Jeremiah 8:5
New International Version
Why then have these people turned away? Why does Jerusalem always turn away? They cling to deceit; they refuse to return.

New Living Translation
Then why do these people stay on their self-destructive path? Why do the people of Jerusalem refuse to turn back? They cling tightly to their lies and will not turn around.

English Standard Version
Why then has this people turned away in perpetual backsliding? They hold fast to deceit; they refuse to return.

Berean Standard Bible
Why then have these people turned away? Why does Jerusalem always turn away? They cling to deceit; they refuse to return.

King James Bible
Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return.

New King James Version
Why has this people slidden back, Jerusalem, in a perpetual backsliding? They hold fast to deceit, They refuse to return.

New American Standard Bible
“Why has this people, Jerusalem, Turned away in continual apostasy? They hold on to deceit, They refuse to return.

NASB 1995
“Why then has this people, Jerusalem, Turned away in continual apostasy? They hold fast to deceit, They refuse to return.

NASB 1977
“Why then has this people, Jerusalem, Turned away in continual apostasy? They hold fast to deceit, They refuse to return.

Legacy Standard Bible
Why then has this people, Jerusalem, Turned away in continual faithlessness? They hold fast to deceit; They refuse to return.

Amplified Bible
“Why then has this people of Jerusalem Turned away with a perpetual turning away [from Me]? They hold tightly to deceit (idolatry); They refuse to repent and return [to God].

Christian Standard Bible
Why have these people turned away? Why is Jerusalem always turning away? They take hold of deceit; they refuse to return.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Why have these people turned away? Why is Jerusalem always turning away? They take hold of deceit; they refuse to return.

American Standard Version
Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return.

Contemporary English Version
So why do you refuse to come back to me? Why do you hold so tightly to your false gods?

English Revised Version
Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The people of Jerusalem turned away from me without ever returning. They still cling to deceit. They refuse to return.

Good News Translation
Why then, my people, do you turn away from me without ever turning back? You cling to your idols and refuse to return to me.

International Standard Version
Why has this people turned away? Why does Jerusalem continue in apostasy? They hold on to deceit and refuse to repent.

Majority Standard Bible
Why then have these people turned away? Why does Jerusalem always turn away? They cling to deceit; they refuse to return.

NET Bible
Why, then, do these people of Jerusalem continually turn away from me in apostasy? They hold fast to their deception. They refuse to turn back to me.

New Heart English Bible
Why then do these people of Jerusalem turn away in perpetual backsliding? They hold fast deceit; they refuse to return.

Webster's Bible Translation
Why then hath this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return.

World English Bible
Why then have the people of Jerusalem fallen back by a perpetual backsliding? They cling to deceit. They refuse to return.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Why has this people of Jerusalem "" Turned back—a continuous backsliding? They have kept hold on deceit, "" They have refused to turn back.

Young's Literal Translation
Wherefore hath this people of Jerusalem Turned back -- a perpetual backsliding? They have kept hold on deceit, They have refused to turn back.

Smith's Literal Translation
Wherefore did this people of Jerusalem turn away a continual turning away? they laid hold upon deceit; they refused to turn back.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Why then is this people in Jerusalem turned away with a stubborn revolting? they have laid hold on lying, and have refused to return.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Then why have this people in Jerusalem turned away with a contentious loathing? They have taken hold of what is false, and they are not willing to return.

New American Bible
Why then do these people resist with persistent rebellion? Why do they cling to deception, refuse to turn back?

New Revised Standard Version
Why then has this people turned away in perpetual backsliding? They have held fast to deceit, they have refused to return.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Why then is this people of Jerusalem perpetually backsliding? They hold fast to deceit, they refuse to repent.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Why does this backsliding, shameless people return to Jerusalem? They held fast to deceit and they chose not to return to God
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back By a perpetual backsliding? They hold fast deceit, They refuse to return.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Wherefore has this my people turned away with a shameless revolting, and strengthened themselves in their willfulness, and refused to return?
Audio Bible



Context
Judah's Sin and Punishment
4So you are to tell them this is what the LORD says: “Do men fall and not get up again? Does one turn away and not return? 5Why then have these people turned away? Why does Jerusalem always turn away? They cling to deceit; they refuse to return. 6I have listened and heard; they do not speak what is right. No one repents of his wickedness, asking, ‘What have I done?’ Everyone has pursued his own course like a horse charging into battle.…

Cross References
Hosea 11:7
My people are bent on turning from Me. Though they call to the Most High, He will by no means exalt them.

Isaiah 57:17
I was enraged by his sinful greed, so I struck him and hid My face in anger; yet he kept turning back to the desires of his heart.

Zechariah 7:11-12
But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder; they stopped up their ears from hearing. / They made their hearts like flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the LORD of Hosts had sent by His Spirit through the earlier prophets. Therefore great anger came from the LORD of Hosts.

Jeremiah 5:23
But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned aside and gone away.

Jeremiah 6:28
All are hardened rebels, walking around as slanderers. They are bronze and iron; all of them are corrupt.

Isaiah 1:4
Alas, O sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who act corruptly! They have forsaken the LORD; they have despised the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on Him.

Hosea 4:16
For Israel is as obstinate as a stubborn heifer. Can the LORD now shepherd them like lambs in an open meadow?

2 Kings 17:14
But they would not listen, and they stiffened their necks like their fathers, who did not believe the LORD their God.

Psalm 78:8
Then they will not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose heart was not loyal, whose spirit was not faithful to God.

Proverbs 1:24-25
Because you refused my call, and no one took my outstretched hand, / because you neglected all my counsel, and wanted none of my correction,

Matthew 23:37
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!

Acts 7:51
You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did.

Romans 10:21
But as for Israel he says: “All day long I have held out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.”

Hebrews 3:12
See to it, brothers, that none of you has a wicked heart of unbelief that turns away from the living God.

2 Timothy 4:4
So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.


Treasury of Scripture

Why then is this people of Jerusalem slid back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return.

slidden.

Jeremiah 2:32
Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number.

Jeremiah 3:11-14
And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah…

Jeremiah 7:24-26
But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward…

they hold.

Jeremiah 9:6
Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the LORD.

Proverbs 4:13
Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.

Isaiah 30:10
Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:

they refuse.

Jeremiah 5:3
O LORD, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.

Isaiah 1:20
But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

Zechariah 7:11
But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.

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Always Apostasy Backsliding Cling Continual Deceit Fast Hold Jerusalem Kept Perpetual Refuse Refused Slidden Turn Turned Turning Wherefore
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Always Apostasy Backsliding Cling Continual Deceit Fast Hold Jerusalem Kept Perpetual Refuse Refused Slidden Turn Turned Turning Wherefore
Jeremiah 8
1. The calamity of the Jews, both dead and alive.
4. He upbraids their foolish and shameless impenitency.
13. He shows their grievous judgment;
18. and bewails their desperate estate.














Why then have these people turned away?
The phrase "turned away" in Hebrew is "שׁוֹבֵב" (shovev), which implies a backsliding or apostasy. This word suggests a deliberate and conscious decision to move away from God’s path. Historically, Israel's turning away can be seen in their repeated cycles of disobedience and idolatry, despite God's continuous calls for repentance. This reflects a spiritual stubbornness and highlights the human tendency to stray from divine truth, even when the consequences are evident.

Why does Jerusalem always turn away?
The repetition of "turn away" emphasizes the persistent nature of Jerusalem's rebellion. Jerusalem, as the heart of Israel, represents the spiritual center of the nation. The city's continual turning away signifies a deep-seated spiritual malaise affecting the entire community. This phrase underscores the gravity of their spiritual infidelity, as Jerusalem was meant to be a beacon of faithfulness to God. The historical context reveals a pattern of ignoring prophetic warnings, leading to eventual judgment.

They cling to deceit
The word "cling" in Hebrew is "חָזַק" (chazaq), meaning to hold fast or be strong. This indicates a strong attachment to falsehoods and lies. The deceit here refers to the false prophets and idolatrous practices that led the people astray. In a broader sense, it reflects humanity's inclination to embrace comforting lies over uncomfortable truths. This phrase challenges believers to examine their own lives for any deceptions they might be holding onto, urging a return to God's truth.

they refuse to return
The Hebrew word for "refuse" is "מָאֵן" (ma'en), which conveys a stubborn unwillingness. "Return" is "שׁוּב" (shuv), a term often used in the context of repentance. This phrase highlights the people's obstinate rejection of God's call to repentance. Despite numerous opportunities to return to God, they persist in their rebellion. This serves as a sobering reminder of the importance of heeding God's call to repentance and the dangers of hardening one's heart against divine correction.

(5) Slidden back . . . backsliding.--The English fails to give the full emphasis of the re-iteration of the same word as in the previous verse. Why doth this people of Jerusalem turn away with a perpetual turning? Here, so far, there was no retracing the evil path which they had chosen.

I hearkened and heard.--Jehovah himself is introduced here, as probably in the question of the previous verse, as speaking, listening for cries of penitence, and hearing only the words of the evildoers.

Rusheth.--The word is primarily used of the rushing of a torrent (Isaiah 8:8; Isaiah 10:22; Isaiah 28:17), and is applied to the frantic impetuosity with which Israel was rushing into evil, and therefore into the misery that followed it.

Verse 5. - Slidden back... backsliding. The verb is the same verb (in another conjugation) as in Ver. 4, and the noun is a derivative from it. The Authorized Version, therefore, has slightly weakened the force of the argument. They hold fast deceit. They cling to a false view of their relation to their God (comp. Jeremiah 4:2; Jeremiah 5:2).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Why [then]
מַדּ֨וּעַ (mad·dū·a‘)
Interrogative
Strong's 4069: Why? for what reason?

have these
הַזֶּ֛ה (haz·zeh)
Article | Pronoun - masculine singular
Strong's 2088: This, that

people
הָעָ֥ם (hā·‘ām)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

turned away?
שׁוֹבְבָ֜ה (šō·wḇ·ḇāh)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 7725: To turn back, in, to retreat, again

Why does Jerusalem
יְרוּשָׁלִַ֖ם (yə·rū·šā·lim)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 3389: Jerusalem -- probably 'foundation of peace', capital city of all Israel

always turn away?
מְשֻׁבָ֣ה (mə·šu·ḇāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 4878: Turning back, apostasy

They cling
הֶחֱזִ֙יקוּ֙ (he·ḥĕ·zî·qū)
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 2388: To fasten upon, to seize, be strong, obstinate, to bind, restrain, conquer

to deceit;
בַּתַּרְמִ֔ית (bat·tar·mîṯ)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8649: Perhaps treachery

they refuse
מֵאֲנ֖וּ (mê·’ă·nū)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 3985: To refuse

to return.
לָשֽׁוּב׃ (lā·šūḇ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 7725: To turn back, in, to retreat, again


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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 8:5 Why then is this people of Jerusalem (Jer.)
Jeremiah 8:4
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