Jeremiah 6:10 · Bible study
Jeremiah 6:10 Commentary: The Uncircumcised Ear
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explore Jeremiah 6:10: the metaphor of the uncircumcised ear, spiritual deafness, and the prophet's lament over rejected word.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The people's ears are closed to God, not by physical defect but by willful spiritual rebellion that has become a fixed condition.
- Key words: 'uncircumcised' (arel) applied to the ear; 'reproach' (cherpah) indicating scorn; 'delight' (chaphets) as the opposite of joy in God's word.
- Main debate: Whether the inability to hear is entirely self-inflicted (human responsibility) or also a divine act of hardening (God's judgment). Both elements appear in Scripture.
- Theological theme: The tragedy of rejected revelation, God speaks, but the hearers have no capacity or desire to receive.
- Best use: A text for lament, for examining our own posture toward God's word, and for empathizing with those who preach faithfully to resistant audiences.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
To whom can I give this warning? Who will listen to me? Look, their ears are closed, so they cannot hear. See, the word of the LORD has become offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it.
WEB World English Bible 2000
To whom should I speak and testify, that they may hear? Behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they can’t listen. Behold, Yahweh’s word has become a reproach to them. They have no delight in it.
KJV King James Version 1769
To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the Lord is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
To whom shall I speak and testify, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of Jehovah is become unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
To whom do I speak, and testify, and they hear? Lo, their ear is uncircumcised, And they are not able to attend. Lo, a word of Jehovah hath been to them for a reproach, They delight not in it.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
To whom shall I speak and testify, that they may hear? Behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of Jehovah is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
To whom shall I speak? and to whom shall I testify, that he may hear? behold, their ears are uncircumcised, and they cannot hear: behold the word of the Lord is become unto them a reproach: and they will not receive it.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
¿ A quién tengo de hablar y amonestar, para que oigan? He aquí que sus orejas son incircuncisas, y no pueden escuchar; he aquí que la palabra de Jehová les es cosa vergonzosa, no la aman.
A quem falarei e testemunharei, para que ouçam? Eis que que seus ouvidos são incircuncisos, e não podem escutar; eis que a palavra do SENHOR lhes é coisa vergonhosa, não gostam dela.
A qui m’ adresser, et qui prendre à témoin pour qu’ on écoute?
Ach, mit wem soll ich doch reden und zeugen? Daß doch jemand hören wollte! Aber ihre Ohren sind unbeschnitten; sie können's nicht hören. Siehe, sie halten des HERRN Wort für einen Spott und wollen es nicht.
Tot wie zal ik spreken en betuigen, dat zij het horen? Ziet, hun oor is onbesneden, dat zij niet kunnen toeluisteren; ziet, het woord des HEEREN is hun tot een smaad, zij hebben geen lust daartoe.
A chi parlerò io, chi prenderò a testimonio perché m’ascolti? Ecco, l’orecchio loro è incirconciso, ed essi sono incapaci di prestare attenzione; ecco, la parola dell’Eterno è diventata per loro un obbrobrio, e non vi trovano più alcun piacere.
Do kogoż mówić będę, i kim oświadczę, aby słyszeli? Oto nieobrzezane są uszy ich, tak, że słuchać nie mogą; oto słowo Pańskie mają za hańbę i nie kochają się w niem.
К кому мне говорить и кого увещевать, чтобы слушали? Вот, ухо у них необрезанное, и они не могут слушать; вот, слово Господне у них в посмеянии; оно неприятно им.
現在我可以向 誰 說話 作見證，使他們聽呢？ 他們的耳朵 未受割禮，不 能 聽見。看哪，耶和華 的話 他們 以為 羞辱，不 以為喜悅。
To whom am I to give word, witnessing so that they may take note? see, their ears are stopped, and they are not able to give attention: see, the word of the Lord has been a cause of shame to them, they have no delight in it.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Jeremiah 6:10
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that the phrase 'uncircumcised ear' describes a spiritual condition of closedness, not a physical deficit. Calvin notes that Jeremiah exclaims 'as one astonished' because the people were 'so given up to impiety' that the prophet's labor was wasted. Lange's Commentary observes that 'uncircumcised' here designates 'a substantial incapability, which, however, is guilty, as hardness of heart and perversity', the people cannot give heed, yet their inability arises from willful rebellion. Gill states that their ears 'were stopped with the filth of sin naturally, and they wilfully stopped their ears.' The related cross-reference Deuteronomy 29:4 shows God himself had not given them 'ears to hear,' pointing to a judicial hardening. All sources understand the second complaint, 'the word of the Lord has become a reproach to them', as mockery or ridicule (Barnes: 'They make the Word of God the object of their ridicule'; Clarke: 'an object of derision'). The people find no delight in God's word, a stark contrast with the psalmist's delight in the law (Psalm 1:2).
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Willful rejection (human responsibility): The people are described as not delighting in God's word; they actively mock it. Their inability is a result of their own stubborn choices (Gill, Wesley).
- Divine hardening (God's judgment): Deuteronomy 29:4 says 'Yahweh has not given you a heart to know, eyes to see, and ears to hear,' implying God withholds the capacity to respond as judgment (Calvin, Lane).
- Both (paradox of human and divine agency): The people are responsible for their hardness, yet God confirms it as judgment. The verse holds both together without resolving the tension (Lange, Keil & Delitzsch).
What is clear: All readers agree that the uncircumcised ear denotes a spiritual condition of deafness to God's word, that this condition leads to the word being treated as a reproach, and that the prophet mourns this reality.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of 'uncircumcised ear' | All commentators understand it as a metaphor for spiritual insensitivity, not a physical defect. It signifies a closedness to God's word. | Some emphasize the willful choice of the people (Gill, Wesley), while others see a divinely imposed inability (Deuteronomy 29:4, Calvin). Most combine both: the people hardened themselves, and God gave them over. |
| Is the inability 'cannot' absolute or temporary? | The Hebrew verb <em>yakhol</em> (be able) indicates a present incapacity: 'they cannot hearken.' There is no suggestion that this is a permanent, irreversible state. | Some see it as judicial hardening that could be broken by repentance (Keil), while others focus on the immediacy of judgment: the time for repentance is past (Henry). |
| Prophet's role and emotion | Jeremiah's question 'To whom shall I speak?' expresses despair and frustration. He is faithful but fruitless. | Whether this is a word of weakness (human emotion fitting for lament) or a prophetic pronouncement of judgment (God's final word through his messenger). The text allows both. |
| Relevance for today | The verse exposes the danger of hearing without listening, and the tragedy of a preacher whose message is mocked. | Some apply it primarily to unbelief outside the church, others to nominal Christians whose ears are 'uncircumcised' by complacency. Both applications are supported in commentary tradition. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Jeremiah prophesies in the final decades of Judah's existence, circa 600 BC, when Babylon looms as God's instrument of judgment. The immediate context (Jeremiah 6:6, 15) describes a siege against Jerusalem: 'Cut down trees, and cast up a mound against Jerusalem' (v. 6). The city is full of oppression and wickedness (vv. 6, 7), and God warns that if Jerusalem does not receive instruction, he will make it a desolation (v. 8). Verse 9 introduces a grim metaphor: the enemy will glean the remnant of Israel like a vine, leaving no cluster behind. It is into this atmosphere of impending doom that Jeremiah cries out in verse 10.
The metaphor of an 'uncircumcised ear' draws on the broader biblical theme of circumcision as a sign of covenant relationship. The physical rite of circumcision marked Israel as God's people, but prophets repeatedly called for a deeper reality: 'Circumcise yourselves to Yahweh, and take away the foreskins of your heart' (Jeremiah 4:4; see also Deuteronomy 10:16, Leviticus 26:41). To have an uncircumcised ear means the organ of hearing remains covered by a 'foreskin' of carnality and rebellion; the person cannot receive God's word because they have not been set apart for it. In the New Testament, Stephen echoes this language: 'You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears!' (Acts 7:51). Lange's Commentary notes that this usage of 'uncircumcised' for the ear appears in the Old Testament only here, though it was applied elsewhere to the heart and lips.
The second half of the verse, 'the word of Yahweh has become a reproach to them; they have no delight in it', reveals the people's active contempt. The Hebrew word for reproach (cherpah) can mean taunt, scorn, or disgrace. They treat Yahweh's word as beneath them, an object of mockery. This response is not a neutral shrug but a hostile dismissal. The surrounding passage (vv. 13, 15) shows why: leaders, prophets and priests, 'deal falsely,' healing the wound of God's people 'lightly,' saying 'Peace, peace, when there is no peace.' The people prefer comforting lies over the sharp edge of Jeremiah's truth.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Jeremiah 6:10. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts, and the English translations consulted (WEB, KJV, ASV, BSB, YLT, Darby, Douay) reflect the same underlying reading. The phrase 'uncircumcised ear' appears in this exact form only here in the Old Testament, which has drawn attention but not textual dispute.
Reception History
Jeremiah 6:10 has been read throughout church history as a sobering diagnosis of human resistance to divine revelation. The metaphor of an 'uncircumcised ear' received its most famous New Testament echo in Stephen's speech (Acts 7:51), where he charges the council with 'uncircumcised hearts and ears', directly linking their rejection of the Holy Spirit to Jeremiah's generation. In the patristic period, writers like Augustine used the verse to illustrate how sin dulls the spiritual senses; the ear must be 'circumcised' by grace to hear saving truth. During the Reformation, Calvin and others highlighted the prophet's emotional struggle, seeing in it a model for faithful ministers who face rejection. Puritan sermons frequently cited this text when lamenting the hard-heartedness of their own congregations, urging self-examination. In modern preaching, the verse continues to serve as a call to examine our posture toward Scripture: do we find delight in God's word, or has it become a reproach to us? The verse functions as both a warning against stubbornness and an invitation to ask God to open our ears.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Prophet's Lament, Jeremiah asks 'To whom shall I speak?' in a tone of shocked despair. He has done everything God asked, but no one listens. The verse captures the frustration of faithful preachers when their message is met with indifference or hostility.
- The People's Condition, 'Their ear is uncircumcised.' This is not a physical limitation but a spiritual blockage. They cannot hear because they have willfully closed themselves to God. The metaphor ties to the covenant: they are inside Israel outwardly but have not submitted to God inwardly.
- The Word's Rejection, God's word has become a reproach, an object of ridicule. They find no delight in it. This contrasts sharply with the psalmist's joy in the law. The preacher's burden is that the audience actively scorns what should be life-giving.
Five-point outline
- Despair of the messenger, Jeremiah's rhetorical question reveals a broken heart: he has spent years warning, but the people are deaf.
- The diagnosis: uncircumcised ear, A condition of hardness that combines human willfulness and divine judgment (Deuteronomy 29:4).
- The inability to respond, 'They can't listen', not a lack of IQ but a moral and spiritual incapacity. Sin has a blighting effect.
- The word becomes a reproach, The very truth that could save them becomes something they mock. Hostility to God's word is a sign of hardened hearts.
- No delight, They find no pleasure in God's word. Where is your delight? The question cuts to the heart of true religion.
Illustration hooks
- A patient who refuses to listen to a doctor's diagnosis, insisting nothing is wrong until the disease becomes untreatable. The physician's repeated warnings feel like nagging, but they come from compassion.
- A teenager who has heard a parent's advice so often that they roll their eyes at every suggestion. The parent wonders, 'Why do I even bother?' That fatigue mirrors Jeremiah's.
- A classroom where a teacher presents a valuable lesson, but a group of students has decided the subject is boring and mocks the teacher. The teacher longs for one student who will really hear.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why does God keep sending his word if people won't listen? Does he not grow tired of our stubbornness?
- Is my own ear circumcised? How can I know if I am truly hearing God or just going through religious motions?
- What should I do when I feel like God's word has become a reproach to me, when it makes me uncomfortable or angry?
Leading a Discussion
This verse pulls back the curtain on the prophet's heart. Jeremiah asks a question that lingers over the entire chapter: is anyone actually listening? The people's ear is 'uncircumcised', a vivid metaphor for spiritual closure. As you talk together, notice the grief behind the question and the sharp diagnosis that follows. The goal today is not to assign blame but to examine our own hearing.
Discussion questions
- Read Jeremiah 6:10 carefully. What emotions do you hear in the prophet's first question?
- The Hebrew word for 'uncircumcised' here (arel) was usually applied to the heart or the body. How does calling an ear 'uncircumcised' change how we think about hearing God?
- Verse 10 says they 'cannot hearken.' Does this sound like a physical inability or a hardened choice? What evidence from the context or cross-references (Deuteronomy 29:4, Acts 7:51) shapes your answer?
- Why might people find God's word a 'reproach', something to mock or be offended by? What does that suggest about their view of God?
- Psalm 1:2 describes delight in God's law. Jeremiah 6:10 says 'they have no delight in it.' What makes the difference between finding pleasure in Scripture and finding it dull or offensive?
- Have you ever felt like Jeremiah, speaking truth to someone who refuses to hear? How does this verse help you understand that experience?
- What practices can help 'circumcise' our ears, that is, open us up to really hear what God says, even when it is hard?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Exodus 6:12 | Moses spoke before Yahweh, saying, “Behold, the children of Israel haven’t listened to me. How then shall Pharaoh listen to me, when I have uncircumcised lips?” |
| Deuteronomy 29:4 | But Yahweh has not given you a heart to know, eyes to see, and ears to hear, to this day. |
| II Chronicles 36:15 | Yahweh, the God of their fathers, sent to them by his messengers, rising up early and sending, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place; |
| II Chronicles 36:16 | but they mocked the messengers of God, despised his words, and scoffed at his prophets, until Yahweh’s wrath arose against his people, until there was no remedy. |
| Psalms 1:2 | but his delight is in Yahweh’s law. On his law he meditates day and night. |
| Psalms 40:8 | I delight to do your will, my God. Yes, your law is within my heart.” |
| Psalms 119:16 | I will delight myself in your statutes. I will not forget your word. GIMEL |
| Psalms 119:24 | Indeed your statutes are my delight, and my counselors. DALETH |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke emphasizes that the people do not merely ignore God's word; they actively mock and despise it. For him, the term "reproach" shows the word becomes an object of open derision and contempt, not just indifference.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes interprets "give warning" as the stronger idea of "testify," a direct declaration rather than a simple caution. He then explains that the "reproach" refers specifically to people making the Word of God an object of ridicule.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
See introd. note to ch. The gleaners shall go over and over again. Calamity shall not visit the land once only, as it has already visited the Northern tribes, but many times.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Bible notes highlight the people's hardened condition: their uncircumcised ears make them unable to hear or respond to correction. Instead of delighting in God's
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill stresses that the people’s ears are “uncircumcised” — spiritually closed by sin, making them unable and unwilling to hear God’s word. They treat Scripture as a reproach and find no delight in it, unlike those whose hearts are truly circumcised.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB explains that an uncircumcised ear is one closed to God's commands by what they call the foreskin of carnality, a spiritual dullness that blocks reception. They also note that such people treat God's word as a reproach, a point linked to Jeremiah's own experience of being mocked.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch stress that the judgment on Jerusalem is not a total annihilation, since the gleaning metaphor leaves odd clusters untouched. The severity comes because the people refuse all warning, their ears uncircumcised, while false prophets and priests heal the nation's wound lightly by crying peace when none exists.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry observes that the repeated warnings in this passage mirror the previous one, showing God's patient persistence in calling His people to repent. The people's refusal to hear or take delight in God's word leaves them without excuse, and judgment follows their stubborn unrepentance.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Their ear - An uncircumcised ear, signifies the rejecting of instruction; an uncircumcised heart, an obstinate and rebellious will. They cannot - They had brought themselves under that incapacity by their obstinacy and wilfulness. A reproach - They laugh at it, and scorn it.