Jeremiah 6:7 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 6:7 mean?

Jeremiah 6:7 compares the city’s wickedness to a fountain that constantly pours out water, saying that Jerusalem continually produces evil acts, violence, and destruction. God observes that suffering and injury are always present in the city, never ceasing before Him.

The prophet Jeremiah is speaking God’s warning to the people of Jerusalem, describing how their wrongdoing is as natural and constant as water flowing from a spring. The verse uses vivid imagery to show that evil, violence, and harm are not rare or accidental in Jerusalem—they are ongoing and deeply rooted, and God sees this unending cycle.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 6:7

• The word for "fountain" (בּוֹר, bor) often means a well or spring, emphasizing something that naturally and continually brings forth what is inside. Here, it highlights how Jerusalem’s evil flows out as steadily as water from a spring.
• The word "wickedness" (רַע, ra‘) means evil or badness in a broad sense, pointing to both moral corruption and harmful actions.
• "Violence" (חָמָס, ḥamas) and "spoil" (שָׁד, shad) together stress not just personal sin but also social injustice—robbery, oppression, and harm done to others.
• "Grief" (חֳלִי, ḥoli) and "wounds" (מַכָּה, makkah) refer to both emotional pain and physical injury, showing the real suffering caused by this ongoing wrongdoing.

Why Jeremiah 6:7 matters

• This verse clears up any idea that the people’s sins were occasional mistakes; Jeremiah describes evil as something deeply ingrained and constantly flowing out of the city.
• The imagery of a fountain makes it clear that the problem is not just individual actions but a whole system and culture of wrongdoing.
• Jeremiah 6:7 connects to the wider warning in this chapter, where God is calling out Jerusalem’s refusal to change, showing why judgment is coming.