Jeremiah 9:6
in Jeremiah 9You dwell in the midst of deception; in their deceit they refuse to know Me,” declares the LORD.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Thy habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith Jehovah.
KJV
Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the Lord.
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This verse in Jeremiah 9
Commentary
5 notes on this verseThine habitation is in the midst of deceit,.... In the midst of a people of deceit, as Kimchi and Ben Molech. These are the words of the Lord to the prophet, showing what a people he dwelt among, and had to do with; how cautiously and prudently he should act; how little they were to be trusted to and depended upon; and what little hope there was of bringing them to true repentance, since there was so much deceit and hypocrisy among them.
This site's exposition
Let everyone guard against his neighbor
on Jeremiah 9:4-6
Deceit has reached the family, for “every brother deals craftily”, and the Hebrew verb echoes the name Jacob, which Genesis 27:36 ties to his cheating. The unit closes with the plainest charge, “You dwell in the midst of deception”, so deceit is the place where Judah lives.
This site's exposition
You dwell in the midst of deception
Gill reads the verse as the LORD speaking to Jeremiah himself about the people he lived among. The warning taught the prophet caution with neighbours who could not be trusted. Deceit and refusing to know the LORD go together here.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Verse 4 and following) Let each person guard themselves from their neighbor, and let them not have trust in any brother, for every brother will deceive and every friend will act deceitfully; and a man will mock his brother, and they will not speak the truth. For they have taught their tongue to speak lies (or their tongue has learned to speak lies), in order to act wickedly, they have labored (or acted unjustly) and have not ceased from turning away.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
): " Thy habitation is in the midst of deceit, all about thee are addicted to it; therefore stand upon thy guard." If all men are liars, it concerns us to beware of men,. and to be wise as serpents.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
The words behind it
9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| שִׁבְתְּךָ֖ | shivtekha | dwelling you | H3427 → | 1079 times |
| בְּת֣וֹךְ | betokh | in among | H8432 → | 418 times |
| מִרְמָ֑ה | mirmah | deceit | H4820 → | 39 times |
| בְּמִרְמָ֛ה | bemirmah | on deceit | H4820 → | 39 times |
| מֵאֲנ֥וּ | meanu | they have refused | H3985 → | 41 times |
| דַֽעַת־ | daat- | to know | H3045 → | 945 times |
| אוֹתִ֖י | ʾoti | <obj.> me | H853 → | 10935 times |
| נְאֻם־ | neum- | [the] utterance of | H5002 → | 376 times |
| יְהוָֽה׃ ס | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
שִׁבְתְּךָ֖dwelling you
shivtekhaH3427 →1079 times
בְּת֣וֹךְin among
betokhH8432 →418 times
מִרְמָ֑הdeceit
mirmahH4820 →39 times
בְּמִרְמָ֛הon deceit
bemirmahH4820 →39 times
מֵאֲנ֥וּthey have refused
meanuH3985 →41 times
דַֽעַת־to know
daat-H3045 →945 times
אוֹתִ֖י<obj.> me
ʾotiH853 →10935 times
נְאֻם־[the] utterance of
neum-H5002 →376 times
יְהוָֽה׃ סYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 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
Hosea 4:6My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you as My priests. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget…
it leads to
- Isaiah 5:13
Therefore My people will go into exile for their lack of understanding; their dignitaries are starving and their masses are parched with thirst.
- Proverbs 19:2
Even zeal is no good without knowledge, and he who hurries his footsteps misses the mark.
- Hosea 6:6
For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
- 2 Corinthians 4:3–6
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.
- Hosea 4:1
Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel, for the LORD has a case against the people of the land: “There is no truth, no loving devotion, and no knowledge of God…
- Isaiah 5:13
Through
Romans 1:28Furthermore, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, He gave them up to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.
it leads to
- 2 Thessalonians 2:10–12
and with every wicked deception directed against those who are perishing, because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them.
- Titus 1:16
They profess to know God, but by their actions they deny Him. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good deed.
- Romans 1:21
For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:10–12
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Jeremiah
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Jeremiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.