Jeremiah 5:21
in Jeremiah 5“Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; that have eyes, and see not; that have ears, and hear not:
KJV
Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not:
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This verse in Jeremiah 5
Commentary
9 notes on this verseNot understanding him who had been anointed and sent and who was the author of such wonderful works, they returned to their usual ways and talked about him in a foolish and vain way. For although they wondered at the words of grace that proceeded out of his mouth, yet their wish was to treat them as valueless. They said, "Is not this the son of Joseph?" But what does this diminish from the glory of the worker of the miracles?
This site's exposition
Declare this in the house of Jacob
on Jeremiah 5:20-25
A people “who have eyes but do not see” stands before the LORD who “set the sand as the boundary for the sea”. The sea keeps its bound while the people have “turned aside and gone away”. Rain and harvest are lost: “Your iniquities have diverted these from you”.
This site's exposition
O foolish and senseless people
Gill notes that senseless is literally without heart, the heart standing for understanding. Eyes that fail to see and ears that fail to hear make the people like the idols of Psalm 115:4, which Gill cites. Their worship shaped them.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
One who does not carefully weigh every word of the opinions uttered cannot rightly discover the value of the assertion. For someone like this, who only possesses skill in disputation and ornaments of speech, cannot penetrate to the very heart of Scripture and the mysteries of its spiritual meanings. True knowledge is acquired only by true worshipers of God. And certainly this people does not possess it to whom it is said, "Hear, O foolish people, you who have no heart, you who have eyes but do not see and who have ears but do not hear." And again, "Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from acting as my priest." It is said that in Christ "all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden." So how can we hold the opinion that someone has acquired spiritual knowledge when that person has not even wanted to find Christ, or, when he does find him, blasphemes him with impious lips or at least defiles the catholic faith by his impure actions? "The Spirit of God will avoid deception and does not live in a body that is subject to sin." There is then no way of arriving at spiritual knowledge but by this which one of the prophets has accurately described: "Sow to yourselves for righteousness. Reap the hope of life. Enlighten yourselves with the light of knowledge."
(Verse 20, 21.) Announce this to the house of Jacob, and make it heard in Judah, saying: Hear, foolish people, who have no understanding: who have eyes but do not see, and ears but do not hear. In many ways they sin, turning away from salvation, and he calls the people foolish, who have abandoned the author of wisdom, and he compares them to idols, about which it is written: They have eyes but do not see: they have ears but do not hear.
The Medieval Church1 voice
A commentator
BonaventureCollationes de Septem Donis, Collation 2 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
That it is the height of folly not to fear, the Lord says in Jeremiah: "Hear, O foolish people, who have no heart: who having eyes, see not, and ears, and hear not. Will you then not fear me, and will you not be grieved …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding,.... or, "heart" (a); See Gill on Jer 4:22, which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not; like the idols they served, Psa 115:4. this is an upbraiding of them with their folly and stupidity, their want of common sense, their blindness and ignorance; notwithstanding they had the means of light and knowledge, the law, and the prophets. (a) ואין לב "et non cor", Pagninus, Montanus; "qui non habes cor", V. L. "excors", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "cui cor non est", Cocceius.
6 ), and yet really they are a foolish people and without understanding. Note, We cannot judge of men by the advantages and opportunities they enjoy: there are those that sit in darkness in a land of light, that live in sin even in a holy land, that are bad in the best places.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-citation-number+unbalanced-parens
1 more voice on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And hear not - They are wilfully blind, and obstinately deaf, will neither see, nor hear the word, will, or works of God, of which he giveth two instances in the two following verses.
The words behind it
15 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| שִׁמְעוּ־ | shimu- | hear | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| נָ֣א | na' | please | H4994 → | 404 times |
| זֹ֔את | zot | this | H2063 → | 603 times |
| עַ֥ם | ʾam | O people | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| סָכָ֖ל | sakhal | fool | H5530 → | |
| וְאֵ֣ין | veein | and there not | H369 → | 789 times |
| לֵ֑ב | lev | [is] a heart | H3820 → | 595 times |
| עֵינַ֤יִם | ʾeinayim | eyes | H5869 → | 887 times |
| לָהֶם֙ | lahem | [belong] to <the> them | ||
| וְלֹ֣א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יִרְא֔וּ | yiru | they see | H7200 → | 1300 times |
| אָזְנַ֥יִם | ʾazenayim | ears | H241 → | 187 times |
| לָהֶ֖ם | lahem | [belong] to <the> them | ||
| וְלֹ֥א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יִשְׁמָֽעוּ׃ | yishmau | they hear | H8085 → | 1159 times |
שִׁמְעוּ־hear
shimu-H8085 →1159 times
נָ֣אplease
na'H4994 →404 times
זֹ֔אתthis
zotH2063 →603 times
עַ֥םO people
ʾamH5971 →1873 times
סָכָ֖לfool
sakhalH5530 →
וְאֵ֣יןand there not
veeinH369 →789 times
לֵ֑ב[is] a heart
levH3820 →595 times
עֵינַ֤יִםeyes
ʾeinayimH5869 →887 times
לָהֶם֙[belong] to <the> them
lahem
וְלֹ֣אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
יִרְא֔וּthey see
yiruH7200 →1300 times
אָזְנַ֥יִםears
ʾazenayimH241 →187 times
לָהֶ֖ם[belong] to <the> them
lahem
וְלֹ֥אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
יִשְׁמָֽעוּ׃they hear
yishmauH8085 →1159 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
John 12:40“He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so that they cannot see with their eyes, and understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.”
it leads to
- Isaiah 6:10
Make the hearts of this people calloused; deafen their ears and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”
- Mark 4:12
so that, ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven.’”
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Luke 8:10
He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, ‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing,…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Matthew 13:13–15
This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’
- Isaiah 6:10
Through
Romans 11:8as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see, and ears that could not hear, to this very day.”
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 29:4
Yet to this day the LORD has not given you a mind to understand, eyes to see, or ears to hear.
- Isaiah 29:10
For the LORD has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep. He has shut your eyes, O prophets; He has covered your heads, O seers.
- Ezekiel 12:2
“Son of man, you are living in a rebellious house. They have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious house.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Deuteronomy 29:4
Through
Acts 28:26‘Go to this people and say, “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.”
it leads to
- Isaiah 6:9–10
And He replied: “Go and tell this people, ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
- Isaiah 6:9–10
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Jeremiah
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Bonaventure, Collationes de Septem Donis, Collation 2; Cyril of Alexandria, COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 12; Jerome, Commentary on Jeremiah; John Cassian, CONFERENCE 2:14.16; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.