Jeremiah 9:5

My Notes

What Does Jeremiah 9:5 Mean?

"And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity." The community's dishonesty is described as universal, trained, and exhausting: everyone deceives their neighbor (universal), they've TAUGHT their tongues to lie (trained), and they wear themselves out doing evil (exhausting). The lying isn't casual or accidental. It's a practiced skill. And the sinning requires so much effort that it produces fatigue.

The phrase "taught their tongue to speak lies" (limmedu leshonam dabber sheqer — they have trained their tongue to speak falsehood) treats lying as a SKILL that requires training: the tongue didn't naturally lie. It was TAUGHT. The lying is a learned behavior, practiced until fluent, drilled until automatic. The tongue has been through dishonesty training. The lying is now second nature because it was made second nature through repetition.

The "weary themselves to commit iniquity" (nil'u leha'avot — they exhaust themselves to act perversely) is the most striking detail: the sinning is TIRING. They WEARY themselves doing evil. The iniquity requires effort — sustained, exhausting, depleting effort. They pour the same energy into sin that an athlete pours into training. The wickedness is their workout, and it leaves them spent.

Reflection Questions

• 1.What have you trained your tongue to do — and is it truth or falsehood?
• 2.How does lying being a TAUGHT skill change your understanding of dishonesty?
• 3.What are you exhausting yourself doing — and is the effort building or destroying?
• 4.What would happen if you redirected the energy you spend on wrong things toward right things?

Devotional

They've trained their tongues to lie. They exhaust themselves committing iniquity. The dishonesty isn't natural talent — it's a TRAINED SKILL. And the sinning isn't effortless — it's EXHAUSTING work. They've practiced lying until it's fluent and they've worked at evil until they're worn out.

The 'taught their tongue to speak lies' means lying is a CURRICULUM: the tongue was trained the way a musician trains their fingers. The lying didn't come naturally. It was practiced, drilled, repeated until fluent. The first lies were clumsy. The current lies are smooth. The tongue has graduated from lying school with honors. The skill is the product of deliberate training.

The 'weary themselves to commit iniquity' is the most revealing detail: sin is WORK. It takes effort. It produces fatigue. The people who commit iniquity are WEARING THEMSELVES OUT doing it. The same energy that could build, create, heal, and restore is being poured into wickedness — and the wickedness is so demanding that they're exhausted by it.

The irony is complete: they've invested training in lying (the tongue was taught) and exertion in evil (they weary themselves). The same discipline and effort that righteousness requires, they've applied to wickedness. They're hard workers — at the wrong job. They're dedicated students — of the wrong subject. The effort is real. The direction is catastrophic.

What are you training your tongue to do — and what are you exhausting yourself committing?

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture