Jeremiah 7 14

Jeremiah 7:14 kjv

Therefore 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 7:14 nkjv

therefore I will do to the house which is called by My name, in which you trust, and to this place which I gave to you and your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh.

Jeremiah 7:14 niv

Therefore, what I did to Shiloh I will now do to the house that bears my Name, the temple you trust in, the place I gave to you and your ancestors.

Jeremiah 7:14 esv

therefore I will do to the house that is called by my name, and in which you trust, and to the place that I gave to you and to your fathers, as I did to Shiloh.

Jeremiah 7:14 nlt

So just as I destroyed Shiloh, I will now destroy this Temple that bears my name, this Temple that you trust in for help, this place that I gave to you and your ancestors.

Jeremiah 7 verses

Jeremiah 7 14 Meaning

Jeremiah 7:14 declares God's imminent judgment on the Temple in Jerusalem and the land of Judah. Due to the people's persistent idolatry and moral corruption, combined with their misplaced confidence in the Temple's inviolability, God announces He will destroy the sanctuary, much like He previously destroyed the central sanctuary at Shiloh. The verse serves as a stark warning against spiritual complacency and false security derived from mere religious forms without genuine obedience and righteousness. God's presence in a holy place does not guarantee immunity from judgment when His people abandon His covenant.

Jeremiah 7 14 Context

Jeremiah 7:14 is central to Jeremiah's "Temple Sermon," delivered at the gate of the Jerusalem Temple during the reign of King Jehoiakim (circa 609-598 BCE). The people of Judah were clinging to the belief that the physical presence of the Temple in Jerusalem guaranteed their safety from destruction, a misguided confidence often articulated in the cry, "The Temple of the LORD, the Temple of the LORD, the Temple of the LORD are these!" (Jer 7:4). They trusted in ritual and structure while engaging in rampant idolatry, injustice, and moral decay, summarized in Jer 7:9-10 (stealing, murder, adultery, perjury, offering incense to Baal, and following other gods). Jeremiah's message directly challenges this false security, reminding them that God's covenant blessings were conditional upon their obedience. Historically, the nation had witnessed God's protection of Jerusalem from Sennacherib (Isaiah 36-37), which might have further cemented their belief in the city's invincibility. However, Jeremiah points to Shiloh, an earlier central sanctuary (1 Sam 1-4, Ps 78:60-64), which was utterly destroyed for the wickedness of its inhabitants, particularly the priests. This historical precedent underscored that divine presence is not a charm against divine judgment.

Jeremiah 7 14 Word analysis

• Therefore (לָכֵן - la·ḵên): This is a conjunction signaling a consequence. It links the judgment announced in this verse directly to the unfaithful and wicked actions of the people detailed in the preceding verses (Jer 7:8-11), which constituted a blatant breach of the covenant. It emphasizes the direct causal relationship between sin and divine retribution.
• will I do (אֶעֱשֶׂ֣ה - ’e·‘ĕ·śeh): This highlights God's active, intentional agency in bringing about this judgment. It's not a passive outcome but a divine decree, a deliberate act of sovereign will against His disobedient people and even against His own sanctuary.
• unto this house (לַבַּ֣יִת הַזֶּ֔ה - lab·ba·yiṯ haz·zeh): Refers specifically to the Temple in Jerusalem. Jeremiah points directly to the building they were standing near, making the prophecy concrete and inescapable. It signifies God's direct assault on the symbol of their misplaced trust.
• which is called by my name (אֲשֶׁר־נִקְרָ֣א שְׁמִ֗י עָלָיו֙ - ’ă·šer-niq·rā šə·mî ‘ā·lāw): This phrase indicates God's ownership and special association with the Temple. While signifying privilege and God's dwelling among His people, it also implies greater accountability. The profaning of a place called by God's name makes the sin more egregious and the judgment more severe.
• wherein ye trust (וַאֲשֶׁר־אַתֶּ֤ם בֹּֽטְחִים֙ בּ֔וֹ - wa’ă·šer-’at·tem bō·ṭə·ḥîm bōw): This is the heart of the people's offense – their reliance (from the root בָטַח - bāṭaḥ, to trust, rely, be confident) was placed not in the God of the Temple, but in the physical structure itself, believing it granted automatic immunity from judgment. It underscores their superficial and ritualistic faith.
• and unto the place (וְלַמָּקוֹם֙ - wə·lam·mā·qōwm): This expands the scope of judgment beyond just the Temple to the entire land or city of Jerusalem, where the Temple resided. It shows a comprehensive judgment against both their religious center and their national dwelling.
• which I gave to you and to your fathers (אֲשֶׁ֣ר נָתַ֤תִּי לָכֶם֙ וְלַאֲבֹֽתֵיכֶ֔ם - ’ă·šer nā·ṯat·tî lā·ḵem wə·la·’ă·ḇō·ṯê·ḵem): This reminds the people that both the land and the privilege of divine presence were a gracious gift from God based on a covenant. Their disloyalty meant a forfeiture of these conditional blessings.
• as I have done to Shiloh (כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשִׂ֖יתִי לְשִׁלֽוֹ - ka’ă·šer ‘ā·śî·ṯî lə·ši·lōw): Shiloh served as Israel's central sanctuary before the construction of Solomon's Temple. Its destruction (implied in 1 Sam 4 and explicit in Ps 78:60-64; Jer 26:6) served as a powerful historical precedent. God used this example to demonstrate that even a place hallowed by His presence could be abandoned and destroyed if His people became corrupt. It negates the idea of inherent sacredness overriding divine justice.

Word-Group Analysis

• "unto this house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust": This phrase succinctly captures the essence of Judah's spiritual malady: a sacred structure, named after God, had become an idol of security, replacing trust in God Himself with trust in the institution. The Temple became a source of false hope, not genuine faith.
• "unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers": This links the judgment on the Temple with the judgment on the promised land itself. The land was a core covenantal blessing; its threatened removal underscores the severity of breaking the covenant and the totality of the coming judgment.
• "as I have done to Shiloh": This vivid comparison to Shiloh is the clinching argument, proving that Jerusalem and its Temple were not exempt from God's pattern of judgment. Shiloh was once a vibrant worship center that suffered complete devastation, thus establishing a dire historical parallel for Judah.

Jeremiah 7 14 Bonus section

The audacity of Jeremiah's message, especially comparing Jerusalem's Temple to the ruined Shiloh, was extremely provocative and even blasphemous in the eyes of his contemporaries (Jer 26). To suggest that God would destroy His own chosen dwelling place, the visible sign of His covenant with David, challenged their foundational theological and national security beliefs. This illustrates the nature of true prophecy – often unpopular, directly confronting comfortable religious assumptions, and calling for uncomfortable repentance. The New Testament eventually fulfills the spirit of this prophecy by indicating that the ultimate temple is not a physical building but the community of believers (1 Cor 3:16) and ultimately, Christ himself (John 2:19-21; Rev 21:22), emphasizing a spiritual dwelling of God's presence. Jeremiah's prophecy highlights the eternal truth that God values internal righteousness and genuine relationship over external pomp and ritual, and that blessings are always tied to obedience.

Jeremiah 7 14 Commentary

Jeremiah 7:14 serves as a pivot point in the Temple Sermon, solidifying God's decision to bring severe judgment upon Jerusalem and its revered Temple. The core message is a resounding refutation of superstitious religious observance. The people mistakenly believed that as long as the Temple, where God's name dwelled, stood among them, they were inviolable and safe from divine wrath, regardless of their immoral conduct (Jer 7:8-10). Jeremiah shatters this illusion by referencing Shiloh, a former national sanctuary which God abandoned and allowed to be destroyed due to the people's and priests' wickedness. This precedent shows that God's presence is conditional, not a magic charm. Trusting in a physical structure or religious ritual rather than genuine, heart-felt obedience and justice transforms sacred things into idols. The verse thus underscores God's justice, His demand for ethical living, and the perilous consequences of misplacing faith in religious institutions over the Living God.

Examples:

• A student relying solely on attending class (the "form") but never studying or doing homework (the "substance") will inevitably fail.
• A community priding itself on its impressive church building, yet neglecting its poor and allowing moral corruption within.