The Meaning of Jeremiah 5:21 Explained

Jeremiah 5:21

KJV: Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not:

YLT: Hear ye, I pray you, this, O people, foolish and without heart, Eyes they have, and they see not, Ears they have, and they hear not.

Darby: Hear now this, O foolish and heartless people, who have eyes and see not; who have ears, and hear not.

ASV: Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; that have eyes, and see not; that have ears, and hear not:

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Hear  now this, O foolish  people,  and without understanding;  which have eyes,  and see  not; which have ears,  and hear  not: 

What does Jeremiah 5:21 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 5

1  The judgments of God upon the people, for their perverseness;
7  for their adultery;
10  for their impiety;
15  for their worship of idols;
19  for their contempt of God;
25  and for their great corruption in the civil state;
30  and ecclesiastical

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 5:21 mean?

Hear now this people foolish and without understanding who have eyes to and not see and who have ears to hear
שִׁמְעוּ־ נָ֣א זֹ֔את עַ֥ם סָכָ֖ל וְאֵ֣ין לֵ֑ב עֵינַ֤יִם לָהֶם֙ וְלֹ֣א יִרְא֔וּ אָזְנַ֥יִם לָהֶ֖ם יִשְׁמָֽעוּ

שִׁמְעוּ־  Hear 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.
נָ֣א  now 
Parse: Interjection
Root: נָא  
Sense: I (we) pray, now, please.
זֹ֔את  this 
Parse: Pronoun, feminine singular
Root: זׄאת  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, such.
עַ֥ם  people 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
סָכָ֖ל  foolish 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: סָכָל  
Sense: fool.
וְאֵ֣ין  and  without 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
לֵ֑ב  understanding 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: לֵב 
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding.
עֵינַ֤יִם  who  have  eyes 
Parse: Noun, cd
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
וְלֹ֣א  and  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יִרְא֔וּ  see 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
אָזְנַ֥יִם  and  who  have  ears 
Parse: Noun, fd
Root: אֹזֶן  
Sense: ear, as part of the body.
יִשְׁמָֽעוּ  hear 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.