Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the LORD.
Parallel translations
- WEB Your habitation is in the middle of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me,” says Yahweh.
- BSB You dwell in the midst of deception; in their deceit they refuse to know Me,” declares 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 13:10This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing.
- Hos 4:6My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
- Jer 8:5Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return.
- Prov 1:29For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:
- Jer 5:27As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich.
- Jer 11:19But I was like a lamb or an ox that is brought to the slaughter; and I knew not that they had devised devices against me, saying, Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered.
- Rom 1:28And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
- Jer 20:10For I heard the defaming of many, fear on every side. Report, say they, and we will report it. All my familiars watched for my halting, saying, Peradventure he will be enticed, and we shall prevail against him, and we shall take our revenge on him.
- Prov 1:24Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
- John 3:19–20And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
- Job 21:14–15Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.
- 1 Cor 15:34Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.
- Jer 18:18Then said they, Come, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words.
- Ps 120:2–6Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue.
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 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.