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.
Jeremiah was a prophet in ancient Judah — present-day Israel — around 600 BC, just before the Babylonian empire destroyed Jerusalem and carried the people into exile. He spent decades warning the people that catastrophe was coming if they didn't turn back to God, and he was largely ignored, mocked, and persecuted for it. This verse captures his raw frustration and grief: he cannot find a single person willing to truly listen. The people's ears are described as 'closed' — in the original Hebrew, literally 'uncircumcised,' meaning sealed off and unresponsive. What makes this verse especially striking is the second half: God's word hasn't just become boring or irrelevant to them — it has become actively offensive. They find it repellent.
God, I don't want closed ears. Even when your word points at something I'd rather not look at, keep me open. Soften what's gone hard in me. I'd rather be uncomfortable and alive to you than comfortable and sealed off. Don't stop speaking. Amen.
There's a spiritual condition more dangerous than simple ignorance — it's the state where you've heard the truth so many times, resisted it so steadily, that it starts to feel like a personal attack. Jeremiah isn't dealing with people who never encountered God. He's dealing with people who heard, decided they didn't like what they heard, and gradually sealed themselves off. The word didn't just become inconvenient. It became *offensive*. That's a significant warning sign worth sitting with. Most people don't slam the door on God in one dramatic moment. It happens in increments — in the small choices to skip the hard passages of Scripture, to tune out the sermon that hits too close, to keep God welcome but only when he agrees with the life you've already arranged. Is there something God has been saying to you lately that you've been quietly filing under 'unwelcome'? Jeremiah's grief is a mirror. Before the door closes all the way, it might be worth asking honestly: what am I not wanting to hear?
What do you think brought the people of Judah to the point where God's word felt actively offensive to them — is there a path that leads there gradually?
Have you ever been in a season where Scripture felt more irritating than life-giving? What was happening in your life during that time?
Is it possible to be spiritually 'closed' without being fully aware of it? What might the early warning signs look like from the inside?
When a message at church or a verse you read challenges something you're comfortable with, what's your honest first reaction — and what do you do with it?
What's one area of your life where you sense you might be subtly avoiding what God is trying to say — and what would it take to open that back up?
And he kneeled down , and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
Acts 7:60
The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.
John 7:7
Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.
Isaiah 6:10
Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
Colossians 1:28
Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
Isaiah 53:1
And Moses spake before the LORD, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips?
Exodus 6:12
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
Isaiah 35:5
By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
Hebrews 11:7
To whom shall I (Jeremiah) speak and give warning That they may hear? Behold, their ears are closed [absolutely deaf to God] And they cannot listen. Behold, the word of the LORD has become a reprimand and an object of scorn to them; They have no delight in it.
AMP
To whom shall I speak and give warning, that they may hear? Behold, their ears are uncircumcised, they cannot listen; behold, the word of the LORD is to them an object of scorn; they take no pleasure in it.
ESV
To whom shall I speak and give warning That they may hear? Behold, their ears are closed And they cannot listen. Behold, the word of the LORD has become a reproach to them; They have no delight in it.
NASB
To whom can I speak and give warning? Who will listen to me? Their ears are closed so they cannot hear. The word of the Lord is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it.
NIV
To whom shall I speak and give warning, That they may hear? Indeed their ear is uncircumcised, And they cannot give heed. Behold, the word of the LORD is a reproach to them; They have no delight in it.
NKJV
To whom can I give warning? Who will listen when I speak? Their ears are closed, and they cannot hear. They scorn the word of the LORD. They don’t want to listen at all.
NLT
"I've got something to say. Is anybody listening? I've a warning to post. Will anyone notice? It's hopeless! Their ears are stuffed with wax— deaf as a post, blind as a bat. It's hopeless! They've tuned out God. They don't want to hear from me.
MSG