Jeremiah 7:21 kjv
Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Put your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices, and eat flesh.
Jeremiah 7:21 nkjv
Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices and eat meat.
Jeremiah 7:21 niv
"?'This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go ahead, add your burnt offerings to your other sacrifices and eat the meat yourselves!
Jeremiah 7:21 esv
Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices, and eat the flesh.
Jeremiah 7:21 nlt
This is what the LORD of Heaven's Armies, the God of Israel, says: "Take your burnt offerings and your other sacrifices and eat them yourselves!
Jeremiah 7 21 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah 7:22 | For I did not speak to your fathers or command them...concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. | Jer. 6:20 |
| Hosea 6:6 | For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God most holy. | Hos. 8:13 |
| Micah 6:8 | ...what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? | Isa. 1:11-17 |
| 1 Samuel 15:22 | ...To obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. | Ps. 50:7-15 |
| Isaiah 66:3 | He who kills an ox is like a man who slays a man; he who sacrifices a lamb is like a man who breaks a dog’s neck... | Matt. 23:23 |
| Matthew 9:13 | ...Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ | John 14:15 |
| John 15:10 | If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love... | 1 John 2:3-5 |
| Acts 5:29 | But Peter said, "We must obey God rather than men." | Acts 4:19-20 |
| Romans 12:1 | ...present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God... | Heb. 10:4-10 |
| 1 John 3:22 | ...whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. | 1 John 5:3 |
| Deuteronomy 11:26-28 | Behold, I set before you this day a blessing, and a curse... | Deut. 28:1-14 |
| Deuteronomy 13:4 | You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and cleave to him. | Deut. 26:16-17 |
| Leviticus 26:3 | If you walk in my statutes and keep my commandments and do them... | Ex. 19:5 |
| Jeremiah 11:7 | I solemnly warned your fathers on the day I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, even to this day, warning diligently, 'Listen to my voice.' | Jer. 7:23 |
| Jeremiah 38:20 | But Jeremiah said, “They will not surrender you. Obey, I beg you, the voice of the LORD in what I say to you, so it shall be well with you, and your life shall live.” | Jer. 42:5-6 |
| Matthew 10:22 | ...and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. | Rom. 10:16 |
| Mark 1:15 | and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the gospel." | Luke 10:16 |
| Galatians 5:22-23 | But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control... | Phil. 4:8-9 |
| 1 Peter 1:14 | As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former self, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct. | 1 Peter 3:4 |
| Ephesians 5:1 | Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. | 1 John 2:6 |
Jeremiah 7 verses
Jeremiah 7 21 Meaning
The Lord rejects Israel's burnt offerings and sacrifices. He never commanded these particular practices in their current corrupted form. The focus shifts from external rituals to genuine obedience, specifically regarding listening to God's voice and following His ways.
Jeremiah 7 21 Context
Jeremiah 7 is part of the "Temple Sermon," where the prophet confronts the people of Judah, who are relying on the physical presence of the Temple and their sacrifices to assure them of God's favor, even while living in sin and idolatry. Despite ongoing religious practices, their hearts and actions are far from God's covenant. The Lord, through Jeremiah, declares that their external show of worship is meaningless because it is not accompanied by true obedience. He reminds them of the core requirements of His covenant: listening to His voice and walking in His ways, not the corrupt practices they had adopted.
Jeremiah 7 21 Word analysis
- Thus (כֹּה - koh): A demonstrative adverb, meaning "so" or "thus," indicating the specific content that follows.
- says (אָמַר - amar): The third person masculine singular Hiphil perfect of the verb meaning "to say." It conveys divine pronouncement.
- the LORD (יְהוָה - YHWH): The covenant name of God, emphasizing His personal relationship and promises to Israel.
- Or (אוֹ - o): Introduces an alternative, contrasting the initial statement.
- not (לֹא - lo): A strong negation.
- commanded (צִוִּיתִי - tsiviti): The first person singular Hiphil perfect of the verb "to command" or "to give charge." Refers to God's direct instructions.
- your fathers (אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם - avoteychem): Plural form of "father," referring to the ancestors of Israel, emphasizing generational relationship with God's commands.
- In the day (בְּיוֹם - beyom): Denotes a specific point in time, recalling the Exodus.
- that (אֲשֶׁר - asher): Relative pronoun introducing a clause specifying the day.
- I (אָנֹכִי - anokhi): Emphatic first-person pronoun, highlighting God as the subject.
- brought (הוֹצֵאתִי - hotzeti): The first person singular Hiphil perfect of the verb "to bring out" or "to cause to go out," referring to the Exodus from Egypt.
- them (אֹתָם - otam): Direct object pronoun.
- out (מִמְּצִרַיִם - mimitsrayim): From Egypt, indicating liberation.
- Concerning (עַל - al): Preposition, often translated "concerning," "about," or "upon." Here it specifies the subject matter of the command.
- the burnt offering (עֹלָה - olah): Refers to the specific type of sacrifice (burnt offering), the most significant.
- and (וְ - ve): Conjunction.
- the sacrifice (וּזְבַח - uzeyach): Refers to a "sacrifice" in general, often encompassing peace offerings or other types.
- of their fathers (אֲבוֹתָם - avotam): Possessive pronoun indicating their ancestors.
Group Analysis:
- I did not command your fathers concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices: This clause highlights a stark contrast. God's original, fundamental commands given at the Exodus and during the wilderness journey were not focused on elaborate, prescribed sacrifices in this manner, especially when disconnected from obedience. While sacrifices were part of the Law, the emphasis was always on the heart and the obedience that accompanied them. The prophet implies that the people have misunderstood or perverted the purpose of sacrifices, prioritizing them over genuine devotion. This aligns with critiques found in Hosea and Micah, where God expresses distaste for sacrifices when not paired with righteousness and mercy.
Jeremiah 7 21 Bonus section
The teaching in this verse has profound implications for understanding true worship throughout the Bible. New Testament parallels, such as Jesus quoting Hosea 6:6 ("I desire mercy, and not sacrifice"), reinforce this emphasis. Paul's exhortation to present bodies as "living sacrifices" in Romans 12:1 signifies a shift from animal sacrifices to a life of complete devotion. The Lord's message through Jeremiah is a perennial reminder that outward religious acts are acceptable to God only when they flow from a heart transformed by love and obedience to Him. The emphasis here is on the priority of obedience to God's word over the physical execution of sacrifices, a principle echoed throughout prophetic and apostolic writings.
Jeremiah 7 21 Commentary
God rejects the ritualistic sacrifices of the people because they were offered with disobedient hearts, divorced from the core commands to listen to His voice and walk in His ways. He clarifies that while burnt offerings and sacrifices were indeed part of the Law, His primary and initial emphasis at the Exodus was on obedience. This verse serves as a powerful indictment against hypocrisy, highlighting that external religious performance cannot substitute for internal transformation and genuine adherence to God's will. True worship is rooted in listening and obeying God's commands, not merely in performing religious duties.