Jeremiah 7:11 kjv
Is 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.
Jeremiah 7:11 nkjv
Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it," says the LORD.
Jeremiah 7:11 niv
Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 7:11 esv
Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 7:11 nlt
Don't you yourselves admit that this Temple, which bears my name, has become a den of thieves? Surely I see all the evil going on there. I, the LORD, have spoken!
Jeremiah 7 11 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference Note |
|---|---|---|
| Isa 56:7 | ...for my house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples." | God's intended purpose for His Temple. |
| Matt 21:13 | "It is written," he said to them, "'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it 'a den of robbers.'" | Jesus quoting Jer 7:11 during Temple cleansing. |
| Mark 11:17 | And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written: 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it 'a den of robbers.'" | Jesus' condemnation of Temple misuse. |
| Luke 19:46 | "It is written," he said to them, "'My house will be a house of prayer'; but you have made it 'a den of robbers.'" | Jesus’ denunciation of commercialism in Temple. |
| John 2:16 | To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father's house into a market!" | Jesus' passion for the Temple's holiness. |
| Jer 7:9 | Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, | Immediate context of the people's sins. |
| Jer 7:14 | Therefore, what I did to Shiloh I will now do to the house that bears my Name... | Warning of the Temple's destruction like Shiloh. |
| Psa 5:7 | But I, by your great love, will come into your house; in awe of you I will bow down toward your holy temple. | Approaching God's house with reverence. |
| Isa 1:10-17 | "The multitude of your sacrifices—what are they to me?" says the LORD. ...Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice... | God's rejection of empty ritual without righteousness. |
| Amos 5:21-24 | "I hate, I despise your religious festivals... But let justice roll on like a river..." | Divine contempt for worship without justice. |
| Hos 6:6 | For I desire steadfast love, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings. | God's preference for internal devotion over external rites. |
| Mic 3:11 | Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money. Yet they lean upon the LORD and say, "Is not the LORD among us? No disaster will come upon us." | False security in God's presence despite corruption. |
| Ezek 8:6 | He said to me, "Son of man, do you see what they are doing—the utterly detestable things the house of Israel is doing here..." | Abominations practiced within the Temple precincts. |
| 1 Sam 2:12-17 | Eli's sons were scoundrels; they had no regard for the LORD. ...they despised the LORD's offering. | Priestly abuse and profanation of the sanctuary. |
| Mal 1:10 | "Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar!" | God wishes for an end to corrupt sacrifices. |
| 2 Chr 7:16 | I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there. | God's initial promise and association with the Temple. |
| 1 Cor 3:16-17 | Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple...? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person... | New Testament application: believers as God's temple. |
| Rom 2:21-24 | you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? | Hypocrisy in religious teaching and practice. |
| Psa 78:60 | He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent he had set up among humans. | Historical precedent of God abandoning His dwelling. |
| 2 Ki 21:4 | He built altars in the temple of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, "In Jerusalem I will put my Name." | Manasseh's idolatrous defilement of the Temple. |
| Zeph 1:4 | "I will stretch out my hand against Judah... I will destroy from this place every remnant of Baal..." | Judgment on Judah's idolatry. |
Jeremiah 7 verses
Jeremiah 7 11 Meaning
Jeremiah 7:11 confronts the people of Judah with their profound hypocrisy. The verse asks if God's holy Temple, the very place called by His Name, had become a haven for those who committed violent acts and moral transgressions, a place where they could retreat after their wrongdoings, believing themselves safe. This rhetorical question highlights the severe desecration of sacred space and divine trust. The latter part of the verse, "But I have been watching, declares the LORD," powerfully asserts God's full awareness and unyielding judgment of their deceitful practices, shattering any illusion of impunity.
Jeremiah 7 11 Context
Jeremiah 7:11 is part of a prophetic message known as Jeremiah's "Temple Sermon," delivered at the gate of the Temple in Jerusalem. This was a critical period for Judah, characterized by political instability and spiritual decline despite Josiah's earlier reforms. The people of Judah had developed a false sense of security, believing that merely possessing the Temple and engaging in rituals guaranteed divine protection, irrespective of their widespread idolatry, injustice, and moral depravity (detailed in Jer 7:9-10). They were trusting in "lying words," repeating, "The temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD!" (Jer 7:4). Jeremiah directly confronted this pervasive delusion, warning that their empty religiosity not only failed to save them but also defiled God's sacred dwelling. He also implicitly challenged the belief in the Temple's inviolability, a belief widely held since the time of Isaiah.
Jeremiah 7 11 Word analysis
- Has this house: The Hebrew interrogative prefix `הֲ` (ha-) makes the phrase `הַבַּ֙יִת֙` (ha-bayit - the house) a rhetorical question. The 'house' (`bayit`) unequivocally refers to the Temple in Jerusalem, understood as the dwelling place of God. This rhetorical structure immediately draws attention to the incongruity and severity of the accusation.
- which is called by my Name: The Hebrew phrase `אֲשֶׁר־נִקְרָ֨א שְׁמִ֜י עָלָ֗יו` (`asher-niqra sh'mi alav`) signifies divine ownership and sacred designation. God's Name (YHWH) associated with the Temple meant His presence, authority, and holiness were established there. To profane it was to directly dishonor God Himself and His covenant.
- become a den of robbers: `מְעָרַ֥ת פָּרְצִ֛ים` (`me'arat par'tzim`). `מְעָרַת` (`me'arat`) means 'den' or 'cave.' `פָּרְצִ֛ים` (`par'tzim`) refers to 'robbers' or 'violent lawbreakers.' This powerful metaphor implies a hiding place where criminals feel secure after committing their illegal and often violent acts. The people were treating the Temple not as a house of prayer and repentance, but as a sanctuary of impunity, where they could conduct empty rituals and receive perceived absolution while continuing in their unrighteous ways.
- to you?: The Hebrew `בְּעֵינֵיכֶ֑ם` (`b'einychem`) literally means "in your eyes" or "in your sight." This highlights that it was their perspective and actions that had transformed the Temple's function. The indictment focuses on their distorted perception and corrupt practices rather than an inherent flaw in the Temple itself.
- But I have been watching: `גַּם־אָנֹכִ֞י הִנֵּ֧ה רָאִ֣יתִי` (`gam anochi hinneh ra'iti`). `גַּם־אָנֹכִ֞י` (`gam anochi`) means "even I" or "I indeed," emphasizing God's personal involvement and sovereignty. `הִנֵּ֧ה` (`hinneh`), "behold," an interjection of emphasis and immediacy. `רָאִ֣יתִי` (`ra'iti`) is the perfect tense "I have seen," denoting a completed action with continuing implications—God's comprehensive and sustained observation.
- declares the LORD: `נְאֻם־יְהוָֽה׃` (`ne'um YHWH`). `נְאֻם` (`ne'um`) is an authoritative utterance or declaration, common in prophetic texts, indicating a direct message from God. `יְהוָֽה` (YHWH) is the sacred covenantal Name of God. This phrase asserts the divine authority and absolute truth of Jeremiah's message, not merely as his own words, but as a pronouncement from the Almighty.
- "Has this house, which is called by my Name, become..." This phrase masterfully contrasts the sacred purpose and identity of the Temple with its profane use. It underscores the severity of the people's hypocrisy: they claimed God's presence in their rituals yet acted contrary to His character. The irony is poignant—God's house, intended for worship and prayer, became a symbol of their rebellion against Him.
- "...a den of robbers to you?" This phrase vividly illustrates the spiritual degradation. It exposes the self-deception that led the people to believe their presence at the Temple or their religious rituals would somehow justify their ongoing transgressions—or even protect them from divine judgment. They mistook a sacred refuge for a safe haven for sin.
- "But I have been watching, declares the LORD." This declaration is a powerful rebuke to the illusion of impunity. It asserts God's omnipresent justice and omniscience, guaranteeing that no hypocrisy, no matter how religiously cloaked, escapes His sight. It transforms the rhetorical question into a promise of inevitable accountability.
Jeremiah 7 11 Bonus section
The lasting impact of Jeremiah 7:11 is dramatically amplified by its direct quotation by Jesus Christ. In Matthew 21:13, Mark 11:17, and Luke 19:46, Jesus uses this very verse during His cleansing of the Temple in Jerusalem. This powerful act, echoing Jeremiah's original Temple Sermon, highlights that the same spiritual malaise of empty ritualism and commercial exploitation that plagued Judah in Jeremiah's day continued into the New Testament era. Jesus's actions were not merely an emotional outburst but a prophetic re-enactment, identifying the contemporary Jewish religious establishment with the hypocrisy Jeremiah condemned centuries earlier. This underlines the timeless message that true worship demands integrity and aligns with God's purposes of justice and prayer, rather than being a cover for sin or commercial gain. Furthermore, the explicit reference in Jeremiah to God's past judgment on Shiloh (Jer 7:12-14), where the tabernacle once stood, serves as a historical precedent and a potent warning to the people of Jerusalem that even a divinely consecrated dwelling place is not immune to destruction if the covenant people forsake their obedience and righteousness.
Jeremiah 7 11 Commentary
Jeremiah 7:11 is a sharp condemnation of superficial religiosity and a prophetic warning against presumption upon God's grace. The people of Judah, by performing religious rituals in the Temple while actively engaging in injustice, idolatry, and moral decay, effectively treated God's house as a "den of robbers." They sought refuge and imagined absolution within its sacred confines after their illicit deeds, believing their participation in religious rites shielded them from divine wrath. However, God, through Jeremiah, dismantles this dangerous self-deception. The rhetorical question exposes the audacious perversion of sacred space, highlighting how a place designated for His Name and prayer was transformed by human wickedness into a hiding place for those unrepentantly engaged in evil. The verse concludes with God's resolute statement, "But I have been watching, declares the LORD," underscoring His complete awareness of their hypocrisy and signaling imminent judgment. True worship demands transformed hearts and righteous lives, not mere ritual observance.
- A business owner regularly cheats employees but consistently attends church services, viewing their offerings as a form of divine 'forgiveness' without genuine repentance.
- Individuals engage in online gossip or harmful social media interactions during the week, yet fervently lead prayer or worship on Sunday, assuming their religious duties outweigh their interpersonal misconduct.
- A nation prides itself on its Christian heritage or public displays of faith, while its systems perpetuate inequality, neglect the vulnerable, or foster corruption, seeing religious tradition as a shield.