Jeremiah 6:30

Because the people were impure, the Lord would reject them, as a silversmith rejects dross or slag. The implication is that He would toss them aside out of His land.

". . . the imagery is employed not to indicate that judgment would be a refining process but rather to convey its terminal nature; since no purity could be found, no solid silver, the mixture would be cast away as dross." [Note: Craigie, p. 110.]

Because of the possibility of repentance that Jeremiah referred to in chapters 2-6, most scholars believe that these messages date from the reign of Josiah and possibly the early years of Jehoiakim. This would place their origin between 627 and 609 B.C., or a little later. The possibility of repentance disappears later in the book, probably indicating that Jeremiah delivered those prophecies later in his ministry.

Other recurring themes in chapters 2-6, which Jeremiah introduced in chapter 1, include the nations, uprooting and tearing down, destroying and razing, building and planting, and Yahweh watching over His Word. The coming invader from the north, wickedness, forsaking Yahweh, idolatry, and Judah’s leaders and ordinary citizens are also prominent themes. [Note: See Thompson, pp. 268-69, for further discussion.]