All are hardened rebels, walking around as slanderers. They are bronze and iron; all of them are corrupt.
Parallel translations
- WEB They are all grievous rebels, going about with slanders; they are brass and iron: they all of them deal corruptly.
- KJV They are all grievous revolters, walking with slanders: they are brass and iron; they are all corrupters.
- NKJV They are all stubborn rebels, walking as slanderers. They are bronze and iron, They are all corrupters;
- NASB All of them are stubbornly rebellious, Going about as a slanderer; They are bronze and iron. They are, all of them, corrupt.
- NLT They are the worst kind of rebel, full of slander. They are as hard as bronze and iron, and they lead others into corruption.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The test reveals the people to be stubborn rebels and slanderers, as hard and base as brass and iron. Their corruption is pervasive and unyielding.
Overview
Far from precious metal, the people prove to be common, hardened metal, an image of obstinate rebellion. Slander and corrupt dealing characterize them all. The verdict explains why ordinary correction has failed and judgment has become necessary.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Jer 9:4“Let everyone guard against his neighbor; do not trust any brother, for every brother deals craftily, and every friend spreads slander.
- Jer 5:23But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned aside and gone away.
- Ezek 22:18–22“Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me. All of them are copper, tin, iron, and lead inside the furnace; they are but the dross of silver.
- Jer 18:18Then some said, “Come, let us make plans against Jeremiah, for the law will never be lost to the priest, nor counsel to the wise, nor an oracle to the prophet. Come, let us denounce him and pay no heed to any of his words.”
- Isa 1:4–5Alas, O sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children of depravity! They have forsaken the LORD; they have despised the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on Him.
- Jer 6:30They are called rejected silver, because the LORD has rejected them.”
- Rev 19:2For His judgments are true and just. He has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality. He has avenged the blood of His servants that was poured out by her hand.”
- Ps 50:20You sit and malign your brother; you slander your own mother’s son.
- Isa 31:6Return to the One against whom you have so blatantly rebelled, O children of Israel.
- Jer 20:10For I have heard the whispering of many: “Terror is on every side! Report him; let us report him!” All my trusted friends watch for my fall: “Perhaps he will be deceived so that we may prevail against him and take our vengeance upon him.”
- Rev 11:18The nations were enraged, and Your wrath has come. The time has come to judge the dead and to reward Your servants the prophets, as well as the saints and those who fear Your name, both small and great—and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Against the failure of false shepherds Jeremiah promises the Righteous Branch, 'The LORD our righteousness,' and the new covenant written on the heart and sealed in the blood of Christ.
How Jeremiah 6:28 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.