Logos Bible Study

Jeremiah 6:27–30

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6:27The Lord said to me,71

“I have made you like a metal assayer

to test my people like ore.72

You are to observe them

and evaluate how they behave.”73

6:28I reported,74

“All of them are the most stubborn of rebels!75

They are as hard as bronze or iron.

They go about telling lies.

They all deal corruptly.

6:29The fiery bellows of judgment burn fiercely.

But there is too much dross to be removed.76

The process of refining them has proved useless.77

The wicked have not been purged.

6:30They are regarded as ‘rejected silver’78

because the Lord rejects them.”

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Footnotes

  1. 71 These words are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity. Note “I have appointed you.” Compare Jer 1:18.
  2. 72 Heb “I have made you an assayer of my people, a tester [?].” The meaning of the words translated “assayer” (בָּחוֹן, bakhon) and “tester” (מִבְצָר, mivtsar) is uncertain. The word בָּחוֹן (bakhon) can mean “tower” (cf. 103 בָּחוֹן; cf. Isa 23:13 for the only other use) or “assayer” (cf. 103 בָּחוֹן). The latter would be the more expected nuance because of the other uses of nouns and verbs from this root. The word מִבְצָר (mivtsar) normally means “fortress” (cf. 131 מִבְצָר), but most modern commentaries and lexicons deem that nuance inappropriate here. follows a proposal that the word is to be repointed to מְבַצֵּר (mévatser) and derived from a root בָּצַר (batsar) meaning “to test” (cf. IV בָּצַר). That proposal makes the most sense in the context, but the root appears nowhere else in the OT.
  3. 73 Heb “test their way.”
  4. 74 These words are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity. Some takes these words to be the continuation of the Lord’s commission of Jeremiah to the task of testing them. However, since this is the evaluation, the task appears to be complete. The words are better to be taken as Jeremiah’s report after he has completed the task.
  5. 75 Or “arch rebels,” or “hardened rebels.” Literally “rebels of rebels.”
  6. 76 Heb “The bellows blow fiercely; the lead is consumed by the fire.” The translation tries to clarify a metaphor involving ancient metallurgy. In the ancient refining process lead was added as a flux to remove impurities from silver ore in the process of oxidizing the lead. Jeremiah says that the lead has been used up and the impurities have not been removed. The translation is based on the recognition of an otherwise unused verb root meaning “blow” (נָחַר [nakhar]; cf. 1123 I חָרַר and נָחַר) and the Masoretes’ suggestion that the consonants מאשׁתם be read מֵאֵשׁ תַּם (me’esh tam) rather than as מֵאֶשָּׁתָם (me’eshatam, “from their fire”) from an otherwise unattested noun אֶשָּׁה (’eshah).
  7. 77 Heb “The refiner refines them in vain.”
  8. 78 This translation is intended to reflect the wordplay in the Hebrew text where the same root word is repeated in the two lines.

The NET Bible First Edition, Copyright 1996-2005 by Biblical Studies Press

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

“I have made you a tester of metals among my people,

that you may know and test their ways.

They are all stubbornly rebellious,

going about with slanders;

they are bronze and iron;

all of them act corruptly.

The bellows blow fiercely;

the lead is consumed by the fire;

in vain the refining goes on,

for the wicked are not removed.

Rejected silver they are called,

for the Lord has rejected them.”

Copyright 2001 Crossway Bibles

NIVNew International Version (2011)

“I have made you a tester of metals

and my people the ore,

that you may observe

and test their ways.

They are all hardened rebels,

going about to slander.

They are bronze and iron;

they all act corruptly.

The bellows blow fiercely

to burn away the lead with fire,

but the refining goes on in vain;

the wicked are not purged out.

They are called rejected silver,

because the Lord has rejected them.”

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica, Inc.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

I have appointed you to be an assayer among my people—

a refiner—

so you may know and assay their way of life.

All are stubborn rebels

spreading slander.

They are bronze and iron;

all of them are corrupt.

The bellows blow,

blasting the lead with fire.

The refining is completely in vain;

the evil ones are not separated out.

They are called rejected silver,

for the Lord has rejected them.

Copyright 2017 Holman Bible Publishers

NLTNew Living Translation

“Jeremiah, I have made you a tester of metals,

that you may determine the quality of my people.

They are the worst kind of rebel,

full of slander.

They are as hard as bronze and iron,

and they lead others into corruption.

The bellows fiercely fan the flames

to burn out the corruption.

But it does not purify them,

for the wickedness remains.

I will label them ‘Rejected Silver,’

for I, the Lord, am discarding them.”

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

“I have made you an assayer among my people, a fortification,

so that you may know and put to the test their ways.

All of them are stubborn rebels,

going about talking slander.

They are bronze and iron,

they are all behaving corruptly.

The bellows are burned up,

lead is consumed by fire.

In vain he keeps on refining,

but the wicked are not torn apart.

They are called rejected silver,

For Yahweh has rejected them.”

Copyright 2012 Lexham Press

KJV 1900King James Version

I have set thee for a tower and a fortress among my people, that thou mayest know and try their way. They are all grievous revolters, walking with slanders: they are brass and iron; they are all corrupters. The bellows are burned, the lead is consumed of the fire; the founder melteth in vain: for the wicked are not plucked away. Reprobate silver shall men call them, because the Lord hath rejected them.

Public Domain