Bible Strands
Jeremiah 5:1
“Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem. Look now and take note; search her squares. If you can find a single person, anyone who acts justly, anyone who seeks the truth, then I will forgive the city.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — God commands the prophet to survey Jerusalem while the surrounding nation maintains false oaths in His name. The directive occurs during a period of widespread covenant betrayal.
The words — שׁוֹטְטוּ (sho.Tu) translates to “rove about” or “go up and down,” and בַּקְשׁוּ (vak.Shu) means “search” or “seek.” These verbs frame the divine inspection as an active, exhaustive examination.
The thread — The motif of divine search appears in Genesis 18:23 where Abraham questions whether God will sweep away the righteous with the wicked, and in Ezekiel 22:30 where God searches for a man to stand in the gap.
Why it lands — The text demands a direct assessment of whether any individual in the city practices justice or pursues truth. The stated condition is that such a discovery would trigger divine forgiveness for the entire city.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth; and I will pardon it.
Cross-references
- Genesis 18:23 Abraham stepped forward and said, “Will You really sweep away the righteous with the wicked?
- 2 Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD roam to and fro over all the earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are fully devoted to Him. You have acted foolishly in this matter. From now on, therefore, you will be at war.”
- Ezekiel 22:30 I searched for a man among them to repair the wall and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, so that I should not destroy it. But I found no one.
- Psalms 14:3 All have turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.
- Psalms 53:2 God looks down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if any understand, if any seek God.
- Isaiah 59:4 No one calls for justice; no one pleads his case honestly. They rely on empty pleas; they tell lies; they conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity.
- Isaiah 59:14 So justice is turned away, and righteousness stands at a distance. For truth has stumbled in the public square, and honesty cannot enter.
- Micah 7:1 Woe is me! For I am like one gathering summer fruit at the gleaning of the vineyard; there is no cluster to eat, no early fig that I crave.
- Proverbs 20:6 Many a man proclaims his loving devotion, but who can find a trustworthy man?
- Psalms 12:1 For the choirmaster. According to Sheminith. A Psalm of David. Help, O LORD, for the godly are no more; the faithful have vanished from among men.