Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 6:13
For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one [is] given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.
13. from the least of them even unto the greatest ] Cp. Jer 5:5.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Given to covetousness – literally, everyone has gained gains. The temper of mind which gains the world is not that which gains heaven.
Falsely – Rather, fraudulently.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
From the least of them; not respecting so much their age as degree and quality, poor and rich; the prophet notes the generality of their corruption as the reason of Gods severity against them, as Jer 6:6; observing also that it was even among the greatest, who ought to have given better examples, no soundness from head to foot.
Covetousness; in which possibly all their wickednesses, as cruelty, oppression, injustice, &c., may be comprised, it being the root of all evil, 1Ti 6:10, and may also speak the justice of God, in the Chaldeans taking them and all their substance away, that had by violence and fraud wrested it from others, Mic 2:2.
Dealeth falsely, Heb. doing falsehood; as if that were their whole work, the proper and peculiar sin of the priests and prophets, to deceive the people, and to flatter them by false visions, as in the next verse; not that they were not also guilty of the other sins, Isa 56:11, and the princes and people of this, Mic 3:9; Jer 5:31, for they were all involved in the same wickedness; but the prophet mentions those sins that were most peculiar to each party. See the same Jer 8:10.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
13. (Jer 8:10;Isa 56:11; Mic 3:11).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them,…. From the least in age to the oldest among them; or rather, from persons of the lowest class of life, and in the meanest circumstances, to those that are in the highest places of trust and honour, and are in the greatest affluence of riches and wealth; so that as men of every age and station had sinned, old and young, high and low, rich and poor, it was but just and right that they should all share in the common calamity:
everyone is given to covetousness; which is mentioned particularly, and instead of other sins, it being the root of evil, and was the prevailing sin among them:
from the prophet even unto the priest everyone dealeth falsely; the false prophet, as Kimchi interprets it, and so the Septuagint and other versions; and the priest of Baal, as the same interpreter; both acted deceitfully; the one in prophesying lies to the people, the other in drawing them off from the pure worship of God. The Targum is,
“from the scribe to the priest;”
from the lowest order of teachers to the highest in ecclesiastical office. The whole shows a most general and dreadful corruption.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The Prophet now again declares, that it was nothing strange that God resolved to deal with so much severity with that people, and to execute on them extreme vengeance; for no part was whole and sound, but impiety had pervaded all ranks. It might, indeed, be ascribed to the young, as well as to the old, for he says, From the small to the great; but I prefer to understand the first clause of the poor and the lower orders, and the second of the higher ranks, who excelled in power and wealth among the people. He says, then, that contempt of God and every kind of wickedness prevailed, not only in one part but in the whole community, so that there was no soundness from the head to the soles of the feet. We now, then, perceive what the Prophet means by saying, From the small to the great (173)
And this appears still clearer from the end of the verse, where he says, From the prophet to the priest He amplifies here what he had said of the small and the great. Hence we see, that by the great he understands not those of mature or advanced age, but such as were in dignity and honor, who were in esteem on account of their wealth or of other endowments. So also, on the other hand, he does not call those small who were young, but such as were despised, who were of the lowest order, and formed as it were the dregs of society: for as I have said, he amplifies what he had said, by adducing the prophets and the priests. Even though the king and his court were extremely wicked, yet some care for religion ought to have prevailed among the prophets and the priests; there ought at least to have been among them some decency; for they were appointed for the purpose of carrying light for others. As, then, even these were apostates, and had degenerated from the true worship of God, what could have been found among the rest of the people?
We now, then, see that the mouth of the ungodly was here closed, so that they could not expostulate with God or blame his severity, for they had all arrived at the highest pitch of impiety, inasmuch as the prophets and the priests were no less corrupt than the common people.
By saying that all coveted covetousness, he refers to frauds and base gain; in that he includes every kind of avariciousness. (174) By saying that the priests and the prophets wrought falsehood, or acted fraudulently, he means the same thing, but in other words, even that there was no integrity in those teachers who ought to have been leaders to the blind: for God had ordained them that they might, as I have said, carry light to all others and shew them the way of salvation. It follows —
(173) “From the small of them even to the great,“ Septuagint; “ From the less to the greater,“ Vulgate; “ From the least of them even to the greatest of them,“ Targum, Syriac, and Arabic. The last is the best. The positive degree is often put in Hebrew for the superlative. See Jon 3:5. — Ed.
(174) The words literally are “gaining gain,“ rendered in Pro 1:19, and Pro 15:27, “greedy of gain.” The Septuagint give only a general idea, “performed unlawful things;” the Vulgate has, “given to avarice;” the Targum, “gape after riches.” The prevailing sin of all ranks was covetousness; and the special sin of the priests and prophets was falsehood: they taught falsely. The verse may be thus rendered, —
For from the least of them to the greatest of them, His all is to gain; And from the prophet to the priest, His all is to act falsely.
“
His all” means all his object, or all that he did. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(13) Is given to covetousness.Literally, gained gain. The Hebrew word (as in Gen. 37:26; Job. 22:2) does not necessarily involve the idea of dishonest gain, though this (as in Pro. 1:19; Hab. 2:9) is often implied. What the prophet condemns is the universal desire of gain (rem . . . rem . . . quocunque modo rem), sure to lead, as in the second clause, to a gratification of it by fair means or foul.
From the prophet even unto the priest . . .The two orders that ought to have checked the evil are noted as having been foremost in promoting it. (Comp. Note on Jer. 5:31.)
Dealeth falsely.Literally, worketh a lie, in the sense of dishonesty.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 6:13 For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one [is] given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.
Ver. 13. Every one is given to covetousness. ] Avet avaritia, eager for greed, is coveting covetise or excessively; crieth still, Give, give, with the horse leech; of which creature Pliny a observeth, and experience showeth, that it hath no through passage, but taketh much in, and letting nothing out, breaks and kills itself with sucking. So doth the covetous man.
Every one dealeth falsely.
a Lib. xi. cap. 34.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
covetousness. Reference to Pentateuch (Exo 18:21). App-92.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
For: Jer 8:10, Jer 14:18, Jer 22:17, Jer 23:11, Isa 56:9-12, Isa 57:17, Eze 22:12, Eze 33:31, Mic 2:1, Mic 2:2, Mic 3:2, Mic 3:3, Mic 3:5, Mic 3:11, Zep 3:3, Zep 3:4, Luk 16:14, 1Ti 3:3, 2Pe 2:3, 2Pe 2:14, 2Pe 2:15
and: Jer 2:8, Jer 2:26, Jer 5:31, Jer 23:11, Jer 23:14, Jer 23:15, Jer 26:7, Jer 26:8, Jer 32:32, Isa 28:7, Lam 4:13, Eze 22:25-28, Zep 3:4
Reciprocal: Lev 19:11 – shall not Deu 13:1 – a prophet Pro 24:24 – that Isa 30:10 – speak Isa 56:10 – they are all dumb Jer 2:29 – ye all have Jer 4:9 – and the priests Jer 5:5 – but these Jer 11:9 – General Jer 20:6 – thy friends Jer 27:15 – ye Jer 30:15 – for the Jer 42:1 – from Jer 52:27 – the king Lam 2:14 – prophets Eze 13:2 – prophesy against Eze 22:29 – people Hos 4:1 – no truth Mic 2:11 – I will Mal 1:10 – even Luk 12:15 – Take Act 8:10 – from Eph 5:3 – covetousness 1Th 2:5 – a cloak 1Ti 6:5 – supposing Heb 8:11 – from Heb 13:5 – conversation 1Pe 5:2 – not for
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 6:13. The main reason why the Lord caused the captivity is stated in this verse. The same statement was made and commented upon in ch. 5: 31.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jer 6:13-15. For, from the least of them, &c. Old and young, rich and poor, high and low, those of all ranks, professions, and employments; every one is given to covetousness Greedy of filthy lucre; and this made them oppressive, for of that evil, as well as others, the love of money is the bitter root. Nay, and this hardened their hearts against the word of God and his prophets: they were the covetous Pharisees that derided Christ. From the prophet to the priest, every one dealeth falsely Not only in speaking false things, but, as the Hebrew, , signifies, doing falsehood; acting a lie; that is, playing the hypocrite; keeping up an outward form, or appearance, of piety, and desiring to be accounted righteous, when, before God, they were abominably wicked. They have healed also the hurt, &c., slightly Skinning over the wound, and never searching it to the bottom; applying lenitives, soothing speeches, when there was need of corrosives, or sharp reproofs, which might have brought them to a true sense of the danger of their condition: encouraging them in their sins, and carnal security, by promising them peace and safety when they were on the brink of ruin and destruction. So that the ministry of these priests and prophets, instead of proving a blessing, became a real curse to them. Were they ashamed, &c. Nothing is a greater sign of an incorrigible temper than being past shame. Such the prophet tells us was the character of the generality of the Jews at this time: their hearts were so hardened that they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush. Nay, it seems they even gloried in their wickedness, and openly confronted the convictions that should have humbled and brought them to repentance. This is thought by some to refer especially to the priests and prophets, who had soothed the people in their sins, with false hopes of peace, and yet were not ashamed of their deceit and treachery; no, not when the event disproved and gave the lie to their promises. Therefore shall they fall among them that fall
They shall have their portion with those whom they have deceived and destroyed.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Everyone was guilty and worthy of judgment, from all levels of society including the false prophets and the unfaithful priests. They all behaved selfishly and deceived others (cf. Jer 4:3-5).