leaders are not the exception. They are the example.

Every one dealeth falsely (sheqer — deception, falsehood, lying) — the prophets and priests deal in lies. The word sheqer describes intentional deception — knowing what is true and saying what is false. The dealing falsely is professional: it characterizes how they perform their office. The prophets prophesy falsely. The priests teach falsely. The spiritual offices that should anchor the nation in truth have become the vehicles of deception.

The verse presents a society in total moral collapse: universal covetousness from bottom to top, and universal falsehood from the prophetic office to the priestly office. When greed infects every level and deception characterizes every spiritual leader, the society has no internal mechanism for correction. The diagnosis is terminal without divine intervention.

Jeremiah 8:10 repeats this verse nearly verbatim — the repetition emphasizes that the condition has not changed. The diagnosis was given. The patient did not respond. The same disease persists.

Reflection Questions

• 1.What does 'from the least to the greatest' establish about the universality of covetousness — and why does the diagnosis cross every social line?
• 2.How does the prophets and priests 'dealing falsely' describe the collapse of spiritual leadership — and what happens to a society when its moral anchors lie?
• 3.Why does Jeremiah repeat this verse nearly verbatim in 8:10 — and what does the repetition communicate about unchanged conditions?
• 4.Where do you see universal covetousness and institutional falsehood in your own context — and where might you be part of the pattern?

Devotional

From the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness. Every one. From the bottom of the social ladder to the top. The poor are covetous. The rich are covetous. The middle is covetous. The greed is universal — the common denominator that unites every class, every station, every level of society. The sin is not the monopoly of the wealthy. It is the addiction of everyone.

From the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely. The prophets lie. The priests lie. The two offices that should be the moral compass of the nation are spinning falsehood. The people who speak for God are speaking deception. The people who mediate between God and humanity are dealing in dishonesty. When the spiritual leadership lies, the entire society loses its anchor.

Every one. The word appears twice — once for covetousness, once for falsehood. The universality is the point: not a corrupt minority. A corrupt everyone. The society has no uncorrupted sector. No one is holding the line. No class is exempt from the greed. No office is free from the lying. The rot is total.

This is what a society looks like when the fear of God has departed: universal greed from bottom to top, and universal dishonesty from the pulpit to the altar. The two sins feed each other: the covetousness drives the falsehood (you lie to get gain), and the falsehood protects the covetousness (you deceive to keep what you stole). The cycle is self-reinforcing — and the only thing that breaks it is not internal reform but divine intervention.

Jeremiah repeats this diagnosis in 8:10 — word for word. The repetition is not laziness. It is the prophet's frustration: I already told you. Nothing changed. The same greed. The same lying. The same universal corruption. The diagnosis has not been heard because the patient does not want to hear it.

Where do you see this in your own world — the universal covetousness, the prophets and priests dealing falsely? And where do you see it in yourself — the greed that crosses every social boundary, the dishonesty that even the spiritual are not exempt from?

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture