Jeremiah 6:14 · Bible study
Jeremiah 6:14 Commentary: Saying Peace When There Is No Peace
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Examine the meaning of 'healing slightly' and the false cry of peace in Jeremiah 6:14, a warning against spiritual superficiality and dishonest comfort.
Research Summary
- Meaning: False prophets and priests offered cheap assurance to a nation in grave spiritual danger, declaring peace when judgment was imminent.
- Key words: 'Heal' (raphah), 'hurt' (shever = fracture), 'slightly' (neqallah = with something worthless), 'peace' (shalom).
- Main debate: Whether the leaders' 'healing' was well-intentioned but inadequate, or a deliberate deception using worthless means.
- Theological theme: The danger of false prophecy; the responsibility of spiritual leaders; God's insistence on genuine repentance.
- Best use: A warning against superficial pastoral care and a call to honest spiritual diagnosis.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
They dress the wound of My people with very little care, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace at all.
WEB World English Bible 2000
They have healed also the hurt of my people superficially, saying, ‘Peace, peace!’ when there is no peace.
KJV King James Version 1769
They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
They have healed also the hurt of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And they heal the breach of the daughter of my people slightly, Saying, `Peace, peace!' and there is no peace.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And they have healed the breach of the daughter of my people lightly, saying, Peace, peace! when there is no peace.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And they healed the breach of the daughter of my people disgracefully, saying: Peace, peace: and there was no peace.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y curan el quebrantamiento de la hija de mi pueblo con liviandad, diciendo, Paz, paz; y no hay paz.
E curam a ferida da filha de meu povo apenas superficialmente, dizendo, Paz, paz; sem que haja paz.
Ils pansent à la légère la plaie de la fille de mon peuple:
und trösten mein Volk in seinem Unglück, daß sie es gering achten sollen, und sagen: “ Friede! Friede!”, und ist doch nicht Friede.
En zij genezen de breuk van de dochter Mijns volks op het lichtste, zeggende: Vrede, vrede! doch daar is geen vrede.
Essi curano alla leggera la piaga del mio popolo; dicono: “Pace, pace”, mentre pace non v’è.
I leczą skruszenie córki ludu mego tylko po wierzchu, mówiąc: Pokój, pokój! choć niemasz pokoju.
врачуют раны народа Моего легкомысленно, говоря: "мир! мир!", а мира нет.
他們輕輕忽忽地 醫治 我百姓 的損傷，說：平安了！平安了！其實沒有 平安。
And they have made little of the wounds of my people, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Jeremiah 6:14
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that Jeremiah 6:14 condemns religious leaders, prophets and priests, for treating the nation's spiritual crisis as trivial. The Hebrew phrase 'על נקלה' (al neqallah), rendered in the KJV as 'slightly,' carries the sense of 'with what is worthless' (Calvin, following the Targum). Barnes suggests the verb 'healed' is better read as 'tried to heal', their efforts fell short of a true cure. Gill pictures them drawing a skin over a wound without cleaning it. The repeated cry 'Peace, peace!' (shalom, shalom) was false assurance, likely based on Josiah's reforms (Barnes), but contradicted by the coming judgment. The same accusation recurs in Jeremiah 8:11. The leaders pronounced wholeness where there was only fracture, a betrayal of their prophetic office. This verse calls readers to examine whether we prefer comfort over truth, and to honour the God who meets us in honest diagnosis, not easy assurance.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Superficial treatment view: The healing was well-intentioned but shallow; they did not carry it through (Barnes: 'tried to heal').
- Worthless treatment view: The healers used means that were contemptible or despicable (Calvin, Targum); they offered lies as medicine.
- Deliberate deception view: The leaders knowingly gave false assurance for personal gain (Jeremiah 6:13 'everyone deals falsely'; Gill, Poole).
What is clear: All commentators agree the leaders failed to address the people's true spiritual condition and offered false hope of peace when judgment was imminent.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Identity of 'they' (the healers) | All commentators agree the verse refers to prophets and priests who held religious authority over Judah. | Some emphasize false prophets specifically (Barnes, JFB), while others include all priests and prophets who compromised (Calvin, Gill). The distinction does not change the charge. |
| Meaning of 'slightly' (neqallah) | The Hebrew indicates that the healing efforts were trivial or worthless, not thorough. | Writers differ on nuance: some read it as 'superficially' (they treated the wound too lightly), others as 'with contemptible means' (Calvin, following the Targum and Septuagint). The Vulgate adds 'with reproach.' Both readings underscore the inadequacy of the treatment. |
| Nature of the false peace | The cry 'Peace, peace' gave false assurance of safety from judgment. | Barnes connects it to Josiah's reforms, suggesting a misguided optimism. Others see it as outright political and theological deception to maintain the leaders' popularity (Gill, Calvin). |
| Whether the 'healing' was intentional or negligent | The outcome was the same: the people remained unrepentant and faced destruction. | Some imply the leaders were themselves deceived (Barnes: they 'tried to heal'), while others charge them with deliberate falsehood for gain (Jeremiah 6:13 'everyone deals falsely'). |
Historical & Cultural Context
Jeremiah 6:14 belongs to a section of oracles delivered in the late seventh century BC, during the reign of Jehoiakim. Josiah's religious reforms (2 Kings 22, 23) had produced surface-level renewal, but the people's hearts remained unchanged. Jeremiah 6:13 indicts 'everyone is given to covetousness' and 'everyone deals falsely.' The prophets and priests, who should have called for genuine repentance, instead offered comforting lies. The Hebrew word for 'hurt' is shever, meaning a fracture, a deep break in the covenant relationship. The leaders' 'healing' was superficial; they refused to probe the wound. The cry 'Peace!' (shalom) promised safety from the Babylonian threat gathering from the north. But Jeremiah had already warned that because the people dismissed God's word (6:10), disaster was inevitable. The false prophets contradicted his message, as Jeremiah 4:10 and 14:13 show. The result was a people lulled into disaster. This pattern, choosing soothing falsehood over hard truth, repeats whenever religious leaders prioritize popularity over faithfulness.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note one variant: the phrase 'of the daughter' (bat) appears in many manuscripts and is reflected in the KJV ('the hurt of the daughter of my people') but is omitted by a majority of manuscripts according to Barnes. The Cambridge Bible notes that the phrase in Jeremiah 8:11 includes 'daughter,' which may have led to its insertion here. The meaning is unaffected. No other significant variants are reported.
Reception History
Jeremiah 6:14 has been cited throughout church history to condemn false teaching that offers comfort without repentance. Calvin, in his commentary, applied it specifically to the prophets and priests of his own time who used 'impostures and false boasting' to undermine true preaching. In the Wesleyan tradition, Wesley used the verse to warn ministers against 'daubing over the misery and danger' of sin with easy promises. Matthew Henry similarly noted the danger of 'making light of these threatenings.' The verse remains a standard text for examining the integrity of pastoral care, reminding the church that truth, even when painful, is the foundation of genuine peace.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The wound is real. The 'hurt' (shever) is a fracture, not a scratch. Judah's sin had broken the covenant; the nation faced not just political trouble but divine judgment. The leaders who minimized the wound denied its severity.
- The healing is false. The phrase 'on neqallah' means with something worthless, a bandage for a broken bone. The religious leaders gave cheap assurance. They said 'Peace' (shalom) when the nation was anything but whole.
- The consequences are devastating. Because the people trusted false peace, they did not repent. When judgment came (the fall of Jerusalem in 587 BC), they were unprepared. The leaders who deceived them share the guilt (Jeremiah 6:15).
Five-point outline
- Assessment: The diagnosis must be honest, sin is a deep fracture.
- Leaders: Prophets and priests are accountable for the spiritual care they give.
- False comfort: Saying 'peace' when there is no peace is evil.
- People: The congregation bears responsibility for wanting easy words.
- Hope: God's cure (Isaiah 30:26) is thorough, but only when sought in truth.
Illustration hooks
- A doctor who tells a patient with cancer that they just have a cold, so the patient goes home untreated. The false reassurance feels kind but is actually cruel.
- A financial advisor who says a bank account is healthy when it's overdrawn, to avoid an uncomfortable conversation. The client keeps spending until ruin.
- A coach who tells a struggling athlete 'you're doing great' instead of correcting a flaw. The athlete never improves and loses the competition.
Questions your congregation is asking
- How do I know if the peace I feel is real or false?
- Why would religious leaders give false comfort? What pressures lead to that?
- What does genuine spiritual healing look like in my life and church?
Leading a Discussion
Jeremiah 6:14 is a startling accusation: the very people who should help the nation heal are making things worse by offering cheap comfort. This passage invites us to consider how we respond to hard truths, in our own lives, in our relationships, and in our church. The following questions are designed to help a small group move from understanding the text to applying it honestly.
Discussion questions
- What does the image of 'healing slightly' suggest about the spiritual condition of Judah? (Consider the word shever for wound.)
- Why might the prophets and priests have chosen to say 'Peace, peace' when it was not true? What motives could drive spiritual leaders to avoid hard truths?
- Read Jeremiah 6:16 in the context of this verse. What does God offer as the alternative to false peace?
- In what ways might we, as individuals or as a church community, prefer a superficial peace over honest diagnosis of our spiritual needs?
- How can we tell the difference between biblical hope (which is sure even in difficulty) and a false peace that denies reality?
- What would it look like to 'heal the hurt' genuinely in a relationship or a congregation? What steps are required?
- Prayer: ask God for courage to face the truth and for wisdom to offer real comfort rooted in His grace.
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)
| Isaiah 1:6 | From the sole of the foot even to the head there is no soundness in it, but wounds, welts, and open sores. They haven’t been closed, bandaged, or soothed with oil. |
| Isaiah 30:26 | Moreover the light of the moon will be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven days, in the day that Yahweh binds up the fracture of his people, and heals the wound they were struck with. |
| Jeremiah 4:10 | Then I said, “Ah, Lord Yahweh! Surely you have greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘You will have peace;’ whereas the sword reaches to the heart.” |
| Jeremiah 5:12 | They have denied Yahweh, and said, “It is not he. Evil won’t come on us. We won’t see sword or famine. |
| Jeremiah 8:11 | They have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, “Peace, peace,” when there is no peace. |
| Jeremiah 8:12 | Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed. They couldn’t blush. Therefore they will fall among those who fall. In the time of their visitation they will be cast down, says Yahweh. |
| Jeremiah 14:13 | Then I said, “Ah, Lord Yahweh! Behold, the prophets tell them, ‘You will not see the sword, neither will you have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place.’” |
| Jeremiah 14:17 | “You shall say this word to them: “‘Let my eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease; for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous wound. |
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
11 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes that the word "daughter" does not appear in the original text, though some manuscripts add it. He then highlights that the prophets falsely declared peace when God had determined there would be none, deceiving the people into remaining in their sins.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes notes the verb "healed" actually means "tried to heal," so the wound was not genuinely mended. He also clarifies "slightly" means treating it as a trifle, making nothing of it. This false cry of peace, he argues, was rooted in confidence from Josiah's reforms, not in real recovery.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin argues that the false prophets offered the people a worthless, contemptible cure for their spiritual wound. Their "healing" was merely saying "Peace, peace" when there was no peace, a hollow phrase that left the real evil untouched and spreading.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator criticizes the religious leaders as worthless surgeons who refuse to properly examine or probe the spiritual wounds of their people. For the sake of their own ease, they give false assurances that all is well, rather than offering genuine healing.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes point out that the false prophets gave a deceptive cure, using pleasant words to declare peace when God's judgment was imminent. By crying "Peace, peace" where no peace existed, they only covered over the people's spiritual wound instead of truly healing it.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill emphasizes the superficial treatment of the people's spiritual wound. False prophets and priests only covered the surface, calling it a cure without searching the injury to its depth. They deceived the people by promising peace and safety when sudden destruction was actually near.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB stresses that the "hurt" is a spiritual wound, and the prophets and priests treat it superficially by pronouncing everything sound when it is not. They falsely declare peace for the nation's political state, ignoring the need for repentance and the impending judgment from God.
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.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange reads the passage as a tightly structured cycle where judgment, its reasons, and a call to reform form a single climax. The judgment is so immediate that the prophet urgently warns people to flee, using the image of a carefully tended meadow about to be stripped bare
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
Wesley singles out the prophets for their specific sin: they made light of God's warnings and plastered over the real danger facing the people. Instead of speaking plainly, they convinced the people the disaster would never come, or if it did, it would be easy to fix.