Jeremiah 6:7

The cherished wickedness of the people is illustrated by a metaphor.

a well casteth forth MT. has two readings, welland fountain. In the former water is stored to keep it fresh, in the latter it springs out of the ground. In this application accordingly Jeremiah will mean either (a) that sin is an alien thing which has been introduced into the heart as a supply upon which to draw, or (b) that it is innate there. That he held the latter view might seem to draw support from Jeremiah 13:23, which however is not conclusive (see note there), and the former is to be preferred. It has the support of the LXX, who also agree with the mg. "keepeth fresh," thus deriving the Hebrew form from a verb quite different in sense but akin in letters to the rare one in MT., which, though found elsewhere (2 Kings 19:24; Isaiah 37:25) only in the sense of digging for water, yet according to Rabbinic interpretation bears also the meaning given in E.VV.

sickness and wounds disease produced by want, and deeds of violence.