What is the meaning of Jeremiah 22:17? Your eyes and heart • The verse begins with the inner life—“eyes” and “heart”—revealing that outward sin always starts in the unseen places. Proverbs 4:23 reminds us, “Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow springs of life”. Jesus echoes this in Matthew 6:22-23, teaching that a healthy eye fills the person with light, but a bad eye fills with darkness. Jeremiah is exposing rulers whose moral compass is darkened; their spiritual vision is clouded because their hearts are corrupted. Set on nothing except your own dishonest gain • “Dishonest gain” points to covetousness elevated to a lifestyle. In 1 Timothy 6:10 we read, “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil”. These leaders are so fixated on wealth that they have no room left for justice, mercy, or fear of God. Ezekiel 22:27 indicts similar officials: “Her officials are like wolves tearing their prey, shedding blood and destroying lives for dishonest gain”. The phrase “nothing except” shows total devotion; greed is their functional god. On shedding innocent blood • Violence becomes the next logical step when greed rules. Instead of protecting life, they destroy it for profit or convenience. Genesis 4:10 records God confronting Cain: “The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground”. Likewise, Proverbs 6:17 lists “hands that shed innocent blood” among the seven things the Lord hates. These leaders have aligned themselves with what God detests, inviting judgment. On practicing extortion and oppression • “Extortion” pictures forceful seizure of resources; “oppression” describes the sustained crushing of the weak. Micah 2:2 says, “They covet fields and seize them; they also steal houses”. James 5:4 adds that withheld wages cry out to the Lord of Hosts. Jeremiah 22 earlier warned, “Administer justice and righteousness. Rescue the victim of robbery…” (v. 3). By ignoring that charge, the rulers replace God-assigned shepherding with predatory dominance. summary Jeremiah 22:17 exposes leaders whose inner desires (eyes and heart) are locked onto greed, leading them to violence and systemic exploitation. Scripture consistently links unchecked covetousness to the destruction of others and eventual divine judgment. God calls His people to the opposite path—guarding the heart, loving justice, defending the innocent, and refusing to profit through oppression. |
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