Jeremiah 6:13Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Everyone, from the smallest to the largest, has acted wickedly. He highlighted the profound wrongdoing present among them. The ancestors, despite their misdeeds, wished for their offspring to lead righteous lives. In contrast, this generation has turned away from their true essence, lacking the love their forebears exhibited. It is indeed a troubling reality; you seek to indulge in pleasure, wrath, and hostility; why then do you urge your child towards this perilous edge?

The Lord declares that He will lift His hand against the inhabitants of the earth. From the smallest to the greatest, all are consumed by selfishness, and from prophet to priest, all engage in wrongdoing. They attempt to mend the devastation of My people with utter disregard, proclaiming ‘Peace, peace!’ while true peace is absent. The Hebrew phrase indicates a gesture against sinners or the people of the earth, whereas the LXX consistently translates it as ‘I will lift up,’ both implying an act of striking, as reflected in the verse, ‘and yet the hand of the Lord is stretched out’ (Isaiah 5:25). The inhabitants of the earth remain perpetually in sin, which is why the Apocalypse frequently warns, ‘Woe to them that dwell on the earth’ (Rev. 8:13).