Jeremiah 6:10

To whom can I give this warning? Who will listen to me? Look, their ears are closed, so they cannot hear. See, the word of the LORD has become offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it.

Berean Standard Bible

Follow its threads on the canvas →

Study note

Setting — Jeremiah speaks to the LORD, not to the people, in the gap between God's commission to glean the remnant (v. 9) and the announcement of poured-out wrath (v. 11). He is reporting the futility of his task.

The words — עֲרֵלָה ('arelāh, "uncircumcised") is applied to אָזְנָם ('āzenām, "their ear," singular), making the deafness a condition of the organ itself rather than a momentary lapse of attention.

The thread — Stephen's charge in Acts 7:51 ("uncircumcised hearts and ears") picks up this exact metaphor, and Jeremiah 7:26 echoes the stiff-necked refusal to incline the ear.

Why it lands — The verse removes the excuse that the message was unclear or the messenger unconvincing; the obstacle is the hearer's own disposition, which is a direct question to the reader's own resistance.

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

עַל־'al-to מִ֨יmiwhom?אֲדַבְּרָ֤ה'a.da.be.Rahwill I speak וְאָעִ֙ידָה֙ve./'a.'I.dahand/ will I warn?וְיִשְׁמָ֔עוּve./yish.Ma.'uand/ they may listen הִנֵּה֙hi.Nehthere!עֲרֵלָ֣ה'a.re.Lah[is] uncircumcised אָזְנָ֔ם'a.ze.Na/mear/ their וְלֹ֥אve./Lo'and/ not יוּכְל֖וּyu.khe.Luthey are able לְהַקְשִׁ֑יבle./hak.Shivto/ pay attention הִנֵּ֣הhi.Nehthere!דְבַר־de.var-[the] word of יְהוָ֗הYah.wehYahweh הָיָ֥הha.Yahit has becomeלָהֶ֛םla./Hemfor <the>/ themלְחֶרְפָּ֖הle./cher.Pah<into>/ a reproach לֹ֥אlo'not יַחְפְּצוּ־yach.pe.tzu-they delightבֽוֹ׃v/oin <the>/ it

King James Version

To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the Lord is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it.

Cross-references

Acts 7:51 You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did.
Jeremiah 7:26 Yet they would not listen to Me or incline their ear, but they stiffened their necks and did more evil than their fathers.
John 7:7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me, because I testify that its works are evil.
Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in godly fear built an ark to save his family. By faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
Exodus 6:12 But in the LORD’s presence Moses replied, “If the Israelites will not listen to me, then why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I am unskilled in speech?”
Isaiah 53:1 Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
Deuteronomy 29:4 Yet to this day the LORD has not given you a mind to understand, eyes to see, or ears to hear.
2 Chronicles 36:15 Again and again the LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to His people through His messengers because He had compassion on them and on His dwelling place.
Psalms 1:2 But his delight is in the Law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night.
Psalms 40:8 I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart.”