51 " Roam to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem , And look now and take note . And seek in her open squares , If you can find a man , If there is one who does justice , who seeks truth , Then I will pardon her. 2 "And although they say , 'As the Lord lives ,' Surely they swear falsely ." 3 O Lord , do not Your eyes look for truth ? You have smitten them, But they did not weaken ; You have consumed them, But they refused to take correction . They have made their faces harder than rock ; They have refused to repent . 4 Then I said , "They are only the poor , They are foolish ; For they do not know the way of the Lord Or the ordinance of their God . 5 "I will go to the great And will speak to them, For they know the way of the Lord And the ordinance of their God ." But they too, with one accord , have broken the yoke And burst the bonds . 6 Therefore e a lion from the forest will slay them, A wolf of the deserts will destroy them, A leopard is watching their cities . Everyone who goes out of them will be torn in pieces , Because their transgressions are many , Their apostasies are numerous . 7 "Why should I pardon you? Your sons have forsaken Me And sworn by those who are not gods . When I had fed them to the full , They committed adultery And trooped to the harlot's house . 8 "They were well-fed lusty horses , Each one neighing after his neighbor's wife . 9 "Shall I not punish these people," declares the Lord , "And on a nation such as this Shall I not avenge Myself ?
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Jeremiah 5:1-9
Commentary on Jeremiah 5:1-9
(Read Jeremiah 5:1-9)
None could be found who behaved as upright and godly men. But the Lord saw the true character of the people through all their disguises. The poor were ignorant, and therefore they were wicked. What can be expected but works of darkness, from people that know nothing of God and religion? There are God's poor, who, notwithstanding poverty, know the way of the Lord, walk in it, and do their duty; but these were willingly ignorant, and their ignorance would not be their excuse. The rich were insolent and haughty, and the abuse of God's favours made their sin worse.