Jeremiah 7 16

Jeremiah 7:16 kjv

Therefore 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.

Jeremiah 7:16 nkjv

"Therefore do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them, nor make intercession to Me; for I will not hear you.

Jeremiah 7:16 niv

"So do not pray for this people nor offer any plea or petition for them; do not plead with me, for I will not listen to you.

Jeremiah 7:16 esv

"As for you, do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with me, for I will not hear you.

Jeremiah 7:16 nlt

"Pray no more for these people, Jeremiah. Do not weep or pray for them, and don't beg me to help them, for I will not listen to you.

Jeremiah 7 verses

Jeremiah 7 16 Meaning

Jeremiah 7:16 is a definitive declaration from God to Jeremiah, forbidding the prophet from interceding on behalf of the people of Judah. It conveys God's final and irrevocable judgment against them due to their persistent idolatry, covenant breaking, and unrepentant wickedness. The divine command to cease all forms of prayer – general supplication, urgent pleas, or persistent intercession – signals that the people have crossed a threshold where God will no longer heed appeals for their deliverance, as their spiritual condition has rendered their judgment irreversible.

Jeremiah 7 16 Context

Jeremiah 7:16 is situated within Jeremiah's powerful "Temple Sermon," delivered at the gate of the Lord's house (Jer 7:1-2). This sermon exposes the false confidence of the people of Judah, who believed their presence at the Temple and the Temple's mere existence guaranteed God's protection, regardless of their immoral conduct, idolatry, and social injustice. Jeremiah passionately denounces their deceptive assurances, reminding them of the true requirements of the covenant – righteousness, justice, and devotion to God alone (Jer 7:3-7). He highlights their egregious sins, such as worshipping other gods, oppressing the vulnerable, stealing, murdering, committing adultery, and making false oaths, all while presumptuously claiming, "The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are these!" (Jer 7:8-10). God then declares His intention to destroy this Temple, just as He destroyed the Tabernacle at Shiloh, because the people have made His house "a den of robbers" (Jer 7:11-15). In this escalating indictment and pronouncement of judgment, verse 16 marks a severe and decisive turning point: the point of no return for intercession. God’s patience has run out; the sin has become so ingrained and rebellion so complete that the door for mediation is closed.

Jeremiah 7 16 Word analysis

• Therefore (וְאַתָּה, v'attah): The Hebrew particle v'attah literally means "and you." Here, functioning as a conjunction with strong adversative or consequential force, it emphasizes a direct consequence and urgent instruction to Jeremiah based on the preceding indictment of the people (Jer 7:1-15). It connects the severe pronouncements against Judah's sin and imminent judgment to this command for Jeremiah.
• do not pray (אַל־תִּתְפַּלֵּל, al-titpallel): אַל (al) is a strong negative prohibition. תִּתְפַּלֵּל (titpallel), from the root פָּלַל (palal), in its Hitpael stem, means to supplicate, intercede, mediate, or judge. It implies making oneself a channel between two parties. The command forbids any act of supplication or mediation for the people.
• for this people (בַּעַד הָעָם הַזֶּה, ba'ad ha'am hazzeh): בַּעַד (ba'ad) means "for, on behalf of." "This people" (הָעָם הַזֶּה, ha'am hazzeh) points specifically to the covenant community of Judah and Jerusalem, who have repeatedly provoked God. The definite article emphasizes their specific identity as the recipients of this unalterable judgment.
• nor lift up a cry (וְאַל־תִּשָּׂא בַעֲדָם רִנָּה, v'al-tissa va'adam rinnah): תִּשָּׂא (tissa) from נָשָׂא (nasa) means "to lift up, bear." רִנָּה (rinnah) can denote a joyous shout or a lamentable, piercing cry of distress, entreaty, or petition. This phrase forbids intense, vocal, emotional pleas or outcries.
• or prayer (וּתְפִלָּה, utefillah): תְפִלָּה (tefillah) is a common and broader term for prayer, often more formal or structured. The inclusion of this general term alongside רִנָּה (rinnah) (earnest cry) and תִּתְפַּלֵּל (titpallel) (intercession) ensures that no form of communication to God on their behalf is permitted.
• nor make intercession (וְאַל־תִּפְגַּע־בִּי, v'al-tifga-bi): תִּפְגַּע (tifga) from פָּגַע (paga) carries several meanings: to meet, encounter, strike, entreat, or make intercession. In the context of prayer, it refers to persistent, urgent intervention, even forceful petition. This goes beyond simple prayer to intense advocacy, a strong pleading of a case.
• to Me (בִּי, bi): Directly addressed to God, reinforcing His explicit prohibition and decision.
• for I will not hear you (כִּי־אֵינֶנִּי שֹׁמֵעַ אֹתָךְ, ki-eineni shome'a otakh): כִּי (ki) here means "for, because," stating the divine reason for the command. אֵינֶנִּי (eineni) is "I am not." שֹׁמֵעַ (shome'a), from שָׁמַע (shama), means "to hear, listen, obey." This declares God's firm resolve not to listen to or act upon any prayer made by Jeremiah for Judah. It’s a statement of irrevocable judgment.

Words-Group Analysis

• "Therefore do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them, nor make intercession to Me": This opening segment showcases a strong rhetorical intensification through a threefold prohibition, encompassing different types and intensities of prayer: general intercession (תִּתְפַּלֵּל), fervent crying (רִנָּה), and persistent pleading (תִּפְגַּע). This tripartite structure underscores the absolute nature of the prohibition, leaving no room for any form of advocacy for Judah. It signifies the absolute finality of God's decision regarding His rebellious people.
• "for I will not hear you": This phrase functions as the ultimate justification and sealing of the previous prohibitions. God's declaration that He will not hear makes any prayer from Jeremiah pointless and demonstrates the depth of divine resolve and the irrevocability of the impending judgment. It underscores that the problem lies not with Jeremiah's intercession, but with the people's condition, which has exhausted divine mercy and crossed a line beyond repentance.

Jeremiah 7 16 Bonus section

This command to cease intercession is not unique to Jeremiah 7:16; it appears multiple times (Jer 11:14; 14:11), each time reinforcing the gravity and irrevocability of the impending judgment. Such divine prohibitions are extremely rare in Scripture and serve as a profound marker that a nation's corporate sin has reached a terminal stage, signifying divine abandonment rather than a lack of love or power. It also sets apart Jeremiah's experience from earlier successful intercessors like Moses or Abraham, whose pleas had averted or mitigated divine wrath. In this instance, even the most devout and persistent intercession would be fruitless, serving only to highlight the finality of God’s decree and the people's full responsibility for their fate. This specific word, פָּגַע (paga), "to make intercession," often carries a sense of meeting, intervening, or even a strong, urgent plea, highlighting that God closed the door to even the most earnest, heartfelt advocacy on Judah's behalf.

Jeremiah 7 16 Commentary

Jeremiah 7:16 marks a tragic and absolute climax in God's dealing with Judah, signifying a critical point of no return. After extensive prophetic warnings and patient calls to repentance, God explicitly forbids Jeremiah, His faithful prophet, from interceding for the people. This is an extraordinarily severe divine command, underscoring the irreversible nature of the judgment to come. It's not a statement against the efficacy of prayer or the role of an intercessor, but a testament to the depth of Judah's unrepentant sin and idolatry, which had utterly hardened their hearts and filled the measure of God's wrath. By refusing to "hear," God highlights that their wickedness has created an impenetrable barrier, effectively cutting off their last chance for divine intervention through a mediator. This painful decree serves to cement God's justice, emphasizing that while His mercy is vast, it is not limitless in the face of persistent rebellion and covenant faithlessness. The people's actions had led them beyond the point of remedial correction to inescapable destruction.