Jeremiah 5:25"Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withheld good from you.
The setting
Jerusalem, ~600 BC. Jeremiah stands in the temple courtyard speaking to people experiencing drought, economic collapse, and political instability. They're blaming everyone except themselves. Modern-day Old City of Jerusalem, Israel.
The emotion here: frustrated teacher explaining obvious cause and effect
The original word
avon (עָוֹן) — twisted, bent iniquity that distorts everything it touches
Why it matters
Archaeological evidence shows Judah's final decades included severe droughts recorded in tree rings and sediment layers
Read with care
What most readers miss in Jeremiah 5:25
The word 'withheld' is the same word used for holding back wages from workers — God is treating them like they've treated others
Common misconceptionPeople think this means God punishes every sin immediately with bad circumstances, but Jeremiah is specifically addressing Israel's covenant violations that had agricultural consequences built in.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Jeremiah 5:25
Bible Genome reading
Jeremiah 5:25 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Jeremiah 5:25 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 angry, with a comfort power of 10% and a tone that is prophetic. It belongs to the dialogue genre of biblical literature. Key themes include cause and effect, sin consequences, divine justice. Notable phrases: iniquities have turned away; sins have withheld good.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same angry
“Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, 'I am strong.'”
— Joel 3:10
“You blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel!”
— Matthew 23:24
“Listen to this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who tell their husba…”
— Amos 4:1
“I hate, I despise your feasts, and I can't stand your solemn assemblies.”
— Amos 5:21
“Your eyes shall not pity; life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”
— Deuteronomy 19:21
Your reflection
What does Jeremiah 5:25 mean to you, today?
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