The big picture
Jeremiah 7 opens in verse 1 with “The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD , saying,”, reaches its middle movement near verse 17 with “Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?”, and closes in verse 34 with “Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem…” Repeated or prominent terms include LORD, place, fathers, voice, house. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Jeremiah · King James Version · 34Jeremiah 7:1-7
1–7: The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD , saying,
Jeremiah 7:1–7 opens with “The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD , saying,” and reaches “Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Jeremiah 7 develops its own movement around LORD, place, fathers, voice, house, with particular weight carried by LORD, place, temple.
Context that brings the passage to life
“The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD , saying,” Naming Jeremiah keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“Stand in the gate of the LORD’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD , all ye of…” Naming Hear and Judah keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
Jeremiah 7:1-7
King James Version1The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD , saying,
2Stand in the gate of the LORD’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD , all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the LORD .
3Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.
4Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD , The temple of the LORD , The temple of the LORD , are these.
5For if ye throughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye throughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbour;
6If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt:
7Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever.
Jeremiah 7:8-14
8–14: Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.
Jeremiah 7:8–14 opens with “Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.” and reaches “Therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Jeremiah 7 develops its own movement around LORD, place, fathers, voice, house, with particular weight carried by name, house, LORD.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 2 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.” The line’s distinctive content terms include lying, profit, trust. Its relationship to verses 9 shows what work it does in this passage.
“Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods…” The promise, blessing, or covenant language needs its named recipient and scope. Those details prevent a personal word in the story from becoming a promise detached from context.
Jeremiah 7:8-14
King James Version8Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.
9Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not;
10And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?
11Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD .
12But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.
13And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the LORD , and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not;
14Therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh.
Jeremiah 7:15-21
15–21: I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren…
Jeremiah 7:15–21 opens with “And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed…” and reaches “Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Put your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Jeremiah 7 develops its own movement around LORD, place, fathers, voice, house, with particular weight carried by anger, LORD, provoke.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 2 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim.” Naming Ephraim keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for…” This line supplies a reason, result, or conclusion. It should stay attached to the claim or action that gives it meaning.
Jeremiah 7:15-21
King James Version15And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim.
16Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.
17Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?
18The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.
19Do they provoke me to anger? saith the LORD : do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces?
20Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD ; Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched.
21Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Put your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices, and eat flesh.
Jeremiah 7:22-28
22–28: For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I…
Jeremiah 7:22–28 opens with “For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the…” and reaches “But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the LORD their God…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Jeremiah 7 develops its own movement around LORD, place, fathers, voice, house, with particular weight carried by commanded, fathers, Egypt.
Context that brings the passage to life
“For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt…” This line supplies a reason, result, or conclusion. It should stay attached to the claim or action that gives it meaning.
“But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart…” The line’s distinctive content terms include backward, counsels, evil. Its relationship to verses 23 and 25 shows what work it does in this passage.
Jeremiah 7:22-28
King James Version22For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices:
23But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.
24But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.
25Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them:
26Yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck: they did worse than their fathers.
27Therefore thou shalt speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to thee: thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer thee.
28But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the LORD their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth.
Jeremiah 7:29-34
29–34: Cut off thine hair, O Jerusalem, and cast it away, and take up a…
Jeremiah 7:29–34 opens with “Cut off thine hair, O Jerusalem, and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on high places; for…” and reaches “Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Jeremiah 7 develops its own movement around LORD, place, fathers, voice, house, with particular weight carried by voice, LORD, Tophet.
Context that brings the passage to life
“Cut off thine hair, O Jerusalem, and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on high places; for the LORD hath…” Naming Cut and Jerusalem keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight, saith the LORD : they have set their abominations in the house…” This line supplies a reason, result, or conclusion. It should stay attached to the claim or action that gives it meaning.
“And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
Jeremiah 7:29-34
King James Version29Cut off thine hair, O Jerusalem, and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on high places; for the LORD hath rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath.
30For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight, saith the LORD : they have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to pollute it.
31And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart.
32Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD , that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter: for they shall bury in Tophet, till there be no place.
33And the carcases of this people shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall fray them away.
34Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride: for the land shall be desolate.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Jeremiah 7:1 begins with “The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD , saying,”
Where the chapter turns
Jeremiah 7:17 forms a natural hinge: “Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?”
The final note
Jeremiah 7:34 leaves the reader with “Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the…”
A word trail through the chapter
The words LORD, place, fathers, voice, house, name help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
What links this event with creation?
Waters overwhelm the inhabited world, reversing the separations that made life possible.
What details show continuity rather than total abandonment?
The named household and preserved kinds of living creatures survive within the ark.
KJV words made clear
- behold
- look, or pay close attention
- unto
- to
- thee
- you
- thou
- you
- hath
- has
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.