Jeremiah 7:5-6 to Exodus 20:16

Text: Jeremiah 7:5-6

OT Text Referred to: Exodus 20:16

Subject: false witness and just judgment

Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Reference Type: Echo

Connection Method(s): None

Anchor Text: Exod 20 — The Decalogue

Significance: Exodus 20:16 prohibits false testimony, and Jeremiah 7:5-6 demands truthful justice: "truly practice justice (מִשְׁפָּט, mishpat) between one another." The ninth commandment protects the judicial process from perjury, while Jeremiah extends this to the entire social fabric—justice must be genuine (not merely formal), impartial (protecting foreigners, orphans, and widows), and comprehensive (governing all community relationships). Jeremiah's temple sermon demonstrates that the Decalogue's truth-telling requirement undergirds the whole covenant order: where false witness prevails, justice collapses, the vulnerable suffer, and God's presence in the temple becomes untenable.

---