You dwell in the midst of deception; in their deceit they refuse to know Me,” declares the LORD.
Parallel translations
- WEB Your habitation is in the middle of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me,” says Yahweh.
- KJV Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the LORD.
- NKJV Your dwelling place is in the midst of deceit; Through deceit they refuse to know Me,” says the Lord.
- NASB “Your dwelling is in the midst of deceit; Through deceit they refuse to know Me,” declares the Lord.
- NLT They pile lie upon lie and utterly refuse to acknowledge me,” says the Lord.
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
Living surrounded by deceit, the people refuse to know God. Their chosen environment of lies keeps them from Him.
Overview
God observes that the people dwell 'in the middle of deceit' and through that very deceit reject the knowledge of Him. Sin is not merely an act but an atmosphere they inhabit and prefer. The verse underscores that refusing God is a moral choice rooted in love for falsehood, highlighting the grace needed to open blind eyes to the truth.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Jer 13:10These evil people, who refuse to listen to My words, who follow the stubbornness of their own hearts, and who go after other gods to serve and worship them, they will be like this loincloth—of no use at all.
- Hos 4:6My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you as My priests. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children.
- Jer 8:5Why then have these people turned away? Why does Jerusalem always turn away? They cling to deceit; they refuse to return.
- Prov 1:29For they hated knowledge and chose not to fear the LORD.
- Jer 5:27Like cages full of birds, so their houses are full of deceit. Therefore they have become powerful and rich.
- Jer 11:19For I was like a gentle lamb led to slaughter; I did not know that they had plotted against me: “Let us destroy the tree with its fruit; let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be remembered no more.”
- Rom 1:28Furthermore, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, He gave them up to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.
- 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.”
- Prov 1:24Because you refused my call, and no one took my outstretched hand,
- John 3:19–20And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil.
- Job 21:14–15Yet they say to God: ‘Leave us alone! For we have no desire to know Your ways.
- 1 Cor 15:34Sober up as you ought, and stop sinning; for some of you are ignorant of God. I say this to your shame.
- 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.”
- Ps 120:2–6Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips and a deceitful tongue.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 9:6 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.