Jeremiah 5:3Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Lord, your gaze is directed towards faith. This implies that Your sight will not rest on anything that contradicts it. Your judgment is flawless. There exists a profound accusation and a testimony of complete insensitivity. You are aware of all things, and Your words ring true. You have struck them down without causing them harm: a demonstration of the callousness of men such as Pharaoh. This highlights that he bears no justification. Concerning this, it is stated that, in light of past events, He reflects His nurturing concern. What does it signify to be crushed by You? You struck all of them, obliterated the majority, and still, they remained unenlightened. Furthermore, nothing essential has been withheld from You. It is through will, not nature, that it is declared: “did not want” to repent. Observe how corruption reverts to its original state.

O Lord, Your gaze is directed towards faith: You have struck them, yet they did not feel discomfort; You have shattered them, yet they refused to accept correction. They hardened their faces beyond stone and chose not to turn away. Following the Lord's words, in which He instructed to traverse the paths of Jerusalem, the prophet speaks to the Lord, declaring, Lord, Your gaze is upon faith (emuna in Hebrew) rather than upon the deeds of the Jews, which they proudly upheld through the ceremonial law. Instead, it is the faith of Christians, by which we are redeemed through grace, that captures Your attention. From this, we understand that divine punishments are intended for the correction of wrongdoings.

Your gaze is upon faith, which means you observe the truth of my words, for your sight encompasses all creation. "You struck them, and they were unscathed; you shattered them, and they refused to accept correction." The first phrase indicates a form of punishment that is slight, while the latter phrase, "You shattered them," signifies an escalated form of retribution. However, for those with hardened hearts, neither of these measures proved effective. The Prophet conveys this in the subsequent lines: "They made their faces harder than flint and would not repent." This illustrates their brazen disregard and defiance.