עֲוֹנֹותֵיכֶ֖ם הִטּוּ־אֵ֑לֶּה וְחַטֹּ֣אותֵיכֶ֔ם מָנְע֥וּ הַטֹּ֖וב מִכֶּֽם׃
When Sin Becomes Subject
Jeremiah 5:25 offers a stunning reversal: it is not divine reluctance, political failure, or cosmic delay that withholds good from Israel — it is their own sin. The verse speaks with syntactic clarity and poetic symmetry. Two lines, two clauses, two fronted possessive nouns, two perfect verbs. This is the grammar of divine cause and effect: guilt turned the blessings, and sins blocked the good. No room remains for deflection. Syntax pins the blame squarely on the people — not with fury, but with precision.
The Hidden Grammar
The verse begins with a noun clause in subject-verb-object order — but with a fronted plural possessive noun for emphasis:
עֲוֹנֹותֵיכֶ֖ם הִטּוּ־אֵ֑לֶּה — “Your iniquities have turned these away”
- עֲוֹנֹותֵיכֶם — “your iniquities,” feminine plural noun with 2mp suffix
- הִטּוּ — Qal perfect 3rd plural of נָטָה, “they turned aside, diverted”
- אֵלֶּה — “these [things]” — demonstrative object referring to the withheld blessings from the preceding verses
The second clause mirrors the first, reinforcing the structure with slightly different diction:
וְחַטֹּ֣אותֵיכֶ֔ם מָנְע֥וּ הַטֹּ֖וב מִכֶּֽם — “and your sins have withheld the good from you”
- חַטֹּ֣אותֵיכֶ֔ם — “your sins,” feminine plural noun with 2mp suffix
- מָנְע֥וּ — Qal perfect 3rd plural of מָנַע, “they withheld”
- הַטֹּ֖וב — “the good” — a nominalized adjective referring to divine blessing, rain, or prosperity
- מִכֶּֽם — “from you” — prepositional phrase showing directionality of deprivation
What’s notable is the identical syntactic structure in both clauses:
- Fronted possessive plural noun (the sins)
- Perfect plural verb (the act)
- Direct object (the blessing denied)
This is deliberate parallel syntax used for moral clarity and poetic rhythm.
Echoes Across the Tanakh
Isaiah 59:2 — כִּ֣י אִם־עֲוֹנֹתֵיכֶ֗ם הָיוּ֙ מַבְדִּילִ֣ים בֵּ֚ינֵכֶם לְבֵ֣ין אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֔ם — “Your iniquities have separated between you and your God.” A direct theological echo of Jeremiah 5:25, with similar fronted blame-language and metaphors of moral interruption.
Deuteronomy 28:23–24 — A list of blessings turned to curses when Israel sins. While the grammar is descriptive, the principle is the same: actions invert outcomes.
Hosea 4:6 — נִדְמ֥וּ עַמִּ֖י מִבְּלִ֣י הַדָּ֑עַת — “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Again, blame is placed first in the sentence, highlighting the causal force of failure.
Syntax in Motion
[עֲוֹנֹותֵיכֶם] = subject 1 (your iniquities) [הִטּוּ] = verb 1 (turned away) [אֵלֶּה] = object 1 (these things) [וְחַטֹּאותֵיכֶם] = subject 2 (your sins) [מָנְעוּ] = verb 2 (withheld) [הַטֹּוב מִכֶּם] = object + direction (the good from you)
The symmetry allows a rhetorical blow to land with poetic precision. There is no כִּי or לָכֵן — no causal marker is needed. The grammar itself reveals the cause. These are verbs of obstruction and redirection — actions that literally twist or block what was meant to come.
When Words Create Worlds
Jeremiah 5:25 reveals that divine withholding is not arbitrary. The verse does not state, “God withheld.” Instead, the sins themselves are cast as the agents. This is moral causality embedded in syntax: your iniquities did this. The grammar moves God to the background. The people’s guilt is given agency, subject status, and power.
This is not wrath — it’s revelation. The grammar accuses not by condemnation, but by cause-effect logic in the structure of the sentence. When blessings vanish, look first to your own subject — your sins. Hebrew doesn’t shout this. It just writes it out plainly: the problem starts at the beginning of the clause.
| Hebrew Feature | Description | Example from Tanakh |
|---|---|---|
| Fronted Possessive Noun | Subject appears at the beginning for emphasis | עֲוֹנֹותֵיכֶם… חַטֹּאותֵיכֶם (Jeremiah 5:25) |
| Perfect Plural Verb | Completed action by plural subject (your sins) | הִטּוּ… מָנְעוּ (Jeremiah 5:25) |
| Parallel Syntax | Mirror structure of two clauses to reinforce poetic judgment | X + verb + object (Jeremiah 5:25) |
The Sentence That Blocks the Blessing
Jeremiah 5:25 doesn’t just declare that good is withheld — it grammatically shows who withheld it. Your sins are not only guilt — they are agents. They do things. They block, turn, divert. And in Biblical Hebrew, that truth is encoded right at the front of the sentence. Sometimes the most powerful judgment is not thunder — it’s syntax.
