“They said, Turn ye again now every one from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that the LORD hath given unto you and to your fathers for ever and ever:”
My Notes
What Does Jeremiah 25:5 Mean?
"They said, Turn ye again now every one from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that the LORD hath given unto you and to your fathers for ever and ever." The prophets' message was simple and repeated: TURN. Turn from your evil way. Turn from your evil doings. And the reward for turning is equally simple: DWELL — remain in the land. Live there. Stay. The land that God gave can still be kept. The dwelling is conditional on the turning.
The phrase "turn ye again now every one from his evil way" (shuvu na ish middarko hara'ah — return, please, each person from his evil road) is a PERSONAL appeal: each individual is asked to turn from THEIR specific evil way. The call isn't generic — 'everyone change.' It's individual — 'YOU, from YOUR evil way.' The repentance required is personal and specific. Each person has their own evil way to turn from.
The conditional promise — "and dwell in the land" (ushevu al ha'adamah) — makes dwelling dependent on turning: you can STAY in the land God gave — but only if you turn. The exile isn't inevitable. The removal from the land isn't predetermined. The turning would have prevented the going. The dwelling was available. The condition was repentance.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What specific evil way do YOU need to turn from — not abstract sin but YOUR particular path?
- 2.What does the urgency of 'now' teach about the limited window for repentance?
- 3.What dwelling — what place, relationship, or blessing — would turning preserve?
- 4.How does the exile being preventable (turn and stay) change your view of judgment?
Devotional
Turn. From your evil way. From your evil doings. And DWELL — stay in the land God gave you. The prophets' message was as simple as a message can be: turn and stay. The turning prevents the going. The repentance prevents the exile. The condition was clear. The offer was real.
The 'turn ye again now' carries urgency: NOW. Not eventually. Not when convenient. NOW. The turning has a window. The opportunity has a timeline. The 'now' says: the offer is current but not permanent. The moment for turning is THIS moment. The next moment might not carry the same offer.
The 'every one from his evil way' makes the call personal: the evil way is YOURS — specific to you, unique to your choices, identifiable by your own conscience. God doesn't ask for generic repentance. He asks each person to turn from THEIR evil way. The call assumes you know what your evil way is. The repentance begins with the specific, not the abstract.
The 'dwell in the land that the LORD hath given unto you' is the reward of turning: continued dwelling. Staying in the gift-land. Not being removed from the inheritance. The dwelling that feels like a right is actually a conditional privilege. The land is GIVEN — but the living-in-it requires faithfulness. The gift remains available. The enjoying of the gift depends on the turning.
What specific evil way do YOU need to turn from — and what dwelling would the turning preserve?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
They said,.... The prophets: this was the substance of their discourses and prophecies, what follows:
turn ye again…
Turn ye - i. e., Repent ye; the great summons of God to mankind at all times (Luk 24:47; Act 2:38; compare Mat 3:2).
We have here a message from God concerning all the people of Judah (Jer 25:1), which Jeremiah delivered, in his name,…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture