Jeremiah 5:28
They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge.
Study Note
Study Note
The charge against the fat and sleek wicked is that they 'judge not the cause of the fatherless' and do not 'defend the right of the poor' — making judicial neglect a form of active violence against the vulnerable. Jeremiah's social critique here aligns with Amos 5:10-12, Micah 3:11, and Isaiah 1:17 in placing justice for the marginalized at the center of covenant faithfulness. The accumulation of wealth ('waxen fat, they shine') is presented not as divine blessing but as evidence of exploitation — a sharp challenge to prosperity theology in any form. James 5:1-6 echoes this prophetic tradition in its condemnation of wealthy landowners who have withheld wages from workers.
Other Translations
They are waxed fat, they shine: yea, they overpass in deeds of wickedness; they plead not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, that they may prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge.
They have been fat, they have shone, Yea, they have overpassed the acts of the evil, Judgment they have not judged, The judgment of the fatherless--and they prosper, And the judgment of the needy they have not judged.
They have become fat and strong: they have gone far in works of evil: they give no support to the cause of the child without a father, so that they may do well; they do not see that the poor man gets his rights.
Cross References
Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the …
He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.
Shalt thou reign, because thou closest thyself in cedar? did not thy father eat and drink, and do judgment and …
Righteous art thou, O Lord, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore …
If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither …
Why trimmest thou thy way to seek love? therefore hast thou also taught the wicked ones thy ways.
Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, which oppress the poor, which crush …
It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named …
I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem.
Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him.