ירמיהו, פרק ו׳, פסוק ז׳

Jerusalem is likened to a natural spring of fresh water, but rather than bringing forth purity, the city constantly bubbles over with evil and corruption. The imagery specifically highlights a flowing well rather than a simple water cistern [מלבי"ם]. While a cistern merely stores water that is poured into it from the outside, a well is fed by its own internal, living source. This distinction illustrates how the city produces its own wickedness. Just as a well flows endlessly on its own, the city constantly generates and renews its sins without pause [רש"י, מצודת דוד, רד"ק]. The corruption is not a foreign influence forced upon the people, but an internal product born directly from their own actions [מלבי"ם].

The streets echo with violence and destruction, marked by oppression, robbery, and the unlawful taking of wealth [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. These acts are committed directly before God, in His very presence. This reveals a deep brazenness among the people. They act out of a false belief that God does not see or care about their behavior, ignoring the reality that His presence dwells right in their midst [רד"ק, מלבי"ם].

The physical sickness and wounds that plague the city are understood in two distinct ways. One approach views this suffering as a continuation of the sins themselves, describing how the wealthy and powerful physically strike and sicken the poor [רד"ק]. However, the primary approach among commentators understands this as a punishment. In response to the constant cries of the oppressed, God brings disease and physical blows upon the city as retribution [רש"י, מצודת דוד, רד"ק]. Building on this, the punishment is seen not as an external reaction, but as a direct result of the crime. The sin itself produces the sickness and the wound, as the ongoing violence and robbery naturally lead to the city's ultimate ruin [מלבי"ם].