Jeremiah 5:23"But this people has a revolting and a rebellious heart; they have revolted and gone.
The setting
Jerusalem, 600 BC. Jeremiah watches families pack belongings, abandoning their ancestral homes for pagan nations. It's not exile yet — it's voluntary departure. Modern Israel/Palestine.
The emotion here: prophet feeling God's heartbreak over abandoned covenant relationship
The original word
sārū (סָרוּ) — they turned aside, departed from the path, like taking a wrong turn and not coming back
Why it matters
Before the Babylonian exile, many Jews voluntarily migrated to Egypt and other nations, abandoning their covenant
Read with care
What most readers miss in Jeremiah 5:23
The Hebrew tense indicates completed action — they didn't just rebel, they're gone and staying gone
Common misconceptionPeople think this is about occasional disobedience, but the Hebrew describes permanent departure — they've packed up and left the relationship entirely.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Jeremiah 5:23
Bible Genome reading
Jeremiah 5:23 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Jeremiah 5:23 comes from the book of Jeremiah, written during the Divided Kingdom period. These words are attributed to Yahweh. The dominant emotion in this verse is grieving, with a comfort power of 10% and a tone that is lamenting. It belongs to the psalm genre of biblical literature. Key themes include rebellion, heart condition, apostasy. Notable phrases: revolting and rebellious heart; revolted and gone.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same grieving
“By the sweat of your face will you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you…”
— Genesis 3:19
“Jesus wept.”
— John 11:35
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?”
— Psalms 22:1
“They divide my garments among them. They cast lots for my clothing.”
— Psalms 22:18
“for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;”
— Romans 3:23
Your reflection
What does Jeremiah 5:23 mean to you, today?
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