Bible Strands
Jeremiah 6:14
They dress the wound of My people with very little care, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace at all.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The prophet Jeremiah pronounces judgment against Israel's spiritual leaders, who claim to address the nation's crisis while actively practicing greed and deceit. This indictment occurs during a broader warning of coming divine punishment for systemic corruption.
The words — The Hebrew verb יְרַפְּא֞וּ (yera·pə·’ū) translates literally as "they have healed," while נְקַלָּ֔ה (ne·ka·lāh) means "lightly" or "triflingly." Together they describe a superficial medical procedure performed on a serious fracture.
The thread — This declaration of false security recurs in Ezekiel 13:10, where prophets whitewash unstable walls while announcing peace, and in Jeremiah 23:17 and 4:10, where identical promises are made to a people under judgment.
Why it lands — The text requires readers to distinguish between genuine diagnosis and comforting lies that ignore reality. It demands an honest confrontation with one's own condition before any claim of resolution can be trusted.
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
They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
Cross-references
- Ezekiel 13:10 Because they have led My people astray, saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, and whitewashing any flimsy wall that is built,
- Jeremiah 23:17 They keep saying to those who despise Me, ‘The LORD says that you will have peace,’ and to everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart, ‘No harm will come to you.’
- Jeremiah 4:10 Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD, how completely You have deceived this people and Jerusalem by saying, ‘You will have peace,’ while a sword is at our throats.”
- Lamentations 2:14 The visions of your prophets were empty and deceptive; they did not expose your guilt to ward off your captivity. The burdens they envisioned for you were empty and misleading.
- Jeremiah 14:13 “Ah, Lord GOD!” I replied, “Look, the prophets are telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or suffer famine, but I will give you lasting peace in this place.’”
- Jeremiah 8:11 They dress the wound of the daughter of My people with very little care, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace at all.
- Micah 2:11 If a man of wind were to come and say falsely, “I will preach to you of wine and strong drink,” he would be just the preacher for this people!
- 2 Peter 2:18 With lofty but empty words, they appeal to the sensual passions of the flesh and entice those who are just escaping from others who live in error.
- Isaiah 30:26 The light of the moon will be as bright as the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter—like the light of seven days—on the day that the LORD binds up the brokenness of His people and heals the wounds He has inflicted.
- Jeremiah 5:12 They have lied about the LORD and said: “He will not do anything; harm will not come to us; we will not see sword or famine.