Bible Strands
Jeremiah 9:9
Should I not punish them for these things? declares the LORD. Should I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Yahweh speaks through Jeremiah to the people of Judah immediately after describing their deceptive speech and hidden hostility. The declaration functions as a rhetorical question marking the turning point from warning to impending judgment.
The words — אֶפְקָד ('epqod) literally means "will I visit" or "will I punish," paired with אֵלֶּה ('elleh) for "these things." The construction frames the divine response as a direct, calculated reckoning for the specific sins just enumerated.
The thread — This identical rhetorical formula appears in Jeremiah 5:9 and Jeremiah 5:29, repeating the same declaration of punishment for a corrupt nation. Isaiah 1:24 similarly records Yahweh vowing to avenge Himself against His foes.
Why it lands — The text demands acknowledgment that systemic deception triggers inevitable divine reckoning. It requires the reader to confront the reality that unaddressed corruption invites judgment rather than exemption.
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
Shall I not visit them for these things? saith the Lord: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 5:9 Should I not punish them for these things?” declares the LORD. “Should I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?
- Jeremiah 5:29 Should I not punish them for these things?” declares the LORD. “Should I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?
- Isaiah 1:24 Therefore the Lord GOD of Hosts, the Mighty One of Israel, declares: “Ah, I will be relieved of My foes and avenge Myself on My enemies.