4 Therefore I said, Surely these are poor; they are foolish: for they know not the way of the Lord, nor the judgment of their God.
4 I thought, "These are only the poor; they are foolish, for they do not know the way of the Lord, the requirements of their God.
4 Then I said, "These are only the poor; they have no sense; for they do not know the way of the Lord, the justice of their God.
4 Then I said to myself, "Well, these are just poor people. They don't know any better. They were never taught anything about God. They never went to prayer meetings. I'll find some people from the best families.
4 Therefore I said, "Surely these are poor. They are foolish; For they do not know the way of the Lord, The judgment of their God.
4 Then I said, "But what can we expect from the poor? They are ignorant. They don't know the ways of the Lord . They don't understand God's laws.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Jeremiah 5:4
Commentary on Jeremiah 5:1-9
(Read Jeremiah 5:1-9)
None could be found who behaved as upright and godly men. But the Lord saw the true character of the people through all their disguises. The poor were ignorant, and therefore they were wicked. What can be expected but works of darkness, from people that know nothing of God and religion? There are God's poor, who, notwithstanding poverty, know the way of the Lord, walk in it, and do their duty; but these were willingly ignorant, and their ignorance would not be their excuse. The rich were insolent and haughty, and the abuse of God's favours made their sin worse.