Jeremiah 6:13 Meaning and Explanation
“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.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Public disaster is rarely explained by one visible failure alone. Jeremiah 6:13 looks beneath the approaching invasion to the settled desires and dishonest practices that had spread through the nation. Its searching force comes from the breadth of the charge. Ordinary people, influential people, prophets, and priests are all named within the same moral crisis.
Jeremiah identifies a corruption that reaches through Judah: people of every social rank pursue unjust gain, while prophets and priests handle God's people deceitfully. The verse explains why the promised judgment is morally serious.
The Context of Jeremiah 6:13
Jeremiah 6 warns Jerusalem and the surrounding land that destruction is coming from the north. The LORD describes a city full of oppression, violence, spoil, grief, and wounds, while repeatedly calling Jerusalem to receive instruction. Verses 10-12 explain that the people have treated the word of the LORD with contempt and that judgment will touch households across the land. Verse 13 gives a central diagnosis: greed has become widespread, and the religious leaders themselves practice falsehood. The next verses show how this false leadership speaks superficial assurances of peace and feels no shame over abomination.
What Does Jeremiah 6:13 Mean?
The verse begins with a sweeping expression: "from the least of them even unto the greatest of them." Jeremiah does not identify one isolated class as the source of the trouble. The desire for gain has reached people across the community. To be "given to covetousness" pictures a life handed over to craving what belongs to another or seeking increase without regard for righteousness. The verse then turns to those entrusted with spiritual responsibility. A prophet was to speak faithfully from God, and a priest was to teach and serve according to God's ordinances. Yet "every one dealeth falsely." Their conduct and speech had become unreliable, betraying the people who looked to them for truth and guidance.
This diagnosis belongs closely to the chapter's concern for justice and faithful hearing. Jerusalem is called "wholly oppression" in verse 6, and verse 7 says violence and spoil continually stand before the LORD. Covetousness helps explain how such oppression grows: a heart fixed on gain can treat neighbors, land, promises, and worship as tools for advantage. The leaders' false dealing also prepares for verse 14, where they speak of peace while the people's wound remains untreated. Their message does not arise from the LORD's warning in the chapter. It conceals the sickness that needs repentance. Jeremiah therefore shows that judgment follows a long refusal to hear God's words, receive correction, and practice the truth publicly.
The warning reaches beyond ancient Jerusalem because Scripture repeatedly joins love of gain with distorted judgment and false speech. God cares about the inner desire that shapes outward dealings, especially where authority is involved. The verse also guards us from looking only at prominent leaders when considering communal sin. Jeremiah includes the least and greatest together, calling for honest self-examination across the whole people. Christ's teaching likewise exposes greed as a rival master and warns against religious appearances that hide neglect of judgment, mercy, faith, and truth. His ministry gives no shelter to deception. He brings hidden things into the light and calls people to a whole-hearted return to God.
Bible Verses Related to Jeremiah 6:13
“The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us.”
- Micah 3:11
“Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.”
- Isaiah 56:11
“In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood; thou hast taken usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by extortion, and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord GOD.”
- Ezekiel 22:12
“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
- 1 Timothy 6:10
Where Jeremiah 6:13 Echoes in Scripture
Paul's warning in 1 Timothy 6:10 strongly echoes Jeremiah's concern by describing the love of money as a root from which many kinds of evil grow. Jeremiah focuses on a nation in which covetousness has spread through every rank, while Paul addresses those who may be drawn away through the pursuit of riches. Together, these passages show how desire for gain can turn the heart from faithfulness and injure a community.
How to Apply Jeremiah 6:13 Today
This verse invites careful attention to the ordinary places where gain can shape our choices: a transaction, a work decision, a use of influence, a report we give, or an assurance we offer another person. Faithful speech requires more than avoiding obvious lies. It includes refusing to conceal harm, flatter wrongdoing, or offer comfort that ignores a needed change. Those with responsibilities in homes, workplaces, congregations, and public life can ask whether their words make truth clearer and whether their decisions protect their neighbors. We can also receive correction with humility, remembering that Jeremiah's warning addresses an entire people rather than a distant group alone.
Reflection & Prayer
Where might the desire for advantage be weakening our honesty, generosity, or willingness to name what is true? We may pray: "Lord, search our desires and make our speech faithful. Deliver us from greed and false dealing, and teach us to seek the good of those entrusted to our care. Amen."