Jeremiah 6:27Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The deceiver will bestow upon you skilled individuals. He points out the uniqueness of the corruption, for even under pressure they have not improved. He declares, I allow you to examine them at a moment when even those who are completely unfeeling may experience significant change. There is no one, no matter how steadfast, who is not affected by dread. God addresses the prophet, condemning their iniquity so that he does not appear to judge them without cause.

I will provide you with a tempter among My mighty people, so that you may be able to ... when you challenge their deeds, to evaluate their paths, and to uncover their iniquities. This aligns with the earlier declaration when God dispatched Jeremiah and instructed him to tear down ... and to establish (Jeremiah 1:10).

I have positioned you as a tester among My people who are mighty, and you shall discern and evaluate their ways. They are all leaders of evasion, acting deceitfully. Copper and iron, utterly corrupt; the blowing furies have perished, the lead has deteriorated, and the smelter has labored in vain. Their iniquities are not diminished: they will be deemed counterfeit silver, for the Lord has cast them aside. The prophet is sent to a faithless people, a strong tester, which in Hebrew is mabsar, indicating either fortified, as rendered by Aquila, or imprisoned and encircled, as interpreted by Symmachus—unyielding like a fortified city, fearless of any afflictions from the populace.

I will provide you with a tester among My people who are imprisoned, and I will present you with a tester when you are faced with their trials; this means you will not need to exert effort or travel extensively through numerous cities and towns, for due to the conflict, all have congregated in Jerusalem. However, God reveals to the Prophet the deceitfulness of their hearts.