Bible Strands
Jeremiah 9:26
Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab, and all the inhabitants of the desert who clip the hair of their temples. For all these nations are uncircumcised, and the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Lord speaks through Jeremiah to Judah and surrounding nations, pronouncing judgment immediately after warning that physical circumcision alone will not prevent punishment. The address targets both foreign peoples and the house of Israel during a period of covenant failure.
The words — The Hebrew text opens with מִצְרַ֣יִם (Mitzrayim, Egypt) and יְהוּדָ֗ה (Yehudah, Judah), each prefixed by עַל־ ('al-, on/against) to mark them as objects of coming judgment. It closes with בְּנֵ֤י (benei, people of) to identify the desert dwellers who practice temple clipping.
The thread — The text in Jeremiah 9:26 lists Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab, and desert inhabitants as uncircumcised, then declares the whole house of Israel uncircumcised in heart. This pairing of external ritual with internal condition mirrors Jeremiah 4:4, which commands removing the foreskins of the heart, and Leviticus 26:41, which records God acting against those with uncircumcised hearts. The contrast with Isaiah 19:24 shows a different trajectory where future inclusion replaces present exclusion.
Why it lands — The verse states that neither foreign nations nor Israel escape judgment because external markers cannot mask internal rebellion. Readers must assess whether their religious practice reflects genuine internal alignment with God's standards rather than mere outward conformity.
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
Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all that are in the utmost corners, that dwell in the wilderness: for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart.
Cross-references
- Leviticus 26:41 and I acted with hostility toward them and brought them into the land of their enemies—and if their uncircumcised hearts will be humbled and they will make amends for their iniquity,
- Jeremiah 4:4 Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and remove the foreskins of your hearts, O men of Judah and people of Jerusalem. Otherwise, My wrath will break out like fire and burn with no one to extinguish it, because of your evil deeds.”
- Isaiah 19:24 In that day Israel will join a three-party alliance with Egypt and Assyria—a blessing upon the earth.
- Ezekiel 44:7 In addition to all your other abominations, you brought in foreigners uncircumcised in both heart and flesh to occupy My sanctuary; you defiled My temple when you offered My food—the fat and the blood; you broke My covenant.
- Romans 2:28 A man is not a Jew because he is one outwardly, nor is circumcision only outward and physical.
- Deuteronomy 30:6 The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love Him with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.
- Isaiah 13:1 This is the burden against Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz received:
- Jeremiah 25:9 behold, I will summon all the families of the north, declares the LORD, and I will send for My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, whom I will bring against this land, against its residents, and against all the surrounding nations. So I will devote them to destruction and make them an object of horror and contempt, an everlasting desolation.
- Jeremiah 49:32 Their camels will become plunder, and their large herds will be spoil. I will scatter to the wind in every direction those who shave their temples; I will bring calamity on them from all sides,” declares the LORD.
- Ezekiel 24:1 In the ninth year, on the tenth day of the tenth month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying,